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How To Get Rid Of Cats In Your Yard

Using Dogs As A Deterrent

How to Get Rid of Stray Cats – DIY Pest Control

For this method to be effective, you will need to get a big dog. This scares away stray cats and allows you to have a defined territory that is out of bounds.

While considering this option, you need to note that your dogs may get into a fight with these cats occasionally. This can result in bits or scratches.

You should observe your dog regularly and seek the help of a veterinarian whenever a bite or scratch is noticed.

  • Using Predator Urine

Predators like foxes and coyotes prey on cats. One way to register their presence is through the use of their urine. Cats can smell such urine from a distance. Once your yard or garden emits such a smell, cats will hardly hang around. You will need to reapply after some time. Especially after the rains might have washed it away.

  • Help Reconnect Stray Cats to Their Owners

You may be lucky enough to identify a stray cat as belonging to someone close by. In such situations, contact their owners. This is the best step to take as cats are more receptive to their owners. In some situations, owners may inquire from neighbors. This is another way you can find relief from stray cats.

Notice that we didnât mention feral cats here. This is because such cats have no owners. They were born and raised in the wild. Consequently, this approach wonât apply to them.

Stray Cats Vs Feral Cats

It’s worth making a distinction between a tame house cat belonging to a nearby neighbor who occasionally wanders into your yard, and a truly feral cat, which is typically a creature that has never known domestication and which is quite wild. Both animals can kill birds and create other mayhem, but with a wandering domestic cat, you usually have recourse by locating the owner and asking that they control their pet. A wandering domestic pet may wear a collar and sometimes will be notably sociable with people. If an animal control agency picks up this type of cat, there’s a good chance its owner will be contacted or that the animal will be adopted.

A true feral cat, on the other hand, is usually quite skittish around people, and it will be noticeably wild in its behavior. Such cats are often beyond domestication, and unfortunately, some will wind up euthanized by animal control agencies. An ongoing community practice of neutering and spaying domestic animals is ultimately the most humane approach to the feral cat problem.

The methods used to get rid of stray cats may differ, depending on if you’re dealing with a true feral cat or just a wandering pet.

Which Is The Worlds Deadliest Wild Cat How Do They Attack

As the age-old adage goes, Its always the ones you suspect the least.

This can easily be applied to the likes of the black-footed cats common in the southern parts of Africa.

Not only is it the smallest cat on the continent, but it also happens to be the number one killer known to man.

Fortunately, this cat is native only to Africa and has yet to appear anywhere else in the world as an invasive species.

Despite their killer instincts, these cats are incredibly small, standing at only 8 inches two, under two feet long, and often barely break the 5-pound mark in terms of weight.

While you might not cower in fear at the sight of one, black-footed cats are a killing machine in the animal kingdom the likes of which a lion or a cheetah could only dream of becoming.

Black-footed cats have earned the killer title for a good reason.

Numerous scouting and reporting teams have recorded that these cats kill over 10 birds or rodents each night, averaging between 10-14 depending on environmental factors.

For most of the animal kingdom, these small creatures arent an issue.

Unfortunately, smaller mammals will constantly have to look over their shoulder as the black-footed cat could be in pursuit at any given time.

How do they attack their prey?

Domesticated cats are well known for their ninja-like ability to be quieter than a mouse.

Recent advances in camera technology helped cross this barrier.

At times, there appears to be no method to their approach.

Final Words

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Cat Deterrent Methods To Avoid

Feral cats are a problem in any neighborhood. They bring a lot of issues, including diseases and parasites. However, there are some things that should never be used on cats. These include the following:

  • Poison, or toxins
  • Shooting, even with non-lethal options like pellet guns
  • Inhumane traps like glue traps
  • Aggressive animals like dogs

Not only are these approaches ineffective in the short term, but they can be more harmful than stray cats themselves.

These alternative methods are hard to control, and also unpredictable. They can harm not only cats, but other animals and people in the area as well. On top of that, they may violate local laws.

Make Your Garden Unpleasant

How To Get Rid Of Cats In Your Backyard

Its no secret that cats love digging. One of the main reasons they like fresh soil is that its easy to do their business. If you make your flowerbeds or garden unattractive to them, they will likely steer clear of it.

Rather than using traditional mulch or soft soil, try to use prickly, uncomfortable options instead. You can use pine needles as mulch or plant thorny or vining plants as a carpet around your existing plants. Cats wont like the way this feels on their calls, nor will they be able to dig easily.

