Contraceptive for feral cats?

Does anyone know of something that will not kill a cat but will keep them from conceiving? Something that can be put in their food or water?

[TedH71]

Have heard they've developed that newfangled shot that will neuter a dog by simply giving him/her a shot. Don't know if that's true. Worth looking into.

Ted

[Corgitails]

There's a shot for dogs, but it's not commercially available yet, and I haven't heard about anything for cats yet that's similar. I think TNR (Trap neuter release) is still the only option.


Cait

I don't know why anyone would let feral cats run loose. I just don't get it. They spread disease, kill off the game birds and song birds and carry dangerous parasites. They are just as much of a health problem as roaches and rats. Sorry, but this is something I feel strongly about. Even pet cats should be confined and not allowed to run loose...I do hope you will take responsibility and trap them and take them to animal control if you can't dispose of them your self.
We are slowly getting smarter about keeping dogs home, it's time to get smart about cats.

LQ

a ''shot'' to keep feral cats from concieving?been using one for years- a ''shot'' with a .22 works just fine

[kathy H]

pennyroyal[herb] is a abbortant. added to feed once a week might work.

[Annie in S.E. Ohio]

No, but the Yuppies sure would like a contraceptive shot/feed to prevent deer from reproducing in suburbia, hee-hee!!! Personally, I would vote for the development of dumping a contraceptive additive in municipal water supplies to cut down on the runaway welfare recipients reproductivity, but that's a whole nother problem...

Livetrap/neuter/release is still the best option, humane, ethical and effective, and, cheap if you bother to find a low cost/free humane society to "sponsor" the neutering. If our poor Appalachian county can have a low cost neuter clinic, any county can. You have to get enough folks to "make a little noise" about it.

[Don Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Annie in S.E. Ohio

Livetrap/neuter/release is still the best option, humane, ethical and effective....

Sure ain't humane to all the small native birds and animals that feral cats destroy - at least one per day as food - more when they clean up a bird nest or a litter of young animals. Or when they kill to play. They'll keep on doing that until they fall victim to a fox, bobcat, coyote, feral dog - and that's not humane either.

The humane and conservationally responsible thing to do is to eliminate feral cats. Cost effective too.

Originally Posted by Don Armstrong

The humane and conservationally responsible thing to do is to eliminate feral cats. Cost effective too.

You obviously have no concept of how many mice cats can catch and eat each year.

Mice are a *REAL* problem. The amount of damage they do is amazing.

If you don't have lots of cats, you will need lots of snakes to deal with mice. Which would you rather have?

[agmantoo]

Not that my opinion matters, but Mr. Armstrong's response is dead on from my view point. It is unfortunate that many here cannot come to recongize the true facts. Coyotes continue to reduce the feral cat population so the question of cat birth control and feral cats may be of no significance in the near future.

Originally Posted by agmantoo

Not that my opinion matters, but Mr. Armstrong's response is dead on from my view point. It is unfortunate that many here cannot come to recongize the true facts. Coyotes continue to reduce the feral cat population so the question of cat birth control and feral cats may be of no significance in the near future.

Have you ever seen the damage mice can do? Just ask any farmer.

I think we need to increase the cat population to deal with mice...

There are many ways to cut down the number of rodents with modern traps, not to mention keeping areas clean! Also one of the many ratting terriers is far superior to any cat, they kill rodents with an obsession.
Further more terriers are not instinctive killers of songbirds, they tend to leave non-rodent species alone. the domestic cat is not a native species and does not belong running free. If you have feral cats eliminate them thru all legal means!!! To answer your question I would say no, there is nothing you can do short of spay/nueter. Do our country a favor and get rid of the feral cats!

[comfortablynumb]

ya know, if the cats werent killing off the other natural predators the mice population would stay in check like nature intended it to.

cats are not a part of nature on this contenent.. not kitty cats as we know em. there should be NO "feral" cats... piriod. there should be no feral dogs.. piriod.

