Can I let H shoot this cat?

[Cicero]

I should,preface this by saying that I'm incredibly allergic to cats so I'm not generally disposed to liking them in the first place. I am fully aware that this might be clouding my judgment on this.

There is a cat that has claimed our backyard as its territory. It lounges in the sun just outside our door. It has hissed/snarled at H a time or two when he's opened the door too fast without realizing it was there. It likes to clean itself on top of our patio table, and now the little effer has started using my raised beds as his litter box. Twice in as many days I've had to go put the string dividers back up because the fat cat has ripped them out while crapping in my garden.

Do I have any recourse here? I have no idea whose cat this is. It really doesn't look like a stray but I suppose it could be.

Given how much time it has been spending in our yard and how snippy it gets when we are around I'm a little worried about it hurting M when he's in the yard this summer. I've thought of calling animal control but is that a bit drastic as a first step? Is there a proper protocol here in case he belongs to someone who just lets him roam?

[AAM2012]

Can you trap it and give it to a local shelter?

[redheadbaker]

Calling animal control is too drastic but shooting it isn't?

[gpw]

Apr 18, 2014 9:52:40 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Calling animal control is too drastic but shooting it isn't?

lol, my thought, too, but I'm thinking (hoping) it was hyperbole?  

[pixy0stix]

Trap it and take it to a shelter.

[Cicero]

Apr 18, 2014 9:53:34 GMT -5 gpw said:

Apr 18, 2014 9:52:40 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Calling animal control is too drastic but shooting it isn't?

lol, my thought, too, but I'm thinking (hoping) it was hyperbole?  

LOL, it was. We don't even have anything with which to shoot it.

[josieposy]

If there's no collar and tag, trap it and take it in. If there is a tag, trap it and call.

[karinothing]

Trap it take it in

Spray it with water

Set up motion detector sprinklers

Throw tuna into your neighbors yard so it hangs out there

Please do not hurt the cat

[Velvetshady]

1) Invest $20 bucks for this: www.gardeners.com/Dog-and-Cat-Repellent/39-015,default,pd.html?start=9&cgid=YardPests_DogsCats

2) Sprinkle in your flower beds.

3) Set a trap and follow instructions above re if it has a collar or not.

[Cicero]

Apr 18, 2014 10:00:07 GMT -5 Velvetshady said:

1) Invest $20 bucks for this: www.gardeners.com/Dog-and-Cat-Repellent/39-015,default,pd.html?start=9&cgid=YardPests_DogsCats

2) Sprinkle in your flower beds.

3) Set a trap and follow instructions above re if it has a collar or not.

I was hoping something like that existed. Thanks!

[Cicero]

I suppose the thing that makes me hesitant about the shelter thing is that the ones here are not no-kill and I don't want to become that person who just moved in and got John and Suzy's pet killed.

Although why John and Suzy would let their cat roam throughout a city I do not know.

[ringstrue]

Yeah I believe any Lowes/Home Depot type place will have cat repellent.

You can also sprinkle pepper (black or Cayenne) on the areas you want them to stay away from and generally it takes care of most mammals.

[pixy0stix]

I love animals. I have no tolerance for animals that desecrate my yard, and people who allow them to do so. I'd trap and take to a shelter with no qualms. But yes, it would be good to look to see if the cat has a collar. I would guess the owners give no fucks, though.

[Deleted]

I love anyone who actually read this and thought Cicero's family owned a gun and would shoot a cat.

[sugarglider]

Apr 18, 2014 10:03:16 GMT -5 Cicero said:

I suppose the thing that makes me hesitant about the shelter thing is that the ones here are not no-kill and I don't want to become that person who just moved in and got John and Suzy's pet killed.

Although why John and Suzy would let their cat roam throughout a city I do not know.

Shelters will check for a microchip.

Are you sure there aren't any no-kill rescue groups in your area?

And maybe since you're allergic, have your H do the trapping.

[bigoleworm]

I am owned by an indoor cat and I hate the ones that hang in our yard. They piss and shit wherever they feel like, and fighting and humping sound the same and are equally disturbing noises.
I say put up signs for the owner after you trap the cat and then shoot the owners when they come to claim it. I bet they won't have their cat in your yard anymore.

[aurora]

Get a dog?

Seriously, though, even if your shelters are not no-kill I'd be surprised if they'd kill a healthy animal in the first 24 hours. So, the owners would have time to notice it's gone missing and call around.

I like cats but it drives me nuts when people let them run free. I actually caught one eating - or at least chewing/destroying - my lettuce once, and I'm furious when I find their crap in my garden. Stupid irresponsible, inconsiderate owners.

[Velvetshady]

I'm sure this will upset someone but being a certifiable Crazy Cat Lady, IMO if the cat is actually "owned" by someone and yet is in Cicero's yard this much, then giving it to a shelter where it has the possibly of being adopted by someone else that actually cares about it and will keep it indoors, is a step in the right direction.

[orangeblossom]

Apr 18, 2014 10:03:16 GMT -5 Cicero said:

I suppose the thing that makes me hesitant about the shelter thing is that the ones here are not no-kill and I don't want to become that person who just moved in and got John and Suzy's pet killed.

Although why John and Suzy would let their cat roam throughout a city I do not know.

I'm sending you a PM. I think I know the area you're in, and found some info on it.

[mominatrix]

Apr 18, 2014 10:03:16 GMT -5 Cicero said:

I suppose the thing that makes me hesitant about the shelter thing is that the ones here are not no-kill and I don't want to become that person who just moved in and got John and Suzy's pet killed.

