Subject: Cat in garden (a little OT) From: orangerose@aol.com (Orangerose) Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Date: Mon, 24 Jan 00 03:51:01 Message-ID: <MOD$000123.10584@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
Well, I'm not sure where else to post this, but I have a slight dilemma, here.
My neighbor has been feeding a group of strays (about four cats) for about
five years now. I've never had any problem with cats in the garden since my
own housecat is rather territorial and keeps the rest of them away. The last
few nights, one of the cats has been in heat. I really am inclined to let the
cats do whatever they want, but she's decided that my cat (a neutered male) is
the best choice for a father for her kittens, so I've been listening to her
yowl all night for the last three nights. Even in the pouring rain last night.
There is a tom in the neighborhood, but she really is only interested in my
cat. ~sigh~
I also have to explain that the gardens in my block are "inside the block";
that is, the gardens are at the backs of the lots and the houses at the front
so that the houses effectively make a wall around the block. The cats here do
not come and go. (Except for the tom and I'm not sure how he gets out...)
This cat is normally very shy--maybe semi-feral--but she has a flea-collar, so
someone at some point has taken care of her. The neighbor lady is out of town
so I can't ask her if the cat is one of the local strays.
My dilemma is this:
Should I trap her (while she's friendly and in heat) and take her to the SPCA
and have her neutered? (what if she belongs to someone? Is that
legal/ethical?)
If I were to have her neutered, what then? Should I leave her with the SPCA or
other animal shelter to be adopted (assuming she's adoptable), or should I let
her have her recovery her and let her back outside after? Or should I take
personal responsibility for her and adopt her myself?
Or should I look for a way to dicourage her from using my garden as stage for
her love life? Any ideas on how to do that? (Other than getting a dog...)
Or should I hope she'll shut up soon and let me sleep through the night--and
then forget about it?
I know this isn't one hundred percent about gardening, but I thought this was
the best forum to ask about humane and sensitive ways to deal with this kind of
issue.