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Feral Cat FAQ
Q. Why did the Creator of Heaven and Earth make feral cats, anyway?
Q. Why did the feral cats pick my house?
Q. Why do feral cats want to live in my attic, walls or crawl space?
Q. Why do I need to get rid of feral cats?
Q. When are feral cats a problem?
Q. When is the best time to get rid of feral cats?
Q. Why do feral cats live in urban areas and on the street?
Q. How do I know if I have feral cats in my attic?
Q. Where can I get help with my feral cat problem?
Health & Safety
Q. What are the health risks of having feral cats in my residential or commercial building?
Q. Will the feral cats attack me?
Q. Who is responsible for this feral cat problem?
Animal Control Products and Methods
Q. What are the most common feral cat complaints you receive?
Q. Which poisons do you recommend to kill feral cats?
Q. Which feral cat repellents are the best?
Q. Which methods do you use to exterminate feral cats?
Q. Who should I call for help?
Q. Why should I hire a professional to get rid of feral cats?
Property Damage
Q. What damage can feral cats cause?
Q. What is this going to do to my property value?
Q. What will a wildlife removal technician do about the feral cats in my building or on my property?
Q. How can I get the feral cats out?
Q. How can a wildlife removal technician help me get rid of the feral cats?
Costs
Q. What does it cost for an initial on-site feral cat inspection?
Q. What does it cost for an initial over-the-phone feral cat control consultation?
Q. Who pays for my feral cat problem?
Q. What FREE feral cat control services does your company offer to the public?
Q. How much will it cost to get rid of the feral cats?
General Feral Cat Questions
Q. Why did the Creator of Heaven and Earth make feral cats, anyway?
A. God made cats. People made feral cats. Feral cats exist because of accidental or intentional release of domestic cats into the “wild” to fend for themselves. These animals then breed and multiply, multiplying the problem in the process. There are approximately 60 million domestic pet cats in America and as many as 100 million feral cats. Spay your pets!
Q. Why did the feral cats pick my house?
A. As with all animals, they have to have a reason to be there—food and shelter. You, or a nearby source, are providing food. It may be through intentional, regular feeding or by accidently providing food from trash or another source. There must also be shelter, perhaps under a deck or porch.
Q. Why do feral cats want to live in my attic, walls or crawl space?
A. Cats love comfort. They want and need a warm, dry place to protect them from extreme weather. They will use any accessible location, including your attic or crawl space, as a home when they need one.
Q. Why do I need to get rid of feral cats?
A. Feral cats will continue to multiply and damage your property. Once they have selected a colony site they will not leave voluntarily. Consider that in many urban areas of the United States there are literally hundreds of cats per square mile, a population density that rivals or even outstrips the human populations.
In urban areas, and even more so in rural areas, feral cats kill millions of birds and small mammals yearly, sometimes damaging endangered populations.
Q. When are feral cats a problem?
A. Feral cats are a problem when they form colonies in areas where they are not wanted. They damage property, spread disease and kill desirable birds and mammals. They can injure or even kill domestic pets. They create mess and smell and distress the people and animals around them.
Q. When is the best time to get rid of feral cats?
A. Get rid of feral cats as soon as possible. The longer they stay the greater your danger of a “vacuum effect”—having more feral cats move into an area once the current residents are removed or die off due to disease. The smell of the previous animals remains and advertises your place as a cat house.
A. Feral cats can live almost anywhere. They like to form colonies anywhere near a food source—from dumpsters to lots of mice. The also seek our shelter in barns, alleys, sheds, schools. The colonies quickly grow in size as each un-spayed female can produce two litters a year.
Q. Why do feral cats live in urban areas and on the street?
A. Feral cats live on the street because people abandon or dump unwanted and usually unsterilized cats which form feral colonies to survive. These animals gather near food sources, which are abundant in urban areas near dumpsters, malls, schools, restaurants, etc. Cats would probably prefer to have homes and people to take care of them, but they make due as best they can.
Q. How do I know if I have feral cats in my attic?
A. Cats in attics? Yep, if you don’t have them yet, be grateful, but if you do, know that you are not alone. A female cat will seek for any safe place to have her young. Attics are great. If you have a feral cat in your attic, you can bet it is not alone. There are kittens around somewhere and you must be very careful to remove ALL animals and not leave kittens to starve, die and rot in your attic.
Q. Where can I get help with my feral cat problem?
A. Allstate Animal Control can help you. No government agency exists for feral cat removal and control. You need to remember that feral cats might look like your pet, Fluffy, but they are wild animals. Exterminators that do a great job on roaches are frequently unprepared for feral cats. We are a professional wild pest animal removal company and know what to do to removal feral cats safely and humanely. 1-888-488-7720.
Health & Safety
Q. What are the health risks of having feral cats in my residential or commercial building?
A. Feral cats carry diseases transmittable to humans and pets, including rabies, plague, ringworm, toxoplasmosis, cat scratch fever, allergies, feline leukemia, feline distemper and secondary bacterial infections.
Q. Will the feral cats attack me?
A. Of all wild animals, pound for pound feral cats tend to be the most ferocious. They claw, hiss, bite and emit musk (Stinky!). While they look like cuddly pets, they are wild animals and will act as such. Any wild animal will defend itself if threatened.
