The Fur May Fly In Neighborhood Debate On Free-Roaming And Feral Cats: Block Talk

Your neighbor won’t stop feeding feral cats, and now they think they own the neighborhood. And your other neighbors let their housecats come and go as they please, including to your bird feeder or in your flower garden, where you discover their visit via a handful of poop scooped up while weeding the perennials.

Short of caterwauling about it, what do you do? We’re asking for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column.

The case for letting cats roam usually goes something like this: They get to hunt, climb, explore and generally conduct whatever mysterious cat business seems so urgent at 3 a.m.

A 2020 review published in the journal Animals found that cats allowed to roam freely outdoors face greater risks from disease, parasites, traffic, predators and other hazards.

And while they’re out there living their best nine lives, they’re also killing birds and other wildlife and, now and then, making themselves the neighbors’ problem.

The authors of the review didn’t find much evidence that cats need unrestricted roaming to be happy and healthy. A lot of what they get outdoors can be supplied indoors with enough space, play, climbing, scratching and stimulation, or through safer outdoor options such as a screened enclosure, fenced area or supervised time outside.

Feral cats are a separate problem. They’re called “community cats” in some places, and although no one actually owns them, well-meaning individuals take care of them.

Supporters say community cats help control rodents and keep animals out of shelters. But without intervention, a clowder of cats — also, less commonly and much more wonderfully, a clutter, pounce or glaring — can become a much bigger clowder in a hurry. That’s where programs such as TNR, or trap, neuter (or spay) and return, come in.

So where’s the line between being kind to cats and being a lousy neighbor? Should people be expected to keep pet cats on their own property? Is feeding a feral colony fine if the cats are spayed or neutered and cared for, or is any backyard buffet an invitation to trouble?

Tell us what you think in the survey below. As always, we don’t collect email addresses.

About Block Talk

Block Talk is an exclusive Patch series on neighborhood etiquette — and readers provide the answers. If you have a topic you’d like us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with “Block Talk” as the subject line.

Catch up on Block Talk

• School Drop-Off Lane Chaos Puts Children At Risk
• What Your Neighbors Say About Park Etiquette Basics
• E-Bike And E-Scooters Are Fun, Useful And Sometimes Terrifying
• Unruly Parents Are Ruining Youth Sports