Feral / Community Cats
Currently, the City and CARES cannot quarantine or rehabilitate feral cats and partner with South County Cats or Feral Cat Project to help “Community Cats”. Community cats, also known as feral cats, can be found in almost every community where people live. The most effective way to manage community cat populations is through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR involves humanely trapping, spaying or neutering, vaccinating, and returning community cats to their outdoor homes. Any feral cat making its way to CARES will be TNR’d and sent back to their neighborhood/environment from which they came from. CARES aims to reunite all other lost stray animals with their owners or assist animals find permanent homes.
“Community cat” is an umbrella definition that includes any un-owned cat. These cats may be “feral” (un-socialized) or friendly, may have been born into the wild or may be lost or abandoned pet cats. Some community cats are routinely fed by one or more community members, while others survive without human intervention. Whatever a cat’s individual circumstances, the term “community cat” reflects the reality that for these cats’ “home” is within the community rather than in an individual household. These free-roaming cats live in every neighborhood. If you find yourself with an abundance of cats in your area, consider limiting feeding, and/or trapping them to take to South County Cats or other like organization.
Community cats are likely to be euthanized at shelters. These cats do not need to die. Stopping their breeding is a humane way to manage their population. Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs are the only effective way to control this growth.
Here are some effective ways to keep Community Cats out of your garden as suggested by “Alley Cat Allies” http://www.alleycat.org/deterrents.
Scatter fresh orange and lemon peels or spray with citrus-scented fragrances Coffee grounds, vinegar, pipe tobacco, or oil of lavender, lemongrass, citronella, or eucalyptus also deter cats
Plant the herb rue to repel cats, or sprinkle dried rue over the garden.
Use plastic carpet runners spike-side up, covered lightly in soil. They can be found at local hardware or office supply stores. Or, set chicken wire firmly into the dirt with sharp edges rolled under.
Artfully arrange branches in a lattice-type pattern or wooden or plastic lattice fencing material over soil. You can disguise these by planting flowers and seeds in the openings. You can also try embedding wooden chopsticks, pine cones, or sticks with dull points deep into the soil with the tops exposed eight inches apart.
Obtain Cat Scat™, a nonchemical cat and wildlife repellent consisting of plastic mats that are cut into smaller pieces and pressed into the soil. Each mat has flexible plastic spikes that are harmless to cats and other animals, but discourage digging. Available at www.gardeners.com.
Cover exposed ground in flower beds with large, attractive river rocks to prevent cats from digging. (They have the added benefit of deterring weeds.)
Establish a litter box by tilling the soil or placing sand in an out-of-the-way spot in your yard. Keep it clean and free of deposits.
South County Cats is collaborating with Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project to offer low-cost spay/neuter for cats.
South County Cats - Various Locations
www.southcountycats.org/
southcountycats@gmail.com