Can she feed these stray cats if my neighbor posted a sign?

[teargod]

I seen my neighbor put up a sign yesterday on their driveway door (They taped a piece of paper to it and wrote in marker "Please dont put cat food here thanks"). Here's the thing, the woman who has been feeding them works in the upstairs part of the 2 family house and the new neighbors moved in downstairs. And ever since she's been working there she's been feeding the stray cats putting food & water out day & night when she arrives and leaves work.

So could she still feed the cats there? Or would it be against some sort of law? I have a feeling she will still do it though I'm hoping not. I'm tired of having these cats hiss at me when I go get my mail and piss & crap all over our driveway & grass.

 

[jcribbs]

I feel sorry for people like you.

 

[StefanZ]

The inhabitant decides of course. If they are two different inhabitants with different opinions, they hopefully talk with each other and agrees or find some compromise...

If they dont agree, it is better the feeder feeds somewhere else where there is no immediate bothered neigbours..

How does it looks?  Are the cats neutered?  Neutered free living cats are usually much less troublesome than unneutered can be.

Our priority recommendation is, dont feed unneutered if you dont have a plan with it.

The plan should be neuter (perhaps the so called TNR)  and or  socialize them and adopt/find adoption homes.

Our experience is, once neutered /TNRed they can live OK lives, with some help.

Without bothering neigbours much.

Many neighbourhoods feel they do profit if a such a well kept, neutered colony lives nearby.

Less of rodents, etc.  And the cats usually get friendly to friendly people around, so it is a nice pastime to follow them a little. and have something else than weather to small talk with each other  

Hope my try to answer did helped you some.

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

 

[StefanZ]

I feel sorry for people like you.

 Teargod DID  come to us and did ask for advice and opinions, instead of say, buy a shotgun and do his worst. Like does happens sometimes..

Him whom humbly comes and asks of opinions, there is always good hope for.  

 

[teargod]

@jcribbs - That's fine, doesn't bother me one bit.

@StefanZ - As far as I know the woman who feeds the cat is not an inhabitant of the building she does not live there. She works there and returns home, I'm assuming she lives in New York as her car has New York plates on it. I personally don't care whether or not she feeds them, so long as it isn't on the property we live on I feel if she doesn't live there she shouldn't be feeding there because she's causing problems for us (Our driveway smelling constantly of cat urine and crap, cats tearing up our garbage, and so on). I honestly wouldn't be able to tell if the cats are feral or not.

I'm also assuming the cats are unneutered because there were 2 kittens a few months back which have grown a bit, which look just like another cat that comes to feed. As far as I know the woman feeding them has no plans to help them by getting them neutered or finding them a home and is just feeding them. I've never seen her take them into her car to do anything with them. All I see is her in the morning opening her back car door scooping out food from a huge bag into a small plastic bowl and placing it before and after work.

As for the neighbors, I've talked to 2 of my neighbors and this has been a problem for some years now about 3+ years. They dislike them as well because of them roaming the streets tearing up their garbage bags, hissing at their dogs & kids. And the noise they make at night when they fight with the other cat's.

 

[jcribbs]

Him whom humbly comes and asks of opinions, there is always good hope for.  

 You're right Stefan.  There is always hope.

Teargod -- my sincere apologies. 

I sincerely hope you find an awesome solution for the homeless animals.  Sometimes it only takes one person to really make a difference.  Since you live in a community, maybe you could start a project involving these little homeless kitties. TNR does help with the fighting, the spraying, the marking, the night sounds and procreation etc....  It's usually territorial or over a female.  It is possible, like Stefan said, that a feeding station could be set up somewhere that is non intrusive for everyone.  After the kitties start going to this area, start trapping them, getting them fixed and then re-releasing them to their feeding station.   This would eliminate any new additions to your colony.

You gently sway them toward the new feeding station that is in an acceptable place with all the neighbors in agreement on the feeding location.

It is also possible it could end up being a community project where children get involved in learning to CARE FOR homeless animals and let them see the adults taking the lead in this situation... 

it would be a wonderful world if we were all taught as children, from a very young age, about caring for the less fortunate.  They become adults with heart, and this could be the start of something like that.  But it would take effort.  YOU could be the one that truly makes a difference in these animals lives.   

The woman feeding them needs help and the cats need help.  Not feeding them is not the solution.  They will still breed and they will still mark whether you put food out or not.  They are in the garbage cans looking for food. 

