Accidental cats

[tracilicious]

We've always seen a cat or two eating the leftover dog food on random nights. There's a farm right behind us that we figure they come from. A few months ago we started seeing the same two cats every night. A few times my dog opened the sliding door while we were sleeping, and we woke up to a cat sitting on our kitchen table (she ran out as soon as she saw us). Now I've begun seeing these cats in the daytime. I think they are living in our pool yard.

Now, I love cats, but Karma (one of my Great Danes) loves them more...in a not so gentle way. They are half wild. They'll look at me through the window, but if I go outside they run away. Do I find a way to get rid of them? Build them a house? Trap and spay and then return them? They seem to be almost a year old. Not kittens, but not full grown either.

I've named them Meteorite and Meteoroid after the Joanna Newsom song Y.

[€uroMeinke]

I would keep an eye out for Johnny Walker if I were you

[Not Afraid]

Trap them and have them fixed, then build them a shelter and get them some proper food.

[Alex]

Trap and spay if you feel obligated but after that I'd just leave them to themselves unless you want the obligation of caring for them.

If they're hungry, you're not going to get rid of them so long as you keep leaving food outside that they want to eat. Deprive them of that and they'll go away.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I would keep an eye out for Johnny Walker if I were you

Oh no! I'm hoping maybe they'll take me to the Kingdom of Cats. (You guys have seen The Cat Returns by now right?)

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Trap them and have them fixed, then build them a shelter and get them some proper food.

How does one even go about trapping a cat? As for the shelter, the dogs can't get into the pool yard, but we swim in there all the time in the summer. Is there any chance they'll become territorial?

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Trap and spay if you feel obligated but after that I'd just leave them to themselves unless you want the obligation of caring for them.

If they're hungry, you're not going to get rid of them so long as you keep leaving food outside that they want to eat. Deprive them of that and they'll go away.

For a long time they would just come randomly. There isn't even food out there most nights. If they would become tame cats, I would consider hiring a trainer for my dog and keeping them, but I doubt that will happen. I certainly don't want to become overrun with cats (and I'm sure these will eventually have kittens. I've thought about taking the kittens if they do have any. Though, maybe they have some now that I just don't know about. I should check my pool yard.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

How does one even go about trapping a cat? As for the shelter, the dogs can't get into the pool yard, but we swim in there all the time in the summer. Is there any chance they'll become territorial?

Contact a local rescue organization. Most have volunteers who have cat traps.

As far as them being territorial - they won't attack or anything. (Of course, there's always an exception.) It sound like you're may be fixing them young enough so they won't be quite as wild as an older cat would be. But, a lot depends on the cat's personality. The fact that that look in your window and come into your house makes me think they've got potential.

[Tref]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

I've named them Meteorite and Meteoroid after the Joanna Newsom song Y.

Coincidentally, I named my cat, Track 2, after a Joanna Newsom song. I couldn't remember the title, so I was forced to do what I could under the circumstances.