Is it possible to permanently deter a stray cat from being on your property?

[alittlebitconcerned]

Hello wise forum.

Have recently bought a 1/4 acre block that backs into bush land. We are visited daily by a beautiful looking fluffy black cat that well looked after. Neighbours know nothing and it has no collar.

As much as I like cats they have no place in the bush or my backyard where there are plenty of lizards, frogs, birds ect. Apart from this I keep finding it’s craps in my sand and soil piles.

Apart from the most obvious “permanent” solution, what is a good way to ensure this cat avoids my place once and for all?

[incisor]

The local pound maybe.

[gruntfuttock]

Put out a possum trap after dark, and when you get the cat, take it to the council pound or their vet.
Sardines work the best as bait. ;)
Most councils will let you have their trap for a few days when you register for it, thats if you can’t find one to borrow.
Bets of luck.

[V8Ian]

Pepper is a good deterrent, a .22 is quicker and more long lasting. [wink11]

[ChookD2]

^^^ Beat me to it with the .22 [thumbsupbig]

[LRJim]

.17HMR is more fun though, safer too

[scarry]

.17HMR is more fun though, safer too

High powered air rifle will also do a permanent job.

If that isn't an option,and you dont have a dog,trap and take to council.

[Don 130]

Agree with trapping and getting it to the pound or a vet. If it belongs to someone it should have a microchip and on picking it up, the owner will be told to keep control of it and pay a fairly hefty fine. However next time.......
when I was a kid, my dad got rid of a stray dog that came after our chooks by catching it and applying some meths under it's tail. The now very fast dog never re-appeared.
Don.

[Saitch]

...
178772

[Gav 110]

I’m sure the .22/.17 shots work the best in rural areas, but being residential you might get yourself into a bit of bother with the local constabulary
Try spraying (squirts bottle or my favourite the kids super soaker) the offending animal with vinegar
You need to be stealth with it, so the cat doesn’t see you or it will associate you with the vinegar and not the property boundaries
If that fails go with the trap and a wheelie bin of water to “wash it” in the trap

[V8Ian]

...
178772
Could the OP hire such a uniform/ PPE?

[350RRC]

It's only a cat FFS, the owner probably loves it dearly, swears it would never hurt anything and it never leaves their yard.

Do the trap and pound thing first time and when it comes back again do something else.............

DL

[Toxic_Avenger]

I'm up to number 23 at my place with a humane trap and a small can of tuna zip tied into position, with the ring pull only opened enough to make it struggle to get a taste.
After a trip to the pound, it will either be:
1) Scanned for microchip, and the owner given a fine. This step could continue until the fines or annoyance outweigh the usefulness of the animal.
2) Re-homed - ideally not near you.
3) Legally and permanently disposed of.

I don't own a gun, don't live in an area which would appreciate gunshots, and this is the easiest way to do it. In the peak of it, I was on the pound's frequent flyers list. Even got to the point of unloading my trap into their holding cell myself.

[trout1105]

I live in a rural area (35k from town) and my "Go To" for cats is an 80grn hollow point .243.
.22 or a .17 are seriously "Undergunned" for dispatching large cats humainly and instantly.

[LRJim]

.22 or a .17 are seriously "Undergunned" for dispatching large cats humainly and instantly.

You've gotta be joking right!? Maybe you need to work on your aim, like I tell the wife if it's not in the head you may as well have missed

[350RRC]

I live in a rural area (35k from town) and my "Go To" for cats is an 80grn hollow point .243.
.22 or a .17 are seriously "Undergunned" for dispatching large cats humainly and instantly.

Paracetamol is one shot every time.

[V8Ian]

Paracetamol is one shot every time.
Also a cruel, painful and slow death.

[trout1105]

You've gotta be joking right!? Maybe you need to work on your aim, like I tell the wife if it's not in the head you may as well have missed

80grn at 4000fps and it really doesnt matter if you get them in the head or the body, Death is instantainious[thumbsupbig][biggrin]

[350RRC]

Also a cruel, painful and slow death.

