Need advice for the neighborhood

[MDavout]

Hi guys

The new officers of our neighborhood/towmhomes subdivision seems to be hell bent on getting rid of all the stray cats in our neighborhood by having them impounded.

The main complaints are because the cats are roaming and defecating on private property like driveways and roofings and such.

I plan on having a chat with the president later on, so far the only proposed solution I can think of that will address this issue is by having community litter boxes. I read that article which they did in japan:

The effect of a communal litter box provision | International Cat Care

I need advice on what to use as litter though, I'm not rich I can't afford commercial litter that are sold on stores. And I need a lot. I need them to be workable under wet conditions too. (Especially as it's rainy season here in the Philippines) So far what I've read are sand to be a cheap alternative. I'm thinking wood dust/shavings too, but I'm not sure what will happen if they get wet. I can get natural soil too from from my uncle's land in the province, but there are already potted plants around here.

It's an urban jungle here, everywhere is paved concrete, but I estimate at least 1/3 of the houses are surrounded by potted plants. I'm not fully sure yet where they are actually pooping, but the neighbors are complaining. And there are are only a couple of communal areas. Some of the cats and their territories are far from these areas.

My current plan is to ask and request to those who are feeding the cats to also allow me to place in their property the litter boxes, and it will be just me who cleans them up. So maybe the cats will stay there and not go the neighbors who are complaining of their poop. Something like that.

Most of resources are also going to be used for having the cats caught and spayed/neutered, and hiring a helper to help me clean up the litter boxes.

But I don't think me offering to handle all the neutering of the cats will be enough to assuage their anger. Their main complaints is the cleanliness.

I really need the cats to use the litter boxes.

My current estimate is that there at least 50 cats roaming around here.

I'm almost at my wit's end and it's difficult as our neighborhood association are in liege with the local government unit itself. So there is almost no recourse for me. And I'm not much of a people person, as much as possible I don't want to get involved in politics. But I'm really worried about the cats.

Thanks for letting me vent here and for hearing me out guys.

 

[MDavout]

Okay just came back from my talk with our president. It went well. He said to go ahead with my plan. I just need to make sure it works.

I'm curious also how potent the acetic acid they used as repellent in the article above i posted. or is it just vinegar

 

[Antonio65]

My first thought is how you have these cats use the litter boxes that you will lay around, rather than the flower pots or lawns or whatever these cats have used so far.
Cats are routine animals, so if that lawn is what they have chosen as their "pooping place", it's a little hard to make them change their habits.

 

[MDavout]

That's exactly one of my problems. But Most of them are still not pooping at the potted plants but at door mats even at the cowls of cars.

I need to figure out how to break their habits

 

[MDavout]

I saw earlier litter being sold that can attract cats. like this one:

Amazon.com

But I don't think I can afford this in bulk

 

[Avery]

Thank you so much for caring for these cats. I started using Cat Attract litter when one of my indoor cats stopped using the litter box and it worked like magic! It is quite expensive, but you could try just sprinkling a very thin layer on top of cheaper litter and see if that works to attract the cats. There is also a product by the same company that you might investigate. I have never used it, but apparently it is a bottle of the herbs that attract cats and you just sprinkle it over the litter. Here is a link with more information:
https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-precious-cat-ultra-litter/dp/28980

Of course, getting these cats spayed/neutered is very important and it sounds like this is part of your plan. I hope you are getting some funding to help with this project. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[MDavout]

Thank you so much for caring for these cats. I started using Cat Attract litter when one of my indoor cats stopped using the litter box and it worked like magic! It is quite expensive, but you could try just sprinkling a very thin layer on top of cheaper litter and see if that works to attract the cats. There is also a product by the same company that you might investigate. I have never used it, but apparently it is a bottle of the herbs that attract cats and you just sprinkle it over the litter. Here is a link with more information:
https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-precious-cat-ultra-litter/dp/28980

Of course, getting these cats spayed/neutered is very important and it sounds like this is part of your plan. I hope you are getting some funding to help with this project. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks for the encouragement, and this recommendation. It seems also to be available on amazon where I can get free shipping here to the Philippines.

I am actually just using my own money. But there is a dedicated spaying/neutering clinic near our place. It's somewhat cheaper than if you would go to a regular vet clinic. They were nice enough after I told them of the situation. The normal routine, because of the volume of patients, is that you will have make a reservation and wait for some days. But they said in my case I can bring the cats anytime.

 

[IndyJones]

Thank you so much for caring for these cats. I started using Cat Attract litter when one of my indoor cats stopped using the litter box and it worked like magic! It is quite expensive, but you could try just sprinkling a very thin layer on top of cheaper litter and see if that works to attract the cats. There is also a product by the same company that you might investigate. I have never used it, but apparently it is a bottle of the herbs that attract cats and you just sprinkle it over the litter. Here is a link with more information:
https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-precious-cat-ultra-litter/dp/28980

Of course, getting these cats spayed/neutered is very important and it sounds like this is part of your plan. I hope you are getting some funding to help with this project. Good luck and keep us posted!

OP is in the philippines. Chewy does not ship outside the us so unfortunatly is not an option for them.

They may sell this product on amazon or a simmaler one to it.

I do know some strays will not use a litterbox at all. Most litterboxes are way too small for more than one cat so maybe a sandbox would work better? Idk.

 

[MDavout]

OP is in the philippines. Chewy does not ship outside the us so unfortunatly is not an option for them.

They may sell this product on amazon or a simmaler one to it.

I do know some strays will not use a litterbox at all. Most litterboxes are way too small for more than one cat so maybe a sandbox would work better? Idk.

A cheap option I can use for litter boxes are large plastic rectangular basins, the ones use for laundry.

