I agree with you. My husband used to trap two or three a night in our Tempe, AZ home and then we'd bring them to the pound. One day a woman knocked on our door from the local cat rescue group complaining that we're responsible for killing dozens of cats. We kindly explained that as cat owners (I have 2), it's not that we have anything against cats it's just that we didn't like our yard to be the neighborhood litter box.
We never caught one with a collar and the pound scans the cats for imbedded micro chips so that if there is an owner, they are notified. Apparently the cat rescue group would 'rescue' cats, get the micro chip put in, and then set them loose again in random neighborhoods. We had it out with the woman, and then trapped a cat later that night! :) The best solution was moving from that neighborhood though!
If I see a free range dog. And I know the owner. And the dog poops in my yard. I scoop the poop into a bag. And take it to the owner. I ring the doorbell, point at the bag sitting on their porch. And say, "I'm returning this poop to the rightful owner." Then I remind them of the leash law. They all apologize so far!
All last spring and summer, I had a running battle with two or three cats that lived 2 houses down from me. These are things I tried to discourage them ... none worked:
Red pepper, vinegar, crushed mothballs, jalapeno juice and chopped up jalapenos, oh yes and the expensive pet store cat deterrent, and ant poison.
Since my desert rock front yard was involved, at the end of the summer, I tried spreading thorny branches of Texas Ebony, pyracantha and/or bougainvilla all over the place. Last November, the owners moved and I had relief for a few weeks and could rake up my yard and enjoy a nice yard.
The people who moved in have two cats, but they seem to do less damage and seem to stay out of my yard most of the time.
I see them occasionally, but for some reason they didn't gravitate ot my yard like the others.
Even if AZ had a hunting law to kill them, ya can't shoot in the city, so that wouldn't help.
It took me seven months to develop a real hatred for cats.
g