We Lost 4 Cats In One Week by Mothball Poisoning
by Joyce Sammons (Hodges, SC, USA)
Scrappy and Whiskers
I’m writing this account of what happened to two of the most beautiful cats I’ve ever owned with the hope no one has to repeat this experience. Whiskers and Scrappy were brother and sister and I’d had them since the day they were born.
They were the only litter born by c-section because their mother went into labor and then the labor stopped. Whiskers was a beautiful long haired black and white male who loved being held. Scrappy was a long haired female calico who knew she was beautiful and strutted everywhere she went. I lived in a place where it was safe for them to roam the neighborhood. There were woods behind my home and lots of places where they could hunt and just enjoy being a cat.
Whiskers – photo by Joyce Sammons
One evening we found one of the cats we fed. Old Tom was a black male who came every day for a bite to eat. He was friendly and probably belonged to someone in the neighborhood. He was dead under my living room window. My husband and I checked him for trauma and there wasn’t a mark on him. We took him to the woods and gave him a proper burial.
A few days later we found Tom’s eating buddy Booger dead in the back yard. At first glance he looked to be enjoying an afternoon nap. Again there was no sign of trauma. We buried him beside Tom.
I wasn’t concerned about any kind of poison ingestion. The whole neighborhood owned cats and we all had an agreement not to put out rat poison because it would endanger our animals. The cats controlled the rat population and didn’t need any help from us humans.
Scrappy – photo by Joyce Sammons
It was the day after burying Booger that the unthinkable happened. Whiskers and Scrappy were both staggering and wouldn’t touch their food. They were too sick to walk but continued to haphazardly follow me from room to room. I scooped them up and carried them to the vet.
I explained about Tom and Booger and the vet diagnosed Whiskers and Scrappy with feline leukemia. I may not be an expert but I didn’t think it likely that two cats would die a day apart of feline leukemia and now two more were sick. The vet gave them a glucose IV and sent them home.
That night I made them a bed on the floor in my bedroom. The next morning Scrappy was dead but Whiskers seemed a little better. We gave Scrappy a funeral and buried him beside Tom and Booger.
A few days later Whiskers did a really great cat stretch. You cat lovers know the stretch I’m talking about. His head was almost on top of his front feet and his tail was high in the air. Then-he just fell over. I picked him up and took him to another vet.
The new vet listened to my story of how the other three had died and diagnosed Whiskers with poisoning. Since it had been so long since being ingested there was nothing we could do except wait. I fed him using a syringe and he slept in my lap. I cared for him around the clock for two days. Then he died. I still couldn’t believe any of the neighbors would intentionally harm a neighborhood pet.
So I started asking around. One of the neighbors had placed mothballs under her house to repel snakes. I live in the deep south and snakes can be a problem during the hotter months. I’ve always associated mothballs with the funky smell in grandma’s closet to repel moths.
As it turned out mothballs are an old folk remedy. Scatter them under the house and the snakes won’t go there. There had been a lot of rain that week and it turned out that was the problem. The cats had gone underneath their house and drank from a puddle where the mothballs had dissolved. Mothballs contain several poisons with very long names. All of the symptoms fit.
We had lost a total of four neighborhood cats in less than a week. Maybe more that I never knew about. If this article can save even one cat from this horrible ending it will be worth it.
Joyce
Hi Joyce… A great but very distressing article. Thank you for sharing.
I just looked up mothball poisoning and they are evil things it seems. I never knew. They are also poisonous to people and particularly children.
They contain the chemicals: naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Napthalene can cause: headaches, restlessness, methemoglobinemia, hyperkalemia, fever, anemia, lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, hemolysis, acute renal failure, seizures, and coma.
Paradichlorobenzene is linked to kidney and liver disease. (source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/410536_3).
Moth ball poisoning in cats and dogs causes: vomiting, seizures and possibly smell of moth balls on breath. Increased heart rate. Liver inflammation (possible) and lethargy. Anemia, liver disease.
“Gastric lavage” can be administered if within 30-60 mins of ingestion. (source: Pet Education)
Mothballs can be abused by people and cause anemia and liver disease. Get rid of those moth balls if you have cats or dogs.
We Lost 4 Cats In One Week by Mothball Poisoning to Cat Health Problems
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| May 24, 2012 | Buying some Mothballs Today NEW Im soooo tired of having cats in my yard and climbing on my car. Not too mention the piss and shit that I have to smell and step in when I mow my yard. I am currently using a Red Rider BB Gun to shoot them with. It will not kill them as it is not that powerful however they are still coming back. So now Im putting out Mothballs around my property, Im soo sick of seeing cats in my yard, I hate em. If you have a cat and you let it roam in peoples yards then expect the worse, why should us folks that do not share youre love for felines have to put up with shit and piss in our yards. Im killing them. |
| May 24, 2012 | Buying some Mothballs Today NEW Im soooo tired of having cats in my yard and climbing on my car. Not too mention the piss and shit that I have to smell and step in when I mow my yard. I am currently using a Red Rider BB Gun to shoot them with. It will not kill them as it is not that powerful however they are still coming back. So now Im putting out Mothballs around my property, Im soo sick of seeing cats in my yard, I hate em. If you have a cat and you let it roam in peoples yards then expect the worse, why should us folks that do not share youre love for felines have to put up with shit and piss in our yards. Im killing them. |
| May 16, 2012 | Some horrible people here on this site NEW TO: Cut the (Cat) Crap…..I wish someone would feed YOU a bunch of mothballs! You deserve it! You sound like a horrible, cruel person. I would much rather have a million cats around than just one of you! |
| Apr 15, 2012 | Update on Mr Pissy Paws NEW My braindead neighbours have finally worked out that keeping 2+ cats on a small balcony is a bad idea. She told me that the cats are causing too much trouble (no shit Sherlock!), especially now that one seems to have fallen from the balcony while trying to get over to mine!!! Man, I did a great job of keeping a straight face 🙂 Even better, “Mr” Pissy Paws is/was pregnant! One thing I hate more than people who can’t look after their own pets, is irresponsible wankers who won’t desex their pets and then produce more poorly looked after vermin. Now I will have to discreetly feign an interest to see if the world has been saved from another batch of unwanted animals.
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| Apr 12, 2012 | …Woah… NEW Wow, I’m surprised at some of the comments here talking about how some people are annoyed with the problems that cats bring. Yes, I understand that they can be extremely irritating when they trespass on your property (I’ve experienced it myself) but it isn’t right to actually wish them bodily harm/death. Getting pleasure from wanting them to die from a three-story fall or by moth-ball ingestion is absolutely cruel. If anyone thinks this is funny, think again. |
| Apr 03, 2012 | Point Made! NEW Now can you see my point? You (cat owners) are the main cause of all that happens to your cats. YOU are not respecting your neighbors, or your cats by allowing them to roam and dis-respect your neighbors. If your neighbor wanted a cat, let that be their choose, don’t push yours on them. Your cat belongs to you and to YOUR property ONLY!!! Not to your neighbors! |
| Apr 02, 2012 | yippee NEW thanks for all the info! I’ll definately go buy all the mothballs and spread them around the back and front yards. . . . sorry no meaness here! 🙂 |
| Apr 01, 2012 | Thank you NEW This site is a great find. Mothballs and anti-freeze are fatal to feline vermin – excellent 🙂 Thank you for the information. I live in an apartment complex where my ignorant neighbours keep a couple of cats in about 12m^2 of balcony. The place stinks of cat piss and shit, and if the wind blows from their direction I can’t even use my balcony. Worse still, these vermin hop to my balcony and dig up my potted herbs and vegetables and fill them with piss and shit – how on earth am I supposed to eat or enjoy these? Months worth of cultivation ruined! I have complained to the retards next door who said they would fix it, but did bugger all about the problem. I erected a mesh barrier which has worked for about 6 months, but the vermin have just found a way though. So again, I have had to chase them away and then hose the cat vomit from my balcony. Tonight, one of the 4 legged terrorists was back. Long story short, poor Mr Pissy Paws fell 3 storeys. I can’t say if it was fatal or not, but it was a pretty decent thud!!! What is the concentration of mothballs or antifreeze required for the desired effect? For the pathetic whiners who will go on about the rights of the cat, I am far more concerned about the list of diseases these filthy creatures harbour and could spread to me: Bartonellosis, Salmonellosis, Visceral larva migrans, Cutaneous larva migrans, Ringworm, Intestinal worms, Isospora, Cryptosporidiosis, Giardiasis, and Toxoplasmosis. Thank you for reading. |
| Mar 31, 2012 | Not being meant as meaness NEW It’s not meaness, it’s simply to say to cat (pet) owners, just be a little more responsible. Don’t let your cat roam, it’s why she lost them. We haven’t meant it to be heartless, just meant it to be careful not to let a new cat out if she gets one. |
| Mar 31, 2012 | good find! NEW http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUGE-VALUE-24-OZ-MOTH-BALLS-REPELS-DEER-CATS-SNAKES-INSECTS-SCORPIONS-MOTHS-ECT-/160672766786?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2568d7db42#ht_1201wt_908 found a good deal. look how its advertised….. |
| Mar 30, 2012 | keep your cats inside NEW I can’t believe that you jut called us LOOSERS and say we should GO TO HELL….since you feel so strongly about our complaints then here is a thought….why don’t you and the owners of these pets who roam the streets and use our lawns as litter boxes get up off your lazy asses and get out their and start cleaning the S..T that your animals leave for people like me to clean…why should I clean up after your animals??? you want pets?? but you want your neighbors to clean up after them….get real people!!!! I don’t agree that people should knowingly use anything that will hurt an animal but really what do you expect???? why should I have to go out every weekend to clean up your cat S..T???? take responsibility or don’t complain if out of someone’s frustration they do something irrational!!!! |
| Mar 28, 2012 | So sorry for your loss of beloved pets, thank you for sharing. NEW I was about to put moth balls in my closet to protect my clothes from moths, and any other kind of bugs, then I saw your post. While moth balls smell awful, I was not aware of just how horrifically poisonous they can be, you are probably saving other cats lives by posting on the internet. TO THE CALLOUS, “LOSER” CAT HATERS WHO WRONGLY CHOSE THIS SITE TO VENT THEIR INSENSITIVENESS, GO SOMEPLACE ELSE WITH YOUR MEANNESS!!!! |
| Mar 24, 2012 | Take Resposibility for your Pet! NEW It is all about taking responsibility. I am amazed at the people who allow their cats to roam the neighborhood daily, even for a limited amount of time, and then lament that somebody poisoned them? Did they come into your home and poison them? My guess is no, and you should consider that YOUR OWN ACTIONS got your cats poisoned because you allow them to roam free in the neighborhood. I love all animals but I am deathly allergic to cats. That is why I don’t own one. I should be able to work in my own yard and flower beds without encountering their urine or feces, or hair that has been rubbed off on my plants. I should be able to sit out on my deck without having cats stalking my bird feeders. In our city, all loose pets are against the law, yet some cat owners seem to think that allowing their cat to roam the neighborhood is more important than the neighbor’s privacy or well-being. The fact is that our laws now require that pet owners be responsible with their pets and not allow them to roam free. By the way, whatever happened to common courtesy, which for reasons that escape me, cat owners seem to expect for their roaming cats and yet do not extend that courtesy to the neighbor having to deal with the wandering feline? Wake up cat owners. The rules are not different for cats and dogs. If a dog came into your yard and injured your cat, you would hold that dog and owner responsible, as you well should. A parent does not allow their child to sit in the street and play and then cry outrage when the inevitable happens. Perhaps moth balls are not the acceptable method of deterring cats, but if you are breaking the law and allowing your cats to roam, then you are freely relinquishing control of the fate of your animals to other people, and have no right to complain. Common sense dictates that you do not have the right to force other people to discipline or control your pet on THEIR property, and then complain about their methods. If your cat is not on your property and it encounters danger or injury, then YOU are responsible, first and foremost. Let’s put the blame where it belongs. If you want to keep your pets safe, then keep them in your home. |
| Mar 21, 2012 | keep your cats inside NEW I am sorry to hear about the loss of your cats however I have to agree with the fact that you should have kept your cats inside your own home. I have a cat as well and she does NOT roam the streets..I clean up after her in my own home!!!! I recently had the front of my house redone, I spent a small fortune, even had to put up gate around the front because I had a problem with the dogs in my neighbourhood using my front lawn to take care of their business because my neighbors are too damn lazy to take them out and do the poop and scoop…now that the gate is up I have cats taking care of their business out there!!!! I have thought about moth balls but I don’t want to kill them I just want them gone!!! does anyone have any suggestions??? what I may do is the next time I have to clean it up outside I may just dump it at my neighbors front door!!!! so annoyed!!! |
