The Poop On Free-Range Cats — And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk]

ACROSS AMERICA — Let’s chase cats. We’re not talking about Grumpy Cat or any of the others that have shot to internet stardom, but the neighbor’s cat that just left a surprise at your doorstep.

For Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, we invited readers to talk about pets that are allowed to come and go as they please.

Oh boy. Where to start.

“My yard has become a litter box, they meow and howl under my bedroom window, and I have a dog who doesn't like cats, so I have to keep my blinds closed, so he won't try to jump through a window when they are lounging in my front yard,” said Beth, a Scotch Plains-Fanwood (New Jersey) Patch reader.

And get this: “They won’t keep the cat in the house because it torments their dog,” Beth said.

“You can’t let your dog just run the neighborhood, so cats shouldn’t either,” she said, adding in capital letters and a trio of exclamation points, “FINE THEM!!!”

Beth has plenty of company in her misery. We heard from readers all over the country about poop-where-they-want-to cats.

“They poop in everyone’s yards,” said Jessica, who found our Across America Patch survey on Facebook. “When I walk my dog, he’ll eat it if he sees it before I do.”

That has a strong ew factor. But because diseases are spread through feline feces, Jessica’s bigger concern is her dog will catch something if she can’t intercept the pooch before he takes in a mouthful of the cat’s nasty business.

One of the biggest concerns is Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in feline feces, Salem (Massachusetts) Patch reader Sarah said. Neighborhood cats use her garden as a litter box, and “it means the food from the garden isn’t safe to eat,” she said.

‘I Didn’t Sign Up For Cats’

Tania, who reads Smithtown Patch and Center Moriches-Eastport Patch, both in New York, has similar concerns but said she has found her neighbor “impossible and unreasonable” when she raised the issue.

“They s- -t all over, especially under our window, so we smell it,” said Lindenhurst (New York) Patch reader Chris, who doesn’t use clean words like “poo” to describe the problem. Talking to the neighbor didn’t help. “She didn’t care,” Chris said.

Kirkland (Washington) Patch reader Erik said he was polite when he talked to about the neighbor’s cats using his vegetable garden and flower beds as litter boxes, but the person posted “nasty things about me on Facebook,” he said.

Bel Air (Maryland) Patch reader Elaine said her neighbor’s cats have destroyed her deck and peed in her flower beds, on her trash cans and on her grill. She tried to talk to her neighbor, but said he is “a loose cannon with anger-management issues” who “threatened to kill my family if something happens to his cats.”

Bensalem (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Jamie has a similar problem.

“The neighbor’s cat contaminated my vegetable garden with urine and poop, rendering it toxic and inedible. They also continuously try to enter my home, and I have three dogs,” Jamie said. “My neighbor has a violent boyfriend, so I adjust my gardening to protect it from the cats. It wouldn’t go well. He’s threatened my dogs for reacting to him and the cats.”

But Jamie wants the neighbors to know this about their choice to let their cats have the run of the neighborhood:

“It’s misguided and selfish. If you want your cat to enjoy being outside but can’t contain them to your property, keep them inside. Literally no one signed up to have a cat but you. It’s rude, dangerous and inconsiderate.”

Patch reader Julia, who wishes neighborhood cats would take their hunting trophies home with them rather than “leave mangled mice and chipmunks for me to clean up,” agrees.

“I get you want to let your cats roam, but I didn’t sign up for them and the messes and annoyances they cause on my property,” she said. “I find it rude.”

‘Stop Blaming The Animal’

Chris, who reads Middletown Patch and Holmdel-Hazlet Patch, both in New Jersey, said cats are no more bothersome than wildlife in the neighborhood.

“I don’t punish birds that get my car windshield every morning or care about all the raccoons and opossums that use my yard as their bathroom all the time,” Chris said. “[Cats] are harmless, and if they are feral, they are there only because some despicable human dumped them or others to fend for themselves.”

TNR — the acronym for trap, neuter and release — works, Chris added.

“The focus needs to be on spaying and neutering,” according to Across America Patch reader Catherine, who said pet owners “need to be responsible” and that local governments should support TNR and other spay/neuter programs because shelters struggle with finding volunteers and fundraising.

“Stop blaming the animal,” Catherine said.

Appreciate them instead, said Elizabeth, an Across California Patch reader.

“I like to have them about,” she said, “If I had a cat, it would be indoor/outdoor.”

Aaron, an Across America Patch reader, called cats “a blessing.”

“I am the neighbor with the cats,” Alex said. “No one has ever complained to me or let me know my cats were anything but sweet and delightful.