Although why John and Suzy would let their cat roam throughout a city I do not know.

because some people think that cats should be able to roam free.


I used to have an indoor-only cat, and you wouldn't believe the amount of shit I caught (from otherwise rational people) about how all cats need to be free range.

[pixy0stix]

Apr 18, 2014 10:37:00 GMT -5 Velvetshady said:

I'm sure this will upset someone but being a certifiable Crazy Cat Lady, IMO if the cat is actually "owned" by someone and yet is in Cicero's yard this much, then giving it to a shelter where it has the possibly of being adopted by someone else that actually cares about it and will keep it indoors, is a step in the right direction.

I'm fairly certain the pestie bandwagon won't even be pulled out of the garage for this.

[josieposy]

I've never understood this. Why is okay for cats to roam, but not dogs?

[penguingrrl]

Apr 18, 2014 10:40:20 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I've never understood this. Why is okay for cats to roam, but not dogs?

I assume it's a perception that dogs can be big and aggressive and are more likely to hurt someone by attacking them. I think there's an assumption that cats are mellow and will hang out and avoid trouble. Usually by the same assholes who think pit bulls are automatically dangerous and aggressive.

[Cicero]

Apr 18, 2014 10:30:58 GMT -5 aurora said:

Get a dog?

Seriously, though, even if your shelters are not no-kill I'd be surprised if they'd kill a healthy animal in the first 24 hours. So, the owners would have time to notice it's gone missing and call around.

I like cats but it drives me nuts when people let them run free. I actually caught one eating - or at least chewing/destroying - my lettuce once, and I'm furious when I find their crap in my garden. Stupid irresponsible, inconsiderate owners.

We wanted to adopt a dog in urgent need a couple of weeks ago but the reason the dog was in urgent need of a home was because she doesn't do well with cats and well, someone's cat is currently making use of our yard.

[msmerymac]

Unsurprisingly, I'm with pixy0stix on this. See if there are rescues in your area with humane traps and if they're willing to get this cat for you and try to rehab/adopt him out.

Since he's kind of nasty, he might have been, uh, intentionally let out by someone (jerks). My mom had a cat like that. We found him in our yard and adopted him, but he was an asshole. He might need to be neutered, or just adopted and cared for by a foster family for a while to change his attitude, but a rescue will know how to handle it.

We had neighborhood cats who would shit by our house and terrorize my cats through the windows in LA. It was almost as bad as our neighbor intentionally letting his dog shit in our shared yard and on our porch and not cleaning it up. Almost.

[aurora]

Apr 18, 2014 10:51:11 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Apr 18, 2014 10:30:58 GMT -5 aurora said:

Get a dog?

Seriously, though, even if your shelters are not no-kill I'd be surprised if they'd kill a healthy animal in the first 24 hours. So, the owners would have time to notice it's gone missing and call around.

I like cats but it drives me nuts when people let them run free. I actually caught one eating - or at least chewing/destroying - my lettuce once, and I'm furious when I find their crap in my garden. Stupid irresponsible, inconsiderate owners.

We wanted to adopt a dog in urgent need a couple of weeks ago but the reason the dog was in urgent need of a home was because she doesn't do well with cats and well, someone's cat is currently making use of our yard.

I would have picked the dog.  99% likely the cat would have gone away and never come back.  Win-win.  Which probably means you are a nicer person than me.

There's always the 1% chance the dog would have caught the cat, which probably wouldn't have ended well, but it would be a risk I'd be willing to take.

[msmerymac]

Apr 18, 2014 10:40:20 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I've never understood this. Why is okay for cats to roam, but not dogs?

Lazy people. I guess it's easier to keep a dog in the house, or to at least keep them in your yard if you have a fence. 

I'm not the fastest person on earth, but trust me, I've developed quick reflexes when it comes to keeping cats from escaping the house.

I mean, technically cats are domesticated because they developed a symbiotic relationship with people. Soon after the agricultural revolution they realized that where the humans were was where the grain was stored, and where the grain was stored, the rodents live. So cats catch rodents and get to, well, eat rodents and in exchange humans have less rodents. So yeah, outside was a good place for cats, before the rodents got into the house.

Which worked well on farms and in other agricultural areas (or towns/cities that had rodents) until recently, when the mindset changed when it came to pets being part of the family. Similar to previously using dogs to hunt, catch rodents, retrieve game, herd, etc, but now basically using them for snuggles.

[redheadbaker]

Apr 18, 2014 10:30:58 GMT -5 aurora said:

Get a dog?

Seriously, though, even if your shelters are not no-kill I'd be surprised if they'd kill a healthy animal in the first 24 hours. So, the owners would have time to notice it's gone missing and call around.

I like cats but it drives me nuts when people let them run free. I actually caught one eating - or at least chewing/destroying - my lettuce once, and I'm furious when I find their crap in my garden. Stupid irresponsible, inconsiderate owners.

At my local animal control shelter, the cat surrender rate is three times what it is for dogs. Also, by law, a stray dog must be held for 48 hours to give owners time to claim it but there is no such hold for cats. So yeah, busy season + finite number of cages = some shelters will kill a healthy cat less than 24 hours after taking it in.

[josieposy]

The only domestic animal that ever truly scared me was a cat. Give me a pitbull any day! Lol!

[downtoearth]

Kill the cat!

Actually, I had a cat like that in our yard for awhile and I was just an asshole to it...chased it fast, squirted it with the hose several times, and let my dog chase it (she actually likes cats and was barking at the deer behind, but the cat didn't know). But I'm mean like that... oh and the cat found a new place to lounge instead of my back porch.