Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Eliminate food sources and possible shelters for stray cats
• Method 2 of 3: Keeping cats away from the garden
• Method 3 of 3: Capturing, neutering (neutering) animals and returning to their familiar environment
• Tips
• Warnings

All over the world, there is a large number of homeless and feral cats that live on the streets, in abandoned buildings and in yards. Despite their relative safety for humans, stray cats can cause serious damage to birds. They can also be carriers of dangerous diseases, infecting domestic cats with them. To get rid of unwanted guests in your backyard, first try to eliminate any food sources and possible hiding places from there. You can also use the tactics of capturing, neutering (neutering) stray animals and returning to their usual environment in order to further stop the uncontrolled growth of their population.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Eliminate food sources and possible shelters for stray cats

1. 1 Eliminate food sources for stray cats. Make sure that the trash cans are not overfilled and that they are always tightly closed with lids. Do not leave any sources of organic food outside your home by yourself. Also ask neighbors to close their trash cans tightly.
   • Remember that cats can survive even with very little food, so you may not be able to remove all food sources in the surrounding area.
   • If you feed the cats yourself, put the food out at least 10 meters from the house. Don't put bowls right in front of your front door unless you want cats to gather there.
2. 2 Eliminate or block possible cat shelters to prevent them from settling in your yard. To protect themselves from the weather, cats look for warm, dry shelters. If they are unable to find suitable hiding places, they will go elsewhere. Therefore, sew up any crevices under the porch or veranda of your house and make sure that the door to the barn is tightly closed. Avoid stockpiling lumber in your yard and be sure to trim thick bushes to prevent cats from finding shelter underneath.
   • If you notice that cats are congregating in a specific place in your yard, find out what exactly serves as a shelter for them. Then just block cats from accessing this place.
   • Plywood and poultry netting are inexpensive materials that can be used effectively to close gaps. To make the cracks inaccessible to cats, cover them with plywood or netting, securing these materials with nails or a construction stapler.
3. 3 Treat your yard with a special cat repellent. Various companies make special chemical repellents for cats. They contain special ingredients (whether natural or synthetic) that give off odors that are unpleasant for cats. Follow the directions on the package of your chosen product regarding the frequency of use. Apply insect repellent to areas of the yard where cats usually spend their time.
   • Cat repellents are available at most pet stores as well as hardware stores.
   • These products are safe and non-toxic for both stray and domestic cats.
4. 4 Contact a trapping service if you are unable to monitor the stray cat population on your own. If your private area is occupied by stray and feral cats, you probably need to contact a stray animal control service. However, be aware that usually such services are engaged in the capture and subsequent euthanasia of cats, or immediately shoot animals.
   • Also note that removing the cat community from where they lived has a vacuum effect.New cats usually quickly occupy the vacant niche and begin to use its resources for their own life and prosperity.

Method 2 of 3: Keeping cats away from the garden

1. 1 To scare cats away, install a motion-activated sprinkler system in your garden. Cats' aversion to water is well known, so they will stay away from water jets and your territory. Turn on the sprinkler system at night so that it is triggered when the animal approaches the sprinklers at a distance of about 1.5 m so that bystanders cannot be harmed by the water.
   • As an added bonus, your flower beds and lawn will always be well watered.
2. 2 Scatter citrus fruit skins throughout the garden. Cats dislike the smell and taste of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes. So the next time you eat or juice citrus fruits, throw the peels directly into the garden. Cats will walk around your territory for a while.
   • Planting citrus trees is not as effective against cats as they do not smell as strong as the fruit itself.
3. 3 Place a poultry net on the ground where cats tend to dig. If you notice stray cats digging up your garden stubbornly, exposing plant roots or even eating them, this behavior can be suppressed with a house net. Buy just enough nets to protect your plantings. Lay the netting down on the ground and press down at the corners with stones to prevent the cats from moving it.
   • You can purchase the required amount of nets for poultry houses at a hardware store, hardware store or garden store.
4. 4 Plant herbs and plants in your garden that are unpleasant for cats. The essence of this method is similar to the use of citrus fruit skins. If you plant herbs that cats simply can't stand, they are less likely to want to dig in your garden. Plant a minimum of 3-4 repellent plants to keep these pests away from your garden. Plants that scare away cats include:
   • lavender;
   • lemon-scented thyme;
   • rue;
   • swamp mint.
5. 5 Sprinkle ground black pepper on the ground where cats tend to congregate. Subsequently, it will be unpleasant for cats to lick the burning paws. If you regularly sprinkle the ground with pepper, cats will soon realize that your territory is the cause of the unpleasant sensations. Sprinkle some pepper on the area under your porch or around your veranda, the barn floor, and wherever you've seen cats playing or sleeping.
   • Pepper also helps protect lawns from cats. Keep in mind that you will need to regularly re-cultivate the area with it, especially after heavy rains.