| Mar 21, 2012 | Instead NEW In reply to the last comment. Tell the animal control instead. The lethal injection they’ll give is probably more humane. Ingesting mothballs is an awful way to die, and what if a child found one instead of a cat. They will kill anything that eats them. |
| Mar 13, 2012 | I Hate Cats NEW My NextDoor Neighbor Started Feeding A Couple Of Stray Cats About 3 years Ago Now We Have About 15 Cats At AnyGiven Time. We Told Him To Stop Feeding The Cats Him And His Wife WillNot There Answer Is We Cannpt Let Them Starve. I Have Outdoor Carpet On my Porch And It Is Nasty From The Cats Allways On It Pissing And Shiting On It Now We Have More Babies. I Am Sick Of Them.Because They Are Nasty Folks That Don’t Mean I Have To Be Nasty. Someone Told Me To Get Some Coyote Piss They Will Think It’s A Big Animal Around.Its Nothing Wrong With Being A Animal Lover But Don’t Feed Them Your POrch And Leave The Many Trays Outside Take The Cat’s Inside And Keep Them I am Fed Up Can’t Take It Anymore Mothballs Soundsgood Whole House Has Allergies Now |
| Mar 10, 2012 | @kittypoo please respond thank you! NEW @kittypoo – do you know who i would contact in my local area to report a neighbor using mothballs with intensions of harming any kind of animal that steps foot in their yard? i would also like them to be informed that it is illegal use and how dangerous the use of these mothballs are especially in an open area where anything/one such as children could come into contact with them. i am thinking i would contact my local animal control or aspca? i dont want any trouble with the neighbors so i would rather have an organization/ company call them. spring is coming and this is the time of year they usually start. it drives me absolutley crazy. especially since i have a dog. any info, advice or help you could offer me i would greatly appreciate! thanks! |
| Mar 02, 2012 | Kiity Poo NEW Kitty Poo, first of all you need to learn how to spell before you post something. It just shows us that your brain is as small as a cats. Maybe we need to throw moth balls at you. |
| Mar 02, 2012 | Kiity Poo NEW Kitty Poo, first of all you need to learn how to spell before you post something. It just shows us that your brain is as small as a cats. Maybe we need to throw moth balls at you. |
| Feb 29, 2012 | kitty poo NEW I love cats. i love them all! big, small, and fat or tall i love cats. a cat will only poopy in your garden if he hates you! after saying awful things about cats i wish all the neighbors would poop at your house! as a matter of fact i will press charges on anyone who uses any chemicals that arnt bio degratable and that are hazards to the health and well being of us,our animals and our earth. and i will through them scumballs along with the mothballs in the litter box! by the way if you end up in prison for dumping these mothballs proven not legal to use outside around housing,children,humans pets, water sources,,, most other prison inmates LOVE CATS! you better love cats too! or i wouldnt want to be you in jail… CATS RULE! |
| Feb 27, 2012 | Cats pooping NEW This simple CAT OWNERS clean up your cat litter trays regular and YOUR CAT will start using it more than your neighbours gardens … 🙂 |
| Feb 25, 2012 | moth balls hmmm NEW I never thought about moth balls…hmmmm ggood idea. I normally do the throw the ball so it chases the ball them blow it away with the 30odd6. Just wastes bullets I will have to try the moth balls thanks for the advise |
| Feb 20, 2012 | sorry NEW oops sorry guys i didnt see my comment show up and wrote another one similar that will show again. i will let yous know what happens after i contact some kind of spca or animal control in my area. thanks! |
| Feb 20, 2012 | animal abuse? please help!! NEW i think it is so terrible what happened to your cats. ugh my heart breaks to hear stories like this. it is not fair that this has happend to innocent animals. i think the people who put those mothballs outside should be in trouble. you should have reported them. people should not be able to put mothballs out in their yards or use them in any other way than directed on the box. according to the internet, it is illegal. i think mothballs should not be made anymore. some states they are banned and i think all states should have them banned. in all reality they have no use and there are so many alternatives that are not as dangerous. i have a problem with my neighbors putting them out in their landscaping because of cats that wander the neighborhood. well i have a dog and i worry every year that he may rome into their yard if he sees another animal by accident and step on eat or lick one of the mothballs. does anyone know if there is someone/ a number i could call to report this? i believe this is like animal abuse because it is common sense that mothballs are poisonous and will/ could kill an animal or person. please anyone respond with a comment and let me and anyone else know if there is anything i can do to prevent this. thank you!! |
| Feb 19, 2012 | Thank God! NEW I hate cats! Thank you for sharing a solution to my problem with a neighbors cats. You cat owners need to keep your nasty cats in your home,away from other peoples property. I doubt these cats will have 9 lives. |
| Feb 19, 2012 | YES! NEW Yes you can, you can report it to animal control. If it is illegal, you can most diffenently put a stop to it! Good luck, let us know how it turns out. |
| Feb 19, 2012 | mothballs illegal if misused? NEW that is terrible what happened to these poor cats. i feel so bad that they suffered such an awful way to go. people can be so stupid. people need to research things before they do things. what i dont understand is, how is it right that mothballs are even allowed to be used by putting them in your yard for any innocent animal to come in contact with? well from what i have researched, it is illegal. it is illegal to use mothballs in any other way than indicated on the box it comes in. mothballs in my opinion should stop being made. there really is no use for them. they are just a posion that can cause serious harm to anything/anyone they come in contact with. my situation is i have a dog and a non fenced in yard. my next door neighbor is uses mothballs every spring/summer to keep rodents out of their landscaping. it greatly bothers me because even though i dont let my dog into anyone elses yard, he is a dog and may see a another animal and run into my neighbors yard by accident. now what if my dog came in contact with these mothballs? i worry every year. i dont know how to tell my neighbor that it is not safe for the neighborhood kids or animals. does anyone know if it is possible if i could call my local town and have my neighbor reported or be notified that the mothball use in her yard is illegal or should come to a stop because of the danger it poses? if anyone has any advice for mmy concern please comment and tell me. thank you. |
| Feb 18, 2012 | Um NEW Pretty sure this is only to make people aware the dangers of moth balls.. Nothing more.
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| Feb 09, 2012 | poisoned NEW My poor cat Joffiel was found dead in a bin he had been poorly and gone out, i believe the guy art the back of my house was involved…found out recently from another neighbour at back of my house that the guy died recently in a car crash. Made me wonder, |
| Feb 07, 2012 | Beg your pardon! NEW I did get my pets like that. One was an abandon kitten in a litter under a house that they moved off and keft them, the other one we found roaming the shopping center parking lot in the dead of winter with pneumonia (she is a mix breed indoor dog that is now 12 years old). What I was trying to say is that I DO feel for the two cats, that is a horrible way to die, but you HAVE to take some responsibility for your pets and keep them safe. You CAN’T let them roam and get onto someone else’s property and destroy, it just not being responsible as a pet owner or as a neighbor. I am so sorry for your loss but just think about it, if you had kept them indoors they would not have been hurt, they would have been safe. There are a lot of folks out there that just don’t care and WILL hurt our pets (family members) and we have to step up to the plate for them, they depend on us to do so. |
| Feb 06, 2012 | So Sorry for Your Loss NEW Dear Joyce, my heart goes out to you. Our pets aren’t just animals, they are part of our family! I am sickened by the cruel, vicious comments made by some people. Animals have as much right to be here as we do! Instead of complaining and killing, why not try to do something positive and contact your local shelter and ask how you can help! I read a sign the other day that really made me stop and think. This is what it said: “I can only hope to someday be half the Man/Women that my dog/cat thinks I am.” Unlike humans animals love unconditionally, we could learn a lot from them! Remember, God does not like ugly! |
| Feb 06, 2012 | I TOTALLY AGREE! NEW Well said Sara, I totally agree, it is our responsibility to our cats to take care of them. Letting them run lose is not how you do it. (Keep your cats at home. NEW
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| Feb 05, 2012 | Keep your cats at home. NEW First, I must say that I am sorry for the cats because their lives were taken..not by those using moth balls…but by those cat owners that refuse to be responsible and keep them at HOME!! I know that the cat lovers are now saying that felines are creatures that must be allowed to run or you are being cruel to them. Bologna! Keep your cats inside your home where they are safe from harm, both from man and elements. You should not feel anger toward anyone but yourselves because they lost their lives due to your thinking that everyone just loves cats and wants them using their yards, gardens, etc as their own personal litter box and, most of all, that everyone wants to see those claw marks scratching down the hood of their car’s paint. I have a new car and do not have a garage. The people that recommend the use of a car cover clearly do not actually experience the problem, because a car cover will not protect paint from the claws of a cat. Granted, there are cat repellent devices that may repell a cat, but WHY SHOULD THOSE THAT DO NOT OWN THE CAT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RESULTS OF THOSE THAT DO OWN A CAT???? If my dog were allowed to run loose, he would surely be poisoned, picked up by animal control and killed, etc. or I would be fined because he was running freely. Cat owners wake up and realize that “you” are the problem!!! |
| Dec 30, 2011 | Sorry for your loss To Joyce, so sorry to hear of your loss. your cats were beautiful. Some of the people making comments on here should be dragged out & shot. |
| Dec 30, 2011 | To: I’m glad i found this What a nice thing to post, up you cruel heartless dick. I hope you die a slow painful death just like these beautiful cats had to. |
| Nov 28, 2011 | 3 cats atifreeze soaked meat equals death My neighbors gave three of my cats antifreeze,first cat went into seizures in 4 hour it convulsed ten times,flipped out,I guess its insides were being melted,second cat my 11 year olds cat which likes to cuddle and give nose kisses,,died the next day ,no convulsions just found her at 6am she died 10 min later,last cat 3 died 2days later, its eyes couldn’t follow my finger, it was sallivating etc,, its been over 2 weeks no cops have called or arrived, manistee Michigan has the highest concentrations of officers but the can’t uphold the law ,there too busy stealing money out of union funds and out of the peoples wallets case in point in September they just lost one of there finest for 42 bucks wow if that ain’t worth your career what is. More over the cats are dead I hope there fine, I hope Marshall law is enacted,then I will make them drink antifreeze, eye for an eye. Well in my case I hope the cops can use there law 101books to prosecute these killers ,I hope they get 500 hrs community service per cat or up to 10,000 fine per cat ,how do you tell your child the law can’t protect them, paybacks are yell, I hope the neighbor dies soon from cancer, I’m going to put up signs ,death to the cat killer,I’m posting signs ,flyers,etc,.I want them to appologise to my son. Some day maybe as there hauling him out in a stretcher, ill beat the brakes off that old man |
| Nov 18, 2011 | Cruel people People aggravate me….I honestly don’t know how anyone can sit here and say their going to put out mothballs now. You can’t blame the cat/cats for irresponsible owners or for being abandoned or whatever, their just trying to find someone who will love them and feed them, don’t think that’s to much to ask. I have had 2 strays pop up in my neighborhood in the past 2 months and it’s been stressing to say the least, not because they were starting to come to my apartment, but, because I felt bad for them having to be outside and having noone to care about them. They didn’t ask to be born, or dumped, or taken in by someone else who neglects them. I started feeding both of them and put out a crate with a blanket for them to sleep in. I then found a home for one a few weeks back and found a home for the other one today. I have a heart and can not see a cat suffer, or any animal for that matter. How would you people that now want to kill cats with mothballs feel if someone poisoned you, or a member of your family? How would you like to die a slow, antagonizing death like that? Glad to see your parents brought you up with feelings and a heart for living creatures that feel just as much pain as a human being does…no wonder why, aside from my family, I prefer animals over humans anyday, at least they know what unconditional love is and don’t go around killing and abusing other living creatures. My heart goes out to you for losing the 4 cats, the two that were pictured were beautiful cats. And to all the people who care for and help any abandoned or stray cats, I commend you! Glad to know there are some humans that have feelings for a defenseless animal that needs help. |
