Ferals/Strays trying to get into my house

lamiatron

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I'm going to try and keep this as short and simple as possible!

A little back ground: I live in NYC, Queens, in a somewhat suburban/urban neighborhood. The block where I live and the surrounding blocks are all houses houses and houses. and then literally 2 blocks away from my house is urban NYC, Trains, Buses, Stores, People, etc. The house I live in, is a private two family home. A family lives downstairs, and I live on the 2nd floor (w/ roommates). I moved in June of 2013, so I haven't been there that long. Ever since I did move in I've always noticed Stray or Feral cats in the neighborhood.  My bedroom window gives me a view of my neighbor's barely used and trashed up backyard. And i ALWAYS see these cats. They may have been from the same litter, 2 of them are Black and White, Another one is Orange and white and they are always together, rarely I see a Dark brown and black Tabby with a limp (one of his front paws is injured I think, or was injured...). They're always back there. and then there are more that i don't see back there, but i'll see them at night. And sometimes at night if I step out to smoke i see them walk past my house..and if they sense me standing on my stoop they run. So i assume they're feral. They're also very HUGE!! big and chunky. All of them. So i assume someone feeds them, or they have a buffet available to them via ways of garbage and stores in the area.

I've adopted my kitties from a shelter, and its been roughly 3 months since I've had them. recently I purchased a cat post/perch/scratching post/condo type deal-y that's actually big enough for them to sit on it and look out the window.like its the PERFECT height. They just lay there and look out the window or nap by the sunlight.  And this is what they do all day. My kitties love the thing and i'm happy they're taking to it so well! okay back to the point, recently i've noticed these feral/stray cats trying to get into my house...

for example, when i'm leaving for work, or my roommates are, or when we're coming home, i see this cats sitting in the front of my door, and they don't get scared, they try to come in when i open the door. almost EVERY time. And last night when my sister came to visit me, she said she saw one of the cats come to the door and paw at it...trying to get in....and then she shooed the cat away, but after i came downstairs and we both started to head out, the cat came back again. 

I know for certain that I'm not feeding any of them, and My roommates are not either, and I dont think the first floor family is (although I'm not sure). They're always around in the neighborhood, and its not a big deal. They're not harmful to anyone. They dont mess up my trash or garbage so I dont really mind them. But them trying to get in is something new, and kind of freaks me out a bit, because they're supposed to be scared of humans, as Ferals, but these cats are brave! they try to come in when we open the door to go in and out of the house. My room mates think its because of my two cats, Charlie (6 mo. old, male, neutered) and Jet (4 mo. old, female, spayed). Could that be the reason?? One of my room mates thinks, that because my cats are always sitting by the window, maybe those cats saw my cats and now they're trying to get in??? I'm thinking maybe they got into our trash and sifted through the garbage and found some kitty litter and they smelled charlie and jet? I mean...I don't know. 

Does all this make sense??? I have nothing against ferals, but i dont want there to be a situation where one of them gets into the house and freaks out and then there is a situation....and I want to try and figure out WHY they're trying to get into the house, other than the food factor...but say if...and IF the first floor family gives them food, they would leave it out...there would be no need for them to try and get in for food..from what I read Ferals or Strays dont do this...but I've seen these cats just sitting and waiting around on my stoop, and when i try to go in, they try to come in with me I have to shoo them away....Could they be trying to come in because of my cats??

Any insight would be VERY helpful, and maybe some tips to try and keep them from trying to come into the house.... sorry for the really long post...
 

ondine

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True feral cats would not try to get into a house, especially if a human is nearby.  These sound more like cats that were either pets or were socialized as kittens and then kicked out of their home.

Have you talked to the neighbors (especially the ones with the trashy yard.  They may be the source of the cats).  They need to know the cats are acting this way because someone else might do harm to one of them (out of fear or meanness)

You can also perhaps work with a local rescue or shelter to TNR the cats.  This means catching or trapping them and fixing them, giving them their vaccinations and then releasing them to their home neighborhood.  They may be being fed by someone and this would certainly help keep the numbers down.

If you are ever in a position where the cat is cornered, DO NOT approach it or even try to shoo it away.  If the cat is frightened, even a pet cat will attack what it perceives as a threat.

