I have learned, after trying every other avenue, to not say anything to anyone and just get rid of the cat. Although, we think the neighbors would see the light, they won't. Cat lovers are not, necessarily, animal lovers at all. Just dispose of the cat and save some lives.

I live in the middle of a forest/bird sanctuary and ferrule cats are always a threat. With the help of Animal Control, I set out cages and caught 13 cats in 14 days.

Cats kill every small living thing they run into, baby rabbits, lizards, birds. They are responsible for the huge decline it quail and Cottontail rabbit populations in my area.

Laws allowing introduced predators like cats to roam free are grossly irresponsible and can undermind all of the conservation efforts being made to save a lot of species. Dogs can be trained to leave animals alone, cats can't.

Just get rid of the cat.

I could never cause a cat to be killed, heck, I can't even kill Cuban tree frogs! They make dog runs out of chain link, maybe you could convince your neighbors to get something like that. My cats are so used to being indoors that when they get out by accident, they can't seem to figure out how to get out of the fenced back yard. However, other cats get in so your neighbors would need something with a roof. Give them the benefit of the doubt, they may be as unhappy with the cat as you are. As a last resort, try hiding the dead things where they don't find them until the smell is driving them crazy.

Hello,

Sorry about your problem, it is very aggravating having to cope with a cat predator in your yard when you are conscientious about keeping your dog in your yard. I would say in general that folks who let their cats roam outside are not concerned about it at all, including what they do to wildlife.

Other than contacting your local animal control person and asking for help with this problem (which you may not want to do because you like your neighbor), there is what I think might be a helpful website with different types of cat "discouragement": About.Com:Landscaping, 10 Cat Repellents: How to Keep Cats Away from Your Yard. I looked this up because we also have a couple of cats here who are huge and prowl the back of our property stalking our rabbits and birds. We have dogs in our fenced yard, but outside the yard, I swear the cats taunt them! And we have had a couple of cats come right up on our deck and sit under the feeders like they were invited! The dogs help a lot inside our fence, but your puppy is not at that point yet, and some of the ideas at the above-mentioned site will not be great to use with a puppy - but do check the website out.

What is upsetting is that you are having to do the work of dealing with the neighbor's cat, when they should be limiting the cat's wandering or keeping it inside. But until there is a cat "leash law" there I guess the best you can do is implement some of the ideas you'll read.

I personally liked the idea of chickenwire on the ground around the base of a feeder pole or bird bath. I guess cats do not like walking on that at all. It's pretty cheap, too, about $4 for a small roll.

We used the ammonia and cayenne pepper ideas to keep skunks out of our yard and they were very effective, but if your puppy could get into either of those things it would not be good.

Good luck with this, it's a tough one.

You are baiting them to their doom ... cats and hawks have to work a lot harder when birds are getting food from a natural landscape and not hanging out at the local McFeeder.

1 - Make sure there are no places a cat can conceal themselves within 2 pounces (8-10 feet) of either the feeder or water. Birds can spot the cat on the first pounce and scatter.

2 - Have multiple feeders and water sources around your yard ... the cat can't watch them all.

3 - Wean the birds, and you, off the feeders by planting native plants that are sources of food for the birds. Then discontinue the feeding.

Cat lovers are not, necessarily, animal lovers at all.

I would say in general that folks who let their cats roam outside are not concerned about it at all, including what they do to wildlife.

These statements are not true. I love wildlife and I love cats. I have one indoor cat and one cat that goes outside for a few hours during the day only. I enjoy her company outdoors and she serves a specific purpose - the same purpose that cats were domesticated in the first place some 12,000+ years ago, and continued to serve since - to keep the population of mice, chipmunks, voles, rabbits, etc. in check.

She catches a few birds, and this bothers me, but the few she catches is more than made up for by, at least in my yard: 1) the extensive habitat the back yard provides for birds, and 2) the fewer number of chipmunks and squirrels, which also predate songbird eggs and nestlings.

You are baiting them to their doom ...

Exactly! People arbitrarily decide they are going to feed birds in feeders - which is not at all natural - and that cats are "bad" in their yard. If people are going to feed wildlife, and cause them to congregate, then they are responsible for making sure feeders or bird baths are safe, that birds won't be vulnerable to predators (cats, dogs, hawks, etc) or even crash into windows and break their necks.