My apologies again, Jenn

 

[trudy1]

You could try to contact your local vet or SPCA to see if there was a group or individuals in your area taking care of feral cat colonies...

or go to Petsmart when they have "adoption days" as a good chance to talk with a source who might help.

Sometimes it is necessary to trap, neuter and release the cats into a more tolerant area and such groups/individuals would help  with this.   Of course the dark side of "relocating" a colony is that law of ecology the states you are just creating a "vacancy" for other cats waiting in the wings to move in!

Thanks for stepping up and addressing the situation...now it sounds like you need to seek out some local help with the cats other than just feeding.

 

[teargod]

Just went out to mail a letter at the post office and of course I noticed the woman's car parked in the driveway where she works (Right next door to my house) and of course she either did not see the sign or just flat out ignored it and out out food any way.

This really irks my nerves because the neighbor has put out a sign to notify the person feeding that they want him/her to stop and they don't.

 

[Willowy]

If it's a 2-family home, is it their property? Or a rental? If a rental, what does the landlord say? Does the upstairs home have any use of the outdoor area? If so, they can pretty much do what they want with their designated area. Signs don't mean anything legally if someone is making use of their own authorized area.

Plus, cats don't just disappear if people stop feeding them, you know. They just try harder to find food, getting into the garbage more, stealing dog food more, etc. Well-fed cats are less troublesome than hungry cats.

 

[rad65]

I'm a little confused. Is this a two-family home and the woman is a housekeeper/maid/nanny of some sort for the people living upstairs, or is the home split into two with a business on the second floor? If it's a two-family residence and she works for people living upstairs, you could talk to them about it. I would also try leaving a note on her car regardless of what the situation is, just in case she really has missed the sign your neighbors put up (not likely, but it's never a good idea to begin dealing with a situation like this by being aggressive). This woman needs to have it explained to her that she has no rights to feed the local fauna and she is disrupting the people who live in the area while she conveniently drives home to an area where she hasn't lured tons of stray and feral cats.

If you could get the people around you to sign something saying they do not want the cats to be fed and that it's disrupting your lives (your neighbors' signature would be the most important, since they live on the first floor of the same building), you may be able to take that to the police station or animal control or something and get someone with a bit of authority down there to tell the woman to cut it out. Not sure if that would work, just spitballing idea here.

 

[Willowy]

I guess duplex laws would have to be known. I have a single-family home. With my own yard. I can do whatever I want in my own yard, unless it's against local ordinance. My neighbors can put up signs and make petitions and write notes all day telling me not to feed the cats, but it's my yard and I can put cat food in my yard if I want to. If both families in the duplex have outdoor space designated for them (most duplexes do), they can similarly do what they want in that space, because it's their "yard", to my understanding.

So unless it's against local ordinance to feed cats outside (and personally I'd risk the ticket and do it anyway, but that's just me), I don't think anything legally can be done. But like I said, someone who's more familiar with duplex laws would have to confirm that.

 

[jcribbs]

If she is not trespassing, the problem is not that the woman is feeding the cats.  The problem is all the neighbors however have come to believe that their problem is caused by the woman feeding the cats.  I believe the original poster said 3 years + that this has gone on ...     The original poster needs to do some research on TNR.  It will give them the answers they need.

From the humane sense of things, TNR is the solution with relocation to an area with feeding stations set up.  The poster will have to do research and find a group willing to help her in relocating the animals after getting them fixed.  I however cannot give advise on TNR.  I've never been good at that.  I live in the country and I TNK -- trap neuter keep.....

.   I have my own little colony and I love them all dearly.  Yep they cost tons of money, but they are worth every cent and I have a happy heart at night when I hear them walk across my roof.

I guess duplex laws would have to be known. I have a single-family home. With my own yard. I can do whatever I want in my own yard, unless it's against local ordinance. My neighbors can put up signs and make petitions and write notes all day telling me not to feed the cats, but it's my yard and I can put cat food in my yard if I want to. If both families in the duplex have outdoor space designated for them (most duplexes do), they can similarly do what they want in that space, because it's their "yard", to my understanding.

So unless it's against local ordinance to feed cats outside (and personally I'd risk the ticket and do it anyway, but that's just me), I don't think anything legally can be done. But like I said, someone who's more familiar with duplex laws would have to confirm that.

