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Problem with feral cats

F

frj322

New member
Good afternoon all,
Hoping for some wisdom from the group. We live WAY out in the country and sadly, our Spyders sit somewhat outside. They live under a very nice prefab metal carport that is closed on the back end and covered with hardware cloth on both sides. Only open in the front for easy entry and exit. We do not have a garage and do not have an opportunity to build one. The problem is this... 3 feral cats have taken a liking to perching on the Spyders. With that comes all the cat hair, muddy paw prints etc. We live down a mile long dirt road so you can only imagine what the bikes look like after the cats have crawled all over them. I don’t necessarily hate the cats, they are good for keeping the mice away from the wiring harnesses etc BUT I don’t want them living on the Spyders. Covers for the machines have been tried, miserable failure as they burrow under and just make it worse, plus the covers just make the dust from the dirt road spread all over and well, I think you can picture the results. Has anyone dealt with this? Before anyone suggests... my wife has become very attached to these little creatures and they are here to stay. I’m looking for a solution that will not harm them but will keep them off of our Spyders. Thanks in advance....
 
Get a dog and put it's house next to the carport with leash long enough to reach spyder.
 
Cats like to be higher up than the surrounding area to look for food or approaching danger. Maybe build them a better perch than your spyders or put tarps on the sides so they can not look around as much? Had a similar problem with my UTV. I put a weakened mouse trap on the seat, it worked but we only had one cat to deal with.
 
Try some sort of lemon smelling spray. Maybe fresh lemon peelings in some sort of container until they get the message. They do not like it. Also maybe try some type of an ammonia mixture in a spray bottle. I feel your pain.
 
Hey everyone,
Thanks for the replies so far. Please keep in mind the spirit of the original post. My wife is very attached to these little guys...
Giant dogs, air soft, sending to a shelter... although effective would not be an option in my case. I’m looking for something that will keep them off the bikes, leave them on the property and be harmless. Not trying to be difficult folks, I’m just describing the circumstances I’m facing.
 
Buy a weatherproof radio and put it on or near your Spyders.

Turn the volume up enough to bother them but not so loud that it is annoying you.

I also remember seeing some mats you could buy that would give a shock to a cat when they jumped on them - not sure if they were weatherproof though.

We just adopted a feral cat that had been hanging around for a year. So far, he is staying off the vehicles.
 
Moth balls &/or pepper scattered around & on the Spyders should help. :thumbup:

But the cats will be 'perching' on the Spyders because they are under shelter, warm (especially after a ryde), & elevated; all features that make them VERY attractive to cats for perching purposes, especially if there's nothing else around with similar features that might serve as alternatives..... So maybe that 'attractiveness' of the Spyders as a perch will overcome their dislike of the camphor/pepper smell?! :sour: If it does, then you might want to consider providing a better perching alternative; possibly one that also has 'scratching post' material attached or nearby; and maybe even something that's got some 'cat grass' on it/nearby or that gets fresh 'cat-nip' sprinkled over it occasionally?? :dontknow:

Giving them something else that's better suited/more attractive as a perch, and making the Spyder's a bit less attractive as a perch will generally work pretty well, even if nothing else has so far; altho sometimes it's a bit tough to overcome their 'ingrained preference' for a vehicle due to the length of time engines etc radiate heat after they've been run for a while - cats in particular just love that radiated warmth, especially if they have a comfy, warm, & dry spot to sit & absorb all that radiated heat!! So if all else fails, you could be forced to do something more drastic... like saaay, rigging up a water mist/sprayer over said vehicles, one that comes on at odd/random times without any obvious links to you appearing - cos if you hafta come outside/be obvious anywhere the cats can see/hear/smell before the spray goes on, they WILL quickly learn to associate the spray occurrences with your presence & so learn to bolt whenever you appear in order not to get wet! A motion sensor or random timer to trigger the spray over the Spyders is one solution to that; but do whatever works for you, and don't restrict your imagination &/or creativity! ;)

The only downside with this 'spray method' is that you do hafta put up with the Spyder's & their surrounds getting wet, at least until you've REALLY convinced the cats that perching on the Spyder's means they WILL get cold & wet if they sit there!! Still, once they've learned that lesson, they'll remember for a loooong time, probably even pass the lesson on to their descendants, & you can usually stop the drenching after a few months or so of randomn spraying that soaks them! :rolleyes:

Good luck! :cheers:
 
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I had that problem with a convertible car in San Diego - the cats liked to perch on it at night and sometimes would fight each other on the car. I solved the problem by buying a bunch of mouse traps and placing them all over the car. After they got snapped at a few times then they quit jumping on my car. No cats were harmed - they do frighten easily. Cheap solution.
 
I have also used Scatmat’s...they use a 9volt battery and deliver a shock when stepped on. No harm to cats but they hate the shock.
 
Lose the wife and shoot the cats, or, enclose the front of your carport. Just possibly gating the front of the carport would be the best solution, you think.
 
Like Peter said. Moth balls. I have used them to keep critters away from where they were not wanted. I put them in plastic sandwich bags with a bunch of holes and strategically attached them using wire ties..... Jim
 
Talked with my sister in law who works for ASPCA. She said please check to see if you area has a TNR program (Trap, neuter, return). She said the benefits are the cats are checked by a vet, given shots and spayed or neutered. The benefits for you are they become less territorial and are normally released back in your area near a volunteer that feeds them. So you may still see them around but probably will not be hanging out on top of your Spyder!
 
Speedycoop had the right idea about cats liking to be high. Build shelves on the sides of the carport to make perches. Stagger the heights so they can get to the top. This is experience speaking.
 
Cats do not like pepper. A generous sprinkle under the covers and that should keep them out and away from the :f_spider:'s. Moth balls are another cure. Once they are "trained," they will most likely find another roosting place.

I had the Vulcan parked out on the front porch most of last summer. The cats loved to sit on the seats and saddle bags.
Many mornings we would find a couple sitting on the bike and looking in the window, wondering where their breakfast was. Our porch is covered so I did not have any issues with muddy paw prints except for one time.

We have several feral cats that visit our place a couple times a day. Linda of course has become the cat lady of XXXXXXXXXXXXXX Rd.

We bought a cat tree and a cat condo that they like to make use of on a regular basis. We get the pleasure of cats without the litter boxes. Had two cats for years in AK but could not bring them on the move with us. :yes:

Smokey, Slick, Greeneyes, Mickey, Skruffy, Blackie, & Butch. We lost Fluffy to a car accident a couple weeks ago.

Happily, the Spyders are in the garage. Last summer some of the cats liked to perch on the roof of my Subaru though. So far, no scratches or damage.
 
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Buy an enclosed trailer and put the spyders in there. No mice, no cats and travel free from the dirt and grime!
 
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