| Oct 16, 2011 | Responsible PEOPLE don’t let their cats become other peoples problems. When they do, those people have the same rights to protect their property from your menacing cats. Cats carry a variety of diseases. You cat lovers probably wouldn’t mind if diseased carrying rodents were killed with poison or a trap. In fact, the original poster stated that they didn’t have a rodent problem because of the excessive amounts of cats. So Rats, Mice, birds and Snakes are NOT living beings, but your precious cats ARE!! You can’t have it both ways! Either you protect all life or choose. Some of us choose not to have cats, and we don’t want yours! I agree with the poster that claimed you had nobody to blame but yourself and you know it! Don’t blame others who are protecting their families from possible diseases that they and their own pets can get from YOUR cats feces in their yard. My own dog just this morning was eating cat scat in my yard. Now…I have to take him to the vet because of irresponsible people LIKE YOU! |
| Oct 05, 2011 | Become a responsible pet owner! I am right now having the very same problem with a neighbor cat as I have just sat and read here. I have ask them to please keep their cat in the house (we have a law in the city that they are NOT to be let lose) but to no avail. They just do not care! We actual have had at least 4 toms in my tiny backyard going under my outbuilding and packing fleas. Now there are the fleas to contend with. Next thing you know they will be inside my building. I saw the cat this morning out rooming again but it is looking poorly, skinny, like it’s being starved. It is so sad that abody could do such as that to any pet. I say to all you cat lovers on here, become responsible pet owners and keep your cats in! I have a cat age 11 and a dog age 12 and they are both spayed and my cat NEVER goes out and is content as can be. She has her own window where she lays to see and enjoy the great outdoors. She is safe and as happy as any cat can be without worries that she is going to get hurt, or that she is going to become a pest to any of my neighbors. My dog goes out for walks twice a day and is always on her leash. That is what being a responsible pet owner is, and when you grip and complain about lossing your pet to poisoning like that, it’s your own falt. You never did think of your cat like you should. I am so sorry for your loss but it was nobody’s falt but yours. |
| Sep 23, 2011 | Cats and thier droppings. Sorry cat lovers but I have bought mothballs for my garden. I do not own a cat and don`t see why I should have to put up with their stink when I bend down in the garden. Not only that, I caught one last week jumping from behind a bush and grabbing a bird. Sorry, if you want cats fine but keep them where they are safe in your own house with cat litter. You have the stink because I don`t want it. |
| Aug 25, 2011 | Mothballs suck!! Yes, they are highly toxic and if you ever see mothballs out somewhere you should get rid of them as soon as possible!! They are not only toxic to dogs and cats, but the fumes can also harm humans! There are plenty of harmless ways to keep cats away… Even though I don’t understand why anyone would want to keep beautiful cats away! |
| Aug 03, 2011 | Senseless My neighbor and I just both lost two precious cats to mothball poisoning. Both our cats were mostly indoor cats, that went out occasionally. The “regular” outdoor neighborhood cats seem fine. We found out that several neighbors use mothballs. It breaks our hearts to see such cruelty and insensitivity. May all good cats rest in peace. |
| Jul 30, 2011 | My Yard is a Cat Toilet My yard smells like a cesspool, thanks to all the inconsiderate idiot cat lovers in my neighborhood. About a dozen cats use my yard as a toilet. I have spent thousands of dollars over the years trying to keep these filthy animals out of my yard. There should be a leash-law for cats! |
| Jun 13, 2011 | how many cats looks like max port washington had six cats. now there are 6 less |
| Jun 13, 2011 | Cats and their crap If you must have a pet then keep them in their entirety – crap and all. If you allow Tiddles to invade other people’s space then you must expect repercussions. Intentionally poisoning animals is a bit over the top, but I have found that returning the cat shit to it’s rightful owner, via a mail box for example, does tend to concentrate the mind………. |
| Jun 13, 2011 | Don’t you love cat shit when you’re gardening The selfish cat owners do not suffer the joys of cat shit when gardening because their little darlings, aka wildlife slaughterers, never repeat never, shit on their own doorsteps. If you don’t want any come back keep them on your own property. |
| May 01, 2011 | I’m glad i found this On my way to buy mothballs and kill those damn cats that get on my lawn and shit on it all the time. Thanks again for sharing this 🙂 |
| Apr 14, 2011 | Max Port Washington,NY Hi Joyce, My Neighbor poisoned both of my cats with mothballs. I wish I would have read your article earlier. |
| Apr 14, 2011 | Max Port Washington,NY Hi Joyce, My Neighbor poisoned both of my cats with mothballs. I wish I would have read your article earlier. |
| Apr 14, 2011 | Max Port Washington,NY Hi Joyce, My Neighbor poisoned both of my cats with mothballs. I wish I would have read your article earlier. |
| Mar 08, 2011 | I’m so sorry… For your horrible loss and for the ignorant, tactless, and degrading statements made by some of the others on this post. These sweet little animals rely on the kindness of their owners and (sometimes) neighbors for their happiness, health, and love. We take care of them, love them, and in return they give us unconditional love and keep the pest population in control (if necessary). Much like other pets they are individuals who become family and beloved companions–and it is UNFATHOMABLE to even *think* that someone would treat them badly or wish them harm. However, much like there are evil people who will harm your children, there are those who will do the same to your pets. It is incredibly sad, but this is the world we live in. I thank you for this very important, valuable information and again, I am deeply sorry for your terrible loss. My heart goes out to you and your family. |
| Mar 05, 2011 | I’m sorry I’m sorry for your loss and I’m sorry people can be so low-down cruel with their anonymous comments. I happened upon this while researching the use of mothballs as a territorial-cat-turn repellant and now I know it simply won’t be an option. Thank you for taking the time to share your story and share their pictures. <3 |
| Mar 03, 2011 | Amazing story What an awful story, I have neighbors like you. I think how awful it is for the cat that they have such irresponsible owners to care for them. Just out of curiosity why don’t you keep them inside your house where they would be safe? Oh, you rely on other people to care for them. I have three dogs that I love so much I keep them indoors and they play in a fenced in yard and have fresh food and water in bowls instead of the puddles and garbage you provide. I gotta tell you there is nothing quite like the smell of cat piss, it’s really great. And when you don’t have a cat it’s even better. Yeah you really are an animal lover.
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| Feb 28, 2011 | Cruel and Unusual Comments How dare you all? You have been so inconsiderate to this woman. You need to realize that this was a great loss for her.How would you like to lose a loved one? Not pleasent, right? That’s how she feels. |
| Feb 15, 2011 | Too late for another cat I have never been a fan of cats..to be honest, they scare me. I am allergic to them as well but when a house nearby was discovered to be the home of a cat hoarder I was saddened to see the way those poor animals had been living. Animal control came in and caught as many of the 100+ cats as they could, most had to be put down. Ever since then there have been feral cats around the neighborhood. As much as I don’t care for cats I could not stand by and watch them suffer either so one by one I fed them, gained their trust, caught them, had them fixed and released them as they would never be a pet. I have also caught the kittens that they had prior to being fixed and brought them in for adoption. I actually ended up keeping one of them (he is an indoor cat because I do agree that they should be kept inside) and his mother and one other cat who looks just like mine have been coming for food for several years now. Last week the male disappeared and today it was warm enought to tromp through the snow in the yard so I took a walk around the house. I was heartbroken to find him dead and frozen near my back porch. Lying next to his body were several pouches of mothballs that my husband puts under the deck and porch to keep skunks away. I am sure that is what killed him…poor thing. Some of the comments I have read here are cruel and quite frightening. I can’t even imagine what a horrible death he had…who would wish that on any living thing? There will be no more mothballs at my house and I will share this experience with everyone I know. |
| Jan 30, 2011 | Yay for mothballs!!! Cats are a problem in my hood. I’m putting mothballs all around my house. Forget you inconsiderate people who don’t give two cents for people with cat allergies. It’s 5 am, I can’t sleep cause all I smell is cat piss. They live or breed or hang out in my yard out of all places in my hood. I’m throwning moth balls under there. I don’t care if they die. Screw those dirty animals and their irresponsible owners. |
| Jan 21, 2011 | THANK YOU! NOW I KNOW HOW TO KILL THE CATS IN MY BACK YARD!….HATE CATS! |
| Jan 14, 2011 | Thank You We had an excess of winter woolen’s and a lack of closet space in our small apartment, and so had been storing them, folded, under the bed. When I went rooting, I found a few holes and was given the advice to store them in containers, with moth balls. Which I had never used before. Or really understood, to be honest. I’m crucifying myself for not reading up on them beforehand,something I do about meaningless things, & when they were purchased, I had a brutal flu, which obliterated my entire sense of smell. Cut to today. My sense of smell returned, and I needed a sweater. I opened the container…..and promptly was ill. The smell was OVERWHELMING. I realized in a jolt-of-understanding {after going online}, that these balls of poison, whose intended purpose is to kill with the gas they produce, are under my bed, beneath where I sleep with my other half and my trusting cat. The containers now are on the balcony. The room has been aired out. I called Poison Control, who stated that, although the worry is primarily with ingestion, the fumes can have dire effects, and that gloves should be used to remove the moth balls, and the entire lot need to be disposed of at a Designated Bio-hazardous Waste Spot. If the last sentence doesn’t hit home, I don’t know what will. I thank you for sharing your story; it was heartbreaking, but can serve as a cautionary tale. I am very, very lucky. I am just shaking my head at the people whose response to this thought-provoking message is to spew anger and hate. I am grateful to you, and will also be sending this on to my vet’s office, as I am sure that there are others out there who were as in the dark as I was. |
| Dec 30, 2010 | mothballs I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your cats. I was glad to hear your story about mothballs. I live in an old neighborhood in my town with dozens of stray cats and tomcats. That is a reason for people to fix your animals. I have a couple of points I would like to make. 1) spay and neuter.2) If you love your cats, keep them inside. 3) Don’t feed strays. Shooting cats is more humane than poisoning but it’s easier to get caught. I live in a neighborhood where the houses are less than 10 feet apart. Cats are everywhere. They pee on my house, front door, use my small yard as a litter box, I would like to play in the yard with my little boy. My neighbor lets his cats breed uncontrolled. My boy likes the kitties and wants to play with them but I know they don’t have shots and are mean when cornerd (speaking from experience) I will offer to have his momma cat spayed, I will pay for it. But I am getting rid of all the cats I can that are obviously strays, If a cat is outside he is a stray, PetVet on t.v. says cats will live twice as long if kept inside. Keep your cats inside.I am using all options at this point, glad to hear mothballs kill cats, I’ll keep my boy inside for awhile, than I’ll get the snare, than the gun, I have relocated a few in the country. I would not have to use these extreme options if people would spay and neuter, and not feed strays, and if they really love their cat they would keep them indoors. If that is not an option, move to the country and stop whining because you were irresponsible, letting your animals piss and crap in someone’s yard and house. |
| Dec 12, 2010 | mothballs I also lost my cat in nov.2010. I put mothballs down by the fences to stop her from pooping there never thought it was poison to her. Lindsey was with us for 12 years and she was our first cat together. im going to pick up the mothballs now. im so hurt. sometimes i hear her and start crying. she was a good cat. ss for ur lost everyone. happy holidays |
| Oct 25, 2010 | city cats should be tied up or kept inside!! I am tired of all your cats craping in my gardens!! I don’t feel bad for anybodys cat that gets hurt on somebody elses property. YOUR cats should be kept on YOUR property! and pooping in YOUR kitty litter! What ever people put out to keep YOUR cats away is THEIR business, It’s THEIR property and YOUR cat is going there and urinating / craping in THEIR gardens. How unhealthy is this. It’s sick…..dogs and cats belong in the country PERIOD! |
| Oct 19, 2010 | Kitties Sorry bout your cats. I also have a Scrappy, call her Kitty Whiskers and her brother looks like your Whiskers. Thanks for sharing this. I did not know mothballs were toxic to Kitties. Therye family members and for anyone to say it s your fault is so stupid!! Life is to be lived and kitties love the outside. Accidents happen to humans also but we still leave the house. Thamks for the info. Your Kitties were beautiful… |
| Oct 19, 2010 | Kitties Sorry bout your cats. I also have a Scrappy, call her Kitty Whiskers and her brother looks like your Whiskers. Thanks for sharing this. I did not know mothballs were toxic to Kitties. Therye family members and for anyone to say it s your fault is so stupid!! Life is to be lived and kitties love the outside. Accidents happen to humans also but we still leave the house. Thamks for the info. Your Kitties were beautiful… |