I've been surveying the neighborhood. A big problem is the rain, the study I've read above, they built roofs and covers above the boxes. But I'm not fully sure yet how that will turn out if I built them as such.

Most of the houses that feed the cats have roofings in their front driveways, but they are gated, so it will be difficult for me to volunteer to clean it up if one is placed inside. The opposite is difficult too, if its not gated it is not roofed.

I think commercial litter is more attractive for cats, but I know if they get wet they harden like cement. So I'm thinking sand, like construction sand sold by builder stores, and they are cheap. And maybe wood dust/shavings, which is what we use for our indoor cats.

 

[Meowmee]

I saw earlier litter being sold that can attract cats. like this one:

Amazon.com

But I don't think I can afford this in bulk

Maybe you can buy similar herbs for less and use them. Maybe some cat nip and cat mint plants?

 

[Avery]

Could you use large plastic storage bins for litter boxes? Cut a big hole in the side and leave the cover on. If they are to be kept more hidden, you could decorate with greenery! There are lots of articles and YouTube videos online to give you some ideas.

 

[MDavout]

Could you use large plastic storage bins for litter boxes? Cut a big hole in the side and leave the cover on. If they are to be kept more hidden, you could decorate with greenery! There are lots of articles and YouTube videos online to give you some ideas.

Hey thanks for that great idea.

I've been trying to read too if the cats prefer doing their business in an enclosed space? I think they need to see a clear view of the environment. I can get plastic storage bins here easily, but all of them are opaque.

 

[MDavout]

Maybe you can buy similar herbs for less and use them. Maybe some cat nip and cat mint plants?

I'm reading lemongrass. There is plenty of that to be had in marketplaces here. I'm just not sure yet if they need to be dried first.

 

[Avery]

If you wanted to try the storage bins, Walmart, Target, and Home Depot have them. I think maybe there is a Walmart in the Philippines. I don't know if the others would ship to you. You could try Amazon, too. I bought a huge storage bin to use for a litter box from The Container Store. I agree that some cats don't like to be enclosed but some don't mind it and a clear storage bin would be best if you decide to go that route.

 

[CyberTiger]

This site talks about using storage bins for litter boxes: The Litter Box From Your Cat’s Point of View

They mention the clear bins tend to be brittle so be careful when cutting out a door because they can crack.

 

[MDavout]

So far I've used sawdust as litter. It's the cheapest I can fit in my budget. And I started giving out boxes to neighbors who feed the cats this past weekend. They placed them in front of their houses. But so far no success, no cats has used them.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Could you use large plastic storage bins for litter boxes? Cut a big hole in the side and leave the cover on. If they are to be kept more hidden, you could decorate with greenery! There are lots of articles and YouTube videos online to give you some ideas.

I think something enclosed would be best to protect litter from the weather

 

[Kwik]

Hi there-I can certainly relate to your plight,living in a Condo full of some very self consumed people who simply do not care about any living creature..... it's shameful

I live in South Florida,there are lizards and Iguana everywhere so of course there are droppings everywhere as well,I'm sure you pay a monthly maintenance fee which should include basic groundskeepimg- is it such a big deal to hose down a walkway? According to the people here it's a much better option to kill all tye lizards- there's just no reasoning will unreasonable people,is there?

I live on the water,a mama duck had a trail of little ducklings behind here and she started to make our docks part of her morning walk because some people were feeding her- a group of nasty mean spirited people killed all the ducks!They put out poison,use bb guns and anything instead of hosing down a walkway-so is it really about the cleanliness or simply about hating anything that lives?

Problem in your situation is that ferals have unlimited options of where to eliminate,rarely would they ever use the same place twice in their outdoor territory unless they have no other option- however,sandy or dirt areas are much more attractive because they want to "hide" their scent -it's a survival instinct and because you don't have grass or dirt where you are it just might appeal to them.... ferals don't really like to "step into" things so low sides are a must to start..... I think your best bet might be if you can build little sandy or dirt areas for them if you can get permission to do so.... otherwise I don't see boxes with litter as a solution.....unless you are talking about strays and not true ferals.....

I've studied ferals for many years,a very big part of "unadoptable" as an indoor kitty is the big task of litter box training ,of course it's very doable once they are transitioned to a small territory,lots of patience and other tips & tricks but in their huge territory? Just getting them under a man made shelter is difficult enough and that's using food to lure them in.... I suggest dirt or sandy areas where they'd naturally be attracted to for the purpose of burying what they need to eliminate.....they're obviously not any areas like thst or they'd not be going in car cowls or potted plants..... just a suggestion,hope it helps a bit

 

[MDavout]

Problem in your situation is that ferals have unlimited options of where to eliminate,rarely would they ever use the same place twice in their outdoor territory unless they have no other option- however,sandy or dirt areas are much more attractive because they want to "hide" their scent -it's a survival instinct and because you don't have grass or dirt where you are it just might appeal to them.... ferals don't really like to "step into" things so low sides are a must to start..... I think your best bet might be if you can build little sandy or dirt areas for them if you can get permission to do so.... otherwise I don't see boxes with litter as a solution.....unless you are talking about strays and not true ferals.....

Hi there thanks for sharing, I'm interested in learning what you mean by the difference between "complete ferals" and "strays"

We have adopted some of these cats around the neighborhood before and brought them in-home before, there was never any problem for them to teach them to how to use a litter box. Just place it in a corner of the house and they take naturally to it.

Building that sandy area is out of the question for us, with the exception of the basketball court and the small playground, everything else is paved private property.

I am gonna upload some pics.

 

[MDavout]

Here, this was what I was able to install the other day, thanks guys for the storage box suggestion