Like the lizard or bird they've been toying with all afternoon?

I'm a fan of responsible ownership, but it is very, very often lacking.

As I said before..... trap and pound should be first option.

DL

[Slunnie]

I live in a rural area (35k from town) and my "Go To" for cats is an 80grn hollow point .243.
.22 or a .17 are seriously "Undergunned" for dispatching large cats humainly and instantly.

I'm with you there!

.22 and .17 is cruel.

[101RRS]

This is my local visitor most nights - leaves the occasional furball with bits of dead animals in it. About to do a letter drop asking to lock puddie up - if not the trap comes out.

178775

I get this guy at the same spot but I guess he is OK even if a pest as well.

178776

[Arapiles]

I live in a rural area (35k from town) and my "Go To" for cats is an 80grn hollow point .243.
.22 or a .17 are seriously "Undergunned" for dispatching large cats humainly and instantly.

Professional fox hunters use to use .17s, so I'm sure they'd work on a cat.

Edit: a quick Google reveals that the .17HMR is not the same as the .17 Hornet, which is what I was thinking of and which fox hunters used.

[trout1105]

Professional fox hunters use to use .17s, so I'm sure they'd work on a cat.

Edit: a quick Google reveals that the .17HMR is not the same as the .17 Hornet, which is what I was thinking of and which fox hunters used.

Fox hunters shoot for the pelt and a precise head shot is the only way to ensure that the pelt is perfect = more valuable.
So yes the .17hmr OR .17 hornet is effective at fairly close range for this work.

Wild cats get canny after a while here and it is rare that they come closer that 100m this is why the .243 is my "Go To" because a head shot on a cat at that range is pretty difficult and a body shot is just as lethal with the larger calibre round [thumbsupbig]

Foxes get the same treatment here as I don't care how big a hole there is in the pelt as I dont bother to skin them, I just need to controll their numbers[thumbsupbig]

[scarry]

We have used a.222 for wild cats and foxes for decades,never had an issue.
Nearly all have been shot at night,not interested in the skins.
My father was doing research on them,for a few years,recording stomach contents,etc.

One night I was having a crack at a rabbit with the .22,pretty close.
A wild cat,that we had not seen,raced out and grabbed the rabbit,the bullet going through the head of both of them.

The .222 is also not bad for well placed shots on small to cattle dog sized pigs,but we generally use the .243,particularly up north where they are larger.

[1950landy]

I am not a cat lover but the cat deserves to live just as much as your beloved dog. Most councils have a rule that cats must be locked at night & a responsible cat owner will put a collar with a bell on there cat & have them microchipped .
If me, I would trap him & take to the local vet they will scan for microchip & most will keep him there incise owner comes looking for him/her & will try to find a new owner if no one clams. If you take to pound most councils will put it down after a couple of days . The other option is RSPCA I think the RSPCA will charge a fee to the owners for looking after the cat until the owner is found .

[trout1105]

100% of feral cats were once someone's pet or the progeny of someones pet and they do untold harm in the bush.
I quite like cats (pet ones) 2 of my daughters have a pet cat and they have been sterilised and chipped, They also wear a collar with a phone number on it with the cats name just in case it gets lost.

The feral cats are a whole different animal and can be quite savage when cornered and some of them that I have shot here were bloody big buggers as well.

As for finding someone elses cat in your yard in suburbia, IF it has a collar with a phone number on it just ring the owner up.
Otherwise a broom or a garden hose will eventually make the little beggers keep away.

[Saitch]

Fox hunters shoot for the pelt and a precise head shot is the only way to ensure that the pelt is perfect = more valuable.
So yes the .17hmr OR .17 hornet is effective at fairly close range for this work.

