Cat deterrents

My gram used to trap them and take them to the shelter

honestly I’m worried about retaliation against our dogs as they are definitely not the most mentally stable people. I also worry they would get put down with how crowded the shelters are right now :/

Absolutely do not take them to the shelter or capture them. There isn’t much you can really do. Cats are not very big fans of Vicks vapor rub so I would keep an eye out on where they are coming through and put some there. Next case would be contacting the police if it becomes too much to deal with. It also really isn’t the owners fault on where the cats go to make their territory. Are you fenced in? Regardless of whose cats, as long as there are cats freely roaming the city, your backyard might be a safe spot. Hope this helps somewhat.

There are cat deterrent sprays in the cat section of PetSmart. Over by where they keep the flea meds. It’s suppose to be used to just keep indoor cats away from areas of the home you don’t want them in. But if you need something that can handle a bigger yard, most cats don’t like the smell of citrus. My 2 indoor cats don’t mind it as long as they aren’t within a foot of it though.

Many of the things designed to keep cats inside of your yard will also keep others out. Here a great article on different thing that do work. We used to have this issue growing up and we always planted aromatics that helped and put chicken wires under the garden mulch to keep them out of it. We would also spray vinegar and water on the lower sides of our house and bushes as they likes to pee there. Cats can't stand the smell of vinegar.

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-keep-stray-cats-away#:~:text=Gardeners%20recommend%20planting%20a%20buffer,or%20keep%20them%20in%20pots).

we have a cinder block wall and a fence do they have to climb and cover into our yard. I think it’s irresponsible to have them outside if they don’t stay in your yard and only for short periods of time as they can get ran over, hurt by dogs in neighboring yards, or killed by coyotes (a big predator in our area). It’s also 100+ degrees here.

Thank you Karin and Sarah for the suggestions we will try these!

oh yea, no if you’re talking suburbs and city then that’s a no go. I keep my cats inside since they’ve never been outside. But if your neighbor has rescued/adopted cats that used to be in the street, the reason why they let them out is because street cats are more prone to being depressed when taken out of their environment/one of there roaming freedoms. Keeping them inside (and this isn’t for all street cats) can cause them to start spraying, or having some sort of behavioral issue.