| Oct 19, 2010 | Kitties Sorry bout your cats. I also have a Scrappy, call her Kitty Whiskers and her brother looks like your Whiskers. Thanks for sharing this. I did not know mothballs were toxic to Kitties. Therye family members and for anyone to say it s your fault is so stupid!! Life is to be lived and kitties love the outside. Accidents happen to humans also but we still leave the house. Thamks for the info. Your Kitties were beautiful… |
| Sep 28, 2010 | Keep Your Cats Indoors If you are a responsibe cat owner, one of the things you do is to keep your pet indoors and provide cats with a clean litter box. YOU clean it out!!!! Roaming cats spread fleas and disease. Our yard was impeccable, but new neighbors moved in and let their cat run free. So now the side of our home has become their litter box. I do use mothballs, but have them in a container with holes that are smaller than the mothballs. I do not want a cat to die of poisoning, but I also do not want to be responsible for YOUR pet. |
| Aug 29, 2010 | Keep yer cats at home! I’m researching ways to keep the neighbors’ cats from using the mulch around my shrubs as a litter box. In addition, two cats got in a fight in front of the house as we came home today. I’ve ruled out mothballs, and I’m sorry about the four cats, but cats need to be kept inside. We have a local ordinance that dogs must be controlled–fenced in or kept on a leash. Every time it is suggested that cats be subject to the same ordinance, the cat owners descend on the city council and scream that it’s inhumane, not in a cat’s nature, etc. and the measure fails. It’s a double standard–if you’re going to keep four-legged critters, keep them in your yard and under control. I like cats and I am considering getting one, but it will be an indoor cat. In short, if you and your neighbors had done the responsible thing and kept the cats indoors, they would be alive today. |
| Aug 26, 2010 | Mothballs I just read an article on how to keeps cats out of your garden. It suggested putting mothballs along the flower beds. Be careful and do more research on anything you read that is said to be safe. It may not be. |
| Aug 12, 2010 | health threat I had my previous car scratched all over by my neighbour’s cat. I got a new car now – more expensive and the cats start scratching and sleeping on top of my car again. They like to climb over and sleep on top of my car @ night.2 yrs ago I was hospitalised for 5 days for bronchitis I think I got it breathing in some of their hair and flea .After discharging the sysmptoms lasted for almost a year. Whose lives is more important A Cat’s or Mine! HUh! I’m putting moth balls tonight.Between the cat’s life & Mine I simply choose MINE. |
| Jul 27, 2010 | Birds, Rabbits, mothballs These cats were not very well protected by the ones who loved them. Many dangers lurk for uncontrolled animals. If you love your pet, prove it! Keep them safe! In Your Own Yard !!! If you don’t care where your cat leaves a mess, why should you care what it eats. Birds, rabbits, mothballs, they will be in someones yard for roaming cats! |
| Jul 27, 2010 | Keep Your cat(s) In Your Own Yard !!! These cats were not very well protected by the ones who loved them. Many dangers lurk for uncontrolled animals. If you love your pet, prove it! Keep them safe! In Your Own Yard !!! If you don’t care where your cat leaves a mess, why should you care what it eats. Birds, rabbits, mothballs, they will be in someones yard for roaming cats! |
| Jul 12, 2010 | call the EPA Mothballs are illegal to put outside because they are so dangerous to the wildlife, small/large animals, children and all of us on well water. Mothballs are a pesticide and should NEVER be put outside and should only be used as directed on the box. It is the law!!! Call the EPA if the local police are ignorant about the laws of pesiticide use. The EPA came out when my neighbor was attempting to keep my cats away even after I told her how poisonous they were to all wildlife. she did NOTHING until I called the EPA. |
| Jun 11, 2010 | I’ll never use mothballs again. Oh my gosh, thank you for republishing this. I already knew mothballs were no good (I have asthma and can’t stand the smell of them) but since I live in the deep south too I had no idea that mothballs were used as a folk remedy. My cat, Cloud, is a mostly outdoor cat. Even though we live far enough outside town limits to have cows for neighbors, I’ll still be on the look out in case Cloud accidentally finds some. |
| Jun 08, 2010 | This is an incredibly valuable article Joyce I had no idea about this problem until I read your piece. And, so very sad. But, your detective work was heroic, despite the terrible circumstances. First off, I am going to forward this to my vet. I am in an urban area, but vets have another practice where people might actually use mothballs for the purpose your clueless neighbor did. Secondly, geez! I actually have some very old boxes of mothballs tucked away in a box or two of vintage (sentimental) clothing I’ve carried around (what with moving I mean) for years. They’re in an out of the way place, but those chemicals are volatile if disturbed. I had no idea. Now the challenge is going to be figuring out how to get rid of my few small boxes of mothballs in a “safe” way. I have no idea at the moment, but obviously putting them out with regular trash would be a really bad idea. If anyone has any thoughts about this, please post. Meanwhile, I’ll be “googling”. Thanks again. |
| Jun 08, 2010 | I still remember I still remember taking Whiskers to the vet the last time. The neighbor was out in her yard and saw me carrying him. She came over and I told her what was wrong. She was a very sweet lady with a nice husband and 2 sons. She was totally clueless. She asked me what was wrong with Whiskers and I told him it was mothball poisoning. The vet could actually smell it on his breath. She said “Mothballs can’t hurt a cat.” I told her “Tell Whiskers that because he’s about to die.” Then I drove off. He died 2 days later. Which was a total shock because he tried so hard not to die. |
| Jun 08, 2010 | Such Beautiful Cats…..gone Joyce, your story broke my heart, such beautiful cats. I find it so hard to understand why some people have such hatred for cats, most likely they are just miserable people, and cats are their target of the day. In previous posts I have discussed my land lady, who hates cats, she was shooting them, untill I reported her to the sheriff, and they told her that she would go to jail if she shoots her gun again….now she uses poison. One of my feral cats is missing, I started with at least ten cats, now there are four. I was told by the sheriff that she can spread any kind of poison in her yard, there is no law regarding the use of poison regardless of your intent. When I read posts such as the one sent by the person today who hides her hatred by saying she is afraid her children will get sick, there I suppose there is no cure for ignorance….first a person would have to know they were afflicted! |
| Jun 08, 2010 | The neighbor was evil The neighbor I had at the time was very sweet. They just didn’t have a clue that mothballs would kill a cat if ingested. I wrote this article several months ago and asked Michael to republish this as this is the time of year mothballs are put out in my area. I just don’t want anyone else to go thru this. |
| Jun 07, 2010 | horrible story So sad. I am so sorry to hear about these cats. As far as the 2nd poster’s comments…I FEEL SORRY FOR THEIR KIDS !! What a horrible, evil, immature, selfish person she is. She must be a miserable person. I wanted to research moth ball posioning because my neighbor’s cat obviously got into some that was put out to deter snakes, and her back legs were giving out, she couldn’t go to the bathroom, was taken to the vet, blood tests showed nothing. Owners noticed a mothball smell on her the other day, and just told us that he thinks it’s poisioning. Never would have thought cats would go near that smell. My 2 cats don’t even like the smell of hand creams. My 2 cats are indoor/outdoor, they rarely leave our yard, and could never imagine keeping them locked in the house all of their lives. We all watch out for each others pets here in our neighborhood and I am sorry to hear that you have such a freaken miserable evil neighbor next to you. |
| May 25, 2010 | Cats Are Family Anonymous………..you’re a jerk! I know why you won’t leave a name. Yes, pets should be in but that’s no reason to kill them if they’re not. By the way, if you died I won’t shed a tear and I hope not one person shows up at your funeral. I also hope cats poop all over your burial site forever and ever. |
| May 22, 2010 | I use mothballs! Cat owners who let their pets run free are very rude and inconsiderate. I have so much cat feces around my home that it puts me and family at risk. I am using mothballs. If the cats eat them and get sick, oh well. People need to control their animals. You are putting my family and children at risk with the disease that so much feces can bring. I just shoveled 3 buckets full from underneath the eaves of my home today. Ridiculous. I know they are poisonous and my kids know not to touch them. If a cat eats them. Oh well. I won’t shed any tears. |
| Apr 18, 2010 | Moth ball poisoning I just had to put down my cat Cookie. She ingested part of a moth ball that had fallen and broken on the floor. I guess I didn’t get all the pieces. My vet and I worked for over a week to get her better. $4,000 dollars and 4 blood transfusions later, Cookie just wasn’t going to make it. Get rid of the moth balls!!! |
| Apr 07, 2010 | moth ball yes, they are poisonous indeed…i scattered some in our bad yard before to scare away stray cats, snakes in our backyard…it was very effective but some died due to ingestion. |
| Apr 07, 2010 | moth ball yes, they are poisonous indeed…i scattered some in our bad yard before to scare away stray cats, snakes in our backyard…it was very effective but some died due to ingestion. |
| Jan 08, 2010 | crying again There you go making me cry again. Any way Im glad you found out what the problem was its just too bad it was 4 cats later. I refuse to let any of my cats outside and Im glad Midnght doesnt want to go out anymore. |
| Jan 06, 2010 | Forward please forward this to anyone on your email list who has pets |
| Jan 06, 2010 | Years ago I lost them back in 1990 but I still remember all of my cats. Each one had its own sweet personality. |
| Jan 06, 2010 | Mothballs So sad to hear this.Very touching story Joyce.And just in time.John just put moth balls in our closets yesterday.Thank you for the info. |
| Jan 06, 2010 | “Mothball poisoning” Thanks for the information, really ignorant of the manny pesticides that could be harmful to pets.  |
| Jan 06, 2010 | Moth Balls I’m so sorry to hear this story, I hope you’re okay. It must be hard loosing such a number of cats in such a small matter of time. My Abyssinian cat, Chilli had really bad toilet issues, and he would pee everywhere. My father heard on the radio that cats can’t pee with the smell of moth balls around. So we put moth balls in the house and he stopped peeing…. Well, now I know why they don’t like it, it’s full of dangerous chemicals… =( |
| Jan 06, 2010 | Mothballs Joyce, that is so sad and I hope a lot of people learn from your story.My blood ran cold just before Christmas when I read on Yahoo Answers one of the replies to the yearly deluge of questions ‘How can I keep my cat off the Christmas tree’ The reply was ‘Hang mothballs around the bottom’ and it was from a top contributor in the cats section too, which shows that not that many people do know mothballs are toxic to cats. I posted a warning on the question as I couldn’t contact the person who wrote that reply, I informed Yahoo Answers but the last time I looked the answer was stil there.I just hope my warning stopped anyone from doing it !
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| Jan 06, 2010 | Mothballs Oh Joyce, I’m so very sorry for your loss. It’s so heartbreaking to loose a beloved pet to poison. Hopefully, your post will alert many others to this unknown danger. HUGS, Mary H |
Please comment here using either Facebook or WordPress (when available).
I wish someone would try to tell me what I can and cannot do on my property. Your pets nor your children should be on someone else’s property without permission. If I have to use something in MY yard to deter something, if you were really that concerned keep YOUR pets in YOUR HOUSE.
Fon, you can’t kill a cat on your property in my view but I agree that neighbours should respect neighbours and not allow their cats to wander onto the properties of others. There are some deterrents listed on this site. Please use the search facility. I also discuss the law. Good luck and thanks for visiting.
***oops, shitting in my YARD, not my ‘card’
No problems Sharon. I got that.
wow, no kidding! what a bunch of assholes there are on this blog. i don’t care all that much for cats but i do like them, and i have a problem too with my neighbors free roaming cats shitting in my card, but i don’t want to kill them!! i just want them to shit in their own yard! the only good thing in it is that i know karma will kick your ass for it, and i’m already laughing about that because i know it’s coming, and you deserve it!! lol!!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Sharon although I’d disagree that there are assholes on this blog. You may disagree with them but that does not make them assholes.
Taking responsibility for your pets…..
Because you love cats does not mean everyone else should have to love them and put up with them in thier space. It appears that cat people tend to be ignorant, inconsiderate and somewhat lazy. If people let their cats roam and are not willing to take responsibility for them and their behaviors, then they should not be surprised when people retaliate. I have a very nice house and I work hard to maintain my yard. I do not appreciate the neighborhood cats urinating on my porches, digging and crapping in my gardens and scratching the paint on my vehicles. I certainly do not appreciate the owners of cats that let them roam and get into other peoples spaces. Take responsibility for your pets…. do not be surprised when people take action against them. Its your fault if something happens to your pet because you don’t have the respect and responsibility to take care of them.
