I had a family of cats take up residence in my garden shed. I have similar restrictions on getting rid of them, so I purchased a 2lb bag of fine ground pepper and sprinkled it liberally around the shed.
It took three applications but no more cats...
Do you have a problem with rats and mice as well?
We trap them and take them to the vet for neutering and shots. There are two no-kill agencies who will take them and try to find homes for them.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_nyc_cares03
Change the no-kill policy to a kill policy with feral cats. They are just animals.
Since this is posted under Religion, I'd have to have more info to answer you properly. Are the cats Catholic or Calvinist, Amil or dispensationalist? Do they speak in tongues, or are they purpose driven?
To wander somewhat from the key points, are the cats really feral or are they just free - range? If they are truly feral, there are only two things to do - catch, cut, and release, or catch and exterminate. (Or, a third. You could introduce coyotes to the neighborhood.)
The animal rights people may be wacko and not neuter them, but I will tell you animal WELFARE people - at least where I am - have a spay/neuter and release program in most counties around me. They don’t want the problem getting out of hand. They don’t have the resources to deal with huge numbers of semi-wild cats.
The programs where they neuter and spay does help keep the numbers down. The problems where we are are the farmers who like having the cats aroundto take care of mice and such, and as they are feral they don’t have to feed them. The farmers don’t want them spayed or neutered because this reduces the number of cats that ‘work’ for them.
In CT we haven’t had much of a problem with feral cats since the coyotes arrived about 10-15 years ago.
For everything else, there's MasterCard.
Cats HATE citrus peels.
And pellet guns are silent and deadly.
Feral dogs?
Don’t forget to buy a setter with them they are pretty strong.
I have a Tiki Bar in my back yard. When I first put in the 25 yards of sand around it, the neighborhood cats all came a runnin to use it at night for their litter box. Well, shooting the bastards was out of the question....the wife forbid it, so I set live traps with tuna fish as bate.
Had me a garbage can full of Ice Cold water nearby, being it was late October/early November. When i came out in the morning and noticed I caught another of 6 or 7, I would break thru that thin layer of ice and give them cats an old fashion Salem Witch Dunking in the Can of water. After about 10 or 11 good long Dunks, I would open up the trap and let out the immobilized animal. It took off like a bat outta hell and I have yet to see em around again...
Are you putting this in the religion forum, because you seek the advice of Pope Benedict? (As Cardinal Ratzinger, he’d drive the Vatican staff crazy by “adopting” many of Rome’s legendary feral cat population.)
Well, if they are Catholic cats: Confirm them all, you’ll never see them again......
Strange that it is under the religion section. I know Pope Benedict XVI loves cats, but it is strange to have it here in the religion thread. =^..^=
Oh well, at least this is a first. =^..^=
"You say you got yourself a little cat problem?"