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Use These Tips To Repel Them From Your Yard

Stray pets and wildlife like raccoons can bring fleas and ticks into your yard. Cats are nice, but they can wreak havoc on our yards and gardens. Home pest control how to keep cats out of your yard jp stock images/shutterstock even if you like cats (. If you have problems with them, see our guide to understand how to keep them away! Flea and tick infestations can start when stray pets and wildlife â like raccoons, opossu. Home pest control how to keep cats out of your yard jp stock images/shutterstock even if you like cats (. Use these tips to repel them from your yard. Here is how to humanely remove lizards from your home. Dogs and cats are from different species of animals, appealing to different types of people. These are the most effective & safe ways to keep cats out of your yard or just your neighbor’s! Here are five steps to fight these annoying infestations in your yard. Know how to keep cats out of your yard. Know how to keep cats out of your yard.

No matter how welcoming you are, nobody wants to share their home with household pests. Cats are nice, but they can wreak havoc on our yards and gardens. Living with pests can be embarrassing and frustrating. So if there is anyone that can give me any advice as to how i can get r. Flea and tick infestations can start when stray pets and wildlife â like raccoons, opossu.

Things You Should Not Do While Repelling Feral Cats

While it is important to know what to do, it is also crucial to know what not to do.

Even if you are facing an out of control feral cat problem, you should not take these steps under any circumstances:

  • Unleashing aggressive dogs
  • Shooting
  • Poisons
  • Toxic substances
  • Inhumane traps

Many individuals employ these techniques to keep feral cats away, but they are harmful to the cats.

You dont need to go towards the extreme, as the various ways stated above can work wonders.

You may also be violating local laws kept in place to protect stray animals.

So, always use methods that are not detrimental to the health of the cats.

If you still cant get rid of these stray cats, then you can call your local animal control authority, or you can use some natural home remedies.

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Company Of Animals Hisser

This is actually a product I havent personally test, but in theory, it should work. I realized this after reading many reviews on the Company of Animals Pet Corrector. One of the most common complaints by those who use this on dogs is that it also scare the crap out of their cats.

This product is actually designed to stop dogs from misbehaving. It works by emitting a hissing sound through a quick burst of compressed air that mimics the warning hiss of a snake. While this certainly isnt the most surefire way to get rid of cats on this list, it will likely make them leave your property very quickly.

The Company of Animals says this is effective for most animals including cats, horses, and more. So, as an added bonus, you may be able to use this product to train a dog or other problematic animals around your home.

What Causes Stray Cats

How to get rid of stray cats

A stray catâwhether is is simply a wandering local domestic house cat or a true feral that has bred in the wildâwill be drawn to your yard because it has features the cat finds attractive. In the case of the typical house cat, this means the creature is able to find food, water, and shelter. Bird-lovers who have positioned birdhouses, bird feeders, and watering stations may find that neighborhood cats come in droves to hunt birds.

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What Is The Difference Between A Stray Cat And A Feral Cat

Although there are distinct similarities between the feral and stray cats aesthetically, they are quite different in terms of how they interact with people and what social cues they take.

This can be essential when determining the proper procedure when approaching a cat, as failing to identify the type can lead to potential injuries to the one in contact.

Regardless, both types of cat are domesticated.

The key difference between feral and stray cats is whether they are used to people or not through a process known as socialization.

Like humans, in order to function in a sociable manner, cats need to be exposed to other cats and humans. Feral cats lack these interactions with people and are solely used to depending on themselves.

Strays are previously socialized cats that have simply lost their home, though they are also self-sufficient in feeding/hunting.

With these aspects in mind, here are some other differences that can help anyone identify a stray cat vs. a feral cat.

Feral:

These cats live a rather secluded lifestyle.

Feral cats have likely never had any natural interaction with humans, though stray cats can potentially become feral if they havent experienced human interactions for significant periods of time.

Once feral, they come to fear people and actively avoid them when possible.

Socializing is a complex process that is not recommendable to any extent, especially if the cat is over 4 months of age.

Stray:

Contact A Local Shelter

Many local shelters can assist you with stray animals. Whether they come to rescue the animal or guide you on what to do next, they can sometimes provide helpful tips to get you on the right track. Many shelters perform what is called a TNR, which stands for trap neuter and release.

You would get a live trap or some other means of containment, take the cat into the shelter, and they will spay or neuter the animal. You can then release it back into the wild to fend for itself. It might seem harsh, but it does reduce unwanted breeding and behaviors, such as urine marking, on your property.

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Keep Stray Cats Away From Your House With Repellent

One of the easiest ways to turn your property into a feline-free space is to make a homemade cat repellent spray to keep cats away. This spray has ingredients that repel cats and is easy to make with just a few supplies.

  • Dish soap

Combine the vinegar and water in a spray bottle and swirl it. Squirt in some dish soap, place the cap on the bottle and shake to ensure mixing.

Spray around your property in areas where the cats go. This includes gardens, bird feeders or other food sources, or a sandbox, which is basically a big outdoor litter box.

