Feral cat noise

[Nords]

I know that many posters have strong feelings about pet owners and mistreated animals.

I know that this post will seem amusing to those of you who have raccoons, bears, and javelinas freely roaming your back yards.

I know that this post will annoy those of you (especially Young Dreamers & parents) who assume that we ER'd geezers can nap all day.

But dammit, I just want to sleep through the night again. Even more importantly for domestic harmony, I want my spouse to be able to sleep through the night again.

A neighborhood cat roams our streets and yards at night, yowling almost endlessly. The volume and pitch are piercing and penetrate even the highest-quality earplugs. (Two decades in submarine enginerooms. I know earplugs.) Hawaii summer is coming on so closing the windows is not an option, and indeed this cat's yowling can make windowglass vibrate near its resonant frequency. It's not even fighting with other cats-- it's just carrying on a ceaseless monologue as it wanders the yards. Depending on its cruising speed and the weather, it comes by at least 2-3 times/night.

This constant racket would seem to be the antithesis of a survival trait-- a volunteer begging for a feline Darwin Award. Or maybe it's a sign of kitty cognitive dysfunction syndrome.

We are not going to adopt this cat. Spouse is violently allergic to cat hair, and even with daily antihistamines can only be around them for an hour. Our pet bunny may have inspired a number of nightly feline visitors over the years, but now that he's passed away we're done with pets for a while.

The Hawaii Humane Society sponsors a number of feral cat feeders. The feeders borrow the Society's traps to catch them (the cats, not the Society staff), take them to the Society for neutering, and release them back to the herd. The Society euthanizes non-social animals, but due to adverse publicity has recently started a program of releasing non-social animals to a local feral cat herd if a feeder has adopted them. Or perhaps they're just misleading the public while keeping the crematorium going.

It turns out that our neighbors, two doors up, are feral cat feeders. This yowling cat is a male who impregnated a feral female, and the result is three young feral cats. The neighbors have been feeding all five of them (including their own two neutered housecats) and the other four all been trapped/neutered/released. The male still won't let them get close enough to touch him. Although the female and the younger cats may eventually be domesticated, the noisemaker resists their efforts and stays away from humans. In addition to all his other issues, the neighbors say he has an eye that's either been destroyed by disease or by fighting. From what they can tell at a distance, it may have atrophied in the socket. The cat could be blind in one eye and may be in pain, which might account for the noise and the non-social behavior.

We know what the cat looks like and we can certainly recognize its cry. Hypothetically we could borrow a trap from the Society and start catching the neighborhood critters until we get the one we've been looking for. The Society has a 24/7 receiving desk with a microchip reader, so at least we'd be able to figure out who owns the cat and what to do next. I'd favor the "feral cat relocation program" because I doubt anyone will adopt a cat with this one's behavior or appearance.

Any other suggestions? Instead of going to all the effort of trapping the cat, I'd be just as happy if I could discourage it from coming onto our property.

[brewer12345]

.22LR

[GregLee]

It's wanting to mate, you know. At least, that's what my wife (a former keeper of cats) tells me.

I don't know what to do. Perhaps get a dog? We do have some yowling cats in my neighborhood, but I'm a very good sleeper -- the yowls don't bother me. Unfortunately, our dog flies into a rage when a cat starts up, snapping, snarling, jumping, barking. And the dog, who stays inside, is not possible to ignore.

We also have some rats in the neighborhood, and it's possible the cats keep down their population.

[ronin]

and a .308 for the feeders

[Sarah in SC]

I'd opt for the trap and taking it to the shelter. No one is doing him any favors as his life stands. I take animals to the shelter that I find out in the country and cannot keep or rehome. Bummer though and I understand how annoying that would be. And maybe borrow a dog to run him off if all else fails?

[meekie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregLee It's wanting to mate, you know. At least, that's what my wife (a former keeper of cats) tells me.

That's my best guess as well. If you can get it trapped, and get it fixed, then release it again, there's a chance that it'll stop it's yowling.

