Neighborhood cats spraying... need ideas

[lv4dogs]

There are quite a few cats in the park I live in. But 2 of these cats are well known for spraying everything. My trailer & car gets sprayed daily. I have finally taught the cats to leave my property alone when I am awake, but when I am at work or sleeping they spray. I'm not too worried about my car but they are getting worse with my trailer. They spray my proch (under it & on it) also they have been starting to spray near my door. It is starting to smell something awful. I have confronted the owners before but since they dont care & there is no leash law nothing has been about it.
They squeeze under my steps to get under the porch as the sides are all blocked off, I have tried to come up with ideas to block that off but the way the steps are nothing can really block off those areas.
I have tried cleaning the area well w/ natures miricle but a lot of it is wood so therefore really hard to get the smell out of. I have also tried a couple products from my vet. It is hard to tell exactly where they spray, I think just in a large general area, not really the same spot each time.

Any ideas on what I can do to keep these cats away?
Or at least get rid of the smell? I really can not even sit on my porch without smelling the awful stench of male cat spray. It is getting really really bad.

I have a cat & 2 dogs & 3 ferrets that go outside often so I dont want to scare my cat away from my house & I don't want anything that will harm any of my pets.

[catmandu]

The Thing that I usde , when Sam the Siamese sprays , is an odor neutralizer that you can buty , at the Vets! I LOVE Sam, as he sleeps on me, like RB Mr. Scrappy!

[lv4dogs]

Just bumping... I really need to get this taken care of ASAP & hopefully without getting the kitties in trouble.
Seriously it stinks bad! I can barely sit outside my own home.


catmandu: natures miracle is an odor neutralizer, so were the products from my vet, just that I think they spray everywhere so it is impossible to detect exactly where they have sprayed, also most of the surfaces are wood, wood is very absorbant & porus therefore harder than heck to get the smell out.

[Catsnclay]

I once heard that cats hate the smell of moth balls. Try placeing some around the area you do not want them.

Also, are they neutered??? THAT is probably the problem, and if they get fixed (by you or the owners) that may take the problem away.......permanently.

[Dan Holder]

I have a pump-up garden sprayer that I pour a bottle of orange disinfectant in, Lysol or whatever, and add an equal amount of water, and spray wherever needs it. I wouldn't spray it on my car, though, maybe the ground around the tires. Seemed to work in a short time with no bad effects. I have several of these for insect spray, herbicide, deodorant, and Miracle Grow, and I tell you this; don't waste money on the 7-10$ sprayers, even the name brands. Get somethig like the 19$ RoundUp herbicide sprayer at Lowe's. The foaming nozzle attachment is very handy on these, and they are dependable. Had good luck with cheap ones in the past, but three in a row were useless with bad spray nozzles.

[leslie flenner]

go to your local shelter and pick up a slew of brochures that explain "Why your cat is healthier nuetered" (and the such) then put them in their mailboxes in the middle of the night. Or, get a tomahawk and trap and nueter yourself and have the bill sent to them! You can bet that as many males spraying around your area, there are an equal amount of females being impregnated by them!! Watch for mothers and get them and their kittens to shelters before kittens are feral! Toms do live healthier, longer lives if nuetered, the owners may not know that or just don't want to pay for it- a local rescue group (ask your vet for phone #s) can nueter them for 1/3 of the normal cost- info you can give the owners! (unless they think they're is nothing wrong with what they are doing in which case sneakiness is your only choice). There is nothing that will get rid of that odor. Period. Products just mask it.

[Craftlady]

moth balls do work but gets annoying because they only last for 2 days tops then you have to put more out. Having them fixed will stop spraying.

