What do the cats look like? There have been a lot of cats roaming on Sonoma and San Luis Ct.

Off to Halloween Camp?

Mike

Our neighbors have in the past set up humane traps for the many cats that invaded, on a daily basis, their property (the cats were doing some heavy duty damage). This was at the advice of the City of Pleasanton. I do not live in your neighborhood, but I know my neighbors set up traps in their house about two years ago. I assume my neighbors are not the only ones who have done so, as there are many Pleasanton cat owners that let their cats be street cats and are not concerned about the damage they may be doing to other people's yards/property.

What happens is the cat gets trapped, the city comes and takes the cat to some shelter where the owner can claim the cat.

You may want to contact the city to see if your cat is in one of those shelters.

Either that, or contact your local coyote group in order to lodge a complaint. Problem is, Mr. Wiley Coyote and other group members are difficult to reach.

Thanks Kathy!

Number One: is a black cat and if someone is feeding him he not come home.

Number two: A small tan/brown small Siamese.

They usually stay in the house or the backyard- hoping a raccoon didn't get them!

The problem with cat owners is that they let their cats run wild day and night ... we have over 12 cats coming through our yard, 5 nest under our house, and 6 mill around our fence.

So, if you count in the wild animals, the traffic, poisoned mice they eat, you'll find the problem solvable ... my bet ... dog, wild animal, other cats, disgusted home owners (not me ... so don't even start).

Morale of the story: you can't let your pets run wild and not expect the wild to fight back.

Come on people. Can't we be civilized and help the woman out? She's only asking for help, not a smart remark or your opinion. Just your help!
Darlene, do you have pictures of your cats that you can share? I don't live in your area but for those that do, you may have more luck. Are they microchipped?
Good luck, hope you find your cats.

@ Jessie "Come on people. Can't we be civilized and help the woman out?"

Jessie, I don't think telling cat owners that letting their cats run wild is uncivilized. It's a real problem for people who have to deal with the "let em loose" cats.

The real answer is keeping track of your cats. Sure put up a picture, but I bet the next cat she gets will be victim of the same wandering policy.

BTW: I also feel that way about dog owners who let their dogs howl all night in the back yard because they can't stand the noise inside their homes. It's better to let the neighbors suffer than to deal with their pets civilly.

This might sound wacky... but animals have been known to wander off prior to earthquakes occurring. Since we had 3 quakes in the past several days, they could have took off. Sorry if you haven't found them yet.

Maybe the cats adopted a different owner. Domestic cats have an average roaming range of 4.9 acres according to a study on the matter (Web Link So it is very doubtful that Darlene's cats stay in the backyard. Also it is interesting to learn from that study that the two leading causes of death for pet cats was disease and other cats or wildlife.

I love cats, they're cute and cuddly, but when a cat owner lets their cat run around the neighborhood to kill birds, cause damage,and poop everywhere;they become fair game to other animals, cars and traps. Keep your cats indoors. Pleasanton needs to treat cats the same way they treat dogs. We have at least six cats running wild and breeding like crazy on my street and I think I might invest in a trap!

Darlene, I have not seen your cats. I will keep my eyes open and be on the lookout for them. Good luck.

You might want to ask around to some of your neighbors, especially the one's behind you because I have heard recently that some people have been putting out traps and taking them directly to the pound and they will be put down. And "YES" there are A LOT of cat haters!! So, ask around and go check out the pound on a daily basis. You may also want to have a chip inserted under their skin so they can be identified and hopefully if the right person finds him/her they'll contact you. Good luck, my heart goes out to you. Keep the positive thoughts and don't give up!!

several years ago when we lived in east Pleasanton, our neighbors moved and left their cat. I called animal control and reported the abuse and was told that cats do not have the same protection as dogs. Since a cat can live on its own it technically can't be abandoned. I did turn the cat over to animal control because it was so domesticated that it wouldn't survive in the feral cat community. So, cat owners, please keep your cat safe and indoors.

First, I am an animal lover and would never wish for a family to lose a pet they love. That being said, there is a cat in my neighborhood who has found a second home in my backyard. He/she stalks the birds who feed from our feeders (not complaining about this since it's simply nature).

However, the cat HATES my dog who loves to spend time in the backyard, the cat has attacked my dog on a number of occasions to the point that we needed to take her to the vet due to a scratch on her eyeball (I witnessed the cat scratching my dog's face). We have approached the neighbors who own the cat and politely asked that they keep the cat out of our backyard. They told us they are under no obligation to keep their cat from roaming the neighborhood and that we can not prove to them that their cat caused damage to our dog......

So this left us only one option, I called the animal control department who said "entrapping" the cat and removing it from our property is legal as long as the cat is not harmed in the process. We recently obtained a trap and are patiently waiting for the cat to be caught. Once it's caught we will call animal control to remove it and take it to the pound.

It's tough when cat owners wash their hands of the damage their cats can cause and not take accountability for injuring other pets. We follow the rules and have no other choice than to trap the cat.

I'm not inferring that the poster's cat has caused the same problems and I hope the cats come home to their family.