As a cat lover, I'd see what you can do to encourage the feeders to trap him, since it'll probably take cutting back on the food to get him into a trap.

If that doesn't work, trying to trap him yourself and getting him to the humane society would probably be the nicest thing to do. Even if they determine he can't be released because of the other health issues, they'll hopefully be able to give him a peaceful end.

Good Luck

[TromboneAl]

I'm guessing that trapping it is going to be your only option. Even if you got a dog, the cat would probably still get close enough to keep you awake.

Once you trap it, your problem is solved, right? Perhaps it will be a fun experience, checking the trap each morning. You can have champagne when you get him.

I feel your pain, man. Frog croaking in the fish pond of the abandoned house next door was keeping me up. I tried to get used to it, but once a noise annoys you, it is even harder to ignore. Even if it's not that loud when you have the earplugs in, your brain wakes you up because it's "that damned cat again."

Humans aren't that good at sleeping, because we weren't always at the top of the food chain, and we had to wake up if a bear was digging it's way into our cave.

I drained the pond, so my problem has been solved for now.

Ideally we could sign up for an adult-ed class that would turn us into the kind of person who can sleep through anything. I'd pay a lot for that.

[Amethyst]

I've been following your saga of your dad's decline --despite your very stiff upper lip, it has to be taking a lot out of you. Even if your life was perfect peace, a yowling Tomcat is one of the most raucous noises there is.

I think the Society should step up and trap the poor cat so he can be seen by a vet. Toms yowl when there's a female in heat around and they can't get at her, and to threaten other Toms who also want the female. Unless there's an endless stream of girl cats in heat, this poor cat probably is in terrible pain. Every vet I've ever known says cats are stoic about pain, and only cry from pain that is unbearable.

Forget keeping the cat away - outdoor cats go where they will, until they're killed. If the Society won't trap him, it looks like you may have to.

Here is a very good brand of earplug. I have slept through massive thunderstorms with these, and I am a light sleeper. Buy Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs Online at drugstore.com

Good luck.

Amethyst

[bbbamI]

I'd go the trapping route. The only other solutions I can think of are water or a loud noise to scare him away.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin and a .308 for the feeders

Should I post my picture and exact location so you can take aim?

[martyb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 .22LR

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin and a .308 for the feeders

+1

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyb +1

+1? Really? With all the problems in the world you give a +1 to getting rid of people who want to help feral and homeless cats?

This forum helped me with the big retirement decision and for that I'm really thankful. Later, I found this forum filled the void left from leaving work - you know - all those random conversations about stuff with coworkers. Plus an affirmation of the big decision to go against the norm.

The tone and spirit has changed. Or maybe I've changed.

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron +1? Really? With all the problems in the world you give a +1 to getting rid of people who want to help feral and homeless cats? This forum helped me with the big retirement decision and for that I'm really thankful. Later, I found this forum filled the void left from leaving work - you know - all those random conversations about stuff with coworkers. Plus an affirmation of the big decision to go against the norm. The tone and spirit has changed. Or maybe I've changed.

Feeding feral kitties *always* ends up making more feral kitties
so in the end you're not being a nice animal person by doing that.
Hard to take perhaps, but a reality..

[Nords]

Thanks, I'm afraid I was going to learn that the Humane Society's traps are inhumane or that there's some other problem with them.

Eventually we catch up on sleep, but it takes a big chunk out of the day and we don't feel much like scampering around on honey-do projects.

Ironically we've already completed our rodent relocation program. Haven't seen any of those guys around here in a long time. (http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ons-48582.html) And with the neighbors feeding the cats I'm not sure the cats would really take the time to kill the rodents.

Sure, everybody goes for the weapons, but the first two things I'd need would be a night scope and a silencer. And maybe a much heavier caliber, too, because I'm out of practice and my aim wouldn't be that good at 2:30 AM. Besides that's just a gateway drug leading straight to the noisy boys with the boom-boom pickup trucks cruising the neighborhood after midnight. I've learned to ignore them and should probably avoid the temptation.

