Stray Animals

[green]

Denver City & County Ordinance "Leash Law" mandates canine owners have their dogs on a leash at all times when in public. With the exception of dogs running loose in City Park, it seems there is a good effort to keep dogs leashed or confined within the owners property.

A few years ago, a pack of stray dogs running in the neighborhood entered the Denver Zoo and killed a number of animals. Stray dogs haven't been a problem in recent years.

The Denver Leash Law does not apply to cats, however, I believe vaccinations, license and tags are required. A growing number of cats roaming the neighborhood, some without collars/tags, are drawing attention, mostly because of the frequency of their presence in yards/gardens/porches of the neighbors.

Denver Animal Control has recommended "catching" these cats for pick-up by Animal Control.

[cairndaddy]

I talked to one of my neighbors who has 6 cats that she lets run free and she said that is just what cats do. Why should the neighborhood be a toilet for her cats running free? Why am I having to pick up dead birds and cat vomit and hairballs when I don't even own a cat? Maybe a leash law should be required for cats also. How do we "catch" these offending cats without hurting them and how long will it take for Animal Control to pick them up? Also, if they have collars and tags, are we still allowed to "catch" them?

[mike straka]

Our former neighbor Frances - now deceased with no local family so I can talk about her - was well-known amongst Denver Animal Control and the Department of Public Health.

We bought this house in 1997 and for I don't know how long, probably many years, she fed the cats, pigeons, and squirrels in her back yard, alley, and front yard. I think she had three or four feeding stations that she replenished twice daily - morning and afternoon. She also made the rounds of SCP in her car, which had huge bags of sunflower seeds and peanuts in the trunk. She went up and down the alleys dropping off piles of food at various spots. Frances was very popular no doubt . . .

And needless to say, the animals - cats, squirrels, and pigeons - around our house were legion in number. With two small kids at the time, we were very concerned for their health and safety.

When we moved in to our house, the back and side yards were nothing but weeds and cat excrement and the odor was horrible. Took quite a while to clean it all up, and to keep the cats away we tried mothballs, pepper, and this product from HomeD but I can't remember the name. Even after we resodded the back and side, the cats still came to do their business. How pleasant to wake up and go out to clean up from their visits. Eventually they stayed away but it literally took a couple years.

Our neighbor's back yard was nothing short of a public health hazard - there were two large wood (lumber) stacks right next to our fence that the stray/feral cats lived in and on warm days with the right wind the stench was unbearable. I mean our back yard was basically unusable and often the odor would even drift into the house, the kitchen especially. Even without wind you could not stand near the fence. After talking with her and getting nowhere, we called the Dept Public Health. They came out and talked to us and her, and we found out that she had been the subject of numerous calls and citations, both for her own yard as well as the driving around thing. They didn't come down on her too hard since she was about 90. And, truth be known, we felt some compassion for her too since her husband had died shortly after we moved in and the animals were her only comfort.

The woodpiles eventually got moved and I'll tell you, the stench on those days was double unbelievable. The guy who came for the wood seemed impervious to it though . . . I half expected guys in hazmat suits.

Previous to getting the woodpiles moved, we had obtained traps from Denver Animal Control or shelter, or whatever the city facility was over on Platter River Drive south of Alameda. I don't know whether that facility still exists but I would start a search at the city to get traps. Try the 311 info number, they can probably get you connected.

Over a period of about 4 or 5 months we trapped close to 30 cats (we lost count) and took them down there. What fun that was. Plus, we had the pleasure of getting scolded many times by our neighbor, who said "I know what you're doing!!" By that time we had erected a wood fence and we placed the traps where they weren't visible from her windows, and we moved the traps when we knew she wasn't around.

I know it's a major pain in the butt but stick in there, be stubborn and defend your property and eventually something will happen.

I'd recommend starting with the animal repellant products. Don't be shy with that stuff either. Mothballs sorta worked but they have their own problems especially if you have little kids. Cayenne pepper worked too but it's relatively expensive to waste like that - save the cayenne for your gumbo. I hate to say this but vigilance also works - try to be around in your yard or porch or wherever and scare the cats away. I know that's hard to do and takes time but it does work.

Good luck.

-M

PS - I have a hilarious story connected to this cat situation, I'll tell you about it in another post.

[green]

Wow, you hit the nail on the head with the cat urine odor. The neighborhood cats have made themselves an area for themselves on my property under my dining room windows. Great large windows that face south and would be nice to let a summer breeze in. BUT, the cat litter and urine prevents us from that enjoyment. The smell of cat urine is so bad, especially on rainy days, the windows must ramain shut.

Talk about a neighbor with 6 cats. I was out early this morning and saw a woman open the front door, four cats came running out, dispersing out into the neighborhood. Not one cat remained in her yard. She got in her car and drove off to work. That would not be acceptable if they were dogs, so why is it with cats?

[yelsel]

I found this on the www.denvergov.org website. I hope none of my neighbors start keeping pigeons!?
****
Animals: How many pets can I have in my home?
For most residential districts, the number and kinds of animals accessory to dwelling units follows:
* 3 dogs
* 5 cats
* a combination of dogs and cats cannot exceed 5 animals
* 2 rabbits
* Small rodents (Rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters and other similar animals), Fish, Small reptiles and amphibians (The types of these animals is regulated by Chapter 8 of the Revised Municipal Code): No numerical limit, however, the raising or breeding of these animals for resale is prohibited.
* 2 horses, if the zone lot is over 1/2 acre in size
* Up to 24 pigeons can be maintained if the owner gets approval of a Use Permit.

[sleepless in CPS]

Anyone else hearing the nightly cat fights in the neighborhood? Everynight, in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning, terrible cat fights are going on. It is a disturbing sound, as usually one cat carries on as if it's injured.

It awakens me at least several times a week.

I don't hear dogs barking throughout the night, just the cats. Maybe all dog owners should leave their dogs out all night to bark at the fighting cats. Then maybe everyone would agree that all pets should be brought inside overnight.