Did you see a stray cat, feel bad, and feed it and now it won’t go away? In this article, we will give you some tips and tricks on how to get rid of a stray cat after feeding it.
Felines are living and breathing beings with feelings, so it is imperative to treat them with kindness and respect at all times.
Keep in mind that stray cats who are unused to human interaction can be dangerous by lashing out at their fear and terror with aggression.
How to Get Rid of a Stray Cat After Feeding It
After feeding a stray cat, you may notice that they will continue to come back, expecting more food, and sometimes they might tell their friends about it. If you have a stray cat problem, try not to worry too much as there are many different resources you can use to assist you in this issue.
1. Stop Feeding It
This tip may speak for itself, but you really want to make sure that there is no food available to a stray cat around your home. If a stray continues to find food, this will just encourage them to keep coming back for more.
If you have any vegetable patches, we highly recommend keeping them covered at night to verify that no stray cats can enjoy them while you aren’t watching.
It would also help to talk to any neighbors that you may have to verify that the cat is indeed a stray and try to encourage them to stop leaving food out for strays if they do, as this could influence a stray cat to stay in your area.
2. Secure All Trash
As we mentioned before, you want to make sure that there is no food accessible for a stray cat on your property. Yes, you need to secure all trash that is kept outdoors to ensure that a stray will not continue to find food in your garbage cans, which will also encourage them to return for more.
Just like if you live in an area with high traffic of wildlife, you can secure the lids of your garbage cans with cords. There are also special attachments that you can purchase to ensure that no unwanted critters find their way into your garbage.
3. Try to Eliminate Comfy Hiding Spots
Stray cats are known to hide in very random spots, especially pregnant strays looking for a safe place to give birth. Try to close off comfy hiding spots such as soft storage areas and comfortable planters.
If a stray cannot find a spot that it thinks is safe from predators, it is highly likely that the stray will decide to just move on. Stray cats generally like to hide in tight, concealed places that are hidden from plain view, and can also be found hiding in trees and car engines.
You can place eggshells and chicken wire over any soft flowerbeds you may have to decrease the comfortable resting places that are readily available to any strays or ferals. If you have an enclosed garage, we recommend storing any automobiles in there, especially during the cold weather.
4. Natural Cat Repellent
Natural cat repellent is a great and safe option when exploring ways to get rid of stray cats. Felines have a very strong sense of smell, which you can definitely use to your advantage.
Naturally occurring scents like citrus, lavender, vinegar, and lemongrass are cat repelling, and there are also a wide variety of products available for purchase that were designed for repelling cats safely.
If you notice that the natural cat-repelling scents aren’t effective, you can always try making your property as unsuitable for stray cats as possible. You can set up timed sprinklers in your yard, and if you have any patches of sand it would be best to cover those up as well, as cats are attracted to sandboxes.
Scattering coffee beans around your property is another option, but we do not recommend this if you have any personal companion pets, as ingested coffee beans can be toxic to canines.
5. Humane Traps
Humane traps can be purchased at most farm and feed supply stores, as well as online. You can set out one of these humane traps at night with compelling food inside of the trap to lure the stray cat into the trap.
Once captured, you can relocate the cat to an animal control center, or if you know an acceptable area for stray cat relocation. Some farmers may like to have stray cats hang out around their barns for free pest control, and there are local rescue groups that take on stray cats and find them loving homes.
We do recommend having a secure relocation plan before setting any traps out. You can contact your local shelters and rescues to see if they have any available rooms, and if they do not, they will normally have recommendations on places that could take the stray.
You don’t want to get stuck with an angry feral cat in a trap with nowhere to release it.
6. Call Animal Control
If you are unsuccessful in trapping the stray cat, you can always resort to calling your local animal control center. They will normally schedule a time to go out to your property to trap the stray, and then relocate it to their local shelter or foster agency.
They may also have some helpful tips in capturing and relocating a feral stray on your own if they do not have any available specialists.
If you have a hard time reaching your local animal control center, you can search on social media for any local stray and feral trapping volunteers who may be able to come out, trap the cat, give them appropriate veterinary care, and then relocate them in a safe and humane way.
You want to keep in mind that while strays and feral cats may be a nuisance, they are still living and breathing beings with feelings, so you must treat them with as much kindness and respect as possible.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed a wide variety of tips and tricks about how to get rid of a stray cat after feeding it. If you need more assistance with this issue, there are widely available resources on the Internet and YouTube than can be accessed for free. We wish you the best of luck in your endeavor!