Hi Syd
Despite your appropriate request for private replies, I am sending this to
the list to draw attention to Ian Temby's very welcome recent book "Wild
Neighbours: the humane approach to living with wildlife" (Citrus Press,
2005).
It has 28 chapters (from Bandicoots to Wombats) with standard sections
including "Problems and their solutions". Appendix 2 ("Sources of supply")
tells you where you can buy equipment etc.
The cat chapter fully recognises the value of cats to humans, and identifies
the values to cats of being confined, especially at night. "Cat parks" are
available commercially for people who want to let their cats go outside.
For keeping cats out of your property he recommends "floppy-tops" on fences
or low powered electric wires. There is apparently no evidence that
repellents or ultrasound work as deterrents, but dogs do! For a bell to
work it would need to weigh about one kilo!
Live trapping is a possibility but Ian advises checking with State wildlife
authorities about legal controls. "In most cases, trapped cats should be
taken to the local pound, cat protection society or RSPCA, who will notify
the owners if the cat is identified."
He doesn't discuss other legal solutions but Russell has made a very helpful
contribution on this. Some Victorian local authorities also have cat
curfews etc. or even bans on cat ownership in some sensitive areas.
At present Victorian local authorities are being required to produce Animal
Management Plans and some are now requiring cats to be desexed unless they
are controlled by licensed breeders.
Michael Norris
Melbourne
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