Neighborhood cats spraying house!

txcatlover94

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We started putting food out for the cats in our neighborhood (in case there were any ferals) several years ago. It started off fine but over the last year or so, we've seen an increase in the cats that like to come to our house for a snack. Unfortunately, with this has brought a lot of spraying - so much so that now the entryway to the front door smells very nice (not...). The entryway is lined with flowerbeds on either side and flower pots; the cats have been doing a lot of business on all of these and now also the front door! We've tried spraying some stuff (cat safe!) to get rid of the smell but nothing has worked so far.

Does anyone have a recommendation for something to spray outside that would help rid the smell and also something we can use as a deterrent? Also, we've been putting the food dishes in the entryway and I can't think of a better place to put them, do they just need to go?

Recommendations would be most welcome!
 

Norachan

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First of all, you really need to get any cats you feed spayed and neutered. Not only will this cut down on the spraying, it will also prevent a lot of the yowling and fighting, as well as make sure you`re not adding to the feral population by your kind hearted act of providing food.

TNR And The Law - What Feral Caretakers Need To Know - TheCatSite

Everything You Need To Know About TNR (trap-neuter-release) - TheCatSite

Are the cats just spraying, or using your flower beds as a toilet too? You can get rid of the smell of pee from stone, concrete or wood by using an enzyme cleaner. If it`s on earth you need to pick up the poop and give the ground a good soaking with a hose pipe to rinse away any pee.

You can keep them off the garden by leaving coffee grounds down. If you have some way of getting loads of pine cones put those on the ground too. Cats don`t like to walk on them as they feel uncomfortable under their paws.
 
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txcatlover94

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I'd suspect they're spraying to say this desirable area is mine. Feed them further out where it might be okay to spray and clean your entryway really well. Have you tried cayenne? Also, have you thought about getting them neutered?
I agree feeding them further would be better, just trying to figure out a good spot. How do you use cayenne?

I can't get them neutered because I think most if not all belong to various neighbors (I should have specified that in the post). :/ We just put it out in the beginning thinking there might be ferals but quickly figured out most seem owned and cared for.
 

Norachan

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If they are other people's cats, you could just stop feeding them so they eat at home. ;)
:yeah: If they do have homes feeding them might create a lot of problems. Some cats have special dietary requirements or allergies, so feeding something inappropriate might make them sick. Some cats need medication and their people are probably trying to keep them on a feeding schedule so they can be sure they`ll eat the food with the meds in. If they get fed outside the cats might not take the medication. Also, luring them away from home to a place where other cats are congregating increases the risk of them getting into a fight or picking up a disease.

I`m not a fan of outdoor, free roaming cats myself, but I guess some of your neighbours may have feral cats they feed.

Do you have a local Facebook of Nextdoor group? Try making an announcement about planning to get the feral cats TNR'd and ask if anyone has already fixed any of the cats, or if anyone has pet cats that they allow out.

If they are all owned and cared for I think the easiest way to solve the problem would be to stop leaving food out for them.
 
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txcatlover94

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First of all, you really need to get any cats you feed spayed and neutered. Not only will this cut down on the spraying, it will also prevent a lot of the yowling and fighting, as well as make sure you`re not adding to the feral population by your kind hearted act of providing food.

TNR And The Law - What Feral Caretakers Need To Know - TheCatSite

Everything You Need To Know About TNR (trap-neuter-release) - TheCatSite

Are the cats just spraying, or using your flower beds as a toilet too? You can get rid of the smell of pee from stone, concrete or wood by using an enzyme cleaner. If it`s on earth you need to pick up the poop and give the ground a good soaking with a hose pipe to rinse away any pee.

You can keep them off the garden by leaving coffee grounds down. If you have some way of getting loads of pine cones put those on the ground too. Cats don`t like to walk on them as they feel uncomfortable under their paws.
Thank you for the suggestions! I think they're mostly just spraying - I haven't seen any evidence of poop in the flower beds.

As far as the neutering, I'm pretty sure most of the cats are owned by various neighbors. There are 3 cats that might be ferals but as they only show up at night I'm not sure what to do. We may just stop the feeding - even the ones I think are ferals certainly aren't skinny.
 
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txcatlover94

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:yeah: If they do have homes feeding them might create a lot of problems. Some cats have special dietary requirements or allergies, so feeding something inappropriate might make them sick. Some cats need medication and their people are probably trying to keep them on a feeding schedule so they can be sure they`ll eat the food with the meds in. If they get fed outside the cats might not take the medication. Also, luring them away from home to a place where other cats are congregating increases the risk of them getting into a fight or picking up a disease.

I`m not a fan of outdoor, free roaming cats myself, but I guess some of your neighbours may have feral cats they feed.

Do you have a local Facebook of Nextdoor group? Try making an announcement about planning to get the feral cats TNR'd and ask if anyone has already fixed any of the cats, or if anyone has pet cats that they allow out.

If they are all owned and cared for I think the easiest way to solve the problem would be to stop leaving food out for them.
Not sure about the Facebook or Nextdoor groups, I'll have to check!
 
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