Wild cats get canny after a while here and it is rare that they come closer that 100m this is why the .243 is my "Go To" because a head shot on a cat at that range is pretty difficult and a body shot is just as lethal with the larger calibre round [thumbsupbig]

Foxes get the same treatment here as I don't care how big a hole there is in the pelt as I dont bother to skin them, I just need to controll their numbers[thumbsupbig]

In the 70s I went feral cat eradicating near Surat, in Qld. I was really out there for piggies, whoever the property owner was having a plague of pussies.
Now, my firearm for the piggies was a .308, ex-mil saddle carbine. It was very effective on a porker and it pretty well disintegrated bunnies and puddy tats. [smilebigeye]

[scarry]

The feral cats are a whole different animal and can be quite savage when cornered and some of them that I have shot here were bloody big buggers as well..

Their kittens are the same,extremely savage.

A well trained dog soon sorts them out,the cat usually or eventually bolts up a tree then are easily shot.

[superquag]

A more civilised approach is a cat trap.
In morning, take it onto the lawn, talk to and prophesy said cat's future while thoroughly hosing it.... Most Satisfying...

Open the hatch and feet won't touch the ground for 20 ~ 30 metres.

Cats have good MEMORIES.[biggrin]

[ATH]

I've tried the trap catching and soaking of cats and one of those caught, a really lovely looking cat, still comes back and lays on the driveway looking quite happy to be there! I swear it waves at the security camera. :) Couple of others I took to the local vet and they scanned them but one was an obviously a stray with no chip so I suspect it got put down.
I like cats but hate their habits.
AlanH.

[Toxic_Avenger]

For my death count of 23, the ritual was to put the trap and nasty feline in the back of the ute, while BLASTING Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls on max volume.
Cats love Metallica.

[Arapiles]

100% of feral cats were once someone's pet or the progeny of someones pet and they do untold harm in the bush.


Apparently, if you take your cat out to the bush and dump it, it won't survive long as foxes like them and feral cats - which can be huge - also kill them.


The feral cats are a whole different animal and can be quite savage when cornered and some of them that I have shot here were bloody big buggers as well.

Yes, I've seen some huge ones, including one that was all-black, and you can see where people get their notions of wild panthers from. One of the Departments here used to have a cat-skin they took around for education, and it was about a metre from tip to tip.

[3toes]

Years ago they had the army out in Western Queensland doing a feral animal eradication program. It was a point and shoot event which am not sure would be acceptable today. There was one cat they had shot that held by the tail at shoulder level the paws reached the ground

Had cats entering my yard as all around had them and we did not. They were using the gardens as a toilet to mark territory. When I tired of using various super soakers on them found that scattering the barbed rose cuttings around the area when they were using as a toilet was an effective deterrent. Also placed them where they were entering the yard

[trout1105]

Apparently, if you take your cat out to the bush and dump it, it won't survive long as foxes like them and feral cats - which can be huge - also kill them.

The same can be said about European carp and redfin perch But now our waterways are infested with them[bigwhistle]
Rabbits and cane toads are another example of innocently introduced species can create havoc in our ecosystems.

[scarry]

Yes, I've seen some huge ones, including one that was all-black, and you can see where people get their notions of wild panthers from. One of the Departments here used to have a cat-skin they took around for education, and it was about a metre from tip to tip.

Yet the ones out at the property,which is in SW Qld,are relatively small.

When lambing is on,and baiting is being done for the foxes,it seems to sort out the cats as well.
But once it’s stopped,the cats and foxes are back.

[trout1105]

Yet the ones out at the property,which is in SW Qld,are relatively small.

When lambing is on,and baiting is being done for the foxes,it seems to sort out the cats as well.
But once it’s stopped,the cats and foxes are back.

Lucy jet used to be the bees knees for fox/cat baits But unfortunately you can't get it anymore[bigsad]

[ramblingboy42]

well when the 2 billion native animals are all gone what will the cats eat then?