I have no problem with people eliminating FERAL cats. But generally speaking anyone who would poison, trap, dispose of, or otherwise harm a neighbor's pet is a person who doesn't care about animals (or their neighbors)!!

I am lucky that my neighbors cat is stupid. It sits in the open and makes a running charge across the yard from 10 feet away and the birds are long gone before it even gets close. Also i have magpies that hang around and they start chattering at the cat as soon as it show up in the yard. It does not give up though and comes through the yard 3 or 4 times a day.

I just wanted to clarify, that when I stated my opinion "folks who let their cats roam outside...don't care etc." in my previous followup, I did not mean that I think those cat owners are in any way malicious or irresponsible about their cats' behavior, esp. toward wildlife. I meant only that they know what cats' natures are outdoors, as hunters, and they accept it. It is matter-of-fact for them. And it IS cats' natures, and not just feral cats but our pets as well. And to me that is neither good or bad, but the way it is.

I do agree that it is the bird feeders' owners' duty to protect the birds from cats and other predators by putting in place things like baffles, tall enough poles, cover to flee to, etc. Plantings to feed wildlife on your property are the ideal way to go, and I am working at doing that myself, but not everyone is in a position to do that. Feeders do give people a connection with nature (provided it's done responsibly) that they might not have otherwise.

Hope I didn't offend anyone with my earlier statement. I value hearing what people think.

I don't often visit this site but couldn't help but put my two cents in about this discussion :) I too am an animal lover. Used to have cats, but due to allergies can't keep them any longer. They were always indoor cats.
I've been feeding backyard birds for over 30 years. Luckily, our city has a bylaw that allows for live trapping cats if they are on your property. The cats are brought to the shelter (no kill), or they will actually come to pick them up if you can't drive there yourself.

This summer I had a feral cat family living in my backyard...which is certified a backyard wildlife habitat. I have MANY places for cats to hide, so it's useless to try and spray them with the hose. Besides, as soon as they hear me coming into the backyard, the cats take off.
I was able to live trap all the feral cats/kittens this summer.

I have over 25 feeders in my yard as well as many water features/ponds/brush piles etc, and I refuse to see 'my' birds set up as a cat buffet.

I've spent a lot of $$ on chicken wire to go around areas of feeders....not that great looking....but I pound poles into the ground and make a chicken wire 'pen' that encircles certain feeders. The birds are more important to me than the esthetics of the yard at this point of my life :)

Maybe you can check the bylaws in your city and see what is allowed as far as wandering cats. If there's nothing specific to them, perhaps you can lobby your city council about making such a bylaw.
The way I look at it, if my dog were wandering around the neighborhood leaving dead birds in his wake and digging up other gardens to use as a toilet, I'd hear about it and it would be stopped. Why are cats allowed to do so?

Val

I'd just like to clarify one thing in this discussion, Hawks kill to survive, Cats kill to take gifts to their owners.end of story.

Maybe you could help the cat get his "gifts" to his owner. He might be more aware of how many birds are dying because of his cat.

Cats are an introduced predator that is wreaking disaster in the environment. National Geographic aired a special on ferrule cats that showed how one pair of cats can produce 2,000 cats in one year.

Ferrule cats have wiped out some species of birds in Australia. Yes, they are now extinct because of ferrule cats.

Where mankind's encroachment threatens wildlife, the cats spread out in advance and start killing everything they can.

Cowbirds' murdering of baby songbirds is bad enough but, ferrule cats kill everything.

Don't cry for the cowbirds and cats, cry for their victims.
Or, better yet, do something to help.

Remember, Ted Bundy was kind of cute, himself. So what?

I have the exact same problem, except multiply it times at least 20! My neighbor has what I refer to as a "herd" of cats. We live out in the country, but their house is across the road from ours, and both our houses are near the road, not far away at all, and when she leaves her house, literally a herd of cats follows her around waiting to be fed. Those cats roam into our yard. We have a dog who chases them, but we are responsible pet owners, and our animal isn't allowed to roam. The same neighbor has come unglued the two times our dog has roamed onto their property! Her cats hunt my birds DAILY. My husband is going to start shooting her cats.

Hawks kill to survive, Cats kill to take gifts to their owners.end of story.