You may have to call animal control if none of the above works and the cats continue to upset you...
 

goldeneyes

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It's possible that these cats are part of a Colony that
have been TNR'd, and are being fed and cared for. The way to tell if they are part of a TNR'd colony is to look at their left ears and see if the point is clipped off, approx. 3/8" or so, give or take.
Without divulging specific geographic locations due to privacy concerns, for both you and the cats, I believe I know the area of Queens you are speaking about, and there are several cared for TNR'd Colonies throughout.
These cats, if you are the ear tips clipped, have been spayed, neutered, vaccinated, etc. and as I mentioned, are being cared for by their Caretakers.
 
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lamiatron

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I've spoken to my room mates who have been living at the house for years before i moved in. they say the cats have always been around. All the cats I see look like they are adults, and male, because sometimes I'll hear them and see them (if they're in the backyard) fighting like crazy. Cat yells and screams and yowls. My cats that are indoors will hear it and get scared. They've never bothered anyone, and I think its because of them that the mice population in the neighborhood is down (we have zero mice in our house, and living in NYC near the train/subway, this is a miracle). 

Recently their behavior of wanting to get into the house is what is making me worried. Do you think it could be because of my cats? i've seen them sitting in the backyard staring at my cats when they're by the window. and the thing with these cats that led me to believe they're feral is because in the past whenever I encountered them, they'd get scared and run off, but now, they're SUPER adamant about getting into the house. I'm not sure if the down stairs family fed them for a while and then stopped and that's why they are behaving the way they are, or if it's because of my cats? i mean...could my cats be a reason? I just want to know if there is something i could do to deter them from coming around our front porch. I can only speak for myself and my room mates, in saying that we wouldn't do anything to harm them, but i dont know about the family that lives on the first floor. I know they just had a baby too...so i dont know...

I don't even want to attempt talking to the people that live next door. The very few times i've encountered them they were very mean and stand offish, and judging from their backyard, I don't think they care what these cats do. I'm going to look into some local rescue groups and see what the deal is, maybe they can do something....

I just dont want these cats to end up being sent to a shelter, or what I don't know! they're not harmful to anyone. For months that i've lived there, they dont bother a soul, but its just recently that they're trying to get into the house....which worries me..
 
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lamiatron

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It's possible that these cats are part of a Colony that
have been TNR'd, and are being fed and cared for. The way to tell if they are part of a TNR'd colony is to look at their left ears and see if the point is clipped off, approx. 3/8" or so, give or take.
Without divulging specific geographic locations due to privacy concerns, for both you and the cats, I believe I know the area of Queens you are speaking about, and there are several cared for TNR'd Colonies throughout.
These cats, if you are the ear tips clipped, have been spayed, neutered, vaccinated, etc. and as I mentioned, are being cared for by their Caretakers.
next time one comes close i'll try to take a look and see if thats the case...although i never noticed while watching them in my neighbors back yard..non of their ears seemed off to me...i'm just worried about this odd behavior of them trying to get into my house...

Do you think them seeing my cats could have anything to do with this??
 

goldeneyes

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Just saw your response. Yes, let me know about the ear tips. Sometimes the clipped ears are subtle, and you have to look at the ears specifically.
As for the cats hanging around, they can tell who the good people are :)
Perhaps someone is feeding them near by.
I wouldn't worry too much, as by your description, they sound like they are very healthy, and the fact that you mentioned that were big means they have a steady source of food and most likely are being cared for. Not seeing kittens is also good, as it may suggest these cats are fixed.
 

procat

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True feral cats would not try to get into a house, especially if a human is nearby.  These sound more like cats that were either pets or were socialized as kittens and then kicked out of their home.

Have you talked to the neighbors (especially the ones with the trashy yard.  They may be the source of the cats).  They need to know the cats are acting this way because someone else might do harm to one of them (out of fear or meanness)

You can also perhaps work with a local rescue or shelter to TNR the cats.  This means catching or trapping them and fixing them, giving them their vaccinations and then releasing them to their home neighborhood.  They may be being fed by someone and this would certainly help keep the numbers down.

If you are ever in a position where the cat is cornered, DO NOT approach it or even try to shoo it away.  If the cat is frightened, even a pet cat will attack what it perceives as a threat.

You may have to call animal control if none of the above works and the cats continue to upset you...
We have a FFF every night on our patio. (a.k.a. Feral Feeding Frenzy)

I have to stick one leg out the door and shoo with my shoe to make sure none of the five maniacs runs in. I've been climbed a few times and last week, one finally got in. Fortunately, she did a lap around our dining room table and ran right back out.

A year later I suppose they are somewhat socialized to me, but since cats don't walk around with labels, I err on the side of caution.

Sick or hungry cats can do weird things.
 
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