Feral Marina Cats

[Teknav]

Send these cats to Cruella! She is still looking for pelts to make a fur coat! <from the original toon film 101 Dalmatians - Walt Disney>

Mauritz
LUVS Cats!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

We have feral cats on my property. About once a year I trap them and send them to the humane society. Never get all of them, but usually reduce the population down to one or two. My cat doesn't stand his ground to these ruffians, and some cats are smart enough never to go into live traps.

Yes, trapping them can be tricky, and I've never lived anywhere where a group of neighbors would agree to share the cost of neutering them.

I'm telling ya -- perfume and a water cannon.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by MTLandlocked

Lol I think you missed the joke there Raku, I was replying to the joke about letting the mooring lines on feral cats go...he was making a pun. cat=catamaran.

No, I didn't miss the joke but I had nothing to add to the joke. The joke was best left on its own.

Jokes are great, but the OP does need an answer to the land-lubber cats.

[boatman61]

Feral cats... New Zealands curse...

[MTLandlocked]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

No, I didn't miss the joke but I had nothing to add to the joke. The joke was best left on its own.

Jokes are great, but the OP does need an answer to the land-lubber cats.

Ok, sorry about that. Your post said it was a reply to my post, hince the confusion!

[JPA Cate]

Zee:

If the coatimundi only comes around sometimes, probably bubba is your best earlly warning system. I guess if it were me, I'd try the ammonia water in the water pistol trick, if you can find them locally; otherwise, the "madwoman with a broom" routine, with hollering. [I know it's undignified, but might be effective in frightening it.]

The band-together-share the cost of trap, spay, and release method offers the best chance of dealing with it in a cruiser friendly environment. I can imagine other possible solutions, but they're not "G" rated.

Ann

[zeehag]

contrary to popular or unpopular opinion, feral cats make excellent boat kats. i know--i had , one at a time, 3 different ferals...awesome and very very grateful for safety.
\my neighbor in la cruz had 3 of em. awesome pets.
they are bashful and dont like folks much, as often, folks have been bad to them, but, cats do bond with one soul primarily, so if you find one that is attracted to you, let it be yours...they are wonderful early warning critters and they hunt out the bad critters in your boat.

anne--there are only 3 boats occupied in this marina--i think when the folks return for high season, we wont have coatimundi on dock anymore..everyone here is hongree in summer--low season is exactly that--low.

[barnakiel]

A water jet from the dock hose solves many cat related issues.

b.

[zeehag]

barnakiel--yes they do and are fun to use...lol especially at 0300.....

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

If the coatimundi only comes around sometimes, probably bubba is your best earlly warning system. I guess if it were me, I'd try the ammonia water in the water pistol trick, if you can find them locally; otherwise, the "madwoman with a broom" routine, with hollering. [I know it's undignified, but might be effective in frightening it.]

The band-together-share the cost of trap, spay, and release method offers the best chance of dealing with it in a cruiser friendly environment. I can imagine other possible solutions, but they're not "G" rated.

Ann

I put "coatimundis and civilization" into google expecting to find that they gravitate to human (trash cans, for instance), the way their cousins the raccoons did, but didn't find anything. According to what I saw, they eat mostly bugs and fruit with the occasional small rodent or bird. IF they aren't drawn to things like trash I'm kind of surprised that one would be visiting a boat, especially over and over (and not suggesting that *anyone* here leaves a lot of trash around).

But it's been fun to read the thread and see more exotic animals than feral cats pop up!

[zeehag]

coatis eat whatever they can find here--trash has fruit peelings and such in it--smells like fruit for them.. they are bashful and kinda cool looking--i dont mess with em--is low season and everything goes hongree now. i dont feed critters, but i like knowing what is coming into bubbas interest at night.

most folks diet here contains extra heavy fruit and veggies as those are so inexpensive and are local..meat here is pricey, but a lot tastier than in usa, as it is grass fed and fresh. chicken is essentially free range---try to find a place sans roosters and hens here...lol
but with all the fruit peelings and seeds in garbage, is no wonder the shy lil critters come out in hungry season
i leave my fruit on coachhouse roof to ripen if i have bananas and mangos--but i have found need to bring em inside--isnt just coatis that love fruit--bugs do also...lol

[OnTour]

Call the local Chinese restaurants...they will usually take them off your hands.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by boden36

cat multiplication chart

Courtesy of Forgotten Felines of Sonoma
Two uncontrolled breeding cats can create the following:

Two litters a year ... at a survival rate of 2.8 kittens per litter with continued breeding...

• 12 cats the first year
• 66 cats the second year
• 2,201 cats in the third year
• 3,822 cats in the fourth year
• 12,680 cats in the fifth year, and so on ...
• Multiplying to a staggering 80,399,780 cats in the tenth year!!!

Which is why I catch and kill them! Since beginning a feral cat eradication program on our property we have had the joy of watching our bird numbers increase more than we would have thought possible.
Our local vet will deal with them if we take them to her in the trap.

Regards,
Richard.

I worked at an animal rescue shelter (voluntarily) for a year before we cast off. The shelter ran partnerships with local big companies to run humane animal control programs in Kuwait, and there are a few facts I learnt.

1. Humane (or otherwise) euthanasia does not work for feral cat populations, for the simple reason that if you clear an area of cats, then more cats simply move in and continue the breeding process. Hence TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) programmes work most effectively for cat populations - it is the return of the neutered cats to their habitat which keeps the population down.
2. Humane euthanasia DOES work for dog populations, since they are territorial, and will generally remain in an area which provides them with reliable sustenance. Hence, whilst it can be a good thing to return them to their habitat with a caretaker who will ensure they are fed, there is no benefit to the area... therefore if you are going to put them through the trauma of anaesthetic and operation, it often makes sense to simply give the less friendly ones a painless overdose of that same drug and euthanise them. I do not condone the random killing of all feral dogs - not at all. But it is simply pointless bringing the less friendly ones back.

[SaucySailoress]

BTW, I also took in four feral cats, and as long as it is done when they are young, they make super pets. One lived till 17, one was euthanised at 13 when we cast off, because we figured that was a fine age to live (the average age for feral cats in the wild is about 2 years), and we had done our best. Sadly we couldn't bring her on the boat with the digs, and we chose not to rehome her because there are so many young cats who also need a home.

The third cat, who was a little older when we took him in, moved out of our house when he was adopted by the local Tom! The fourth moved out of our dive shop, and in with the local marina cats!

[Teknav]

Hiya Saucy! It looks like you have been "residing" the Arabian Sea for a while. How is your conversational Arabic?; just curious.

Mauritz