Managing Outdoor Cats Is A Better Strategy Than Removing Them

“I have a number of feral cats living in my yard. A couple of years ago there were only 2; now there are 3 and 3 new kittens and a really mean male cat. I really need to relocate the cats in hopes the mean male cat will go away.”

“I have 3 cats and can no longer let them outside because the mean male cat keeps attacking them. He seems to hide and then ambush them. Do you have any place that these cats less the mean male cat can be relocated to? I will be happy to pay or make a contribution to your organization. I just don’t know what to do."

“Do not have time to manage this group and do not have a garage that could keep the cats in overnight prior to taking them to get fixed. Can you provide any help or guidance? The other cats are nice cats and the kittens are adorable and would be nice to find them a good home.”

Managing a backyard cat colony does involve some focused front-end work, but in the long run it’s less work than dealing with unplanned litters of kittens and “mean male cats” attracted by the scent of in-heat females. We detail the process on our web site: Managing A Feral Cat Colony: A Handbook For Residential Property Owners but here’s the basics:

• Establish a feeding location that’s convenient year-round for both you and the cats.

• Feed meals (don’t free feed) at the same time every day – removing leftovers as soon as the cats walk away. Observe the cats (at a distance) while they’re eating to ensure you know how many there are so you can get the entire group fixed quickly – males, female, friendly and feral. It may take awhile to get the shyest cats to come out while you’re there, but once they learn to associate you with food, they will.

• Coordinate a spay/neuter schedule with the clinic whose doing your sterilizations.

• Live-trap the cats – to your agreed-upon clinic schedule – and take them to/from their appointments. You don’t need a garage to hold them in – just a safe area where the live traps won’t be disturbed – or, possibly for a minor fee, the clinic will hold them the night before and after surgery.

Once you’ve completed the sterilization, all that’s left to do is maintain your feeding schedule and enjoy the cats in your yard. If you get an occasional newcomer, make sure you live trap and fix the cat quickly to prevent undermining your earlier efforts.

If you have kittens (before you complete the sterilization process), simply bring them indoors when they’re old enough to eat on their own – about 4 weeks old – and socialize them while you network to find them permanent indoor homes. See Appendix C of our Handbook. If they don't adopt out return them to their colony. Fix them when they're about 12 weeks old -- they can reproduce as early as 16 weeks.

If any of the cats are particularly aggressive toward other cats, consider confining them after their surgery in a large dog crate with food, water and litter for 3 weeks. Place the crate in a safe, dry area – near where the other cats frequent. They’ll work out any aggressions while they’re confined without making physical contact. The neutering itself should stop aggression, but this added measure will help ensure it.

Managing cats is a better strategy than removing them. This is because the cats already living in your yard keep other roaming cats away. If they’re no longer there, new cats may move in and take over their territory bringing with them the same problems your original group had. Outdoor-only cats comprise about half of the total cat population. Working with the cats you already know gives you a stable group of cats to feed– now sterilized – they’ll mellow out, grow older and no longer engage in the unsavory cat behaviors you find objectionable – fighting, spraying and kittening.

As far as letting your house cats go outdoors – an aggressive male cat is only one of the many equally risky dangers – others include loose dogs, cars, people who dislike cats, coyote -- they’ll encounter. And these other dangers will also act like “an ambush” – appearing suddenly without warning. To keep your cats absolutely safe, keep them indoors – or take them out with you (on leashes) – or provide them with a safe outdoor enclosure in your yard.