Q. Who is responsible for this feral cat problem?
A. People who do not spay their pets are responsible for this feral cat problem, but you are the one who can do something about it. We can help you. The animals can be trapped and removed to a local animal shelter where they will not continue to reproduce, making the problem bigger by the day.
Animal Control Products and Methods
Q. What are the most common feral cat complaints you receive?
A. People complain when cats live under their decks or porches and yowl, fight, or steal pet food left outside. Cats can decimate the bird population in the area as they catch and eat what they can. They eat the expensive fish, such as koi, that populate pond. Cats will spray to mark their territory and scratch and use your yard and garden as a toilet. They will get into the trash looking for food. What a mess you will have to clean up in the morning. Sick or injured feral cats are also a problem, as are the frequent litters of unwanted kittens.
Q. Which poisons do you recommend to kill feral cats?
A. Any attempt to poison a cat is ILLEGAL. Legally, the only way to remove a feral cat is to humanely capture it and turn it in to your local animal shelter.
Q. Which feral cat repellents are the best?
A. Many products claim to keep stray cats off of your property. Sprays, predator urine, and ultrasonic devices have been tried by many people, but the vast majority of say that they do not work.
Q. Which methods do you use to exterminate feral cats?
A. We do not exterminate feral cats. We trap and remove them from your property. They are taken to the Human Society or local animal shelter. Some are made available for adoption, particularly if they are young and can be gentled down. Many are eventually humanely euthanized, which is sad, but the reality of the serious feral cat problem in this country.
Q. Who should I call for help?
A. Call Allstate Animal Control 1-888-488-7720. We have helped many people get rid of feral cats inside buildings and on a variety of types of property. We are humane, effective and have the experience and expertise you need.
Q. Why should I hire a professional to get rid of feral cats?
A. Professionals like those you will find at Allstate Feral cat Control can help you with the entire process of trapping and removing the feral cats on your property. If necessary, we can recommend modifications that may help to prevent others from moving in. Don’t just get rid of one feral cat, get rid of all of them and make sure they don’t come back. Hire a professional.
Property Damage
Q. What damage can feral cats cause?
A. Feral cats are known to seriously deplete natural wildlife population, especially birds. They eat song birds, game birds, mice, rodents, rabbits and other small animals. They kill poultry and harm domestic pets.
Feral cats leave droppings and urine in the areas as they scratch and dig. Feral cats spread many diseases including rabies, plague, ringworm, toxoplasmosis, cat scratch fever, allergies, feline leukemia, feline distemper and secondary bacterial infections.
Q. What is this going to do to my property value?
A. Any animal infestation must be disclosed and usually elimated prior to the sale. The mess left by animal infestations typically lowers property value 5-10%.
Q. What will a wildlife removal technician do about the feral cats in my building or on my property?
A. A professional technician will inspect your property to determine the severity of your feral cat infestation. Especially if the cats are in a building, we work to determine if there are dependent litters of kittens on site. The animals are humanely trapped with mothers and kittens removed together, and the animals are delivered to a local animal shelter in accordance with regulations and laws. We can help to clean up and perform repairs and maintenance to your property as necessary to return it to a clean and healthy state, as well as help to avoid future infestations.
Q. How can I get the feral cats out?
A. Get help and make sure the job is done right by hiring a wildlife solution expert like us. We can perform on-site live-trapping and removal, or try our over-the-phone feral cat removal coaching service.
Q. How can a wildlife removal technician help me get rid of the feral cats?
A. The technicians you find here at Allstate Feral cat Control have a proven procedure that will get rid of the feral cats on your property. First, we perform a complete inspection to determine the type of animal or animals involved, their location and their numbers. We develop a custom trapping plan to make sure all animals are removed from the property or structure, including litters of young. Next we perform or recommend any necessary repairs to make sure the animals can’t return. Finally, we decontaminate and deodorize the structure as necessary.
We are committed to humane animal removal and the satisfaction of our customers.
Costs
Q. What does it cost for an initial on-site feral cat inspection?
A. Inspections start at $150-250, depending on your location. For specific information, see our Feral Cat Removal Pricing.
Q. What does it cost for an initial over-the-phone feral cat control consultation?
A. FREE! Send 5-10 pictures via e-mail and we will review them and call you to recommend a solution and provide an estimate. The pictures should show possible feral cat entrances into structures, damage caused by the feral cats, and any related item you think might be important.
Q. Who pays for my feral cat problem?
A. Feral cat infestations are the responsibility of the property owner. Typically feral cat removal starts with an inspection and evaluation which costs $150-250, depending on your location. You may want to contact your property insurance carrier; your policy may include coverage for removal and clean up of pest animals. For specific information, see our Pricing Page.
Q. What FREE feral cat control services does your company offer to the public?
A. If you find a suspected feral cat problem on your property, take 5-10 digital pictures and e-mail them to us (use the Contact Us page). We will call you on the phone and discuss your situation for a few minutes and suggest a plan of action, as time allows.
Q. How much will it cost to get rid of the feral cats?
A. Prices vary depending on your location, number of animals and severity of the problem. I can give you a FREE estimate over the phone using digital pictures you e-mail me. For additional information, see our Feral Cat Pricing Page.