Cats (and Cowbirds too) are not sadists who are purposely killing birds for the thrill of it! The cats are acting upon their instincts for survival and those instincts that have been bred into them through thousands of years of domestication by humans. Humans reinforced cats for catching the pests that infested their food.

Yes FERAL (not ferrule) cats are a problem in some parts of the world and in that case the population should be controlled. But invasive species don't just appear by magic in the Australian outback. Humans are almost always reponsible for introducing them around the world and are ultimately responsible for the damage.

If we've lost the natural balance in most of the eco-systems around the world, that used to have undisturbed nature and native species only, then all we have to do is look in the mirror to find out why. In light of that, I'm trying to achieve some sort of balance in my yard - a place that supports the wildlife and the environment, and is compatible for the humans and pets that live here.

"Humans are almost always reponsible for introducing them around the world and are ultimately responsible for the damage."

I have been involved with animals for over 50 years and I have heard that "pass the buck" statement a million times.
You are right, it is mankind's fault they are killing everything. The mankind is you, though.

"If we've lost the natural balance in most of the eco-systems around the world, that used to have undisturbed nature and native species only, then all we have to do is look in the mirror to find out why."
On this one you're talking ancient history and you still haven't taken any steps to correct anything.

When our grandchildren ask what happened to all the beautiful birds, you can sit there and smugly say, "I didn't do anything." And the rest of us will back you up on that one. You certainly did nothing.

Just put your bird feeders and waterers(?) up high enough so the cats can't reach them. Then maybe make a game out of it. Get yourself a paintball gun and see how many different colors you can paint that cat.

Get yourself a rescue Greyhound. They are very nice dogs and no cat will come into your yard a second time. If they make it out the first time that is.

Apparently a stray cat a couple blocks away recently had a litter of six kittens. I haven't seen them around my house, thankfully. However, the black cat that has been frequenting my neighborhood appears to be pregnant, its belly hanging quite low. So, in just a few weeks my area will have gone from two stray cats to 10+. Hopefully, this new litter of cats will mostly hang out on another street. If only people could simply have their pet cat spayed/neutered before they let them go free. Of course, if those people were responsible they wouldn't be discarding(permanently) their cats into the outdoors in the first place. I feel bad for these cats. They were dumped on the street and forced to survive on their own.

At least I don't currently have any neighbors who let their pet cat(s) roam the neighborhood freely.

I have a neighbor, a nice person otherwise, who lets her two cats roam freely. They're both good hunters and have stalked the birds I feed, but they know that I'll chase them whenever I see them and they take me seriously, as they should.

I've discussed it with her but she says that the cats yowl at the door all day if she tries to keep them inside. My only consolation is that she is very sensitive to poison ivy and regularly gets massive rashes from picking up the cats. There's some justice in the world.

Claire

People need to start complaining until they change the laws and stop allowing cats to roam free.
If your neighbor's cats' howling to get out bothers her, you need to get even louder so that bothers her more.
Allowing cats to roam free in incredibly negligent behavior. And, an ecological disaster.
I kill or trap every one of them I see. Don't like it? Too bad, I'm not doing it for you. The animals are damn happy about it and the birds sing to me every day.

Hey birdguy, do you have an electric cat feeder?

lol No, no electric feeder. I don't entice them in any way. What entices them is beautiful birds and other small living things.
In all honesty, I've only shot a couple of them, I really don't have the stomach for it anymore than anyone else does. But, it's like changing a baby's diaper, just gotta buck up and do it because there is no alternative.
I usually get a cage trap from animal control for 10 days every couple of years. I'm always surprised at how many cats I catch. If you see one, there is probably 15 of them out there wreaking havoc.
The destruction that cowbirds and cats cause is not even a debatable point. The flap just comes from immature, uneducated and irresponsible people who are unwilling to be adults and do what it takes to keep the world of animals healthy and thriving.
If things were left to them it would be a very ugly world consisting of Cowbirds, House Sparrows, Startlings, cats and diseases.
Probably the same people who don't mind spreading deadly poisons to kill the roaches, ants and spiders. The act of which kills even more beautiful birds and animals. They don't mind going to the doctor and having the doctor kill the bacteria and virus that is making them sick.

