How to Chase Wild Cats

There are many stray and feral cats roaming alleyways, wastelands and backyards everywhere. Although these cats are harmless to humans, they can destroy birds in the area and transmit diseases to domestic cats. To prevent feral cats, try eliminating food sources and hiding places in your yard. In addition, you can implement a trap – neuter – release program to prevent the cats from multiplying.

Table of Contents

Eliminate sources of food and shelter

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Eliminate the feral cat’s food source. Start by making sure that trash cans around the house don’t overflow and have tight-fitting lids. Remember not to leave any food crumbs around. In addition, you should also ask your neighbors to use trash cans with lids. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Note that cats can survive on very little food, so completely eliminating food sources in your area may not be possible.
If you want to feed your cat, keep the food at least 10 meters away from your house. Don’t leave it on your doorstep, unless you want to invite them to gather there.

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Clean up or block potential sources of shelter for cats to keep them out. Cats will find warm and dry places to hide when it rains. If they can’t find a suitable place, they will move to the next neighborhood. Therefore, you should fence any openings under the floor, hallway and remember to keep the warehouse door closed. Remove firewood piles and prune bushes to keep cats out. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If you see cats often congregating somewhere in your yard, find out where they’re hiding and block their way in.

Tip: Plywood and trellis are cheap but effective materials for sealing holes. Close the plywood or attach a net to the opening so that the cat can’t get in.

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Spray chemicals to repel cats in the yard. There are many cat repellent sprays on the market. This product contains ingredients and odors (natural or synthetic) that cats find offensive. Spray areas in your yard where cats frequent. Be sure to follow the instructions on the product label regarding the distance and frequency of spraying. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You can buy cat repellent spray at most pet stores or hardware stores.
These products are safe and non-toxic to feral and domestic cats.

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Call animal control if you are unable to control the cat population yourself. If feral and stray cats are rampant around your home, you may need to call your local animal control agency, but be aware that these agencies often trap and dispose of cats.

Removing a community of cats from where they live can create a “vacuum effect.” New cats will quickly find those areas and begin to breed again with the available food and shelter.

Banish cats from the garden

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Install a motion-sensing sprinkler to spray water on cats that enter the garden. Cats are known to not like water, so they’ll stay out of sprays and out of your yard. ^{[4] X Research Source} Install the nozzle at night when the animals are close to about 1.2 meters to avoid accidentally wetting passersby on the sidewalk.

Another benefit is that the grass and flowers in your garden will be watered all the time.

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Scatter citrus peels in the garden. Cats hate the taste of fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. The next time you eat these fruits, throw the peels into the garden. The cats will keep a safe distance from your garden. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Note: Citrus plants grown in the garden will not be effective at repelling cats, because the smell of these plants is not as strong as the rind.

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Place trellis on the ground in the garden in areas where cats often come to dig. If you see feral cats digging in the ground or scratching exposed tree roots, you can deter them with a trellis net. Buy trellis with enough length to cover the length of the garden. Place the net directly on the ground and block rocks on the four corners of the net so that the cats cannot move. ^{[6] X Research Source}

You can buy trellis of any length at home or building supply stores.

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Grow plants that make cats uncomfortable. The idea here is similar to the citrus peel. If your garden has plants that cats can’t tolerate, they probably won’t be interested in digging. Plant at least 3-4 such plants in your garden to deter these annoying animals. Plants that can repel cats include: ^{[7] X Research Source}

Lavender
Thyme
Nine lily incense
Spicy mint

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Sprinkle ground black pepper in areas where cats often congregate. Cats will be annoyed by the spicy taste of pepper on their paws when they groom their fur. If you regularly sprinkle pepper in your yard, the cats will quickly realize it’s your garden to be the culprit. Sprinkle pepper on the floor of the hallway, in the barn, in the backyard, or anywhere you see cats play and sleep.

Peppermint can also repel cats from the lawn, but you’ll need to reapply frequently, especially after heavy rain.

Apply trap – sterilization – release measures

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Trap feral cats around your home to be spayed and released. The most effective way to deal with cats in the long term is to use traps to get cats spayed or spayed. Buy a cage trap with a door and use tuna sardines or cat food as bait. Place the trap where the cats often come to eat and cover the trap with a blanket. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

When you catch a cat, don’t let it out of the trap right away. Cover the trap with a blanket to calm the cat.
You can buy cage traps at a pet store, animal shelter, or home store.

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Do not bring your cat to an animal shelter. Most animal shelters do not accept feral cats because they are not usually adopted. Wild cats are very shy and unfriendly, so they are often not well received by families. The feral cats that come to the animal shelter are almost euthanized.

Note: However, you can contact an animal shelter or rescue for advice. They will show you how to trap feral cats and avoid getting bitten or injured by the animal. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Take the cat to the vet for neutering and marking. Many veterinary clinics have free cat spaying programs, as it is well known that the number of feral cats is causing trouble. Call your local veterinarian and shelter to find a suitable program and say that you want to have your feral cat spayed. Often doctors will pinch a cat’s ears to mark that it has been captured and neutered. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Make sure your veterinarian knows in advance that you are bringing in a feral cat, as they may not accept live wild animals.
Spaying cats is a humane way to prevent them from breeding and to control the number of cats in the area.

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Bring the cat home and wait for the cat to recover. By taking your cat to the vet, you’re taking on the responsibility of taking care of it for a short while. Take the cat home and wait for it to heal so that it can live in the wild after surgery. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Never release an injured or unconscious cat into the wild.

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Release the cat where you have trapped it. The cat may have experienced trauma and will only adjust to a familiar environment. Furthermore, male cats can play the role of warding off strange male cats from their territory. This will reduce the mating ability of unneutered female cats, thereby helping to control the cat population. The ultimate goal of trap-neuter-release is to prevent feral cats from continuing to breed. ^{[12] X Research Source}

For a trap-neuter-release program to effectively control cat populations, most or all of the cats in the area must be trapped, neutered, and released. Gradually, the number of cats will decrease because the cats will no longer be able to reproduce.
You can feed your cat when you bring it home once you have applied the trap – neuter – release method, because they will no longer breed.

Advice

A stray cat is a cat that has lost its owner, a feral cat is a cat that has not been cared for since birth and lives outside.
The trap – neuter – release program should only be applied to real feral cats. A stray cat that was once fostered but lost needs to be taken to an animal shelter to be cared for and returned home. ^{[13] X Research Source}
If the annoying cat is a registered pet, contact the owner and ask them to keep the cat indoors. If they refuse to cooperate, complain to an animal control center or the police.
The most effective method to reduce the number of cats is trap-neuter-release. If you don’t want to trap your cat yourself, you can also ask an animal control agency to do it for you.
Restaurant trash cans are often a source of food for feral cats, especially since they are often left open and are only emptied when full. If the trash in your neighborhood seems to attract cats, talk to the restaurant owner about a safer way to dispose of the litter.
Try reading a book or asking a friend about cats. Maybe you will start to love cats and not hate them anymore.

Warning

Never intentionally harm or injure a cat passing by. This act is not only cruel and inhumane, but in some places is also against the law.
Do not try to catch or corner a feral cat, as they can become very aggressive. If you are bitten or scratched by a feral cat, you need to go to a medical facility to get vaccinated.

Steps

Eliminate sources of food and shelter

Banish cats from the garden

Apply trap – sterilization – release measures

Advice

Warning

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