If they are not your barn cats or house cats or pets that you are keeping healthy or at least keeping vaccinated from rabies (easy cheap and not big expense) SHOOT THEM. If not your mercy breeds more feral cats...
In some countris they have cauaseed the total extintion of many animals.
I love kittys... I love doggies. I also shoot strays that I know noone owns or cares for or can care for due to "wildness". Dogs a pleanty i have adopted and so far I havent found a "wild" one, although there are a pack or 2 of ferals running around herebauts with a price on their heads... they are dangerous. Cats I have all I can feed, the ill tempered strays get shot. The nice ones usually stick around and then leave again.

I had to pause typing this post to shot a racoon on my porch. Beautiful critters, I hate to do it. But its spring now I have not one I have 10 wanderingabout eating the cat food and ripping up my roof.

I must be getting old, the blood is turning my stomach to wash away anymore....

By doing this I control the spread of disease, the property dammage to the surrounding area, and the inevitable extermination of the local wildlife.

I used to relocate, adopt out cvare for ect and do everything short of culling. as a result, there was no bunnies, no birds (no bluebirds, rare in this area) no weasles, mink, phesants squirrels chipmonks ect.

slowly all those animals I see coming back. Still havent got any squirrels... dunno why.

being a steward of the land takes more than just feeding strays, it gets messy sometimes but in the end the benifit outweighs the expense.

[Eileen]

My evil twin made me do this...

http://www.elfrigo.org/flash/chowmein.htm

[southerngurl]

Even pet cats should be confined and not allowed to run loose

grrrrrrrrrr

Cat's should not be confined in a house, unless you live in town or something.

[birdie_poo]

Some vets offer free spay/nueter services for feral animals...contact the local vets in your area to see if any partiocipate in the program,or call the shelters...sometimes they offer services, too.

My mom has a neighbor that is on SSI from a dissability and can't work, and takes care of her mother who is an invalid, also on SSI. She takes cats to the vet all the time that she finds in the neighborhood...the vet knows she's on less than a limited incomce and does them for free. He knows she's helping them out by getting them fixed, but I doubt he would offer his services to other, like he does her. They are both wonderful people.

[southerngurl]

Both of my cats go outside and have for years. We have plenty of song birds. Birds are not easy to catch, and the healthiest ones are not caught as much.

[Lt. Wombat]

Originally Posted by southerngurl

grrrrrrrrrr

Cat's should not be confined in a house, unless you live in town or something.

SG, this is not meant as an attack or challenge but; if you feel cats (yours or anyone else’s) have the right to trespass then don't hold a grudge against people like me that shoot on site any and all 4 legged trespassers.

I refuse to allow disease onto my property or the death of natural critters because someone can’t keep their animals on their own property. We have spent way too much time and money fencing the ranch to keep our stuff in to have it trodden on by other peoples stuff.

[gobug]

Feral cats do not eliminate rodent problems.

They only have an influence on visible rodent populations.

The only thing worse than allowing the feral cats to live on your property is feeding them. They are a bigger health threat than mice. They will do more damage than mice. They are harder to get rid of than mice. They'll infest your home and pets with fleas and other parasites.

Evict them. Eliminate their living spaces. Close all access points to the undersides of structures, crawl spaces, porches, attics, etc. Its simple, just not always easy.

Humane Societies don't rehab these pitiful creatures. They euthanize them. Cut to the chase, shoot them. It's the easiest thing to do for your own sake.

[ginnie5]

can promote sterility and implantation. The book I have lists them for human use (never tried them so I don't know if they work). But I thought maybe someone else might . So here goes:
Stoneseed Root (lithospermum ruderale) steeped for several hours in cold water and drank daily (1 cup) to cause permanent sterility. Used by Shoshene women.
Jack in the Pulpit root (arisaema triphyllum) 1 tsp dried powdered root in 1/2c cold water worked for 1 week, for permanent sterility 2 tsp in cup of hot water. Used by the Hopi women.
Thistles (carduus benedictus, cnicus ochroncentrus) using the whole plant. Tastes bitter.

Now I don't know if mixing any of these in with the cats food would work but it might be worth a try.

Now wasn't that more than you ever wanted to know about early birth control? :-)