i told my hubby to buy a pellet gun and start shooting! Or maybe put some hot coal under the tree! :)

I had to trap a feral cat. We baited the trap with sardines. The more it stinks, the better the wild cats like it. Try that. I caught this one on the first try. Animal control said it would have to be put down. It tryed to attack us through the metal cage. The AC guy was afraid of it.

if you can't catch it, call animal control

In my past experience, Animal Control won't come out unless you have the animal in a controlled area (garage, cage, trap) They don't have the manpower to capture all the wild ones that are out there.

We had a stray that came around last year, ole softy Granny fed it and it became friendly, one day when I fed it and was petting it as usual, when it attacked my hand and bit my wrist. I had to shake him off. I came in and washed and peroxided it. In 2 hours it started to swell and hurt in 5 hours red marks up passed my elbow. Trip to ER, Large bag of IV antibiotics, 8 shots (including rabies) and after 3 hours allowed to go home. 4 more trips for the series of rabies shots within the next month. Later I got a copy of the bill. Just a few dollars off $8,000. Needless to day, no more cat friendships for me. Please be careful, it is not fun.

I really hate it when people just dump their animals or let their cats run the neighborhood. Feral cats are a real issue and don't get enough press time. They can be very hazardous to ecosystems and are disease carriers (especially to pregnant women).

Our deed restrictions call for the dogs to be on a leash and other animals are supposed to stay "within the borders of the owner's property". We all know cats do not stay in yards. My neighbor feeds her 3 in her garage, they run all over the neighborhood and think my flower beds and yard are their litter box. My husband has taken to delivery their deposits back to the owner. We've tried just about everything. (By the way, in case you think we don't like cats, we have 2 indoor cats that are more pampered than my husband wants to admit.)

Unless you have show animals, etc. All animals should be spayed/neutered. My in-laws are always arguing that they are "just barn cats and not pets" but if you feed them for years, they are yours. There are far too many unclaimed, unloved animals out there. (Sorry, I got on the soapbox. It is just so sad.)

Oh, my! How horrible! After Hurricane Hugo hit in NC, a stray kitten came up to our house. I took it in, fed it and almost had my husband convinced we were going to keep it. I went out in the garage a few days after it showed up, and saw a puddle of blood, then saw the kitten vomit up some more. Took it to the vet and it turned out it had feline leukemia. That was a pricey almost-ours kitty.

people around here move and leave their cats behind. My neighbor lets his cat out for a walk on his own every freakin day!

Set up a water sprinkler where he/she hangs out, nobody gets hurt, birds get a bath.

I use some chicken wire. Just lay some sheets of it around your tree. I spray paint it bright orange so I can pick it up before we mow the yard. Cats won't walk on it because it hurts their feet. I put it in my flowerbeds to keep the cats from using it a their litterbox.