They probably don't mind using the precious water to water their lawns where it mixes with the chemical fertilizers, herbacides and insecticides then runs into the streams and lakes and slowly works it's way down to the aquifer. These chemicals will continue killing things for the next 5,000 years, long after these people are gone. It will be their legacy. Hooray.

These kinds of people kill more living things daily than all of us can possibly compensate for. And they don't want me to stop the cats and cowbirds from killing everything on my property? On a good day I just laugh, on a bad day I want to puke.

I hope there has been some helpful information for lilyfinch here.
After looking at all the posts again I see some really good points and some generalizations that don't serve anyone well.
When you look at it in a simple way, lilyfinch's yard is her property; if someone else's animal comes onto it and behaves in an undesirable way, she has every right to complain to the owner, and if the owner(or her son) doesn't rectify the situation, she has every right to go to the animal control officer in town (assuming there is one). I would approach this as a property rights issue and see what happens. Sometimes how you approach these things can make a difference.
I know you don't want to hurt your relationship with your neighbor, lilyfinch, but it's really up to her (and her son) to smooth this over, not just up to you. They should want to maintain a good relationship with you, too.
If they refuse, you can tell them what you plan to do and that you'd rather not, but it's important to you.
I hope this helps somehow. Good luck.

I have the same problem with a neighbor's cat...a couple years ago they were allowing their unspayed siamese to roam, and it was stalking birds at my feeder too. I fenced my yard with a 6 ft privacy fence and then set about to befriend the cat. Eventually, I caught it, put it in a carrier and took it to the pound where it was spayed and adopted by a new owner. Unfortunately, it had become pregnant and had babies before I could get it. Now the people have one of the kittens, all grown up, which is an unneutered male. It is doing the same thing but it is even MORE streetwise and has proven difficult to catch. I have tried for over a year and almost got it a few weeks ago...when I was trying to put it into a carrier, it started struggling and I was afraid of getting scratched as I am sure it is unvaccinated so I had to let go. But this seems to be the only way to rid my yard of this cat, so I will continue trying. With the fence, it does not come into my back yard, but I did find a dead dove outside the fence the other day which makes me furious. I would never hurt the cat myself because it is just doing what comes naturally...although it could get humanely euthanized at the shelter if not adopted. In my opinion that is a better option than becoming coyote dinner, contracting feline leukemia and dying, or ending up roadkill which will inevitably happen to it at some point. Our local leash laws do include cats, but I don't want to have the neighbors mad at me because our houses are super close and I see them all the time. They would know it was I who reported them if the city came by to reprimand them. My advice...catch the cat and take it to a shelter or rescue group. My neighbors never even asked me if I had seen their "lost" siamese so obviously didn't care much about it. I feel good that she is now spayed and in a better home. Good luck!

There is a lot of hostility and arrogance on this thread from which I am backing off. Regardless of how zealous and righteous people are about their opinions (and off-base), the issue of what is threatening birds and how to protect them is much more complicated than "kill all the cats or HOSPs".

Now to try to address the OP's concerns and offer suggestions about how to make the birds safer, from cats or other threats -

- Mount your feeders at least 6 feet up. Mine are mounted on poles about 6 feet high with 2-foot squirrel/raccoon baffles. This keeps cats, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, etc away from the feeders and it works very well.

- Locate your feeders and bird baths in an open area where the birds are able to surveil their surroundings for predators. It is also vital that there be thick shrubbery (or something like a brush pile) about 10 feet away that the birds can escape to if they feel threatened.

- Locate the feeders either very close to windows (mine are about 6 feet, occasionally birds hit the window, but none have died because they haven't picked up enough speed) or 25+ feet away from windows. This reduces the chance that birds will crash into a window and die as they try to escape from a hawk in a panic.

- Keep any plantings under or around the feeders/baths short or sparse, or don't have any, so that cats can't hide and ambush the birds.

Hope that is more helpful.

Really well put, Terrene, as always. Doing these things should solve lilyfinch's problem.

I would agree with those who see it has a property rights issue.

If a dog got loose and killed your cat in your yard how would you handle that? What if they dog owner came over and said its only doing what comes naturally to it. You should have really made it harder for my dog to kill your cat. If you would have dog-proofed your yard, none of this would have happened, so it's really your fault in the end.

