Someone dumping/stealing bowls.

[moxiewild]

Ughhhhhhhhh I am fed up to HERE with feeding this colony (not the cats faults whatsoever, they’re wonderful and I adore them).

One of my colonies is in my suburban neighborhood. I feed them in a drainage way that is in between some houses but mostly out of street view.

I feed once in the mornings, around 6 am or so, leave the food out for about 40 minutes, come back, pick up the food bowls, then leave one water bowl out.

We know from our game camera that residents apparently walk through this drainage way quite often (it essentially connects two cul-de-sacs in the neighborhood, so acts as a short cut). It’s imperative we remain discreet, as we have an HOA.

Part of the drainage way was a bit unkempt, so I previously hid the water bowl behind some tall grass. A couple times last month, someone dumped the water and flipped the bowl over, but no issues since.

Then last week, someone cut the grass. Bowl was emptied (but not flipped over, so maybe different person than before) twice, so I switched it out for a bowl that blends in more and doesn’t reflect the sun (I had been using stainless steel).

Now someone stole it.

I’m not sure how to handle this.

I was thinking about maybe attaching a laminated note at the bottom of the bowl asking they please not remove the bowl, and explaining that we are vaccinating and neutering (and rehoming when possible) the stray and feral cats and kittens in the area, and leaving a number to contact for any questions or concerns.

My hope is that they will understand while not feeling compelled to report to the HOA...

The only other options I see here are not leaving water out anymore (which I hate the thought of due to the Texas heat and humidity and living in a drought area), or risk going to the HOA to ask permission.

I’m not sure if going to the HOA is even an option though. Not only do we have three colonies in the neighborhood, but we are majorly breaking the two pet limit rule, so I honestly don’t want to be on their radar at all.

I will go to great lengths for all of my colonies, but I have to prioritize my indoor guys first, as most are “unadoptable” - so even rehoming or finding a rescue to take them in an absolute worst case scenario isn’t a realistically feasible option.

If I were to stop leaving water out, I would start feeding wet only with a little added water mixed in. I’m just not sure if that’s enough, especially for our climate here. But I guess they found a way to survive before :/

Anyone have any ideas of how I should handle this?

 

[Willowy]

Paper bowls? But then maybe they'll get mad at you for littering :/.

You can put a rock on the bottom to keep them from flying away.

 

[Norachan]

Are you sure it's people flipping the bowl or stealing it? We have a raccoon that visits us most evenings and he is obsessed with the outdoor water bowls. He's carried them right down to the bottom of the enclosure on two occasions. I think the only thing that stopped him carrying it out was that he needs both hands to climb back over the enclosure fence.

Could you try something like an old sink or wash basin with the plug hole cemented shut? Or get a wooden crate and put a bowl in that so it's less obvious and more difficult to remove?

 

[moxiewild]

Paper bowls? But then maybe they'll get mad at you for littering :/.

You can put a rock on the bottom to keep them from flying away.

Yeah, I think that would definitely be worse

It’s more of a “people problem” than anything else (although the bowl they took was a little on the pricier side due to being an ant proofed bowl, but not a major loss).

 

[moxiewild]

Are you sure it's people flipping the bowl or stealing it? We have a raccoon that visits us most evenings and he is obsessed with the outdoor water bowls. He's carried them right down to the bottom of the enclosure on two occasions. I think the only thing that stopped him carrying it out was that he needs both hands to climb back over the enclosure fence.

The first time it happened, I thought (and was hoping) it was a raccoon.

However, the second time it happened I had left two bowls out instead of just one, and that time, the two bowls were both emptied, stacked, and flipped.

They weren’t particularly close together either, so not something that could happen by accident either from a raccoon playing around.

Could you try something like an old sink or wash basin with the plug hole cemented shut? Or get a wooden crate and put a bowl in that so it's less obvious and more difficult to remove?

The problem is there’s very little way to be discreet about it. Anything we place there is going to stick out like a sore thumb -

I had been planning to make one or two Rubbermaid feeding stations (and ideally shelters if I could get away with it), and then camouflaging them as a bushes/hedges by molding a frame with chicken wire, covering it in artificial leaves, and setting it over the tote.

