House cat behaviour

One of the best-loved of pets, house cats are, as their name suggests, domesticated cats. Their owners tend to control their activities—and their reproductive habits—fairly well. House cats that go outside must wear a collar with a tag so that they won’t be mistaken for strays.

A stray, or feral, cat is one that is not dependent on humans, although it may occasionally approach people, looking for shelter or food. Some live in the wild. The problem is the speed at which they reproduce: a single cat can be responsible for more than 14,000 descendants in just four years!

As part of any program to combat feline overpopulation, it is just as important to spay (remove the uterus and ovaries of) females as it is to neuter (castrate) males. Ideally, this should be done to all pet cats before the age of 6 months; it will also keep them from running away. You will be doing your part to curb the stray cat population.

Here are some things you can do to keep your pet cat from bothering the neighbours:

• Keep your cat inside the house (or build a pen for it outside).

• Register your cat and put the ID tag collar around its neck (99% of stray animals with tags are returned to their owners, versus only 15% of those that aren’t).

• If you must part with your cat, find a foster home or contact a humane society such as the SPA or SPCA.

• Block any holes in fences around your property and plant shrubs with thorny branches (e.g., rose bushes, raspberry).

• If you have a sandbox, equip it with a cover to keep cats from using it as a litterbox.

• In the garden, choose plants that deter cats, like common rue (Ruta graveolens), ornamental garlic, and scented geranium… and, obviously, don’t plant catnip (Nepeta Cataria L.), which they love!

• In flowerbeds and under porches and decks, cover the ground with stones, dog hair (also effective anywhere else cats are likely to go), or pine bark and cones, which are uninviting to cats.

• It goes without saying that, if you don’t want cats to visit, you shouldn’t feed them.

• Spray water at cats that come onto your property; for example, you can use a motion-activated sprinkler (similar to automatic lawn watering systems).

• Spray or spread an animal repellent consisting of pepper oil, piperine (black pepper extract) and capsaicin (the active component in chili peppers). It’s available in most stores. Alternatively, you can mix up a highly spicy mixture, which will irritate cats’ nostrils.

Note

1. Recipe provided by the Eastern Townships SPA.  

MINISTRY OF FORESTS, WILDLIFE AND PARKS:

Keeping cats indoors is for the birds…and the cats