I hope the dingoes get them..... the cats , that is

[Epic_Dragon]

Please don't shoot it!! Thats awful anyone who shoots a cat! It could be someone's pet! Please trap or catch and take it to a vet or pound and let them find if it has a home, or is able to be rehomed or it not, kindly put to sleep.
Disgusts me how folks think it's ok to just shoot cats. It's not ok! So many horrendous stories.
Its more likely catching mice than the native things and is much less of a danger than stray dogs could be.
I think all cats should not be allowed to wander and should be adequately and safely confined to their properties. Mine are indoor and go outside on leads or in a cat run.
Keeps them safe, keeps wildlife safe, numbers of mice increase outside, and no one can harm them like so many think is ok way to treat a cat!
Could always befriend it and have a new indoor lap warmer. Cats help regulate heart beats [emoji41]

[Johnno1969]

Apparently, if you take your cat out to the bush and dump it, it won't survive long as foxes like them and feral cats - which can be huge - also kill them.

Yes, I've seen some huge ones, including one that was all-black, and you can see where people get their notions of wild panthers from. One of the Departments here used to have a cat-skin they took around for education, and it was about a metre from tip to tip.

Please, please, please - nobody should even consider ever, ever, ever dumping a cat in the bush. Ever.

Well, not if it's alive, that is.

On a side note, whilst maybe some feral cats do attain surprising size .......most quite definitely don't.

Oh, and while we're here - I noticed that somebody wrote something about a cat being more likely to take "mice" than "natives". Prey selection and gut content analyses over many years would indicate pretty strongly how much native fauna goes down the gullets of cats. I've no doubt that most people now appreciate this - but nobody should ever kid themselves that pussy cats do not individually consume a hell of a lot of native animals. They don't sit around watching geckoes and skinks go past unmolested whilst waiting for a European rat or a tin of Whiskas to turn up.

[Gav 110]

Apparently, if you take your cat out to the bush and dump it, it won't survive long as foxes like them and feral cats - which can be huge - also kill them.

[emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]
How do you think we ended up with feral cats,
Ohh that’s right, someone let a some “feral” cats go years ago and that’s how we ended up with feral cat populations in all corners of this country 🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🤨

[trout1105]

Please don't shoot it!! Thats awful anyone who shoots a cat! It could be someone's pet! Please trap or catch and take it to a vet or pound and let them find if it has a home, or is able to be rehomed or it not, kindly put to sleep.
Disgusts me how folks think it's ok to just shoot cats. It's not ok! So many horrendous stories.
Its more likely catching mice than the native things and is much less of a danger than stray dogs could be.
I think all cats should not be allowed to wander and should be adequately and safely confined to their properties. Mine are indoor and go outside on leads or in a cat run.
Keeps them safe, keeps wildlife safe, numbers of mice increase outside, and no one can harm them like so many think is ok way to treat a cat!
Could always befriend it and have a new indoor lap warmer. Cats help regulate heart beats [emoji41]

Pet cats and rabbits ARE adorable But once they get into the bush they are an absolute menace to the environment and the native fauna culling cats is the only way to protect our native animals and birds from predation.
Personally I would rather watch the native birds having a bath under the sprinkler in summer than raking up their feathers after being murdered by some feral cat.

As for befriending a feral cat, Good luck with that idea.

[Gillie]

This guy has your solution. He has a number of videos on his channel which he started to stop them urinating everywhere but developed into protecting baby birds.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElcviGYMb3U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbkLjjlMV8

[Arapiles]

Please, please, please - nobody should even consider ever, ever, ever dumping a cat in the bush. Ever.

I wasn't advocating it, just noting that lots of people who do dump cats seem to think that they'll be able to fend for themselves - apparently not, and that's putting to one side what native animals they'd be killing if they were fending for themselves.

Our farm was the first one near-ish to a side road about 5kms out of Horsham - we used to see cars slow down, stop, turn around and drive off. An hour or so later there'd be a new cat at the back door .... people obviously figured that it was far enough out of town that their cat wouldn't find it's way home and there was a house nearby for it to go to.

[Arapiles]

[emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]
How do you think we ended up with feral cats,
Ohh that’s right, someone let a some “feral” cats go years ago and that’s how we ended up with feral cat populations in all corners of this country 🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🧚🏿🤨


Right .... the point is that there's a pool of feral cats that aren't all recently escaped or dumped pets - they're the product of multiple generations of animals that escaped or were dumped in years past. And apparently they kill other cats, including recently dumped ones.

