stray cats

Chinasea

My neighbourhood has been plagued with stray cats since the last 20 years I am living here. After ringing the local council, the various animal welfare associations it became apparent that no one gives an eff about this problem. I decided to start to neuter some of the cats, needless to say at my own expense. The problem is that the I have then started to feed them as I felt sorry for them but neighbour is very upset about this. I understand how he feels about this totally but I can't stand to see animals starving to death so I throw them the odd scrap here and there. Unfortunately they have pooped in the neighbour’s garden and he wants me to stop feeding them. My argument is that even if I were to stop feeding them the problem just won’t go away all by itself and I know if these guys take a hike another bunch of cats will arrive on the scene. What do I do? I really like the neighbour and want to try and keep things right but I am at a loss as to what is right and what is wrong?

mymo

Good on you for taking on the neutering, can you feed the cats away from the houses?
Explain to the neighbour about you getting them neutered to reduce the numbers, and maybe tell him they do a job keeping pests away.

Chinasea

I have tried explaining that the best solution I saw was to neuter them but he isn't even listening to me on that as I don't even think he realises that that is actually helping as opposed to encouraging them. I am very upset as the man is a nice guy.

The Sweeper

Print out something about a trap, neuter, release colony and put it through his letterbox, with a short note explaining this is what you're trying to do?

He could be totally irritated by the presence of the cats. Be sure, if you are feeding them, you're not simply feeding every wandering cat. Feeding ferals gives them the strength to have larger litters if they do breed. Are you still listening to them fight and caterwaul at night?

If the neighbour is objecting to cat crap in his garden then it's unsurprising that he's not happy with you encouraging the colony. Neutered, the colony should reduce considerably in size and mostly die out in three to five years, but that's still three to five years of cat crap for him to deal with. Be careful you're on the same page, lest you end up with larger vets bills trying to treat cases of poisoning - feral cats are very impersonal animals and frustrated people can find it easier to do something unthinkable to something they don't like.

MsFifers

Could you find a spot to feed them that is away from you and your neighbour's houses? Cats often have quite a wide range so there might be a corner of a park or piece of wasteground they hang around in. If you fed them there, then the neighbour wouldn't know anything about it.

I was in your boat before and my neighbour got annoyed and caught the cat, drove it out to the country and dumped it in a field. I felt v. bad about that as I'm sure the cat starved when it was dumped in an unfamiliar area like that.

Keep on with the neutering if you can!

Zapperzy

Fair play to you for neutering and feeding them. Neutering is definitely the best way to go about controling numbers, if only we could get more people to realise this. Buy your neighbour a water gun and tell him to squirt them when they come into his garden, completely harmless, everyone is happy and the cats get fed. Point out to him that they keep mice and rats away also!

Shenshen

There have been strays for 20 odd years, and he is now giving out to YOU???
What has he done in all that time to try and reduce the numbers of those strays? How many did he get neutered, how many kittens did he catch and re-home?

I'm sorry, but nice guy or not, he does need a reality check here.