But even that will get neighbors attention. They’ll easily be able to figure out what it is, so my hope was more so that it would blend in and actually improve the aesthetic of the area so they wouldn’t mind.

But I’m just not sure if I’m going to move forward with the plan or not, especially with someone who clearly can’t even tolerate a single, small, inconspicuous water bowl.

They’re literally going out of their way to remove it, too. Everyone naturally walks on the cement when they go through here, and I place the bowl at the farthest fence -

It just depends on what exactly their objections might be.

If it’s just the cats they don’t like/want me feeding, then it won’t matter if it looks nice and blends in, and placing something “permanent” there might then compel them to report to the HOA.

That’s why I was thinking of maybe leaving a note.

Only two neighbors there somewhat know what I’m doing (they know I’m doing TNR, but I didn’t elaborate on colony management - that’s the part I have a harder time explaining to people/convincing people about).

So maybe this person just doesn’t know why the bowl is there, and explaining it would solve the problem.

Or if they still object or have questions, then leaving my contact information will allow me a chance to explain why what I’m doing is beneficial and help resolve any other issues they might have.

...... or they may just go straight to the HOA.

I’m just trying to weigh the risks.

Until I make a decision, I think I’m just going to feed wet only with some water added. Luckily we’re supposed to be getting rain a couple days this week, so hopefully they’ll still be able to find water elsewhere until I figure something out.

I swear, the absolute worst part of taking care of ferals is dealing with other humans.

 

[Norachan]

It looks like a fairly well maintained area. Weeds trimmed and no rubbish lying around. I guess someone is going out of their way to make sure it tidy and doesn't end up as a place people dump their trash.

I have similar problems with some neighborhood watch types being over zealous with their cleaning. I've even had Lost Cat posters torn down within hours of my putting them up.

Do you know the people who live in the house overlooking the walkway? I wonder if they would let you leave a water bowl at the bottom of their property? Or how about the two people who know about you doing TNR? Do you think you could talk them into helping you out with something like that?

I guess the other option is to label the bowl "Wildlife water bowl" or "Birdbath- please leave" so you don't get in trouble for caring for the cats.

I think people tend to dump out water because they worry about mosquitoes breeding, so a not explaining the water is dumped and changed daily might help.

 

[nomeowing]

Thank you for the picture. I can see how people would walk through there. Kids and teenagers may go back there. I wouldn't trust the HOA or anyone that you don't know for sure care about the cats. I just don't trust people. I feed 3 TNR at my workplace and don't trust co-workers. I know how people are.

Could you plant a bush on that one side of the fence. Keep it watered so it would grow and hid the water there? Something like even a daisy bush. They grow fast and are not too water hungry I don't think. Thank you for what you do here.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Out of curiosity, does your cam show what's going on with the water bowls? And do you just feed in morning? The water bowl tipped over sounds like raccoon behavior as that is what a raccoon does and yes some of them do come out during the day (it's that time right now that Momma is hungry).

Oh and my raccoons have stole a few of my water bowls too. They also stack or at least mine do because of what Rocky and his mate were taught when they were pets. You never know if a raccoon is descended from a pair of "once pets" like my gaze is and all of this was passed down generation to generation. That is why I'm asking

 

[fionasmom]

I lost a stainless steel water bowl that I had put in an alley to help a cat who has been previously TNRed. The odd thing is that since then I have been acquainted with the people who live near where the cat sleeps, and they put out food sometimes as well. I now feed right next to their apartment in the area where they park their cars and everything has been fine.....my point in all this being that I never did get to the bottom of who took the water bowl or why as no one seems to mind the cat being there. I now use a plastic container so that if they are taken it is cheaper to replace. I am with you on the fact that the stacking sounds like humans though.

Can you get a cam on the bowls? In this terrible heat we are having, I have had possums and raccoons come in broad daylight to the water dishes on my property....no one is rabid, just thirsty.

As for the HOA, I would really think that through. Once you tip your hand there is no going back especially if some cat hater who lives in the complex just feels like jumping on the bandwagon and stopping you from feeding.

