It’s hard to imagine that such a cute and harmless animal could be considered a pest. But the truth of the matter is that animals are not labelled pests on account of their looks rather than their behaviour and the trouble they cause. And cats can cause a lot of trouble when they invade your property.
In addition to turning your whole yard into their litter box, cats will destroy your gardens and lawns leaving your property in a very bad state. The problem becomes more serious if you own pets of your own such as dogs, as cats can agitate them making them hard to control. Stray cats are also capable of introducing other pests such as fleas and ticks into your home which could be distressful to both you and your pets.
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The Life Cycle Of A Cat
After mating, the female cat goes through a gestation period of between 64 and 67 days before giving birth. The size of a litter is about 3-5 kittens, with the first litter usually being smaller than the subsequent ones. Females can have two to three litters in a year and could, therefore, produce up to 150 kittens in their breeding span of about ten years.
Kittens remain under their mothers care for about 12 weeks after which they can live independently. They reach sexual maturity at 5-10 months for females and at 5-7 months for males. A cat can live for up to 15 years depending on the breed.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat )
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Signs Of A Stray Cat Problem:
If you see several of the following signs then you may have a stray cat problem:
- damaged plants
- unusual or strange poop in gardens or lawns
- cat paw prints around property
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Controlling Cats
As always, prevention is the first step to controlling any pest infestation – unfortunately, this time the pest is an animal we adore, a cat. Never the less, if it causes damage it has to stay out and cats are no exception. So how do you keep cats out of your property? Here are a few solutions that you could use:
- Keep your rubbish bins covered. Uncovered garbage cans not only attract cats, but also any other hungry animal roaming around. Make sure that your rubbish bins are always tightly covered to prevent animals from accessing the food you have thrown in them.
- Notify the owner. If you can trace the stray cat’s owner, notify them so that they can take action to remedy the problem. The owner might not be aware that their cat is causing trouble in another person’s home.
If even after taking the above measures cats still find their way into your property, you should consider using some professional cat deterrents.
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