Method 3 of 3: Capturing, neutering (neutering) animals and returning to their familiar environment

1. 1 Capture stray cats on your territory in order to neuter (neuter) and return them to their usual habitat. In the long term, trapping and neutering or neutering is the most effective method of getting rid of cats. Buy a humane plastic or metal cat trap and use canned tuna or cat food as bait. Set up a trap near a regular feeding area and cover it with a blanket.
   • Once you catch a cat in a trap, don't let it go. Cover the trap with a blanket to calm the animal.
   • Humane cat traps can usually be purchased online, made your own, or borrowed from an animal shelter.
2. 2 Do not take your cat to a shelter. In most cases, shelters do not accept feral cats, as they usually do not lend themselves to taming. Feral cats are often very shy and unsociable, so they don't belong at home. If such a cat ends up in a shelter, in most cases it is euthanized.
   • However, it is perfectly acceptable to call your local shelter or animal rescue organization for advice.They will be able to explain how you can effectively trap a feral animal without harming it or suffering from scratches.
3. 3 Take the animal to a veterinarian who can neuter or neuter it. In some large cities, charity programs are sometimes organized for free spaying and neutering of stray cats, as the growth of their population is a serious problem. Try calling shelters and veterinary clinics to find out if such a program is working in your city. Explain that you want to operate on a stray cat. In a number of countries, neutered and neutered animals are cut off the tip of the ear to mark the fact that they have already been captured and operated on.
   • Be sure to inform your veterinarian ahead of time that you are going to bring a stray cat to the clinic, as they may not have the necessary experience with feral animals.
   • Neutering and neutering can humanely stop the breeding of cats and bring their population under control.
4. 4 Bring the cat back home after surgery and let it recover. Once you bring your cat to the vet for surgery, it’s your responsibility to take care of its well-being in the short term. Take your cat home after surgery and make sure she has time to recover before releasing her back into the wild.
   • Never let an animal out with fresh stitches or under anesthesia.
5. 5 Release the cat where you caught it. Most likely, the cat is already mentally traumatized, so for better adaptation it is better to return it to the street in its usual environment. In addition, it should be remembered that cats are often very territorial and do not allow other people's cats to approach their territory. This helps protect fertile cats from mating with other cats, which also helps control the animal population. The ultimate goal of capturing, neutering (neutering) and returning cats to their familiar environment is to prevent stray animals from breeding uncontrollably.
   • For the capture, neutering and return method to effectively control the cat population, most or even all of the animals must go through this procedure. After some time, the number of cats will decrease, as they will not be able to reproduce.
   • Once you have used the method of capturing, neutering and returning the cats, they can be safely fed as the animals will no longer reproduce.

Tips

• Stray cats are cats that have lost their owners and ended up on the street. Feral cats are those cats that have never been domesticated, but were born and used to living on the street.
• The method of trapping, neutering and returning to the street is only permissible for feral cats. It is better to send stray cats that were previously domesticated to shelters, where they will be washed and tried to find old or new owners.
• If the annoying cat is another person's officially registered pet, contact the owner and ask him to keep the pet at home. If the owner turns out to be intractable, try filing a complaint with the police or contacting a stray animal control service.
• The most effective method for reducing the population of feral cats is trapping, neutering and returning. If you are unable to catch cats on your own, you can contact the catching service to help you put this method into practice.
• Yard trash cans near cafes and restaurants are often a source of food for stray and feral cats, as they are often open and do not empty until they are full. If cats are clearly attracted to food garbage, try talking to the business owner about a safer way to store litter.
• Try reading a book about cats or asking friends to talk about them. Perhaps you will even love them, or at least stop hating them.

Warnings

• Do not try to corner a feral cat, as the animal can be quite aggressive. If you are bitten or scratched by a feral cat, seek immediate medical attention to ensure that you are properly vaccinated.
• Never try to harm or injure a cat crossing your path. This is not only inhuman and cruel, but also illegal.