 

[moxiewild]

It looks like a fairly well maintained area. Weeds trimmed and no rubbish lying around. I guess someone is going out of their way to make sure it tidy and doesn't end up as a place people dump their trash.

I have similar problems with some neighborhood watch types being over zealous with their cleaning. I've even had Lost Cat posters torn down within hours of my putting them up.

Do you know the people who live in the house overlooking the walkway? I wonder if they would let you leave a water bowl at the bottom of their property? Or how about the two people who know about you doing TNR? Do you think you could talk them into helping you out with something like that?

I guess the other option is to label the bowl "Wildlife water bowl" or "Birdbath- please leave" so you don't get in trouble for caring for the cats.

I think people tend to dump out water because they worry about mosquitoes breeding, so a not explaining the water is dumped and changed daily might help.

It’s actually not particularly well maintained!

If you zoom in, you can see the weeds on the left side were pretty high, and it had been like that since we found the colony in.. May, I think it was? No one had mowed it for a while before that, nor all of summer (the right side has been mowed 2-3 times during that period, but I don’t keep bowls there).

Ugh! I can’t imagine what someone is thinking to take down a lost pet flyer, how awful!

Yes, we’ve spoken to the people who live in the house that can be seen from the photo.

Essentially, they said there were a lot of ferals around (I specifically set up the conversation to lead to that in order to get an idea about how they felt about the cats), and I told them I was thinking about TNR’ing the ferals around there and they seemed happy about it.

I don’t think they’d want a bowl on their property though, because they (light heartedly) complained about the neighbors pet cat coming into their yard and stalking their bird feeder. So I doubt they want to be attracting more cats.

And to be honest, I’m not sure if they even know we’re still feeding them. They had asked us to stop a few weeks after the initial conversation because the bowls were attracting vultures, which is when I adjusted the feeding schedule (bowls and cats are gone before they leave the house), and hid the water bowl better (no more vultures).

As for the other neighbor... uhh... I’m not too sure what that neighbor thinks.

He caught me hauling traps back to my car one morning. At first, he was just watching for quite a while. I could tell he was going to say something eventually because he was basically hovering 15-20 feet away from me.

He finally asked what I was doing after fiddling with a trap with one of the cats in it, and I explained TNR, and did a super brief run through of the benefits (he wasn’t saying a word, so I just kept on babbling).

Him: “Do you do this every morning?”

Me: “No, just when I can.”

Him: “And where are you taking it?”

Me: “I’m taking her straight to (local clinic) off (cross street) from here”

He watched a little longer then went back inside without saying another word. It was an odd interaction, and he sounded a little suspicious, but he didn’t give me enough to discern why.

So I’m not sure if he was a bit cold about it because he thought I was trying to remove or “catch and kill” the cats (maybe that’s why he was asking about a clinic?), or because he was just suspicious in general and didn’t want me near his house, or if that’s just his personality, or if he’s just not a morning person or what

Needless to say, I’m just trying to stay out of his hair right now.

You know, I had never thought about a concern regarding mosquitoes. I don’t think people would appreciate attracting wildlife, and I’m not sure the bowl could pass as a birdbath, but i’ll definitely make note that the water is changed daily!

 

[moxiewild]

Thank you for the picture. I can see how people would walk through there. Kids and teenagers may go back there. I wouldn't trust the HOA or anyone that you don't know for sure care about the cats. I just don't trust people. I feed 3 TNR at my workplace and don't trust co-workers. I know how people are.

Could you plant a bush on that one side of the fence. Keep it watered so it would grow and hid the water there? Something like even a daisy bush. They grow fast and are not too water hungry I don't think. Thank you for what you do here.

Kids, teenagers, adults, families... all pass through on a daily basis!

And I completely understand how you feel! Most people just don’t know enough or don’t care enough, or just plain old hate cats.

My town and neighbors are both very pet friendly, and I was very surprised at the support the locals showed on Nextdoor last year when a prominent local caretaker passed and the spay/neuter clinic was trying to locate all his colonies and cats and find people to take over feeding.

But unfortunately, all it takes is one person to ruin it. Just one. And I never know if who I’m talking to could be that one or not

Planting shrubbery was my first thought initially a couple months back!

I highly doubt I have permission to plant something back there though, especially since it’s not my property. The HOA won’t even let me plant something in my own front yard without approval first

Which is why I came up with the “faux hedge”, since it can be easily removed if someone objects to it.

It just sucks that it will simultaneously draw attention to what I’m doing.

 

[moxiewild]

Out of curiosity, does your cam show what's going on with the water bowls? And do you just feed in morning? The water bowl tipped over sounds like raccoon behavior as that is what a raccoon does and yes some of them do come out during the day (it's that time right now that Momma is hungry).

Oh and my raccoons have stole a few of my water bowls too. They also stack or at least mine do because of what Rocky and his mate were taught when they were pets. You never know if a raccoon is descended from a pair of "once pets" like my gaze is and all of this was passed down generation to generation. That is why I'm asking

Yes, we periodically keep the camera on the water bowls because we had a vulture issue in the past during the day.

And yes, we only feed in the morning and pick up food bowls shortly after!

I’ll put it this way - I work with raccoons for a living, so I have a fairly good grasp on their capabilities and habits and how to recognize their work and general hooliganry

The first time definitely could have been the work of a bandit, but for the other times, it is just highly unlikely that it wasn’t a human.

 

[moxiewild]

I lost a stainless steel water bowl that I had put in an alley to help a cat who has been previously TNRed. The odd thing is that since then I have been acquainted with the people who live near where the cat sleeps, and they put out food sometimes as well. I now feed right next to their apartment in the area where they park their cars and everything has been fine.....my point in all this being that I never did get to the bottom of who took the water bowl or why as no one seems to mind the cat being there. I now use a plastic container so that if they are taken it is cheaper to replace. I am with you on the fact that the stacking sounds like humans though.

Can you get a cam on the bowls? In this terrible heat we are having, I have had possums and raccoons come in broad daylight to the water dishes on my property....no one is rabid, just thirsty.

As for the HOA, I would really think that through. Once you tip your hand there is no going back especially if some cat hater who lives in the complex just feels like jumping on the bandwagon and stopping you from feeding.

We used to keep a camera on the bowl at all times, but I stopped once the bowls started flipping again a few weeks ago, in fear that it would end up stolen.

So now I take it out when I set out food to keep a head count on everyone, check for illness/injury/pregnancy/kittens, and ensure no nocturnal wildlife shows up. Then when I pick up the food bowls, I take the camera with me (so it’s only out for 30-45 minutes).

And I would still leaving it out all day 1-2x a week just to check on a feral that never caught onto the new feeding schedule (), and to ensure vultures haven’t found the water bowl or anything like that.

But I haven’t left it out at all after meal time since the bowl was stolen (but I stopped putting water out too for now, so nothing to see anyway).

Ugh. You’re right about the HOA.

But the best way for me to conceal my activities would be to not leave water out there outside of meal time permanently then :/.

I guess it’s just varying degrees of risk.

Option 1 - never leave out water again (this would be brutal during Texas spring and summer in particular...), which carries the least risk (of being caught, that is)

Option 2 - I can keep putting out a water bowl without explanation and allow them to continue to be stolen and flipped. This might eventually end up with someone filing a report, which they may not otherwise feel compelled to do if they knew why it was there.

Option 3 - Leave out a water bowl, but with a brief note about TNR. Either they support it/are indifferent to it, they aren’t happy about it and contact me directly (which at least gives me an opportunity to educate/resolve issues), or they report directly to the HOA.

Option 4 - make feeding stations and shelters camouflaged as hedges that will make the area look nicer so hopefully people won’t mind. This obviously carries the most risk as it draws the most attention (but I so badly WANT to do it for the kitties ).

Options 2 and 3 just seem like total toss ups. Ensuring these cats have access to water is so important... but if someone reports me, then they won’t have water OR food. Ughhhhhh.

 

[fionasmom]

We just hit 115 yesterday and while all my ferals feed and drink on my property I was still worried about them and about the cat in the alley. The heat in Texas is almost too much to think about in relation to animals not having water. 2 and 3 are toss ups, I agree. Is there any way you can shelter just water for them, picking up food but having water available under some plant life or something that won't attract attention? Interesting that if someone objects to the cats that they have not found and confronted you in some way, even by note. You did mention two people, but apparently neither have taken action against you or made much of a fuss.

 

[moxiewild]

We just hit 115 yesterday and while all my ferals feed and drink on my property I was still worried about them and about the cat in the alley. The heat in Texas is almost too much to think about in relation to animals not having water. 2 and 3 are toss ups, I agree. Is there any way you can shelter just water for them, picking up food but having water available under some plant life or something that won't attract attention? Interesting that if someone objects to the cats that they have not found and confronted you in some way, even by note. You did mention two people, but apparently neither have taken action against you or made much of a fuss.

Yeah, the only reason I’m even able to tolerate not leaving water out right now is because it’s been raining (and due to rain a lot more this week), so temperatures aren’t as bad and water is around (even if not clean and fresh, it should sustain them).

But I need a plan for once the rain lets up.

The whole using a plant to hide the bowl is really what I was going for. It’s just going to be obvious when a random new plant is there.

I suppose the fact is, I can’t hide this forever with how many people walk down this drainage way and there being no natural landscape to hide the bowl.

And not setting out water just isn’t an option long term... even if that IS the best way for me to conceal my activities, I just know I would give in once temperatures rose again.

There’s no good solution here, it seems. I think I might just be forced to roll the dice a bit at this point :/

 

[moxiewild]

I think I’m going to contact the Feral Cat Coalition in San Antonio (which isn’t too far from me) just to ask if they’d be willing to send an advocate out here to help me talk to neighbors or the HOA if it became necessary.

They convinced the city of San Antonio to endorse and adopt a formal TNR program, so obviously they have some adept advocates over there. And having a big organization like that on my side would have a lot more pull, and be taken a lot more seriously, than just me as an individual “cat lady”.

Just hope they don’t strictly serve San Antonio. It’s really all I can think of as a Plan B if things go south.

 

[fionasmom]

If you do go with the new plant and disguised bowl and someone goes after it, you will know conclusively that the person is really looking for any source of cat caretaking. At the very least, the people in San Antonio should listen to your story and have some advice, maybe even something about how to hide the bowl.

 

[Norachan]

I hope that goes well.

I'm always kind of relieved when people ask me what I'm doing when they see me setting up my trap. At least that makes me think if I was a crazy psycho cat killer the locals would at least question me, rather than just letting me get on with it.

I'm fairly lucky in this part of Japan. It's very rural and feral cats are seen as a good way of keeping birds and mice out of the rice fields, so people tolerate them. Plus most shrines or temples have colonies living in the grounds, so people don't harm them as they're seen as being temple property.

It would be nice if more people spayed and neutered, but I guess you can't have it all.

Good luck with the Saint Antonio FCC.

 

[moxiewild]

So I found a solution. Kind of.

Today when I was over there, it occurred to me that there are rocks in this area.

There’s a gap under one of the fences that I actually blocked with some of the bigger rocks because the neighbors cat always watches me from under it when I set up traps and then traps himself

So I thought, these big rocks could help hide the bowl!

That’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks - reptile aquariums frequently have bowls that look like rocks. And I’m sure there are other rock-type bowls too, and/or I could have one made.

I’m going with an XL reptile bowl for now. Unfortunately it’s very shallow, so debris will invariably get in there, but until I can find something taller, this should work.

It’s not fool-proof. If someone just happens to go to the grassy area or if a neighbor mows, they’ll see what it is.

But it won’t be begging someone just walking down the drain way to come up and take it saying “here I am!!!”

I hope, eventually, I’ll be able to have a proper feeding station with weather protection (I’d also been hoping to put out a timed feeder so I don’t have to go out there every day...), and shelters too.

But for now, this is probably the best way to not draw any attention to what I’m doing while still ensuring the cats have access to water.

I’ll let y’all know how it goes!

 

[fionasmom]

That is a great idea! Hopefully it will be disguised enough that no one will bother it.