Thanks for commenting and I agree that all cat owners must take responsibility for the welfare of their cats and the amenity and wishes of their neighbours. However in writing:
…You are generalising big time. There are some irresponsible cat owners. Perhaps too many. But not all are irresponsible and thoughtless.
Secondly, to kill a cat is nearly always a crime in Western countries. There are some exceptions which protect people from being prosecuted but they are rare. It is also immoral to retaliate by killing the innocent cat. The aggrieved person should deal with the cat’s owner. That is the source of the problem.
Why don’t the cat killers say who they are..
I suppose they want to avoid being prosecuted for the crime of animal cruelty.
for my poor dear that lost four cats i cant even fathom what ur goin thru.did either of ur babies throw up or anything? my condolences for that happening cuz i hate the fact of losing loved ones.
Thanks for commenting Jen.
Usupper333 u r a sick fuck.where do u live so i can come to u and fill u up with some mothball crystals and watch u die slowly u bloody douche.ride till i die..hope u enjoy a slow one.ill take care of all u sick fucks on this site.remember karmas a bitch muthafuckas.
You have strong views on these people and I understand that. There are some nasty people in the world who hate cats or hate the world and see no problem in killing cats in anyway possible.
my views stem from all the sick people in this world that prey on victimless animals who dont understand what they are doing is disgusting and i feel sorry for them also because they had morons for parents that did this too or showed them what to do.these idiots act like we should praise them and if we were to do what they do to another human..they would be in jail.but ohh its just a stupid animal right? WRONG they are the twisted up ones in the wrong and i hope they die by eating cat shit and mothbal smoothies.but even that would b to kind for these ingrades
Stumbled across this site when I googled for “inhumane cat repellent”. That’s right folks – I’m looking for the most inhumane cat repellent possible. Something that will inflict extreme and memorable distress on the disgusting creature that craps on my lawn. I wouldn’t crap on your lawn. And if I did, I’d expect you to be pretty mad at me. So make sure you don’t send your animals out to crap on mine. Simple, eh?
Your argument is completely incorrect and inhumane and you know it because you want to act in an inhumane way. To act in an inhumane way is morally wrong. This makes you an immoral person.
The cats who crap on your lawn are doing nothing wrong legally. The problem is not the cat but the cats’ owner. You should tackle him/her and not hurt an innocent animal.
You are a bad and nasty person. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I so many disguises….
Don’t complain about your cats if you allow them to run free and could get into all kinds of serious situations. Doesn’t sound like love to me at all. Its a shame people have to put down anything because of irresponsible pet owners.
Thanks for sharing Sharon. I don’t think you can blame the cats’ owner as you seem to be. When you do that you deflect the blame from where the blame truly lies: the person who poisoned the cats.
We are cat owners, have 2 and about to get a 3rd. We are great cat owners… we feed them limited ingredient foods from pet stores rather than the garbage from the local market. We are against declawing, and we adopt from shelters. You know what else we believe in? Not letting them roam the neighborhood. Our cats have free reign of the entire house, including the screened in porch. It IS our responsibility to protect them. Letting them roam free exposes them to parasites, disease and poison. How any pet owner cat blame others for this is ridiculous and selfish. An owner should understand their environment and take precautions. If an outdoor cat gets run over in a busy street, do you blame the driver for that too? The only blame deflecting here is from people refusing to take responsibility.
The original story posted is also very different. Its pretty obvious that those people live in a more rural area where the cats serve a purpose, not just living décor, and that the poisoning was unintentional. But ultimately, you step outside your home, there are risks. For everyone, from human to animal. I could get killed by drunk driver tomorrow, that’s just life. Stop being a dick about it.
I take your point Bill but I believe you are wrong. Deliberate poisoning is not the same as a car driver accidentally hitting a cat. Someone who deliberately poisons is responsible for the cat’s death. That is the law. So it is pretty black and white.
It is precisely because of these beliefs that you promote that people finally resort to killing cats by any means possible. If you check the laws in the UK it is also perfectly legal to destroy any uncollared cat under all pest-control laws. Your refusal to admit that and warn others only guarantees more dead cats because you teach people that it’s okay to let an uncollared cat roam unsupervised. Is your cat next? If you won’t take care of your cat in the manner that you see fit then someone else will most certainly “take care of” your cat in the manner that they see fit. You have no control over what happens to your cat once it is off of your own property. I wonder how many millions of dead cats are all because you refuse to promote responsible pet ownership. If there’s an after-life for you I hope every cat that was killed from your promoting irresponsible pet-ownership claws you for an eternity.
You might also like to know that it is CAT OWNERS who promote the idea for others to use mothballs to inexpensively repel their cats from their neighbors’ yards when the neighbor complains about their cats. You people are killing your own cats even with your own cat-repellant advice. Nice. Google it if you don’t believe me.
You are completely wrong when you say it is legal to kill all uncollared cat under pest control laws. You quote me the law chapter and verse to prove that what you is true. That is a challenge. The overriding animal welfare law is the Animal Welfare Act 2006. That overrides all other laws relating to domestic and stray animals including cats.
Your fingers must be broken. This was found on the very first link on the very first search-hit. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/12674/1/__ddat02_staffhome_jpartridge_Research%20Report%20Cats%20and%20the%20Law%2020%20November%202013.pdf
For just ONE of the many dozens of reasons that you can still legally kill all your stray cats in the UK. And, according to that document, it doesn’t matter if they are collared or not, they can still be shot to death — LEGALLY. “The Animal Welfare Act 2006” DOES NOT supersede all other preexisting pest and nuisance animal laws. In fact, ALL those preexisting laws supersede “The Animal Welfare Act 2006”, not the other way around. No matter how much that you want to stick you ringers in your ears and whine like a spoiled child who thinks you are above the law of all the responsible adults that surround you.
Excerpt from the above document, and I only scanned just that one section and found it in the first minute of reading.
“It is perhaps also worth noting here that gamekeepers and others who shoot or kill cats to protect other animals may have a defence under section 4(3) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This provides a ‘legitimate purpose’ defence in respect of suffering caused for the purpose of protecting ‘a purpose, property or other animal’ where any suffering caused was ‘proportionate’ to the purpose and was carried out humanely. Thus a suitably qualified and ‘reasonably competent’ gamekeeper shooting a cat with a single shot for the purpose of protecting pheasant poults might argue the legitimate purpose defence, notwithstanding that charities and owners might contest the necessity of the shooting. Additionally, the criminal law may allow the killing of a cat where the cat was chasing game, in circumstances where the owner can prove ownership of the game acting in accordance with section 5(1)-(4) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 . Section 5(4) provides a defence of ‘lawful excuse’ from criminal damage, in circumstances where a defendant kills a cat in order to protect his right or interest in property.”
You have completely misinterpreted the law. You quote a rare exception to the main tenets of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. That exception applies to farmers protecting livestock.
You said: “you can still legally kill all your stray cats in the UK”
Wrong. You can only legally kill a stray or feral cat pestering livestock to the point where the cat has to be killed and provided the action was proportionate.
This is not “all stray cats” – You really are a complete idiot.
Sometimes it is responsible to let a cat go outside. Has that occurred to you? Are you saying that tens of millions, perhaps around 250 million Europeans are irresponsible cat owners? You have a blinkered viewpoint. When did last travel outside of America?
I am so sorry for your lost.Did the vet tell that mothballs are much more concentrated if they get infused by liquids ,then just vapors.I am not sure what the PPM levels of fumes that are allowed during the manufacturing of these items .In the United States OSHA wouls have said guidelines.
Thank you for commenting, Tim.
Should have kept your f***ING cats in your house..it’s YOUR fault your cats are dead..it’s not everyone else’s job to look after YOUR cats
Your comment does not make sense. She is not asking anyone to look after her cats. She is just expecting people to behave decently. A point you have missed. You are probably the sort of person to poison cats.
A responsible cat owner will keep the animal confined. Cats damage the true wildlife, birds in particular. We have chipmunks in the yard and cats hunt them as well as using our landscaping as a toilet. Feral cats….disease…rapid multiplication….do folks not see this stuff?
Mothballs! Great!
I could as this question of you:
Do you see the cruelty is poisoning cats that we put there in the first place?
OR
Do you know what diseases cats spread and how prevalent it is?
OR
Do you think there are more humane ways of limiting and reducing the feral cat population?
OR
Do you know that killing feral cats does not solve the feral cat problem?
I could go on and on but I believe I have made my point.
Here’s one for you all. I have a neighbor that has a dog that comes into my yard and barks at me. A cat that comes into my yard and does what it wants, even eating birds that I feed. YET, He and his teenage boys trap cats and kill them. And shoot with a high powered pellet rifle on any squirrel they see. Just heard and saw another one tumble from the roof of another neighbors garage. It’s not eliminating nuisance pests, it’s a couple of hoosiers that have nothing better to do in life than to kill. They don’t even care if any of those cats accidently got out of the house or are lost trying to find their way back home. Some people round here act like it’s none of their business to get involved and others think It’s okay.
You are right. Some people are ignorant and they take pleasure in killing animals. It is the sad state of humankind. Thanks for sharing.
I sat on my porch and counted 15 cats in my small block alone. Two of my girls, ages 4 and 19 are severely allergic to cats and cannot even come sit on the porch because of all of the cats in the neighborhood. I have called talked to the neighbors, called animal control, spent hundreds of dollars on humane deterrents. But, they keep multiplying. I am at my wits end. My youngest kids’ swingset and swimming pool had to be taken to my mothers house to be set up because my yard had be taken over by the cats!!! I have been patient, but this is taking my kids summer break away! I am DONE! I don’t want to do it, but the moth balls are sounding better and better. I am tired of my children being sick from all the cat fur on my porch and deck, on my BBQ grill, on my patio furniture…! They even used 2 of my cherry tomato plants as litter boxes!!! They have taken over! I feel I have been patient enough! Now I have to allow my children to enjoy their summer outdoors. It’s not about the damn cats, it’s about them enjoying life while they are small (4 and 5)!
Hi, I can completely understand. It sounds bad. I don’t have any great suggestions except to say poisoning the 15 cats you have counted probably will not fix the problem because there’ll be more. Is there a food source near you? What are they feeding on? What draws them to the area? If all food sources are removed then they should move to another area unless there sole food source is wild prey.
Michael, it sounds like these 15 cats may be a colony that, ofcourse, has a caretaker since they hang around and seem well, as the contrary hasn’t been brought up
allizonme00 seems to be using her imaginary children’s “allergies” to disguise her hatred of cats.
I can only hope that she realizes that she may kill her dogs, children, and other people’s pet with her sick actions.
Wow! Two of your three kids are severely allergic to cats? Do they carry Epi-pens for what I presume are severe respiratory problems when in contact with dander?
You must be spending a fortune in Emergency Room bills. Do you have some to share?
And, my god, the cherry tomato plants…Ofcourse, they are more important than a living, breathing entity!
I’m very surprised that 4 and 5 year olds don’t adore the cats, unless they learned otherwise from some hater. If you want to kill the cats, your dogs, your kids, and any other animal (killing a neighbor’s dog/cat will be costly in court), spread the mothballs.
thanks for the article I really love it I tried everything to keep the cats out of my yard but I never thought about moth balls I was trying to do it but now I’m second guessing myself I have 4 dogs and they go in the front yard and I don’t want them to die but I rather have the cats die instead so I dont know what to do now if the moth balls would do that to the cat I don’t want them to suffer I just want them to go away don’t care what cat people say we tried to keep the cat away even called animal control and they didn’t do anything so now I guess I have to take this route if they don’t do nothing next time
Mothballs are poisonous – period. They are poisonous to humans and other animals. They can actually kill people in time. So get rid of them, please.
If they are on my property then they deserve to die. Mothballs work, I hope all these stupid cats die
Thank you for commenting but I strongly dislike your comment as you could well imagine. I guess you put mothballs down to kill cats judging by your comment. If that is true you are a criminal.
Hello,
One crazy women always putting her sidewalk crashed hot pepper and mouth balls,for doggies,rabbits and cats …birds…. Where can Ä° complening about this monsters act?
Please help…
Thanks
Jill
Hi Jill. Well, technically the police should listen to your complaint because it is poisoning the cats or attempting to poison them. That must be a breach of animal welfare laws.
people who don’t mind when stray cats, and other cats running on their neighbors property. have no sense of value and are low life’s. How is someone paint job on their car less value than some cat. If they valued and love their pet so much keep those bitches n your house were they belong .
