Cat in the Garage

We awoke on a Wed morning earlier than planned to the sounds of meowing in our basement. We don't have a cat. Mind you there are about 20 cats in our neighborhood because our next door neighbor feeds them all. Three days later we saw the cat after returning from our neighborhood picnic. He was up in the rafters. We opened the garage door hoping to show him the way to freedom to no avail. He bolted to the back of the garage. After multiple tries to direct him out with a broom, he trampolined to the top of the duct work for the AC unit. We then had to close the garage doors because all of his neighborhood cousins were waiting outside to get in too. It had been 3 days with no food or water. We were nervous he might die in there...maybe he was a she and needing to deliver kittens (YIKES!!) Our neighbor across the street let us borrow a trap. We planted food and tried to set it but, it was either to tight or too sensitive and didn't work. Now we had fed the cat and it was at home. Ugh! We contacted the Hoover Animal Controland they would not come get an animal if it was in the house; happy to help if outside the house. They would bring another type of trap though. Bring it on!! So Officer Robert Davis brought the trap and within the hour, we had a captured kitty. By now it is 6 days later since the initial morning meow. Of course the Humane Society is closed on Wednesdays so it had to stay in the cage until Jeff could take it on Thurs morning.

Lesson learned in this Adventure:
1. If you have fed a cat for 72 hours, you own the cat, whether you wanted it or not.
2. The Humane Society will not take a stray animal, so you must claim ownership (closed on Wednesdays in Bham).
3. If you have a cat in your garage, get kitty litter first so you can control the location of excretions.
4. Your Local Animal Patrol can help you with traps free of charge, but not come in your house to get an animal. If you want to file a nuisance complaint, fliers go up around the neighborhood to let everyone know they will be coming in 10 days to get up any stray animals, then they will come and round up all the animals they can catch.

Meet Zach (affectionately named after our very nice neighbor who feeds all the cats.) The Garden Club paid to have them all "fixed" for population control. But based on the litter of 5 kittens at our neighbors door, they missed one.

Any tips on cat deterrent? We don't hate cats, just don't want to own one. :)) We hope "Zach" is making new friends at the Humane Society.