The neighbors are good people, and they're also trying to do the right thing by getting this miscreant treated & neutered. I occasionally see one of their other cats but I certainly don't hear them. I used to know they were around when Peter Bunny would wake up the house with his danger thumping, but he eventually stopped worrying about them.

Most people don't like the yellow foam earplugs because they expand in the ear for an uncomfortable feeling, but it's an acquired tolerance. (And they float in the bilge, too, which makes them easier to find if you drop them while trying to put them in!) Unfortunately the cat only has to succeed in waking up one of us before we're both up.

Looks like we'll go the trapping route. I'm up anyway, I might as well have something to keep me company for a midwatch drive to the Humane Society. We'll try really stinky bait like day-old ahi or mahi mahi. Hopefully they like the taste better than Friskies or whatever they're getting from the neighbors...

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mh Feeding feral kitties *always* ends up making more feral kitties so in the end you're not being a nice animal person by doing that. Hard to take perhaps, but a reality..

Do you know me or my work? I've devoted so much of my self to this cause since retiring. Focusing on advocating people should spay and neuter their pets, educating the public on the issue of feral cats and dogs, volunteering at the local municipal shelter, raising funds, and fostering homeless animals. I'm not a "nice animal person"?

I've devoted countless hours to making sure people know if they feed homeless cats they need to take some responsibility. Get them fixed - get them vaccinated - and make sure they are not a bother to the community.

This past year, the shelter I volunteer at handled some horrible animal hoarding situations. Heartbeaking stuff. You can't even begin to imagine what my eyes have seen and hope to never, ever see again.

I'd like to hear how you've helped. What have you done? Tell me please.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mh Feeding feral kitties *always* ends up making more feral kitties so in the end you're not being a nice animal person by doing that. Hard to take perhaps, but a reality..

Maybe I didn't explicitly make my point. Feral cats are a big deal on Oahu. Some of the parks used to be practically unusable and I can only imagine how the adjacent neighbors used to feel about the roving herds.

The Humane Society knows that people will feed feral cats whether or not it's decreed legal or ethical. So the Society co-opts them. They give the feeders free traps and they might still give them free food. (Well, technically I guess the free traps & food end up with the kitties, but they're handed out to the humans first.) Trapped critters go to the Society's vet clinic for a little operation (and whatever other maintenance they need) before being returned to the colonies.

The neutering will probably never eliminate the colonies because new homeless cats are always joining up, but it sure slows down their growth rates.

I would cynically suspect that more donations go to the Humane Society's feral-cat program than to the Food Bank or the Institute For Human Services' homeless shelter. Maybe to those last two combined.

[Bestwifeever]

If you're going to be shooting people, aim a few rounds at the folks who don't spay/neuter their critters and then "lose" them to become strays.

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron Do you know me or my work? I've devoted so much of my self to this cause since retiring. Focusing on advocating people should spay and neuter their pets, educating the public on the issue of feral cats and dogs, volunteering at the local municipal shelter, raising funds, and fostering homeless animals. I'm not a "nice animal person"? I've devoted countless hours to making sure people know if they feed homeless cats they need to take some responsibility. Get them fixed - get them vaccinated - and make sure they are not a bother to the community. This past year, the shelter I volunteer at handled some horrible animal hoarding situations. Heartbeaking stuff. You can't even begin to imagine what my eyes have seen and hope to never, ever see again. I'd like to hear how you've helped. What have you done? Tell me please.

sorry i was referring to the feeders. my attribution skills are getting atrocious. i pledge to improve them. sorry once again

[Sarah in SC]

We also have a feral cat program in our city that helps those who are helping these cats. Our shelter does spay neuter vaccinations and ear-notching so they can be returned when possible. it is only through the efforts and dedication of folks like Purron in our community that put the humane in the humane society. Thanks to you for your efforts, Purron! The majority of us on this board share your sensibilities, if threads about animals are any indication of our interests.

[TromboneAl]

Have you asked the feeder neighbors if the yowling keeps them up.

Our neighbor was feeding foxes and raccoons but we got her to see the light, and stop.