Humane ways to keep feral cats away from your yard

Dear Cathy: I know you’re a proponent of people providing food and shelter to feral cats. However, feral cats don’t leave their waste where they feed and shelter. This creates a problem for neighbors facing the smell, damage and cost of cleaning up after the feral cats.

I have suffered greatly from a neighbor who refused to stop feeding feral cats. The result is a $10,000 bill to replace a pool liner that started leaking after pumping out the water to remove a layer of cat excrement on the bottom of the pool. The pool cover smells, cannot be cleaned and must be replaced. My pool remains out of service until repaired.

I agree with spaying, but that does not solve the immediate problem. What can I do? — Steven, Dix Hills, New York

Dear Steven: If your neighbor was not feeding these community cats, they would probably still be in your neighborhood looking for food and perhaps be even more of a nuisance. Of course, I am sorry to hear about your pool, so let’s explore some humane ways to keep these community cats out of your yard so this doesn’t happen again.

Cats don’t like the scent of certain household items. So, you can place citrus peels, coffee grounds, eucalyptus or even cayenne pepper along your fence line or around the edge of your pool deck to deter these felines. You can use scat mats or chicken wire fencing on the ground around the pool deck to make it uncomfortable for them to walk across.

You also can purchase motion-detection sprinklers or an ultrasonic cat deterrent device that emits a flashing light, an audible sound or an ultrasonic sound only animals can hear, depending on the setting. These devices are motion-triggered, which will scare away animals.

Getty Images