“Cats belong where they are the most comfortable, living life in accordance with their wishes,” Alex said. “That may be outside hunting; in the rain and cold, that may be inside on a soft pillow eating treats and getting snuggles.”

Libertyville (Illinois) Patch Fran was warm and fuzzy, too. Her neighbor’s cat is a friendly sort, and she likes having him around. He’s also a good mouser, she said.

‘Dinner For Bobcats And Coyotes’

Why call an exterminator when cats will do the job for free?

“I appreciate the rodent control that neighbor cats provide,” said Decatur-Avondale Estates (Georgia) Patch reader Kathryn. “I cannot have my own cat.”

“The free-range cats in our neighborhood got the mouse and chipmunk populations under control for the first time in 10 years,” said Bridgewater (New Jersey) Patch reader Jennifer.

Jennifer is also grateful for the feral “sewer cats” that were rounded up, then spayed and neutered for free by a local veterinary clinic. She split the costs for vaccinations and other medical treatments with the clinic.

“They are back to roaming the neighborhood, and we are grateful for their hunting prowess,” she said.

The Birds, Though

Not everyone is as generous.

Philip, a Framingham (Massachusetts) Patch reader, chases away cats when he sees them hunting. They kill small animals, he said, and even “tried to go after my contained chickens.”

“They aren’t doing anything good and taking up the space of local predators,” he said. “We’ve got bobcats and foxes — the cats are taking up their space.”

He’s encouraged that his neighbors seem to be receptive to the idea of confining any future cats to the indoors, though.

“Almost all of our wild bunnies are gone,” said a Lacey (New Jersey) Patch reader, who added, “If people want to let cats out — great! But be responsible; spay and neuter and build a catio.”

Outdoor cats kill about 2.4 million birds a year, according to researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The feline toll on the songbird population struck a nerve with many readers.

Cinnaminson (New Jersey) Patch reader John isn’t sure who owns the cats that “stalk and kill” birds at his birdbath. But, he said, “Cats should not be allowed to roam” and “should have the same rules as dogs.”

Frank, a Morris Township-Morris Plains (New Jersey) Patch reader, also thinks cats and dogs should be treated equally when it comes to licensing, vaccinations and veterinary care.

“Owning and caring for animals is a responsibility, and not treating it as such is unfair to the animals as well as the human members of the community,” Frank said.

“The feces is the worst,” he said, but also lamented neighborhood cats also “leave dead animals in our driveway and are pretty rough on the local birds and frogs, which we enjoy.”

He tried to talk to his neighbor about it, but it “didn’t go well,” he said. “There was a lot of shouting and the police were called.”

For BJ, a Lake Elsinore-Wildomore (California) Patch reader, it is all about the circle of life.

“They are dinner for the bobcats and coyotes,” BJ said.

‘These Cats Even Bite’

Cats can also be big jerks, some readers said.

“They knock over flower pots, harass our dog and kill birds who come to drink from our pond,” Patch reader Margarita said.

Patch reader Jenn said the neighbor’s cat “comes up on our back deck and hisses at our cat through the patio slider door.”

A Wallingford (Connecticut) Patch reader said the neighbor’s two cats chase their chickens. “These cats even bite people and nothing gets done.”

Keaton, who reads multiple Patch sites, said the neighbor’s free-range feline teases his cat through the window, yowls at night when she’s in heat and gets into territory fights. When he talked to the neighbor about it, “she thought I’d kidnapped one of her cats when it disappeared.”

“I hadn’t, but we live on a really busy street, so I’m not surprised it was lost,” Keaton continued. “Had to talk to the cops about it because she called them on me.”

The jerks are the people, not the cats, Keaton said.

“I feel really bad for them,” he said. “I have an indoor cat who is leash trained, so I strongly empathize with the cats I see who are underfed or clearly dealing with health problems or let outside when it’s way too cold for them. I don’t really understand how someone can say they love their pet and then expose them to such dangers.”

Another reader also sided with the cats.

“I have discussed [with neighbors] the fact that they do not let their cat inside at all, and the poor kitty is out all night in the freezing cold and rain and could get killed by a car or a coyote or a dog,” the reader said. “I worry bout the safety of the poor kitty — not the neighbor’s tomato plants and rodents.

“I made a catio enclosure for this free-range kitty, so it would have shelter, and another neighbor lets the kitty come inside her house whenever it wants,” the reader continued, adding,

“I would love to get the kitty neutered, but it’s not my cat.”

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.

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