With all due respect, less than .005% of kills from cats happen at birdfeeders. All you are suggesting, once again, is passing the buck and leaving the cats free to go on killing somewhere else.
As far as being afraid of angering your neighbors, didn't they anger you first by their irresponsible acts?

I feel sorry for all of the birds and wildlife in all of these people's yards. They don't need a passive do nothing, they need some aggressive help. You can, at least, call animal control.

Let's imagine, for a moment, what it would sound like if all of the birds that cats are killing in your neighborhood could scream. You know what that would sound like? Well, I hear them, maybe not with my ears but, I hear them.

Let's do a little soul searching here. I would venture to guess that every person here who is sticking up for the cats, kills mice, roaches, ants and spiders. These creatures are, actually, good for the ecology.

There are 2 reasons people don't mind killing them. First, they are small. Cats like killing small defenseless things, too. Secondly, they are a direct annoyance and personal. So, as long as it doesn't attack us personally, it's OK.

Once again, the disasterous effects that cats cause to the animal world isn't even debatable. And neither is the gross negligence of way too many people.

"Apparently a stray cat a couple blocks away recently had a litter of six kittens."

Hawkeye_wx - she should be trapped ASAP and taken to a no-kill shelter for adoption. The kittens will have a chance to be adopted if they grow up around people. The same should be done with the pregnant cat. If adoption is not an option, they can use the "spay and release" program. She will be spayed, fetuses removed and she will be released. I know it's not your responsibility, but it's the best thing you can do to stop raising a feral colony in your area.

Critter Ridder (spray) works for me. Sold at most home improvement stores. My cat gives anything I spray with it a very wide berth. One warning: Only spray when there is no wind. I learned the hard way. :)

I'm still waiting to hear the solution to keeping ground feeding birds( and there are many) safe from Cats.

Hello,
I have 2 cats who enjoy being outdoors, and I am also a bird lover. I found a very easy solution to keep my cats from killing birds or any other small prey. They sell collars with bells on them at pet stores so cats cant sneak up on prey. It seems to be working well for me, maybe you can sugest to your neighbor to get a collar for his cat, or even purchace one for approx. $4 for him.

I've found a pretty effective method. We have a pellet rifle. It doesn't kill them but it sure stings them & now my neighbor's cats (20 or more-all outside cats) avoid our property & we have 16 acres. They will walk down to the road & follow it rather than cross our front yard. They will also go into the woods of an adjoining property rather than cross our back woods. It tood awhile for them to learn...about 2 yrs. but they are all trained now! ((big smile))

I've recently been struggling with this same problem. Interestingly, the cats usually go after birds on or near the ground, who are feasting on the wide variety of native plants I grow here. They can't seem to get to the feeder area easily-go figure. I've tried to no avail to figure out who these 2 cats belong to, they are obviously not feral. It is more than irritating that owners don't keep better track of their cats or even bother with a collar/tags. I may very well end up calling animal control. I'll definitely try some strategically placed chicken wire. I am a cat lover myself, have 2 that I adopted from the pound, neutered/spayed/licensed/kept indoors at all times. The problem isn't with the cats, it's with the people, we brought them here! Most owners are responsible but there's always gonna be those don't care about anyone else besides themselves. I do wish that when we have one of these cat threads going that more members would respond with suggestions to the original post, as opposed to preaching their personal beliefs and philosophy...for me at least, it would be nice to see that stuff on a separate thread, perhaps on the "hot Topics" forum :)I would definitely look into any no-kill shelters in your area if the neighbor isn't willing to help out by fencing their cat in or keeping it indoors. We have such a shelter here but there's a hefty fee of $200 per cat! Good luck.
Cindy

I think that if you gave the neighbor information from Rachel's list of web sites about parasite-borne disease, it might scare the neighbor and her son into re-thinking their attitude and position.

In my case, I have all feeders elevated out of reach of cats, but there are always ground-feeders cleaning up the fallen seed below the feeders -- and roaming cats threaten these birds. I throw things at the cats when I see them in my yard, but I've never hit them, because my aim isn't that good, but it wouldn't kill them if they were hit. I do it to make them feel threatened and unwelcome. If I can't find something to throw, I just yell and clap, and when I start to run in their direction, they run off.

