Any recommendations to help keep ferals off dangerous areas?

moreknow

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Hi again,
I have like 24 ferals that I take care of, and right now since it's cold they huddle together either in my shack or in this little improv house in my backyard, but when it isn't really cold or they feel like exploring, they wander off into my neighbor's garages (he frequently leaves them open and closes them at night, leaving the cats trapped) or onto my neighbor's trash which is in their driveway that's really close to where many cars drive by. Thankfully none of them have been run over but many of my cats always end up getting stuck in my neighbor's garages, and it takes a lot of time for me to go search for them and check if they're in there. I used orange oil once but the bottle it came with was super defective and i decided not to use it anymore because the few times i used it proved ineffective. Is there any effective recommendation that y'all have that works in keeping cats away from trash, roads, garages, etc. ?
 

Jcatbird

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Things that make noise work short term. I used some Halloween stuff that made scary noises. For deer we used to tie silver aluminum pie pans on a string so that wind would cause them to swing around and bump each other to make sudden noises. It worked pretty well. They do make motion activated sprinklers but if a cat gets wet in the cold, it’s not good. Maby motion lights? A line of tin cans for noise? There are spray deterrents but I don’t know how well they work. Short of building a catio or cat fence, it may be tough to stop. Providing more little cubby hole shelters might help or even a kitty treehouse. That would probably be a place a cat would enjoy. I think it’s more a matter pf giving them somewhere they prefer to be over trying to deter. I hope you can stop them. I used tarps like pup tents and the ferals loved those! Easy and inexpensive. I tied them down tightly and put lawn chairs inside with blankets:heartshape:. It kept them off the cold ground and I could got quite a few under each tarp. Rain proof and snow just slides off. I had one at my back door that I was able to heat and they loved that! Thanks for taking such good cate of so many!
 

Mr. Meow

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With ferals, it's harder to make them stop doing something you don't want them to do, but easier to get them what you want them to do.
If possible, make more heated/covered spaces and have more food available. They go into the garage for shelter, and into the trash for food. The only way to get them to not do that is make a place that they'd rather be more often than those places.
We have 2 ferals at work who kept crossing a very busy street to frequent a park for food and shelter. Once we provided them with a warm place and a regular schedule of food, they have yet to cross that dangerous street again.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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I agree with Mr. Meow Mr. Meow work on their shelters make it extra warm, so they won't wander around too much. There are many types of winter shelters, but typically they consist of a Styrofoam cooler (with tight lid), put inside a rubber container (with a tight lid). Straw or mylar blankets are put in the Styrofoam container. You may use straw or other insulation materials around the cooler. You can also use microwavable discs or hand warmers placed in an old tied up pillow case for added warmth. On cold winter days my cats don't leave their shelters too much. Also give them alluring food (maybe put Bonito flakes on top of the food or special treats). I also put some toys in my backyard, so on the days it isn't so bad out, they can play. I have some playful cats in my group, so this works for them.

Besides odor deterrents (cats hate citrus smells), how about scat mats in area you don't want your kitties getting into. Make that area as undesirable as possible for the cats. Maybe you can look into other deterrents. There are those ultrasonic repellants that you can use to keep the cats away from dangerous areas. They say they are humane. I never used them, so you may want to look into them. They run upwards of $25 dollars. Jcatbird Jcatbird put some good ideas out there on this topic

Well, I hope that help. Best of luck to you. 🙂
 
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moreknow

learning to help ferals :)
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Things that make noise work short term. I used some Halloween stuff that made scary noises. For deer we used to tie silver aluminum pie pans on a string so that wind would cause them to swing around and bump each other to make sudden noises. It worked pretty well. They do make motion activated sprinklers but if a cat gets wet in the cold, it’s not good. Maby motion lights? A line of tin cans for noise? There are spray deterrents but I don’t know how well they work. Short of building a catio or cat fence, it may be tough to stop. Providing more little cubby hole shelters might help or even a kitty treehouse. That would probably be a place a cat would enjoy. I think it’s more a matter pf giving them somewhere they prefer to be over trying to deter. I hope you can stop them. I used tarps like pup tents and the ferals loved those! Easy and inexpensive. I tied them down tightly and put lawn chairs inside with blankets:heartshape:. It kept them off the cold ground and I could got quite a few under each tarp. Rain proof and snow just slides off. I had one at my back door that I was able to heat and they loved that! Thanks for taking such good cate of so many!
thank you for your feedback, it could be hard to keep them away from the trash because they just really like running around that area, even though I feed them 3-4x a day. I will still work on making more safe spaces in my backyard :)
 

Jcatbird

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Maybe you could try giving them another play area? Lots of boxes to run in and out of or those tunnel toys? Maybe put some wood shelves in trees with ways to climb up? Luring them to better places may be the easiest route. Please let us know how it goes.
 
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moreknow

learning to help ferals :)
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Maybe you could try giving them another play area? Lots of boxes to run in and out of or those tunnel toys? Maybe put some wood shelves in trees with ways to climb up? Luring them to better places may be the easiest route. Please let us know how it goes.
yes once I have have my life more under control I will plan on making a 'cat haven' in my backyard.. i hope by July this project can be done, and i will make sure to keep you all posted :)
 
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moreknow

learning to help ferals :)
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I agree with Mr. Meow Mr. Meow work on their shelters make it extra warm, so they won't wander around too much. There are many types of winter shelters, but typically they consist of a Styrofoam cooler (with tight lid), put inside a rubber container (with a tight lid). Straw or mylar blankets are put in the Styrofoam container. You may use straw or other insulation materials around the cooler. You can also use microwavable discs or hand warmers placed in an old tied up pillow case for added warmth. On cold winter days my cats don't leave their shelters too much. Also give them alluring food (maybe put Bonito flakes on top of the food or special treats). I also put some toys in my backyard, so on the days it isn't so bad out, they can play. I have some playful cats in my group, so this works for them.

Besides odor deterrents (cats hate citrus smells), how about scat mats in area you don't want your kitties getting into. Make that area as undesirable as possible for the cats. Maybe you can look into other deterrents. There are those ultrasonic repellants that you can use to keep the cats away from dangerous areas. They say they are humane. I never used them, so you may want to look into them. They run upwards of $25 dollars. Jcatbird Jcatbird put some good ideas out there on this topic

Well, I hope that help. Best of luck to you. 🙂
Yes i will have to look into those repellants because they just seem to like exploring, especially the unfixed males (which i should get fixed before summer). Thank you for your feedback :) and ill do my best
 
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