Question:
My neighbor puts out beds and food for feral cats and has at least 20 of them. She has caught and spayed/neutered some of them, but there are still new litters every year. On hot summer days, we cannot use our barbecue because of the horrible smell and millions of flies.
I have contacted the health department, humane services, the pound and animal control, and it seems none of these can do anything about this unhealthy nuisance. I want to landscape my front- and backyards. I have already had to rake up and haul away over $100 worth contaminated ground cover. I covered the front yard with black tarp to keep the cats off, but as soon as a bare spot of earth appears it becomes a litter box.
How can I keep the cats away? I've tried pepper, mothballs, motion detector sprayer. I am told I can trap them and take them to be euthanized, but that is a sad solution. My other neighbors have the same problem with these cats. What can we do?
M.C., Central Point, OR Jun 20, 2011
Answer:
I sympathize with you and your difficult situation. A decorative wood trellis or wall of tall bamboo canes stuck at intervals apart, narrow enough to keep out cats, could be a solution. Cheaper chicken wire could also be a deterrent.
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