But I'm retired, and often working in the gardens that surround the house, so I can be my own "guard dog"; but I understand that people that are working can't watch their yards that much.

How can someone defend having outdoor cats if they have the ability to read what they do to our ecosystem. I do not blame cats for the destruction. I blame the buffoons that allow them to roam free. Should I accept the killing of numerous animals because you really love your pet? It astounds me that people with outdoor cats can even claim to be environmentalists. It used to surprise me that people would kill these outdoor cats. Now, I say "do it". If you care one tiny bit about your cat and wildlife, you would keep your cat inside. There should be NO excuse or argument.

I also have had feral cats in my rural neighborhood. Most, if not all, were dumped ,unwanted, by others who wanted to get rid of them. We did rescue one who was a lovely pet- yes -went outside. I probably did lose some birds but I lost indoor mice, outside mice and chipmunks in larger numbers. Unfortunatly, at a young age we lost him to cancer. Now I have chipmunks galore. I wish he was still with us.

Cats have a very detrimental effect on local wildlife. In the spring and summer they kill adult birds and that destrys the brood of babies, left to wait in the nest for a parent that never comes back to feed them.

If cats were supposed to be in the ecosystem, they would be, but they are domestic animals (having been domesticated a few thousand years ago by Egyptians) and taking over niches in our backyards originally set for hawks, owls, foxes, bobcats, who lose their food sources and become extant in the areas. Not to mention reducing the wildlife.

It is indeed "not their fault," as irresponsible owner and people let them roam, let them procreate, and release them.

If one cats kills (because of their prey drive) 10 baby birds a year (they generally kill of babies out of the nest) and there are 1 million outdoor and stray cats in the US (and there are likely more) , that is 10 million birds unnaturally killed, whether the cat eats them (rare) or not.

No different than a neighbor shooting birds for fun. For outdoor cat apologists, how would you feel if people wantonly shot 10 million cardinals, chickadees and robins each year? There is a dove hunt each year in PA. How do you feel about that? Or how would you feel about 1 million people shooting 10 million cats a year?

No different.

People can take control (and should) by keeping their cats indoors. It is a start. If there are strays, find them a home indoors in whatever way you can. They will live short, starving, unloved, parasite and disease-ridden lives our doors, ultimately hit by cars or wantonly shot by neighbors. Sometimes humaneeuthanasia is the kindest thing to do for starving, miserable animals. Wildlife rehabilitators rehabilitate wildlife, and euthanise the ones that cannot survive adequately in the wild. Not a pleasant prospect, but the only option sometime.

No different for diseased and miserable feral cats.

Here is a link that might be useful: Think about it

NO ONE should feel bad that you have chipmunks in your yard. They actually belong there. I find it sad that you think it is a positive thing that your cat used to kill those native animals.

Hi,
If the cat is yours its your choice to get rid of it. If its not your cat you cant get rid of it. Ruining a realtionship with a neighbor is not good for anything. Just find ways that work for your birds. Dont take advice from anyone telling you to do things that awaken your conscience. Youve been given some bad advice. Try some of the cat repellants that come in a bag intended for potted plants maybe. Whatever. Just dont kill cats or ruin relationships with neighbors by doing bad things. Some folks are set in their ways, their ideals. Set your own standards. Above the rest.

If the Cat is yours it's your choice to get rid of it. Unfortunatly it seems to be the Norm to let your neighbors deal with the Cat, because once it is no longer a cuddly Kitten, it gets turned loose on the community, to reak havock on them. I resectfully ask, Is that not the case?

I'm an animal lover. I'm also a responsible homeowner. Most of the pets we had throughout my childhood were rescued strays. I've had cats and dogs my whole life. In my childhood, we lived in a rural area, and allowed our cats to roam freely. Now, in an urban setting, cats are appropriately kept indoors where they belong. I also have birdfeeders, but I'm lucky in that my dogs keep the cats away, for the most part.

Domesticated cats that are allowed to roam free, particularly in an urban setting where we are on less than 1/8 acre, is just plain irresponsible and inconsiderate pet ownership. I don't need anyone's cat bringing disease or fleas into my yard. Don't these owners realize the danger to their own pets given the residential vehicular traffic????

There is an ordinance against roaming pets in our municipality, and for good reason.

