Any tips on chasing off a stray cat?

[starroute]

There's been a stray tom hanging around our house for weeks, harrassing our cat.

It was bad enough when she started bringing live mice into the house because she was afraid to eat them outside. But now I've just brought her back from the vet's, where I had to pay $83 to have her treated for an absess. I'm ready to declare all out war.

So -- any tricks on how to apply shock 'n' awe to a stray tom? We tried taking the kids' old Super Soaker to him at first, but he got wise to that and doesn't come up on our porch any more. He just waits to waylay our cat in the bushes.

The vet couldn't suggest anything. But I'm hoping that the collective wisdom of DU might do better. Any ideas?

[Commendatori]

1. Use a squirtgun or hose.

I had the same problem and this worked perfectly.

[stopthegop]

2. BB gun...

or catch in a cage (avail from animal control) and relocate it

[BostonTeaParty04]

3. trap him and take him to the humane society????

good luck

[Skittles]

5. thank you

they critter needs help - take the high road. Or at the very least trap him, get him fixed, let him go.

[Kadie]

12. Yes.

and in some areas I know that you can borrow the trap from the humane society, and they may even have a feral cat program to get him fixed. Good Luck.

[Dookus]

4. get a have-a-hart

trap and take him to the local animal shelter.

[benburch]

11. Often...

the shelter can lend you one of these.

Or else, your local full-service rental place will have one for rent.

[Rockholm]

6. Get a Dog?

Or call the SPCA or your community's animal rescue league.

[Shrek]

7. Can you get a dog?

Or borrow one for a while?

If you get a big, territorial dog who hates cats, your interloper won't stand a chance.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. I agree with the trap him part but take him to a place that gets animals

adopted if there is one in your area.

[Pegleg Thd]

9. Call your local

animal control. When we moved into this house there were 15 cats sitting on the front porch and none of them were ours. The animal control live trapped all of them (took a week) and gave them to an animal adoption group.

[LynneSin]

10. Check for a local "Dumpster Cat" program in your area

There are organizations that will trap stray cats in your area and fix the cat so they don't reproduce or anything. And if the cat is friendly, they may even try to put the cat up for adoption.

We have several programs like that here in Delaware and those cats that are adoptable we'll bring into the sanctuary (a no-kill one) and try to adopt.

What part of the country are you from?

This is the group in Delaware http://www.dumpstercats.org/

[Mick Knox]

13. Capture it in a cage and call animal control nt

[Skip Intro]

14. Another vote for trap > shelter

I know a lot of communities now have no-kill shelters. Maybe you could find out if one is near you, thru your vet or SPCA, and have them arrange for a place for him.

[benburch]

15. You know, folks...

we need to find a way to sterilize all of these stray cats. Maybe some sort of birth control food that we can just put out.

Any veterinary types out there? Is this sort of thing possible?

[Kadie]

16. California used to have a feral cat program

it probably got cut with the budget cuts. But, if you were to trap a stray cat and take it to your vet, you can get the cat fixed for free, you just had to agree to take the cat back to the place you found it. They would mark the cat by putting a notch in their ear.

We had one come live in our backyard for about a year, she was a sweetie. But she wandered off one day and we haven't seen her since.

A birth control food would be a good idea if you could make sure it would only work on the cats. Of course though, there would be those that would oppose it, after all, you know once you start birth control you become a real floozy. :silly: Abstinence is the only way to go.

[xchrom]

17. time to go cat hunting

not with a gun of course.
i have a very fearful, lovely half feral kitty -- and several cats through the years have stalked her -- it was awful.
nothing worked entirely until i started stalking them -- where my little kitty was in the yard or nearby -- so was i{hiding}. and whenever the cats came near her i would scare the bejeebus out of them.
once they got the idea -- that she had a body guard and it didn't take very long -- they left her alone.
and everyone who suggested trapping has a great idea -- but i don't know how i feel about just relocating it. the cats who stalked my cat were all neutered.