Good question. A paint job on a car is just about money and a car which is a lump of metal. A cat is a living sentient being with emotions etc. often very attached to a person and vice versa. For me that makes the cat more valuable.
I am plagued by my neighbours cat. It sits on my very expensive and much-loved car and scratches the paint when it jumps off. I have spent a great deal of money on paint repairs.
It pees on my grass leaving bleached dead spots all over the lawn. It raids my bin bags when I leave them out for collection.
It poops on my lawn every night. My neighbour caims that this is natural behaviour and I should get used to it.
What to do? I love animals but after a year of this feline Hell I went looking for a solution. I just found this website by searching for the best way to poison/kill a cat.
Help me before it is too late. I can’t stand it anymore.
Thanks.
Hi Asian Fella. Thanks for visiting. Don’t get me wrong or misconstrue what I write but I’d be surprised if one cat belonging to your neighbour caused that much damage. Peeing on grass does not leave bleached spots as far as I am aware. You can protect car with a car cover but I feel you have exaggerated the damage – sorry.
I agree that pooping on your garden is not good but cats don’t poop on lawns. They poop on earth not grass. They seek out a bit of earth so they can cover it up. So I have difficulty in believing everything you say.
That said, I understand the frustration of people who don’t like cats on their gardens. I do sympathise. The only sure way of stopping a cat going on your garden is to get the agreement of your neighbour to put a cat proof fence around his garden. There needs to be cooperation between you and him and it needs to be friendly. That probably sounds completely impractical but there is no other way.
The alternative is for your to accept it or find some compromise. Tolerance and patience while keeping the peace is important. Good luck.
Poisoning cats is a crime and also cruel.
You are so kind and diplomatic, Michael.
At least, he is being civil.
Go to Hell, Jimbo/Woody.
Cats don’t scratch slick surfaces, even when launching off, but a dog might; even a raccoon.
The bleached spots in your lawn are likely from the acidity of bird droppings. If you google how to rid yourself of pesky birds, you will likely be advised to get a cat.
Unlikely that your neighbor’s cat is hungry enough to sort through your garbage. Most likely a raccoon is plaguing you and pooping in your yard.
Most of u people suck and I will b sure to put poison out for your children. Fear and ignorance all over this board. You WILL get what u deserve.
There are some nasty people in the world. I don’t know one person who genuinely likes cats who is nasty; quite the opposite, in fact. Your future comments will be published immediately without moderation. Thanks for sharing Marsi.
what would you do if a dog did all that to your yard how would you get rid of it if you do everything in your power to get rid of a stray dog killing kids kids is kids cat is a f****** cat can come back and get another one if you kill a kid that’s a true crime
Thanks for your comment but I not sure what point you are making.
so grossly sickened by these comments.
to all sickoos out there who think they can get away with harming and poisoning cats:
Its now illegal in all states of the US.
The FBI groups people who harm innocent animals for fun as psychopaths.
The owner of this blog should ask for the historical records showing the ip addresses of the freaks on here who posted they wanted top harm cats.
Thank you for commenting. There are some sickos around and lots of them like to troll and be a nuisance to others. It is very difficult to track down people using IP addresses because often trolls mask their identity by using what is called proxy servers. I could get the police involved but that will be time-consuming and distract me from doing my work on this website but thank you for your comment nonetheless.
I like cats … but NOT running the neighborhood. I’m sorry for the loss of your cats but you must take personal responsibility for allowing them to run loose.
I should not have to manage my property based on the needs of your animals.
Thanks for visiting and sharing your views. Ohio. If you want to comment again any comment you make will be published immediately and automatically.
And, I should to manage my property based on the needs and desires of any bike riding, running, rock throwing kids.
And us on having to live with barking dogs day after day and many times well into the night!
There are far far worse things to live with than a cat passing through your property!
Wow. The internet sure does bring out the sociopathic trolls.
So sorry for loss OP, your cats were magnificent.
It certainly does bring out the sociopathic trolls. I totally agree. They are inadequate people. My theory is that a troll suffers from self loathing. He or she therefore needs to be hated and in order to be hated by other people on the Internet they make comments that force other people to hate them. So my theory is that the troll is a person who has very low self-esteem and in order to find a balance in their lives they have to be hated and they make this happen. Just a theory which came to me in the shower 😉
Well since both internet trolls AND cat killers (for sport) are classified as being sociopaths, these people must be the worst sociopaths around
There are many nasty people out there. That is something I have learnt while building and managing this website. A lot of them are ill-educated, crude and rude as well.
Wow, what a bunch of psychopaths posting here.
Who are you calling a psychopath? Are you calling the people who put down mothballs to kill cats psychopaths or are you calling the people who keep cats and who are concerned, psychopaths? If it is the latter then I would recommend that you stay away from this website!
If you love your cat keep it at home where it belongs, problem solved..
I tend to agree with you, Donna. The question is what do you consider “home”. I believe the best sort of safe home but one that is enriched for a cat is a place where the cat can go outside safely into, for example, an enclosure of some description. That is my personal preference: a safe but interesting place for a domestic cat. I do not believe in full-time indoor cats unless there are really pressing reasons for it. I think it is difficult for a cat to be totally content full-time inside an apartment for instance but that said some people do make their cat’s lives content and enriched in such places. It does require more input from the caretaker, however, I believe.
And what when everywhere is over run with rodents because there are no cats to catch them? Hm? A second plague that’s what. Cats have a purpose in life, humans have none!
Most domesticated cats do not eat rodents, Eagles, Hawks, Snakes, ETC eat rodents. We have a problem with neighborhood cats destroying our flower beds, like I said, keep your cats at home where they belong.
Cats may not always eat rodents but they sure as heck kill them! Our neighbourhood cats have despatched hundreds if not thousands over the years.
Don’t tell me what to do in England please, this is a cat friendly country where our cats live the life they were born to and have the right to.
If you want something to do why not look to your own country where declawing was invented BECAUSE cats are kept prisoners, where many lose their freedom and their toe ends too!
I really do not care what you do in England, in the town I live in there is a leash law for cats and dogs, people are supposed to keep their pets at home where they belong. These cats have never had any shots or de- worming done, all they do is destroy property and breed. People who actually care about their pets keep them at home where they belong.
Sorry, R.
It looks like you got a hefty dose of the “attitude” here.
I’ll never understand why people don’t get that animals have as much right to walk freely on this earth as human animals.
I never hear the same degree of complaining when it comes to bird droppings on cars, rodent droppings, raccoons defecating all over, squirrels being destructive, or rabbits foraging in gardens.
It’s always about cats.
The primary prey item of the domestic cat is a ground dwelling mammal such as the mouse and the mouse is a rodent. Birds are well down the list of the prey items of a domestic cat because they are harder to catch.
There is no reasoning with people who believe all the bad press about cats. Thank goodness for the people who are sensible enough to know what rubbish those biased blinkered people talk 😉
So I ordered – http://www.amazon.com/Willert-Home-Products-4023-2-Ounce/product-reviews/B001QT6EUO/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_2?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
They are encased in plastic to prevent anyone (animal or human) from touching or eating them. I ordered a dozen and placed them on my fence at regular intervals. It’s been over a week and since I scooped the cat poo out of my yard and hung them on my fence and there hasn’t been one new incidence of cat’s defecating anywhere on my property!!! I am *very happy* with the results and will continue to use these for a few more weeks and then properly dispose of them as per Oubli’s suggestion.
BIG SHOUT OF TO OUBLI FOR HER HUMANE SUGGESTION! I’ve been dealing with the neighborhood cat’s defecating in my yard for 2 years and am loving that they do not even come near my property any more.
I did call my local animal rights organization afraid that moth balls usage could somehow be construed as animal abuse, they told me as long as they were encased and my intention was to deter and not poison that I had done my part to ensure that no abuse could occur.
Ps- After reading ALL of the commentaries (which I didn’t do previously) I can definitely say, some of you guys need to CHILL with the open hostility towards each other. It’s not necessary and makes you guys looks like snot nosed children on the schoolyard. Where’s the moderator on this page? I just wanted to update you guys on the method but I won’t be returning, there are more polite places on the internet I’d rather be.
I have a neighbor who refuses to stop using mothballs on his (non-fenced) yard. He’s been informed that mothballs are a pesticide that should be used only according to the instructions on the package, and crushing it and spreading it on the yard is not included there. There are a few problems with that: as his neighbors, we have to breath the poisonous gases they emit, the (very nice) neighborhood cats can smell it, lick it, or step on it and ingest it, and probably die from that, and it also adds to the serious problem of stormwater runoff pollution.
It’s really hard to answer rationally to those posters here who were happy to find a new way to keep neighborhood animals away. Aside from hating those animals, you basically think it’s OK to kill someone else’s companion, and that shows that you have little respect for other human beings.
Hi Jo. depending on how far you want to go it would seem to me that your neighbour is acting negligently and/or is committing a legal nuisance. When I say negligently I mean in the legal sense. I don’t want to exacerbate the problem and it is far better to discuss matters through with one’s neighbour but if he wan’t listen I think a discussion about the legality of what he’s doing may make him change his mind. I’m talking about the law of torts (civil wrongs). This is because, as you say, mothballs are also poisonous to people and can in fact kill people on rare occasions. Thanks for visiting and sharing.
Thanks Michael for replying and for the suggestion. I agree. I am not one to resort to legal action lightly, but since we talked to my neighbor before, he complied (picked up the mothballs), but did that again a few months later, we have started looking at legal options, starting with contacting the EPA and moving on to other venues.
Thanks, Jo.
I have a neighbor who is also doing this.
I wonder how they would feel if a toddler came into their yard and munched on the “candy”.
Good for you. I believe that there is a subtle way of hinting or informing a person that what they are doing maybe a tort or indeed criminally illegal. Just little hints here and there can get the message across without unduly upsetting the relationship because there nothing worse than having an intractable dispute with your neighbour. At the end of the day one or other has to move. Good luck with this one.
I will be following Oubli’s advice on how to HUMANELY use moth balls to deter cats from my yard and garden.
I don’t understand how her advice and posting the laws where she lives equals her advocating animal abuse???
Will keep this site posted to the results of using her moth ball method.
Thanks noni.
Dahlia actually you are wrong at least where I live you would be.
Sec. 4-40. Running at large (leash law)
It shall be unlawful for any person who owns, keeps, harbors or other wise has control over any animal, livestock, fowl, reptiles or wildlife within the city to allow or permit such animal to run or be at large within the city.
The prohibition against an animal running at large does not apply to cats.
“At large” means unconfined to the premises of the owner by a suitable and substantial fence of sufficient strength and height to prevent escape therefrom or secured on such premises by a leash of sufficient strength to prevent escape from the premises and so arranged that the animal will remain upon the premises when the leash is stretched to full length in any direction.
Sec. 4-44. Nuisance animals
A nuisance animal shall be defined as any animal which commits any of the acts listed herein:
1.Harasses or chases pedestrians, passersby or passing vehicles, including bicycles; or
2.Makes unprovoked attacks on other animals of any kind; or
3.Is repeatedly at large, specifically three (3) or more times per twelve- month period; or
4.Damages private or public property; or
5.Defecates on property not belonging to or under the control of its owner; or
6.Barks, whines, howls, crows, cackles or makes any noise excessively and continuously, and such noise disturbs a person of ordinary sensibilities; or
7.Is unconfined when in heat.
http://www.hursttx.gov/index.aspx?page=346
No the at large bit doesn’t apply to cats but everything else does and that includes defecating on others property. If an animal does this you are well within your rights to call animal control or trap said animal and hand it over to animal control.
6. ‘barks, whines, howls’ are all what we have to put up with from peoples dogs around here, day and night, yet any complaint sets off a long chain of a noise diary for months and a court case which causes bad feeling amongst neighbours. So people put up with the barks, whines and howls, those of us who don’t have dogs are forced to live with the noise by those who do!
Then some people have the nerve to say cats are a nuiscance…..crazy!!!
Some people LOL not to be argumentative but it’s this isn’t just “some people”, this is the agreed upon ie it passed legislation and was passed into law where I live.
Feel free to disagree with it and not live in Hurst Tx but I bet your municipality has similar laws.
I live in England where animals are loved as part of the family and the pet welfare law says they should live the lives they were born to live and those of us who truly do love them respect that. It’s not the dogs faults they are noisy, it’s the people who leave them long hours alone or have them living outside, the people with no thought to others and there are people like that worldwide.
Cats here have a roaming commission, they are not kept prisoners and they are never declawed. Good cat caretakers ensure our cats are not a nuiscance to those who don’t like them, by making our home and garden cat friendly and keeping out cats in after dark.
Different locales will have different laws about pets and their owners responsibilities, different cultures will have differ sensibilities about what is allowed and what isn’t regarding their pets, to stoop to disparaging another’s cultures is childish, rude and boorish.
S I am done with this conversation, if all you can do is imply that people in the US do not love and properly care for their animals then there is no point to continuing because your augment is at an ad hominen state and doesn’t deserve any further responses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
Good day 🙂
lol good day and good bye to you too seeing as you’ve spat your dummy and we can’t have a sensible debate, thanks but no thanks for the link.
Rolling on the floor laughing my @ss off at whatever the heck “spat my dummy” is.
Sorry I just couldn’t resist commenting on your drivel but I should follow mu debate coach’s advice – Arguing with a fool only makes two.
Ciao
Ps – Deleting this from my blog roll as I have more to do with my life than arguing on the internet. Have a nice day and do try do find something more productive to do with your day/life than poorly arguing with stranger on the internet!
This has to be Woody’s sister or brother, Ruth AKA. LOL!
lol Dee yes it has to be a relative of his, they seem to be a family of cat hating Nellie know alls, all talk and no action lol sitting there and quoting laws.
Does no one say ‘spat their dummy’ over there? lol
What always surprises me is how people defend their animal abuse by saying that we have to respect their culture. Animal abuse and rubbish laws are a world problem.
Exactly Michael, if a culture is cruel it’s every animal lover worldwide’s business
It is a worldwide business because if a dictator in one country abuses the citizens of his country the world criticises and sometimes acts to stop it. The plight of the tiger in India is a world problem. Therefore declawing and inadequate laws which represent a culture is also open to criticism by people from other countries especially as today, with the internet, there are no boundaries.
We love our pets as family, therefore we keep them safe at home where they belong. I walk our dogs on a leash and they have a large privacy fenced back yard to play in when they go outside..
In other words dogs can go out but cats have to be prisoners for life for committing no crime, well if you think that’s acceptable then there is no more to be said.
If you have a place for your cat to go out doors and are able to keep them in their own yard, they should not be wandering the neighborhood..
Well we personally have a large cat friendly garden with a fresh patch of earth dug for our cats toileting, a home built catnasium with sun roof, tall trees to climb and grass to nibble. If they go out of the garden via their cat size tunnel to freedom, they go to the embankment behind our houses where there are more trees and scrub and is a cats paradise, fenced off from danger and with lots of mice. We have a cat friendly home and they are free to come and go as they please apart from after dark and if no one is going to be home.
You see, this is England where we make our cats lives as natural and happy as possible.
Humans took cats from the wild many moons ago and have taken enough from them already, although of course in our country we NEVER took their toe ends as many do in your country!
You need to learn a bit more about our country before trying to tell us what to do, we have our Pet Welfare Law and our Cats Protection organisation, we care for our cats deeply.
Maybe you should turn your attention to dogs shoved outside to bark all day long, that gets the goat of the residents in our neighbourhood, dogs are a nuiscance, not cats. The law says dog owners must clean up after their dog on public ground. Do they? Yes responsible owners do but many do not, at least cats bury their own excreta!
There are good and bad cat caretakers just as their are good and bad dog owners! So don’t assume we are all bad caretakers at PoC because you are very wrong.
It does apply to cats here.
For all the human scumbags here who are bitching about cats in their yards, and suggesting cruel, malicious and criminal ways of getting rid of them. Newsflash! NATURE does NOT belong to you. You may have legal control, in some ways, over the land you own; but that does not give you the either the moral or the legal right to do whatever the hell you want with the plants and animals that make their homes On The Same Land. In some places you are not allowed to chop down certain species of trees, even if they are growing on your land, without a special permit that may take a long time to get or may be totally denied.
With regard to cats, specifically: There is NO law that makes it a crime for cats to wander into people’s yards. There is no law (in most places) that says that people have to keep their cat companions imprisoned indoors. Cats are semi-wild animals, and they are as much at home in Nature as the squirrels and birds and opossums and other wild creatures that also visit our yards. There are some safe ways to discourage and repel cats – mainly by planting plants that they don’t like the smell of. But they may still visit your yard anyway.
You can also rent a cat trap from the Humane Society or local animal control, and in most places the cat will be neutered or spayed, given some shots to protect them from diseases, and then released back into the same general area. So they may come back and visit your yard again. And if they do, then LEGALLY there is Not One Damn Thing You Can Do About It. Killing cats with poison or guns or any other way is a CRIME in every state in America, as well it should be. And if anyone ever knows of anyone harming cats in any way, please report them to both animal control and the police, so that they can be punished by law for their crimes.
Cats are not like dogs. You can’t keep them enclosed in your own back yard, because they can climb fences, trees and pretty much anything else. Cats are part of Nature and the local ecology — just like sparrows and squirrels are. Learn to live in harmony with Nature — including the cats that make the great outdoors their home — or else go live in an apartment without any yard or outdoor balcony; where you can safely be isolated from stray cats and everything else in Nature. Or perhaps, for some of you, being isolated away from cats and from Nature at a state penitentiary would be more fitting.
Dahlia, excellent comment. Thank you very much for saying the sort of thing is that I like to say. It is only people who construct fences and create countries with national boundaries. The cat both wild and domestic have no concept of these barriers. It is the same with the door. Cats don’t understand doors. The people who like to kill cats, particularly by shooting them, say it is legal to shoot stray cats in America. This has to be incorrect because it must be in breach of animal cruelty laws. The problem is that law enforcement struggles to enforce the law against people who like to kill cats.
Well said Dahlia and there’s nothing more to add to your wonderful comment 🙂
There is a leash law cats as well as dogs, we have a problem with cats digging up our plants and scratching our vehicles, we do not have cats. It is against the law to let any kind of pet roam around destroying other peoples property. I do not want to harm the cats but am sick of them .
Once again, it is about people, this problem. All people who have neighbours should behave responsibly towards their neighbours in all respects. Unfortunately the domestic cat is in the middle between neighbours who may disagree about things and it is often the cat who gets it in the neck when really the problem should be resolved entirely between people and the domestic cat should be out of it.
Our property does belong to us,we would never hurt an animal but people should take responsibility for their pets and keep them at home.
I agree that if a neighbour does not want a cat on their lawn or garden then the cat owner should do something about it. That might not necessarily mean keeping the cat inside the home all the time but it does mean taking steps to satisfy the neighbour’s demand.
F**k the neighbor.
A Happy Moth Ball Middle Ground
After much reading about moth balls and cats (your site came up first, I am deeply sorry about your cats) I have found that YES you can use moth balls without risk of poisoning cats or other creatures.
There are moth ball products out there that come on plastic vented containers which allows sublimation of the substances but denies physical access to it. If you cannot afford those, use a toilet paper roll, ends folded over with holes poked in it, to allow sublimation yet deny physical access.
After the use of many failed remedies to deter feral and stray cats from spraying and defecating in my yard, I found your site and thought there has to be another way to use moth balls, there has to be a way to use it safely because it does seem to be the ONLY thing that works to deter cats from doing their business where I garden and my child plays.
I write to let you know you can use moth balls responsibly to deter cats and other creatures without harming or poisoning them.
As for those who would use moth balls to poison, I can well understand their frustration, rage and feelings of impotence at being unable to deter these felines but to be so unimaginative as to not be able to think of an alterative way to use moth balls other than to poison, they are sad examples of sadistic human beings.
Moth balls have been the only remedy that works for me to rid myself of spraying cats and I just wanted to drop you a note in memory of your cats and let others who may visit this site that there is a safe and humane way to use moth balls.
Blesses be upon you and your cats.
Hi Oubli, thanks for the input. You do realise that mothballs contain a nasty chemical that also harms people just by inhaling the stuff. So if you have mothballs around your home or under your home you’ll be inhaling the fumes. If a person has lots of mothballs in their home (It seems you don’t) it can kill the person. There are cases of this.
Not in my home or under the house, I only needed to use a dozen or so for a few weeks in my garden. Afterwards I disposed of all of them at my local environmental collection center where they also dispose of hazardous materials. I wouldn’t mess around with something as dangerous as moth balls without fully researching it and that includes storage and disposal but thanks for your input.
“HE WHO DISLIKES THE CAT, WAS IN HIS FORMER LIFE A RAT.”
Nice one KAThryn.
My brothers girl friend of almost 20 years died the other day and I am out to prove that it is connected with the mothballs that she had all in her house and outside to keep away bugs and snakes. Infact, just a few months before her death my brother was very confused and still doesn’t remember getting into a truck and was involved in an accident that caused him to be in ICU and a specialty hospital for almost six weeks. When I was finally able to get him to his house I couldn’t stay but a short time because the smell of mothballs would cause me to have migrains. Finally I informed my brother that he had to come to my car and we would stay in a hotel for him to clean up before I took him to his appoinments because he even smelt like mothballs. I kept telling him that when I got home I was going to check to see what health problems this could cause and I was shocked and now I am sure that is what cause Brenda to passaway. I wish I would have known sooner and just maybe it would have made a bigger difference. At least I have informed that neighborhood to have all the mouthballs clean up correctly and let their doctors know what they have been exposed to. Sorry for your loss!!!
This is shocking, Joyce. Mothballs are nasty chemicals – pesticides that can cause serious health problems in people. I am sorry to hear of your tragic loss. Unnecessary. Awful.
so sorry for your lost thats so horrible. Ive lost my cat in the last few days and i would be in a bigger mess if 4 of my babies died. hugs
Please people keep your cats inside. There are 3 signs up looking for missing cats here. There is a “Fisher-cat” roaming our area – it’s a nasty animal that hunts and kills cats, fox, dogs, etc. and there is actually someone whose job is to find and trap this ugly animal.
The Shelter statistics said that cats that are “Outdoors Cats” on average have a life expectancy of only 4 years, whereas cats that live Indoors have an average life expectancy of 14 years. Obviously, when averaging outdoor cats they are including various dangers such as getting hit by cars and being attacked by other cats, raccoons, etc
As for those who have written on here that their clear intent is to buy or use mothballs (or antifreeze or any other poison) to kill a cat or animal or use the mothballs as a means to kill, might want to 1st check the animal abuse law in their state: many many states consider poisoning an animal to be ILLEGAL and also brings Fines and Jail time. You might want to change your mind.
My cat is indoors and I know the laws have been getting even more strict (as I feel they should).
I know you are angry but this is not going to solve anything. Heck you just wrote/printed out for the world to see, your intentions.
I understand your argument. Fair argument. In the US there are far more wild animals that can hurt roaming cats whereas in the UK there really are none. The fox rarely attacks a cat and the fox is the only animal that is a danger to the cat in practice (except for the odd human with an air gun or poison). This os probably the main reason why people in the UK let their cats outside routinely.
It’s very cruel to deliberately put any sort of poison down to harm or kill any living creature and I hope that one day the conscience of people who do that pricks at them and they suffer dreadful guilt, because what’s done can’t be undone, taking life is wrong!
There is always another solution, the murder of innocent creatures is never a solution.
Poisoning causes a terrible death and anyone who thinks it’s acceptable is certainly not humane which is what ALL humans are SUPPOSED to be ….thus the word HUMANE.
I am so very sorry to read of your losses. I have a house cat that never leaves the house. I was trying to deter some outside cats from using underneath my back deck as a litter box and the maintenance man offered to throw a few boxes of moth balls under there. I had no idea this would possibly kill anything. I need to find out how long it takes the moth balls to disinegrate. I would feel terrible to cause the death of any cat even though cats around here are not supposed to run loose.
Mothballs contain a nasty chemical called Naphthalene, which is also detrimental to human health (heavy exposure: fatigue, lack of appetite, restlessness and pale skin). I’d try and fish the box out of there and get rid of it. They probably have a long life perhaps about one year or more – not sure.
Thank you. Unfortunately after speaking with the maintenance man, he sprinkled a granulated box of some snake be gone product from home Depot that also deters skunks and cats. Deck is low to get under and it’s granulated into the ground by now.
I had a neighbor get mad at me because I asked her to keep her cat from pooping in my garden plot. She could easily do this by monitoring her cat when it is outside, but she refuses to do so. That plot is how I provide 75% of my food. I literally need it to survive. This same woman asks me not to bring my ON LEASH dog to the garden because she doesn’t want it to scare the cat. I am an animal lover, but if it comes to me or the cat, the cat goes.
It is the animal’s OWNER who is responsible if they freely allow their animals to roam and something happens to them. Roaming and feral cats have decimated the songbird population and they are a nuisance to those in whose gardens and yards they crap. People say they love their animals, yet they abdicate responsibility and complain when the results are negative, when someone does something which harms their supposedly loved animals. Dave warned his neighbor that the animals needed to stay off his – HIS – property. The neighbor ignored him and did not take care of her cats. He was compassionate by removing them, and not just poisoning them. I think a big reason people don’t like cats is because of irresponsible cat owners.
I am about to put mothballs in my garden because I need to eat. The cat does not need to roam. If the cat eats them, so be it.
Thanks for the visiting Karen. I understand your point of view. If my cat wandered onto someone’s garden and they complained to me about it, I’d do something to stop my cat going to that place. It is common sense because the cat is in jeopardy of being hurt and you don’t want to upset your neighbour.
Although it may be legal in some states to do what you propose, in the UK poisoning cats who roam onto your property is a crime under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It does not matter if the cat is trespassing or not.
Secondly, the cat has not decimated songbird populations. That is propaganda put out by the bird conservationists. Trust me on that one. I have done a lot of work on this subject.
I would ask you to reconsider putting mothballs down. What about another chat with the cat’s owner? Try and find a solution between humans without hurting the innocent cat. In any case she may just get another one. You are not sorting out the cause of the problem.
There is only one thing worse then an irresponsible dog owner and that is an irresponsible cat owner who lets their cat roam free to kill other animals for sport. My neighborhood was being over run with free roaming pets. Sadly, my yard become a boundary war between all the cats and they began spraying. It got so bad I couldn’t open my windows in the summer. They also jumped on the hood of my wet and very expensive sports car and slide down dragging their claws causing thousands in damage. I spoke with the cat owners and they basically told me TOUGH, get used to it they are cats. I then posted a notice on the community bulletin board that the cats would be taken to the pound if the owners didn’t keep them inside. They ignored that. I bought an animal trap baited with catnip and placed it under my porch, far from my property line. Caught 3 cats in the first 2 days and off to the pound they went. Well it turns out the owners went and got them back. Caught the same 3 cats within 4 days. Off to the pound again. Had an angry exchange with one of the cat owners who told me it was too bad my car got scratched and her car with scratched too and you just have to live with it. I warned her if her cat was caught again she would never see it again. I then caught the same 3 cats again as well as 5 others. Took them to work with me 40 miles away and dropped them at a pound she would never look in. Never to be seen by the owners again. Suddenly the owners started keeping their new kittens in their homes, except Ms. you have to live with it. I caught her new kitten and she showed up my house begging me to tell me where her kitten was. I told her I didn’t know even though it was in the cage in the back of my truck while I was speaking to her. Off it went to work with me it went. No more cats, the smell in my yard dissipated, I was able to open my windows in the summer and no more scratches on my car. Moral to the story, keep your freaking pets in you house.
Dave, I understand your feelings. Thanks for visiting and sharing your views. If you don’t like cats or dogs you don’t want them in your yard or on your car. I understand that. Even though I love animals I do believe that people who keep cats and dogs should be highly responsible in looking after them both for the cat’s welfare and to respect the views of other people. If a person came to me and said my cat had scratched their car I would feel obliged to fix the problem and prevent it happening again.
A lot of people don’t mind cats roaming through their yard but some do and we should respect their views. However, that does not give you the right to harm or steal them. Technically, you may have stolen someone’s property. That may have been a crime. However, I understand your frustration.
Dave, sorry no i don’t understand your feelings, i mean how can you have any, this is cowardly and cruel. not good creative problems solving at all. your selfish narrow minded. if it were my cats you wouldt be reading this right now, trust me
Cats dont s#it or pee in their own yards they use someone elses.. I love how people on here defend cats and say what if kids find the mothballs.. Again people and parents shouldnt let there kids or cats roam onto peoples property..parents really shouldnt let your kids walk around and eat little candy shape balls off the ground..sounds like lazy poor parenting from the same people who wont take care of the cats they own as well..got about 20 nasty cats in front of my new house we just bought and remodeled in Cleveland.. The nasty people across the street keep feeding them.never clean up after them or take care of them.. I bought 2 big boxes of mothballs ,crushed them into dust and put it all over my front yard and flower boxes.. The whole street smells like cat piss once it got worm out.. Thanks for posting this I am so glad mothballs will clean up the problem. I have a dog and kids and my dog is walked and cleaned up after and my kids were taught as babies not to eat off the floor ground or anyplace other than a plate..and my kids or dog or not..if they was stupid enough to eat something laying on the ground then they will learn a lesson in life…(listen to your parents) But im not going to deal with these nasty cats anymore than someone would put up with..my dog in their yard.a rat ,bat or snake in the yard..bees or any other rodent..wild cats are nasty and need to be delt with..Im gonna be happy when they” leave” Im sure the rest of the neighborhood will to..all except filthy Mcnasty across the street..
If you were a decent person you’d find a more decent way of dealing with this. But you don’t. Therefore you are a nasty person. No, you are worse than that. You’re a sh*t and a cat poisoner. I’d love to meet you and do something as nasty to you.
Cats are not nasty. Humans like you are.
A decent person wouldn’t expect her neighbors to deal with pets that are not theirs.
pittbull how do you clean up the dog piss you dog puts on your neighbors property and kills their grass? You’re just as bad as the cat owners. I had dead spots on my lawn because one dog would piss on a spot, then another dog would piss on the same spot. Why do I have to have dead spots on my lawn because of jack holes like you think they “clean up” after their dogs. God you pet owners are morons. Keep your pets doing their business on your own yards.
Have you considered building a cat and dog proof fence around your yard? Perhaps you don’t want to spend money to fix what you see as someone else’s problem.
EXCELLENT IDEA MICHAEL. Instead of feeding my kids, I’ll spend money on a fence to keep out animals that THE OWNERS should love enough to care for. I suppose I should mail them a check so they can feed them and buy them litter too? WOW…..just….wow.
Cat owners should act responsibly, I agree. If a person is forced to take steps that’s the way it is. The key is to try and avoid neighbor disputes. You are overreacting. You have that inner anger that all sport hunters have which is unpleasant.
joyce….SO SORRY for that horrible couple of weeks you had to go through with the loss of all the cats! your two cats looked adorable!!! i’m getting fresh mulch soon, & I was thinking about getting moth balls…advice of a neighbor!! thanks to your horrible story—I won’t get any!!! I feed many strays & they loved the mulch in this past fall season!! but, I would NEVER put out anything to harm any animals!!! they cannot tell us where they hurt & if they feel bad!!! i’m glad I read your story!!! thank you & god bless you for caring about god’s creatures!!
janet
Cats are useless animals. We had a beautiful robins nest on our front porch and we took great pleasure in watching the mother feed the young ones. Guess what..a cat attached the nest and killed the young babies. Every day the mother robin comes back to see if she can find her young ones…so sad. Cats have attributes that I don’t like in humans. They are selfish, only approach their owners when they want something and don’t portray any of the loyalty to their owners that a dog does. Get rid off all the cats and as far as I am concerned, all those hardcore cat lovers out there obviously condone their creatures habits are not very nice people themselves. Without any cats the world would be a much better place.
Cats behave like all animals including the human animal so if you criticise the cat for being selfish you’ll have to criticise all of creation. Do you think birds are less selfish? Cats are sometimes altruistic. They help a mother cat (a queen) give birth successfully and look after another cat’s kittens. Cats are no different to other animals.
You are practicising speciesism – preferring the bird to the cat. That is your choice but it’s unfair. Your comment is based on a dislike of cats and is therefore biased. As it is biased it is not worth much. Thanks for visiting though.
i have wild cats and they go in my neighbors yard and she hates them sees been putting mothballs all over i can even smell them and one of them vanished about the same time Is there a way she can get introuble for doing this. or what can i do
It is cruel and wicked to try and poison wild cats. It is probably illegal. Check the local laws. I’ll have look myself later and make another comment. Where are you, by the way? For me, your neighbour is an idiot and she needs to be stopped.
In the UK, her behaviour would be a crime.
we are in lancaster new york thank you for the info ill see what i can do and prove vidio camers can do alot
How about keeping your cats in your own yard or home? You obviously don’t respect your neighbors property. You are a moron, a typical cat owner.
It does not help to call people morons. That attitude makes it harder to come to agreement.
You have cats that go in the neighbors yard. WILD CATS. What part of inconsiderate don’t you get? If he came over and left a duece on your lawn or peed on your porch, would you keep cleaning it up because it’s cruel to keep him inside? NOPE. Police would be called and you’d be angry as hell. YOUR rights stop when they violate someone else’s. I own a cat and would never suppose that someone felt like taking a break from their busy day to care for my animal. MORON. You wanted the animal. If you are incapable of love you never should have got it. “For the cat owner so loveth his cat, that he leteth it out to the dangers of the world”. Please don’t have children. There’s streets out there.
If you cat lovers that are saying dont be so cruel ,what if someone poisoned you or shot at you with a bb gun . I would say you have the right to do it if i come on a daily basis and throw a bag of my steaming hot shit and piss on your deck then i would deserve it wouldn’t i?
Don’t be stupid. You can’t kill someone for the reason you state. Neither can you kill a cat for that reason in most (all?) states of the USA as far as I know. In Europe you’d be arrested for it.
I agree with the people that believe if you own that little animal take care of it, put it on a leash, or keep it your damn yard cause if you let it wonder around pissing on people’s property you should expect the worse , because if i catch that little bugger i would kill it because the stench is killing me!!!!!
Look I agree that people should not allow their cats to roam on other people’s property if that person does not like it. However, to kill a cat for that reason is cruel and nasty. I therefore conclude that you are cruel nasty. Don’t come back to this site.
they should be captured and put down,why should people be subjected to there smells and waste–they kill birds which I happen to love and for the most part cats don’t eat birds its just something they do. use lemon oil or peppermint oil that should do.
Why should people be subject to humans who smell and urinate in public? Why not put them down too?
I don’t agree with forcing cats to stay inside the house. If you had a kitten and brought it up that way, fair enough, but we have adopted and fostered cats who prefer the outdoors. My current cat was abused by someone who lived around the corner, and escaped to my house where she found a family.
Thankfully, I live in an area where people are kinder to animals. We all look out for eachothers pets, mine goes outside at night and sometimes sleeps in my neighbours flat. She used to bring her back, but when her cats started accepting it, she let her. We only don’t keep her in at night because she’s learnt how to open the kitchen door, and my mum has allergies, so try and keep the front room of the house as hair free as we can.
My heart goes out to the owner of these poor kitties. I wish you comfort in your time of loss. Scrappy looks like my 12year old Katycat.
Please believe me when i say”i am a animal lover”.i have had many dogs,6 to be exact.i have had 2 cats at different times,and loved them all until old age got them.they lived very long and happy,healthy lives.there is a point to this,i feel your pain on the loss of your cats,and i know how painful it is,BUT,you only confirmed something that i am so so against.LETTING cats run the neighbor.not only do they cause gardeners anger and car owners anger (footprints alover the cars)but,when i love an animal i WILL NOT put them in harms way.whether,its pioson,hit by a car or mean people(that are feed-up with the cat problem)if you are a parent,dog owner or cat owner you need to take responcibity of what belongs to you.i don’t mean to be mean but it would not have happened if they were in their own home.
All you naughty abused,used,unloved and unwanted “children” should not be taking it out on the animals. YOU with the BB gun, MAN-UP take a GLOCK with one live roubd in it and stick it in your mouth… I will pull the trigger when you are too weak! And YOU who spent MONTHS and MONTHS putting some potting soil from freaking LOWES into some cheap plastic tubes that you call your garden…cats generally develop those maladies as a result of not being vaccinated, or having flea treatments. Fleas actually case a number of the conditions that can affect a feline. Its funny though… even if I let all your grammatical errors go and pretend you are educated than you would have also known that MOST…. and I do say MOST medical condiotions that affect both feline and canine alike are not harmful to humans. A human can not give a cold to thier dog nor can you catch an auto immune virus (eg. AIDS)from a cat…be it a stray or your neighbors. Worry about your education instead of your herb bushes. Lots of Federal Grant Money with this uhmmm,,,,,, well,,,, President Obama in Office, so take advantage you idiot!