One of our neighborhood cats, owned by someone on the other side of the block, roams freely. He sprays on my garage door, he uses another neighbor's kids' sandbox as a litter box, and uses another neighbor's back door as a pissing pot. This is nothing short of a nuisance, and marking behavior will only attract other cats. I chase him with my hose when I see him, but he is too fast. And while I'm not going to report a municipal violation to the city, you can bet that if I ever catch that cat, he will be swiftly relocated to a no kill shelter for adoption into a home environment where he belongs.

I do not condone animal cruelty AT ALL, my heart weeps for any mistreated, neglected animal. With that said, my FIL has similar problems with roaming cats. His solution? A pellet gun - doesn't kill them, doesn't permanently injure them, but I'll tell you, it stuns them enough that they don't return, and he doesn't have to worry about offensive stenches or property damage because of an irresponsible pet owner that lives next door. Grandma has forks in her window boxes to keep the neighbors cat from using it as a litter box. Anyone know how much those window boxes cost these days? They aren't cheap. I bet your neighbor wouldn't want to pay for it once it's taken over by the stench of cat urine. So my take is, once it gets to the point that it's a nuisance, whether it be damaged property or dead birds, your darn right I'd get a pellet gun.

For an objective, informational view of the impact of cats on wild birds, see the Massachusetts Audubon's "State of the Birds" (2009) publication which is available online. Under the section "Challenges," cats are the first problem cited. The extent of, and concern over, the impact of cats, domestic and feral, on bird populations is clear.

The article is respectful to cat owners but does stress that they should keep their pets indoors or controlled outside.

Another article on this topic is in the Mass. Audubon current winter issue of "Sanctuary" magazine.

I realize that these articles don't solve the original poster's problem, but it never hurts to have published information to back you up. Also, although I was aware of the cat problem in general, in reading the "State of the Birds" I was surprised at the extent of it, and I thought there might be others on this forum who would like to read it.

who cares what any of you think. I have cats and am the only person on this

street who went to the humane society, Best Friends,etc. and felt they would

benefit from my home and excellent care. I had to buy two new toothbrushes

for them today. I cannot believe that you are talking about cats this way. I am

going to tell Best Friends about this site. I know they have had to take pellets

out of cats. My dog is so perfect. The neighbor's dog is so yappy. What you

need to do is give that cat some attention but you never thought about that.

I was so fortunate to have new neighbors with 4 (four) outside cats visited by our township's animal control officer (at my request) and agree to keep their cats inside. Just shows how kind and understanding some people can be.

My advice is to remove your bird feeders until the cat is gone. Most cats who are outside do not live that long. Very sad that cat owners let their cats outside since cats do not know how to cross a street and don't know enough to avoid traps and poison.

Humanely catch the cat. It's not its fault really. It's simply following its instincts. The fault lies with the neighbor. If you have gone to them and stated that this cat is disrupting your happiness on your property there really isn't a relationship there. A compassionate neighbor would realize the fault and correct it. What you are doing is simply settling. Humanely catch the cat and deliver to a shelter. When they have to pay to get it out, maybe something will click. If not it will find a new home.

My new cat started catching birds so I got a cat bib. it really does seem to work with birds. I had to cut it down several times to get it to be the right size for her. She did catch a chip munk the other day but it was the first thing she has gotten in weeks. Chipmunks may be natureal but their natural predators are seldom seen in my neighborhood. My feeling is its good if something is keeping their population down although it did upset me at the time. The humans onmy street might have to put an end to some woodchucks or none of us will have a garden this summer.

As far as life span of cats allowed to go out side: I suppose my cats might live longer if they didn't go outsied. But how much longer than 18 or 20 years do indoor cats live? I have lost one cat in 40 years who didn't come home and since that I have kept thm in at night. Any others that died younger it was not connected to the outside (genetic problem for examle)

Anyway, bottom line, I strongly recommend the cat bib which is a neoprene trangular shape that hangs off a collar.

People who let there cats out to roam the neighborhood killing everything in sight are rude!

I've complained to my neighbor and they do nothing about it

Their damn cats kill all my birds and knock down the nests and kill the babies all summer long

It's heartbreaking and I've had it! No other choice but to take care of this thing myself because the other options listed don't work.

Dear cat people

You're selfish and rude

Cats are evil