What to do when cats invade your yard. Part 1
	2-10-09- Article # 14
	Many people are upset when cats invade their property and attack wild birds, urinate in inappropriate places or fight their own animals. Cats acting so are behaving naturally but in wrong places. The solution lies in making your yard uncomfortable and undesirable for them, so that cats will behave naturally somewhere else! Unless they are literally starving most cats will not eat birds, but they do enjoy hunting them. There is no easy way to discourage this natural instinct, but is unusual for a cat to catch a healthy, mature bird. Another natural cat instinct is to relieve itself in an area where it can cover its scent by burying the waste, like soft, pre-dug dirt or soil of your garden (or your child’s sandbox). When a cat naps on the hood of a car or in the center of a flower bed, it is simply enjoying of a wonderful warm spot. It doesn’t realize the damage it can do and will not connect your reaction (screaming, throwing things) with the place where it naps. There are methods of solving the problem without harming the cats, the birds, the yard or yourself. Repellents and devices designed to startle the cat “in the act” will condition the animal to avoid the area. NEVER use poisons. Poisoning cats is illegal and it isn’t even very efficient. There are others more humane and efficient methods of solving the problem. Pet supply stores and garden suppliers usually have very efficient cat repellents, most of them based in the simple mothball compound. Mothballs or moth crystals, encased in cheesecloth bags to help protect the soil, usually work quite well to keep cats from actually digging in garden areas or potted plants. Whether you use mothballs or one of the sophisticated and expensive commercial mixtures also available, you will certainly need to re-apply the solution after each rain, heavy dew or watering. In the part 2 of this article we will review other effective methods of control of cats invading your property. Julio A. Tejedor

 

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