If you keep seeing the same cats slinking around your yard, hiding under the deck or tipping over trash at your Bergenfield home, you're likely dealing with feral cats. These cats aren't lost pets looking for a lap. They live outdoors and keep their distance from people. They also don't choose a property at random. Below, we'll cover what feral cats are, what draws them to your home, who handles the cats themselves and how to make your yard less inviting. Because rodents are often part of the attraction, our rodent control services can play a role in solving the problem.
What Feral Cats Are
Feral cats are domestic cats that live without an owner and haven't been socialized to people. Many are born outdoors to other feral or stray cats. They're different from stray cats, which are pets that got lost or were abandoned and may still be comfortable around people. Feral cats usually avoid contact, run when approached and are most active at dawn, dusk and night.
Feral cats often live in groups called colonies, centered on a reliable food source and nearby shelter. A colony can grow over time if cats aren't spayed or neutered. That's why a single cat you noticed last year can turn into several cats this year if nothing about the food and shelter around your property changes.
Why Feral Cats Show Up At Your Home
Cats go where their basic needs are met. If they keep coming back, something on or near your property is meeting one of these needs:
- Food. Open trash cans, compost, outdoor pet food, bird feeders and neighbors who feed cats all draw them in.
- Rodents. Mice, rats and chipmunks around your yard, shed or garage are a natural food source.
- Shelter. Spaces under decks, porches and sheds, crawl space openings, open garages and woodpiles give cats a dry place to rest and raise kittens.
- Warmth. In cold weather, cats seek out warm spots near vents, under cars and in sheltered corners.
Pet food left outdoors attracts more than cats. Our guide to what pests eat pet food explains what else might be visiting.
Problems Feral Cats Can Cause
- Noise. Fighting and mating calls at night can be loud and disruptive.
- Odors. Male cats spray to mark territory, and cats use garden beds and sandboxes as litter boxes.
- Mess. Torn trash bags and scattered debris.
- Conflicts with pets. Feral cats may fight with your own cats or upset your dogs.
- Health concerns. Like other unvaccinated animals, feral cats can carry diseases and parasites, including fleas.
Never try to handle or pick up a feral cat. If anyone in your household is bitten or scratched, see a doctor. If your pet tangles with a feral cat, contact your veterinarian.
Who Handles The Cats Themselves
Feral cats are domestic animals, not wildlife, and they're not something a pest control company removes. The right contacts for the cats themselves are:
- Local animal control. Your town's animal control officer can tell you the local rules and options, especially for sick, injured or aggressive cats.
- Community cat programs. Some towns work with groups that run trap-neuter-return programs, which spay or neuter and vaccinate cats so colonies don't keep growing.
- Local shelters and rescues. They may help with friendly strays or kittens that can be socialized and adopted.
Don't harm cats or use poisons. That's dangerous for pets and wildlife, and it doesn't solve the underlying draw to your property.
How To Make Your Yard Less Inviting
- Secure trash. Use cans with tight-fitting lids and store them in a garage or enclosure if possible.
- Feed pets indoors. Don't leave pet food or water bowls outside.
- Manage bird feeders. Spilled seed attracts rodents, which attract cats. Clean up beneath feeders regularly.
- Close off shelter. Block openings under decks, porches and sheds once you're sure nothing is living there, and keep garage doors closed.
- Tidy up. Remove brush piles and stack firewood off the ground.
- Protect garden beds. Cover soil with mulch, rough stones or plantings so it's less appealing as a litter box.
- Talk with neighbors. If someone nearby is feeding cats, a friendly conversation about a community cat program can help.
When To Call A Professional
If rodents are a big part of what's attracting cats, or animals keep getting under your deck, porch or into your crawl space, that's where we can help. Our NJ DEP-licensed technicians inspect your property, find rodent activity and the openings animals are using, treat rodent problems with EPA-registered, eco-safe products and seal entry points so the spaces stay closed. We offer free inspections with same-day and next-day service.
Feral cats stick around because something keeps them there. Take away the food, shelter and rodents, and your Bergenfield yard becomes a lot less interesting to them.