[Johnno1969]

I wasn't advocating it, just noting that lots of people who do dump cats seem to think that they'll be able to fend for themselves - apparently not, and that's putting to one side what native animals they'd be killing if they were fending for themselves.


No worries. [smilebigeye] I wasn't suggesting that you were advocating dumping cats: just worried that somebody might read it and think it might not be so bad after all....

John

[Johnno1969]

This guy has your solution. He has a number of videos on his channel which he started to stop them urinating everywhere but developed into protecting baby birds.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElcviGYMb3U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbkLjjlMV8

Thanks for posting this. This fellow's videos are brilliant. Very refreshing to see something this engaging on YouTube....and all in the good cause of scaring the bejeezus out of a cat.

[windsock]

I use one of these but battery powered non-solar so I can place it in the shadows - lurking.

Maxkon Motion Activated Sprinkler Solar Powered Pest Repeller Garden Animal Deterrent - BestDeals.co.nz (https://www.bestdeals.co.nz/online-maxkon-motion-activated-sprinkler-solar-powered-pest-repeller-garden-animal-deterrent-18546.html)

[RANDLOVER]

You could try the deterrent spray sold at the big green shed, but that didn't work on my cat however citronella oil did, as recommended by Dr Harry on a Friday evening show that is on TV about now.

[scarry]

Ineresting article about wild cats.

"Australia has the worst mammalian extinction record in the world and cats have contributed to two thirds of these species’ demise."

Sign the petition feral cats - Invasive Species Council (https://invasives.org.au/how-to-help/take-action/sign-the-petition-feralcats/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Ad&utm_campaign=PT22&utm_term=PE&utm_content=1&fbclid=IwAR3OUY6xB7AIOWS0gr94il1HzmgWiH4VX7L8D8x2R 2w_cmyZ85WrPjKgEkU)

[BradC]

You could try the deterrent spray sold at the big green shed, but that didn't work on my cat however citronella oil did, as recommended by Dr Harry on a Friday evening show that is on TV about now.

Citronella is great, more so when it gets on the cat.

When you have a dog who loves to muster cats into a tree, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Haven’t had the balls to ignite the cat once doused, but they never came back. I miss the dog.

[JDNSW]

Right .... the point is that there's a pool of feral cats that aren't all recently escaped or dumped pets - they're the product of multiple generations of animals that escaped or were dumped in years past. And apparently they kill other cats, including recently dumped ones.

Rather to my surprise, almost sixty years ago, in 1966, I encountered a large feral cat in the middle of the Simpson Desert. There is no way that it was descended from a recently dumped pet. It is perhaps worth noting that Macassans were visiting the north coast of Australia from about 1400. Their boats would have frequently, if not always, carried cats (for keeping rat and mouse numbers under control on board), and since they were beached rather than anchored as often as not, it is virtually certain that some cats would have preferred a shore life to shipboard life.

Similarly, from the sixteenth century a number of Portuguese and a century later , Dutch, ships visited Australia and many were wrecked on the Australian mainland. All of these would have carried cats, and some would have survived shipwreck.

In fact, I seem to remember reading quite a few years ago that a study showed that genetically feral cats in northern Australia came from SE Asia not Europe, as is the case for those that arrived with the English colonisation.

[scarry]

Around 25 years ago we were in the Bungle Bungles area,and saw a wild cat.

The next day day we were talking to a National Parks Ranger,and told him about it.

No cats around here,he said.[bighmmm]

[Arapiles]

Rather to my surprise, almost sixty years ago, in 1966, I encountered a large feral cat in the middle of the Simpson Desert. There is no way that it was descended from a recently dumped pet. It is perhaps worth noting that Macassans were visiting the north coast of Australia from about 1400. Their boats would have frequently, if not always, carried cats (for keeping rat and mouse numbers under control on board), and since they were beached rather than anchored as often as not, it is virtually certain that some cats would have preferred a shore life to shipboard life.

Similarly, from the sixteenth century a number of Portuguese and a century later , Dutch, ships visited Australia and many were wrecked on the Australian mainland. All of these would have carried cats, and some would have survived shipwreck.

In fact, I seem to remember reading quite a few years ago that a study showed that genetically feral cats in northern Australia came from SE Asia not Europe, as is the case for those that arrived with the English colonisation.


Agreed - and there's actually an island in QLD that has chooks on it from a boat wreck in the 18th Century - but they're like jungle fowl, not modern chickens.

[Saitch]

Similarly, from the sixteenth century a number of Portuguese and a century later , Dutch, ships visited Australia and many were wrecked on the Australian mainland. All of these would have carried cats, and some would have survived shipwreck.
....those that arrived with the English colonisation.

This may explain the reason why cats fight a lot, between themselves. I remember overnighting at a rellie's place in inner Brissie and the cats' fighting at night was ****ful!

[trout1105]

In fact, I seem to remember reading quite a few years ago that a study showed that genetically feral cats in northern Australia came from SE Asia not Europe, as is the case for those that arrived with the English colonisation.

As far as I can ascertain All of our pet, wild and feral cats originated in the Middle East (the fertile crescent ) about 7,500BC.
Regardless of their origin feral cats are an invasive species Not native to Australia that do imesurable damage to our native fauna and need to be eradicated.
Nobody seems to have a problem with eradicating cane toads Why should feral cats that do more damage be treated any differently?

[JDNSW]

Both species have shown themselves very resistant to elimination, even in limited areas.

[LRJim]

Wife showed me a photo yesterday of a feral cat that was shot near some water, they cut it open and its guts was full of small lizards, at least 40 of them.
Even if they are catching mice they would most likely be native ones out in the bush not your normal European ones you find in the burbs.

[shack]

Agreed - and there's actually an island in QLD that has chooks on it from a boat wreck in the 18th Century - but they're like jungle fowl, not modern chickens.That's really interesting, do you have any more info?
I might look into it..

Sorry for going off topic...

[Saitch]

Agreed - and there's actually an island in QLD that has chooks on it from a boat wreck in the 18th Century - but they're like jungle fowl, not modern chickens.

Norfolk Island? [bighmmm] It has a feral population. Chooks, I mean!

If you're referring to NW Island, near Gladstone, I thought the chooks had all been removed, ages ago. Is there another?

[ChookD2]

Who you calling feral????? :mad: :whistling: [bighmmm] [biggrin]

[Arapiles]

Norfolk Island? [bighmmm] It has a feral population. Chooks, I mean!

If you're referring to NW Island, near Gladstone, I thought the chooks had all been removed, ages ago. Is there another?


It's probably that population that I'd heard of - the article I read just referred to them being studied and being unlike domesticated chickens but seemed to suggest that they were still there.

A couple of articles on them:

The Pheasant & Waterfowl Society of Australia - North West Island Feral Fowl (https://www.pwsa.org.au/North-West-Island-Feral-Fowl)

North West Island Feral Fowl | RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA | TidyHQ (https://rarebreedstrustofaustralia.tidyhq.com/public/pages/north-west-island-feralfowl)

[shack]

It's probably that population that I'd heard of - the article I read just referred to them being studied and being unlike domesticated chickens but seemed to suggest that they were still there.

A couple of articles on them:

The Pheasant & Waterfowl Society of Australia - North West Island Feral Fowl (https://www.pwsa.org.au/North-West-Island-Feral-Fowl)

North West Island Feral Fowl | RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA | TidyHQ (https://rarebreedstrustofaustralia.tidyhq.com/public/pages/north-west-island-feralfowl)Thanks, I'll take a look

[350RRC]

There's a housing estate around here. I've known the ex manager of the site from before and during it was in the design stage.

Had (has) a couple of high value Moonah areas that were going to be protected forever.

He asked me how these areas could be further enhanced.......... I said put a covenant on all titles banning cats, never thinking it would happen. [bighmmm]

Nearly 20 years on, I was told last week it very much applies. [bigrolf][thumbsupbig][biggrin]

cheers, DL