[catcrazylady]

My suggestion would be to snatch the cats and get them nuetered. With the amount of money you are going to spend on cleaners you could have them both fixed and be done with it. I know they are not yours but if the owners don't look out for them they may not notice them missing. With males it isn't as big a deal and if you can find a low cost spay/nueter clinic you could just do the TNR (trap, nueter, release). It sounds like the owners would never know and even if they did figure it out they wouldn't know who did it.
I know this may not sound like the greatest of ideas but it is just going to continue and it will be very hard to get rid of the odors outside.

GOOD LUCK!

[leslie flenner]

and although it's out of your pocket, it is what you would spend in enery being annoyed! Do the owners even want their cats? are they being taken care of otherwise? Just being nosey and concerned more than I need to be or want to know about!!

[jazzcat]

We've got some neighborhood cats who have started spraying around our garage door. I read online to mix Downy and water in a spray bottle and spray that around where the cats spray. I've been spraying every other day for the past week or so and I can't really tell if it is repelling the cats but at least my garage door smells "straight from the dryer" fresh.:D

[lv4dogs]

Thanks for all the replies. If anyone has any more please share them.

Both cats are well taken care of otherwise. They have long hair & free of any mats, they (or at least one for sure) is allowed in their homes when they want.

I only know one of the cats owners, the other I am not sure of.
she has 2 cats total & just got a puppy. She says her cat is neutered (the other is a female). I can't get close enough to the cat to see if he actually is neutered but I have witnessed him spray numerous times.

I did go door to door a couple times in search of the other cats owner, either the owner is denying it or I missed them.

I did post a couple fliers in the park politely asking people to care for their pets properly, ALL the benefits of neutering/spaying, heat problems, proper vaccines etc... Yes I went above & beyond & just listed the importance of upkeep & care especially in warmer months.

I will try the downy technique to see if that helps. I can't really use the moth balls or other repellants as my cat goes outdoors & I don't want to repell her. Also I am a safe person & just the "what if" my ferrets get loose & get into it or the dogs get into it.

I have talked to the park manager & owner, they say unfortunatly they do not like it but there is no leash law on cats, nothing can really be done. If they say no cats allowed they will loose a LOT of people in the park including me so that is not an option.

I have contacted the town, the animal control, local shelter, nothing can really be done. The animal control officer is looking into it further to see if he can do anything for me.

I guess I will keep trying to see if the one male cat is actually neutered or not. & I will go door to door once more, making sure I talk to each & everyone. If no one claims the other cat I will take it to the shelter. Although the only way to catch is have a heart trap, I am sure I will get TONS of cats, belive me. I bet guessing there are about 20 cats in the park that roam daily. I am sure more are indoor only & more are in the back of the park where I don't see often.

I am worried that if I can't get the smell out that will attract other cats & soon all will be spraying my house.

Neutered cats can still spray can't they? Doesn't it just smell less?

[Craftlady]

Neutered cats can still spray can't they? Doesn't it just smell less?

Once fixed they dont spray.

[jazzcat]

Originally posted by Craftlady
Once fixed they dont spray.
Actually yes, neutered cats can still spray. Ripley was neutered when he was 5 months old but last year at age 11 he began spraying (I think it was the stress of adding Scout to the family). It isn't as strong smelling but it's still cat pee.

I called and asked my vet how this was possible and he said a neutered male can spray and even a female cat can spray if she is aggitated enough.

[lv4dogs]

Originally posted by jazzcat
Actually yes, neutered cats can still spray. Ripley was neutered when he was 5 months old but last year at age 11 he began spraying (I think it was the stress of adding Scout to the family). It isn't as strong smelling but it's still cat pee.

I called and asked my vet how this was possible and he said a neutered male can spray and even a female cat can spray if she is aggitated enough.

Thanks, thats what I thought!

[Catsnclay]

Originally posted by Craftlady
Once fixed they dont spray.

Actually neutered cats DO still spray.........but for different reasons.

My Yoshi was fixed but sprays when he is stressed....which still seems to be often :( But we are making progress with medication and Feliway :D

Thanks Craftlady about the info on the moth balls.........only 2 days huh?! :eek: