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  • Operation: Parking Lot Cats

    So, like most places, the supercenter where I work has a gang of feral cats. One of the overnight associates brings cat food and tuna each night to work and puts it under her car - the cats can be seen gathering near her parking space up to forty minutes before she arrives Technically, we're not supposed to feed them, but we can't just let them starve.

    Two of the cats in particular are bolder than the others, they look alike with lemur/raccoon type markings - they are SO pretty. These two like to hang around the smoker's table outside and they like me and Needy a lot, when they hear us talking, they know we're on lunch and they come almost right up to the table because they know we'll share our food with them. I also happen to know that there are some people on overnights who deliberately kick at the cats and some people (whether customers or associates, I don't know) have actually been caught by security trying to RUN THEM OVER with vehicles. I know we can't save the whole gang, but everyone is starting to have a soft spot for the lemur siblings and I'd really like to catch them so they can get out of the parking lot life. I probably wouldn't be able to keep them myself, in fact I'd probably get scalped if I came home with another animal at this point, but I do want to save them.

    Like I said, they come really close to particular people, but if they even think you're reaching out for them, they scram. Some of us are thinking of having a 'day off' project and trying to get these guys. Any tips, or should we just leave them alone? I'm just afraid they're going to get hurt if they stay where they are.
    The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

  • #2
    You're better off trying to see if you can get or rent some humane traps and sticking them around where they typically gather. The cat walks in, gets to the food and steps onto a pressure plate that snaps the trap closed.

    It really is the most reliable, safest (for both human and kitteh), most humane way to catch cats, especially ones that are mostly feral.
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    • #3
      Look into contacting a local feral cat association in your area, sometimes they trap ferals and relocate them to farms.

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      • #4
        If you move cats out of your area where they gather, you're just going to end up with new cats.

        The best way to reduce your feral cat population and not have it be replaced as quickly is to do a Trap/Neuter/Release program on them, or find a local group who does the same.

        Also, be aware of your local laws; some states will actually penalize someone who feeds cats as if they are the owner, regardless of the cats' actual status. California attempted a law that included that in some feral dog legislation, but it was killed due to the action of a feral cat advocacy group.

        ^-.-^
        Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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        • #5
          Quoth Andara Bledin View Post
          If you move cats out of your area where they gather, you're just going to end up with new cats.

          The best way to reduce your feral cat population and not have it be replaced as quickly is to do a Trap/Neuter/Release program on them, or find a local group who does the same.
          QFT.

          Also see if you can get some stuff that you can spray around tables/chairs that neutralizes the scent of cat urine. While it won't stop them at night, it might help keep the occurrences down.
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          • #6
            Don't try to catch the cats. You don't know if they are carrying rabies or not, and even if not cat bites equal instant infection.

            Contact an advocacy group that protects feral cats to do a catch and release program. They'll spay and neuter the animals to stop their reproduction.
            They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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            • #7
              While I don't disagree that you want to avoid cat bites at all costs, I have to note that I have never had a cat bite or scratch get infected.

              The trap we have is a humane type designed to trap wild fauna (we've gotten skunks more than once), and our local humane society vet clinic does a full neuter & shots for ferals (the 1st 2 that show up at the door in the morning) at a reduced rate.

              If you do choose to find an advocacy group, I wish you much luck. There aren't nearly enough of them around, and their resources tend to be stretched pretty thin.

              ^-.-^
              Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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              • #8
                Some great suggestions here, so I don't have a lot to add. If you are determined to catch the lemur siblings, I would absolutely go with the humane traps. The cats are more or less calm when they are free to come and go, but you have no way of knowing what will happen once you get a grip on them ... there's a good chance you will suddenly have a fanged, clawed mini-nuclear explosion in your hands.

                Traps are also better because, as someone else has pointed out, you don't know what they might be carrying. I've taken in numerous strays, including a couple of cats that I literally picked up in my bare hands, but I've been extremely lucky. Or pretty stupid. Or both. Once they're in the cages, you can get them to the vet's for a checkup -- veterinary staff have more hands on deck to deal with frightened animals and also have the training and know-how.

                Whichever route you go, good luck!

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                • #9
                  To clarify my earlier comment, I definitely recommend against trying to catch any feral cat with your hands. We had a situation at my work where the only option was to do just that and while the feline in question was obviously not yet full grown, she still managed to bite through the heavy duty welding glove I'd donned for the procedure, and only by virtue of the fact that she managed to hit my thumbnail did I escape a potentially nasty puncture wound.

                  If you do take a feral cat in, make sure, beforehand, that the facility you're going to actually works with feral cats. Most facilities aren't actually equipped to deal with non-pet animals.

                  ^-.-^
                  Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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                  • #10
                    Even my own cats, if they scratch or bite me, give me minor infections. A healthy cat's mouth contains bacteria that are incompatible with a healthy human.

                    A and D - with their stronger immune systems - show no sign of infection from scratches or bites from the same cats. Which probably means they do get transferred bacteria, their immune systems just deal with them so quickly they don't get the minor swelling/welting that I do.

                    A feral can can, and should, be presumed to be UNhealthy. Therefore, treat them as if they have both the healthy-cat mouth environment and additional bacteria/virii/other germs.

                    As for what to do about them: trap/neuter/release is the method that seems to make most sense to me. Removing the current lot of ferals from a location simply means neighbouring ferals will move in.
                    Seshat's self-help guide:
                    1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                    2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                    3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                    4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

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                    • #11
                      Feral cats will have worms. And probably fleas. Also very likely some of them will have FIV and/or Feline Leukemia. Anybody that works with feral cats will be aware of this, though, so if you find a facility to take them, they will be prepared for this.
                      When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                      • #12
                        One more vote for "ask an advocacy group/animal control to handle it", and ask them about local laws
                        Quoth fireheart View Post
                        Also see if you can get some stuff that you can spray around tables/chairs that neutralizes the scent of cat urine.
                        While it's not *quite* what you described, I use something called Feliway when I need to move my kitties (moved via a 5-hour drive recently; in this case, I also got them a mild sedative from the vet just so they wouldn't stress out -- they were in their own carriers, but they were still sharing the car with my Husky; it worked -- they didn't even hiss at him when he wandered over to sniff at them, and they normally dominate him) or just to take them to the vet.

                        Simplistic version (read: what I can understand ) : This is a synthetic version of the pheremone that cats apply to, well, just about everything in their environment by rubbing their cheeks on things. It apparently calms them down, giving them a sense of "this place smells familiar" -- my (old) vet's office had it on a Glade Plug-in-style atomizer in the cat exam rooms, where it seemed to settle my furballs down significantly.

                        At the very least, they normally screech and squirm when anyone but I tries to pick them up -- in her office, they let her approach/pick them up with minimal protest, and didn't even bother hiding For them, this is a significant change. I snagged an atomizer from them and set it up in my new apartment, and I CAN tell you that they seemed to feel much less need to mark their new territory (only one incident so far, because they were hiding from the friends who helped me move in for the first few days).

                        For an outside area like a parking lot, tho, they make a spray you can spritz on the furniture/walls. Keep in mind that this makes them MORE likely to hang out/chill, it's not a repellent.
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                        • #13
                          I can vouch for Feliway actually having a calming effect on cats.

                          However, it's mostly useful for pets, not feral cats, who might come to harm as a result of such effects. They are small predators, after all.

                          ^-.-^
                          Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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                          • #14
                            To neutralise the urine smell, if you're in Australia try this mob: http://www.urinefree.com.au/

                            Some marketer has filled their site with hyperbole, but we found them through a disability site providing continence products. And it WORKS. One capful in the pre-wash dispenser in the washing machine, rest of the washing cycle as normal, and you'd never know the sheets/clothes/whatever ever were leaked on.
                            We also use it to clean the dog's piddle pads. Some of them are over two years old now, and they come out of the washing machine smelling fresh as .. well, as any old towel ever smells. (our piddle pads are retired bath towels.)

                            (I can only recommend the 'urinefree' product itself: haven't personally tried the others. If they're as effective as the one I've tried, they're magic. If not... not.)

                            For those not in Australia - check what products the disability stores in your part of the world are selling. Chances are those stores know what's good and what isn't.
                            Seshat's self-help guide:
                            1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                            2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                            3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                            4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                            "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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