It's a tragedy that these creatures were left to fend for themselves in the first place. Diseases, bloody fights, ticks, fleas, unfettered reproduction, exposure to bad weather, unreliable food or clean water available...all that because some people just wont be bothered to take care of their own pets. If these are your neighbour's pets, you should let him/her know that you will be trapping them and taking them to the pound for their own welfare. Even if they are put down and not adopted out, they will be better cared for.
Please don't shoot them or hurt them! They would more than likely love to have a warm, clean bed, good food and water and affection, but it was humans who released them in the first place. They are just trying to survive. Be kind!
I’ doing everything I can to just scare them off safely. The non-leathal traps will be the last resort because to take them to the animal shelter will mean their walking “Thoe Long Green Mile.”
Wow.
This is a classic "city vs. country" argument.
I was raised on a farm in Michigan. We had "barn cats" and we had "house cats".
The barn cats were sweet and we loved them, but they could take care of themselves very well thank you very much.
These are cats that can hunt and fight and find water and shelter just fine. They were born and bred to do this.
As a matter of fact, if you take a barn cat and try to make it into a house cat, you're going to have one very unhappy feline. And no, they never "get over it" and settle in. They'll long to be outside for the rest of their lives.
So why have these outdoor kitties in the first place?
Well, they serve a purpose for the farmer. They keep the grain clear of the urine and feces of mice and rats for one.
Have you ever seen a *real* mouse infestation? The mice will eat the ears clean off a pig in one night. That's a living, breathing animal that's simply so over-run that he can't begin to fight back. Yeah. It's great to see your livestock eaten alive.
Farm animals get deathly sick from eating grain that's been excreted on by rats and mice. Cats are the *best* defense against this issue. (I get *really* irritated by people who want to go "organic" and eliminate all forms of pesticides, but then who also want to eliminate barn cats. These same idiots have no problem using Lady Bugs to keep their hemp crop pest-free.)
You need to realize that there if a cat has been allowed to roam, he won't tolerate being cooped up. Period.
Go to your local shelter and adopt a random kitty. Pick an adult who'd most likely to be put down - not the cute kitten. Be VERY humane.
Now bring him home and find out that you've got yourself a loving barn cat.
This animal will fight you every moment of every year to be let out. He'll scheme and sneak and rush and fight for freedom and he'll never give up. NEVER.
But, if you let him go, he'll come back to you every night.
Cats are very much like people. Once they know freedom, they'll never tolerate tyranny.
There *are* house cats that need our love and support always. They don't know how to hunt and can't defend themselves. (I have one of those right now.) They shouldn't be free to roam. But there are very capable barn cats that don't need or want your help. (But they *do* need and want you to smooch them behind the ears.)
Learn to respect the difference. And try to understand that there are people (like me) who don't see cats as their babies, but as partners and friends. My cats protect me and my property. I give them support, love, medical care and supplemental food and water. (And a kitty door so they can even come to me as they please.) They're not my toy dolls. They're independent animals with an intense will. We have a symbiotic relationship and mutual respect.