Repelling Cats From Your Garden

How to Keep Cats Out of Your Yard
  • 1Install a motion-sensing sprinkler to spray encroaching cats. Its a well-known fact that cats and water do not mix, so felines will stay out of the waters range and off of your lawn. Set the sprinkler to go off at night when an animal comes within about 4 feet of it to avoid soaking passers-by on a sidewalk.
  • An added bonus is that your grass and flowers will get a nice watering in the process.
  • 2Toss citrus fruit peels directly into your garden plot. Cats dislike the smell and taste of citrus fruits like orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit. So, the next time youre eating or juicing one of these fruits, throw the peels and rinds out into your garden. The cats should give the area a wide berth.

    Note: Planting citrus trees will not be effective in keeping cats out of a garden, since the smell wont be as strong.

  • 3Lay chicken wire over the soil in a garden where cats dig. If you find that stray cats keep digging up your garden or gnawing on exposed plant roots, you can block them with chicken wire. Purchase a length thats sufficient to cover the length of your garden. Lay the wire directly on the ground, and put stones on the 4 corners so cats wont be able to move the wire.XResearch source
  • You can purchase any length of chicken wire at a local hardware store or a home-improvement store.
  • Lavender
  • Rue
  • Pennyroyal
  • Pepper works to keep cats off of a grass-covered lawn, too. But, you will have to reapply it frequently, especially after heavy rains.
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    Do Not Leave Food Out

    If you or your neighbor had been feeling merciful and leaving food out for the cats, do not let food stay out for too long. This can leave a scent or tell stray cats that there will always be food available in that area. By providing them with easy access to food, youre making your yard an enticing place for them to stay.

    How Often Do Stray Cats Reproduce

    A large population of stray cats might make you interested in knowing how often they reproduce. Stray cats can have litter all year round. They reproduce kittens every 4 months. Kittens are heavily dependent on their mothers for care during their early years.

    They need to be hidden in a safe zone until when they can venture out.

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    Undo Their Territory Mark

    Once a stray cat pees on your property, you can bet that they intend on setting up their camp there and becoming a permanent tenant on your property. If you leave it as is, theyre sure to keep coming back.

    A cats urine has a strong distinctive smell. Look for its general area and wash it down with water. For added measure, you can use eco-friendly soaps to scrub down the area. Its not a long-term solution to getting rid of stray cats in your yard permanently, however, as they may come back to repeat their marking.

    Preventing Armadillos From Returning

    How can I get Rid of Cats

    If you think that after trapping the armadillo and disinfecting your yard, this compulsive wanderer will never come back again, then you couldnt be more wrong!

    When one armadillo goes, another one can take their place. In order for your pest control plan to remain effective, ;and long-term you must maintain it. Especially if you live in an armadillo-active location. Here are a few long-term strategies we suggestions you try.;

    1. Fill The Armadillo Hole with Gravel

    First thing fill in the armadillo hole. Once the armadillo has been removed from your land, and you are certain there are no more dillos active in the yard, you can fill the burrows with gravel and pack it down. This control method ensures the animal wont return to the same burrows.;

    2. Build a Better Fence

    Your existing fence cant have been doing a great job of protecting your land from the invasion of armadillos.

    But dont worry, you dont need to pull down your existing fence. Instead try adding a pest control fence at the bottom of your decorative landscape fence.

    This low profile pest fence needs to be dug deep into the ground. To do this you need to dig a trench around 12 to 18 inches deep and sit the pest control fence in it. Simply backfill the trench and fit the protruding fence to posts or your existing fence structure.

    Armadillos are not great at jumping so a fence of about 24 high should be fine

    3. Remove All Food Sources

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    How To Keep Stray Cats Out Of Your Yard

    So youre playing backyard games with your family and friends and then an unexpected feline guest stops by. Youre not exactly sure who owns this cat. Youre uncertain if it is even friendly. And you have no idea how to politely discourage it from coming around.

    If this sounds like something youve experienced lately, its time to deal with the stray cats that keep wandering onto your property. By the time you finish reading this article, you will have plenty of ideas for respectfully and humanely urging unwanted feline visitors to stay away.

    Cats Are Yowling Fighting Spraying Roaming And Having Kittens

    REASON: These are mating behaviors. Once the cats are spayed or neutered, these behaviors will stop.

    Quick Tips:

    • Conduct TNR for the cats. TNR stops mating behaviors and ensures no new kittens are born.
    • Find more information about TNR at alleycat.org/TNR. Get help from local community cat experts by requesting a list of Alley Cat Allies Feral Friends Network members in your area at alleycat.org/FindFeralFriends.

    Please remember: Do not take community cats to animals shelters. They are feralor unsocialized to peopleand therefore unadoptable. This means virtually 100 percent of community cats taken to shelters are killed there. Instead, community cats should be neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor homes.

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