A few days ago I left my garage door open overnight by accident. The next day I shut the door & went to work. When I opened the gargage door again I noticed something moving in the corner. Then I noticed a bad smell of urine. When I looked again I saw the back end of a cat moving behind some boxes. I realized it had been in there for a couple of days (two mounds of evidence) so I put down some food & water(this could have been my mistake). I parked the car in the garage, keeping the door open so the cat could leave. Not wanting to stand outside in the cold to see if the cat did leave, I put down some baking soda to catch any tracks as proof. I got the proof that it left & also that it came back! I've been leaving the door open when I can but it won't leave. I can't see if it has a collar because it won't let me get close. I don't want to leave the garage door open when I'm not home & don't want to call the Animal Control(not sure they will help with this kind of problem) What do I do?
2006-11-06 05:36:12 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
If you've been feednig the cat at all, legally the cat may now be yours. Unless he has a collar.
You can call the local humane society and see if they will let you use a cat trap to cat him and then either relinquish him to a no-kill shelter or have him fixed and then relocate him. However, if you relocate him, don't be surprised if you see him sitting in your driveway again. You could also try borrowing a dog from someone. I'm guessing if you let the dog go in the garage, it would flush the cat out.
But, the best thing to do once you get him out is make sure the cat is out of your garage each time you close it. Just watch it from open to close and you should be good. : )
If animal control handles the situation and the cat is an adult, chances are he will be killed by them. Only a few cats are selected to be adopted out and those who are skittish and feral are frequently put down within 24 hours. You can call animal control and ask what their policy is and weigh that against what the cat faces in the "wild." Some people feel that life is more important and that he should be given the chance to survive, others feel that it would be better to put him down now than to have to suffer a painful disease, be tortured by humans, be attacked by an animal, be hit by a car, or the plethora of terrible things that could happen without a home.
2006-11-06 05:43:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Try putting a bowl of water and food well outside the garage, but within sight, and take the time to wait for it to come out. You can then close the door (the noise of the door closing will make him run away if the water/treats aren't too close). It seems kind of cruel, but this may be someones pet who's run away and won't go home as long as there's a warm place to stay and be fed. Alternately, many animal control agencies and even pet stores rent humane traps. Again, treats, water or food would lure the cat into the trap, and you can then release it outside your garage -after you've closed the door! Do be careful - if the cat is feral and scratches or bites you, it could infect. Wear gloves and heavy long sleeves when near it. Good luck!!
2006-11-06 05:48:05 · answer #2 · answered by Karen T 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Last time this happened to me, I just shooed it out, but I don't have much stuff in my garage for the kitty to hide behind. Just leave the door open and walk around making a loud noise - like rattle some change in a jar or something. Make sure it's only option is to run out of the door, and enlist someone's help if you have to. The cat will continue to wander in and out at will if you leave the garage door open and don't watch. Or, you could call animal control - they can handle issues like this.
2006-11-06 05:49:43 · answer #3 · answered by SparklesGrrrl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stop feeding it. As long as it knows it can get food there, it'll keep coming back. Also, once you know it's out of your garage, close the door, then keep it closed except when you're coming or going. If it's getting cold where you're at, it could be using your garage as shelter to keep warm at night. Most animal control departments will help with the removal of wild or nuisance animals like this. If you don't know where the cat's owners are at, it's very likely wild and could have a number of diseases. Unless you know how to trap it yourself, I'd call animal control and not take the chance of it attacking you. Most shelters give healthy animals a chance to be adopted out once they're checked by a vet.
2006-11-06 05:46:57 · answer #4 · answered by Katasha 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Feeding him was a mistake. But make sure he's not in there when you close the door. Also, at many hardware/lawn and garden stores, you can buy stuff that apparently repels them. It's in a powder or pellet form and is normally used to keep dogs and cats out of gardens, etc. Sometimes those work, and sometimes they don't.
2006-11-06 05:49:48 · answer #5 · answered by jeepdrivr 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i had a couple of feral cats in the laundry room.i put a bowl of food and water and in about 2 minutes ;they were outside around the house eating....yea now i got 2 more cats that i have to by food for; but it;s winter and if it gets freezing they can sleep out in the covered garage on a blanket...
2006-11-06 07:22:18 · answer #6 · answered by Cami lives 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Animal control, the SPCA and some hardware stores rent humane traps. Then just take it to the shelter.
2006-11-06 06:06:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
your best bet is probably to call the humane society...
or you could try this:
put tin foil down on the area(s) the cat likes to hide (many cats will not walk on tin foil)
and or...put lot's of lemon slices in the area (many cats don't like the citrus odor)...
good luck
2006-11-06 07:16:54 · answer #8 · answered by SNAP! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stop feeding it and use a live trap to catch it
2006-11-06 05:48:01 · answer #9 · answered by norsmen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
call animal control this is just what they do!
2006-11-06 05:46:45 · answer #10 · answered by Tyrone H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