Amen to that.  I would keep feeding too.  ..........jenn

 

[Willowy]

Yes, the problem isn't that somebody is feeding them, it's that, most likely, the neighbors have been irresponsible with their pets, letting them breed and letting their kittens go wild, and now they don't want to be bothered by their own irresponsiblity. I know I can point out the neighbors who are responsible for all my ferals--feral cats don't just materialize out of thin air. They are the offspring of irresponsibly kept pets. Whether someone feeds them or not, they're there now and always will be unless properly relocated.

 

[jcribbs]

Yes, the problem isn't that somebody is feeding them, it's that, most likely, the neighbors have been irresponsible with their pets, letting them breed and letting their kittens go wild, and now they don't want to be bothered by their own irresponsiblity. I know I can point out the neighbors who are responsible for all my ferals--feral cats don't just materialize out of thin air. They are the offspring of irresponsibly kept pets. Whether someone feeds them or not, they're there now and always will be unless properly relocated.

I absolutely agree!! You hit the nail on the head.

 

 

[teargod]

@Willowy - It's a 2-family home yes.

@rad65 - It's a 2-family home but the upstairs apartment is rented out by a business owner. He and his to my knowledge 2 employees work there. Don't live there, as I see all of them leave at night to head home. The only portion of the property I've seen them make use of is the driveway.

 

[StefanZ]

I sincerely hope you find an awesome solution for the homeless animals.  Sometimes it only takes one person to really make a difference.  Since you live in a community, maybe you could start a project involving these little homeless kitties. TNR does help with the fighting, the spraying, the marking, the night sounds and procreation etc....  It's usually territorial or over a female.  It is possible, like Stefan said, that a feeding station could be set up somewhere that is non intrusive for everyone.  After the kitties start going to this area, start trapping them, getting them fixed and then re-releasing them to their feeding station.   This would eliminate any new additions to your colony.

You gently sway them toward the new feeding station that is in an acceptable place with all the neighbors in agreement on the feeding location.

It is also possible it could end up being a community project where children get involved in learning to CARE FOR homeless animals and let them see the adults taking the lead in this situation... 

it would be a wonderful world if we were all taught as children, from a very young age, about caring for the less fortunate.  They become adults with heart, and this could be the start of something like that.  But it would take effort.  YOU could be the one that truly makes a difference in these animals lives.   

The woman feeding them needs help and the cats need help.  Not feeding them is not the solution.  They will still breed and they will still mark whether you put food out or not.  They are in the garbage cans looking for food. 

Yes!  This is the optimal solution, I believe.  Takes effort and work, but you and the whole neigbourhood will get much richer, a more pleasant place to be and live in for you and the children of you and neigbours.

Shooting them out or letting the town authorities do it  doesnt solves anything. Temporary at best.

And you will always risk a bad conscience knowing you had better alternatives at hand...

I think also you can and should just plainly talk with this woman, as you apparently know who she is, and know her car.  Try to talk friendly and diplomatic!  With any luck you may get mutually very satysfiying results.

If it feels embarrassing for you to this talk face to face:

You can get her home adress  as you know the registration number for her car. So you can phone her. Or write a letter.

Or just set in the letter on her car...

You can add a link to this here Forum and this here thread.

Or you just write down the link as your whole message.

She is apparently wanting to do good and herself is convinced she is doing good, but apparently also not doing it in a very good way...

But because of it, a diplomatic and friendly chat may do wonders here.

Not easy for you TearGod, but YOU can make the difference here!  "Yes, we can change!"

Good luck!

 

[bastfriend]

My two cents....Teargod, it sounds to me like this woman is just feeding the cats but not doing anything beyond that.  I had a neighbor like that who thought she was helping but instead just creating a bigger population.   I agree with everyone else that some diplomatic conversation is in order - maybe print out a few internet pages from local groups in your city that coordinate feral cat efforts and about TNR and give them to her.    She literally may not even know about these things - my neighbor didn't till I told her about them.   Even if she does start doing TNR there will still be a cat population, but at least things won't be out of control so much.   And who knows maybe she just needs some help or knowledge to get her going in the right direction.

 

[teargod]

That's the thing I'd like to talk to her about it but I don't want to cause any issues with the neighbors and or owner of the business next door who this woman is employed to. I don't want to cause issues for my parents.

I really don't think this woman gets it that the family downstairs doesn't want her feeding the cats on their property. She's gone from feeding them directly in front of the driveway to off to the side on the grass near the steps.

Here is a photo of where she *was* feeding them below and the note posted nearby.

pic1.JPG

• teargod
• Oct 23, 2012

And here is where she has moved the food now.

pic2.JPG

• teargod
• Oct 23, 2012