Neighbor Has Feral Cats - What to Do?
 

Hey all,
Anyone ever dealt with this before? My neighbors are awesome, but he now has about a half a dozen feral cats living under his deck. He felt bad for them because they found shelter there before winter, and so he fed them so they wouldn't die. Well, they still haven't left, because he keeps feeding them. They come into my yard, and have crapped in my grass a few times and they climb on my kids soccer net and stuff. I chase them away every chance I get, but it's annoying.

Do I have any recourse? I already talked to him a few months back about them, and he said he was going to call to have them removed, but never did.

:help: Any suggestions on who to call? ASPCA? Town?

Pellet gun , a trap and a garbage pail filled with water, or anti freeze . You choose

a big dog lol

If you've already mentioned them to him before, and you are on good terms with him, maybe bring it up again and see what he says. If they really are a nuisance I wouldn't hesitate from telling him you are afraid they will scratch your kids, etc and try to run that angle.

call the pound.

The pound if you are 100% positive no one is going to claim them. If not start trapping them and releasing them away from your home. A couple bridges away will be fine.

Personally, I would go with a flamethrower.

This isn't a good idea. Those cats are arguably his neighbors since he feeds them and allows them to seek shelter on his property. Speak with the neighbor and see if he will agree to calling the pound, if he refuses then he is treating the cats as his own and he is arguably trespassing by allowing his cats to enter your property.

I say "arguably" because that is how it appears to me, I haven't really checked the local laws on strays before reaching that conclusion. Just how it appears to me.

call the city dog catcher or put out a trap and re locate them to a place thats far from you

They will be euthanized if they go to the pound. You should seek out a shelter that doesn't to take them. You're a better person if you do, unlike some people posting here.

Agreed 110%. They are out there you just have to look

West Milford is a no kill shelter...there have to be some in your area that are no kill.

...if some aren't fixed they will continue to multiple and create more problems..better to deal w/them sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the responses all! I'm gonna talk to my neighbor first tomorrow - if he doesn't get anywhere within the next week I'll call around to some shelters and get them outta here. I am worried about my kids with these things, since the cats haven't had any shots or anything. They have been bold enough to walk into our yard while we're playing outside, but they run as soon as I charge at them screaming like a lunatic.

your pretty much correct.

in new jersey if you feed a cat or dog and give it shelter for 10 days straight it is then legally yours and legally your responsibility.

Yeah, that's why I figure the "if they scratch my kids I will paint your house in feline blood" angle should get somewhere. :mrgreen:

My dog is good at killing other smaller animals, you can borrow her for a while if you want.

Mine too. Tag team?

Maybe you should get a couple pythons 10-12' like the ones theyre finding in West MIlford lately. Then you wouldnt feel guilty because its just part of the food chain.

you could hire the pied piper.

Just to update - I talked to my neighbor today, and asked what his plans are for the cats. He said once the little ones are weaned from the mother he will call. He's got a few numbers of places already so hopefully he comes through soon with this.

I understand how he feels, because he is a pet owner (he already has inside cats, and had a dog that passed away in the winter). I did tell him the cats were ballsy enough to come through the yard even while I was outside with my kids, and that it had me pretty concerned. If they're not gone in another week or so, I might make a few calls on my own, since this is now the 2nd time I've talked to him about it.

Jeez - some people are real ********.

I'm glad you spoke with him - a no kill shelter is the way to go.