@ nanc

Did you ever think that if animal owners were more responsible and kept their animals from making damage in other people's properties, there would be a LOT less cat, or dog, haters?

I have had issues with cats coming to my vegetable beds and digging it all up, and using it as a bathroom. I solved the problem with cayenne pepper, as I did with the neighbor's dog, who he thinks is entitled to run lose in the street. It is a nice and kind dog, but it loves to use neighbors' front yards as a bathroom, which the dog owner never picks up, since he is not supervising his pet. He is inside the house while his lovely runs lose.

So nanc, it is a 2-way street. There is a real problem with animal owners and their perception of their sweeties' rights.

It seems that these wandering animals are just doing what comes naturally. So, trap them, take them to the pound and have them put down.
What I am looking for is a trap large enough to catch the stupid owners who allow their pets to roam. Does not need to be humane, just a big trap.
Come on people. If you want a pet, keep it in YOUR yard, keep it quiet and don't let it become a burden on your neighbors. Or be prepared to have it disappear. We have taken half a dozen cats to the pound this year, we will continue to trap and remove any animals that comes onto our property.

Sheesh! I never knew that Pleasanton was filled with so many cat-haters. I don't own a cat, but I don't mind seeing an occasional neighborhood cat on the prowl walking on fence or passing through our yard. I figure that it makes my yard and house an area which is rather unfriendly to mice and rats. Also, squirrels, which are much more destructive to our garden and potted plants than cats, scamper away when they see a cat coming. Finally, cats are rather clean in the way they politely cover up their wastes. Again, an occasional cat is no problem to me.

P.S.: Darlene: My neighborhood is a bit far from Junipero street but I'll keep my eyes open.

If cats only walked on fences I'd have no problem with it. But they dig, and they relieve themselves on my vegetables, and I won't take it. I deal with rats with D-con. I deal with cats with pepper wherever they start going.
I am now going to start looking at those ultra sound animal deterrents. I'll test and as long as it does not scare away the bees, it's all good. Hopefully the dog that is too good to be on a leash will find somewhere else to hang around.

Bob said: "I deal with rats with D-con."

Good luck hunting down rats with your can of D-con, Bob. I'm sure that you've never had to deal with rats or mice. And if you get real lucky and get one with your D-con, do you know what your prize is? A rotting rat corpse in your crawlspace or in your attic or in your walls. You can tell me how that smells. Of course, there's also the matter of the smell of any old dried urine that the rats and mice leave behind. I much prefer having a neighborhood cat on patrol in my area so I don't have a rat problem in the first place. Mice and rats are pretty smart. They don't want to live in an area with cats on the prowl.

Hey, I don't want cats digging up my garden, either, but from my observations the neighborhood squirrels do most of that sort of damage, not cats. So even with no cats around your garden will probably take some damage, and at least the cats chase away the squirrels. Plus, there's that trick of sprinkling cayenne pepper around the garden that you mentioned. That probably keeps both cats and squirrels away from the garden.

Sam

D-con has worked well for me. I actually buy those blocks and nail them to the fence baseboard. I have found to this day 3 dead rats in the backyard, and disposed of them. I believe the rats go somewhere else to die. I have never smelled any dead rat in my house, but it doesn't mean it couldn't happen someday. So, I'll keep using it. And for the occasional rat that goes for my tomatoes instead of the poison, I set a trap and catch it. Problem solved. Not many squirrels in my area somehow.

I still want to test the ultra sound deterrent to find out if it really works. If it does, I'll be a happy man.

By the way, in case someone prefers the cayenne pepper method, you can get a big bag of it at Smart and Final, in the mexican spices section, for a fraction of what you'd pay in other places.

OK, Bob, good tips. I was referring to getting rid of rats and mice that had already set up a home in your house. Perhaps the D-con works well for rats in your backyard. But if I caught several rats in my backyard, I would be feeling a bit uncomfortable about how close they were found to my house, which is a nice, cozy, place well protected from the harsh elements for both people and rats alike. So I think of the neighborhood cats as my patrolling guard against rats making their way into the house.

I've heard that ultra-sound beacons don't work very well against rats and mice. The beacons startle the rats and mice at first, but then they get used to the sounds (clever little guys). But perhaps the ultra-sound beacon technology has improved so that it constantly changes its sounds so that it doesn't always sound the same to the rats. I dunno. IMHO, nothing beats a real threat (a cat's claws) back up by some active intelligence (a cat's brain in hunting mode).

Sam

I was actually referring to the ultra sound devices to be used against dogs and cats coming to my property.

@ Bob - Bought one of those ultra sound deterrents as advertised on tv a few years ago to stop the cats/dogs using my front lawn as a bathroom. Couldn't use it for long as my kids were the ones who could hear the high pitched sound (I couldn't) - and it didn't stop the cat poop appearing on my lawn while I was using it.

"Sheesh! I never knew that Pleasanton was filled with so many cat-haters. "

It is not about being a cat hater. Ocassional cats are okay. What is annoying is the cat that is always in your yard, destroying things, urinating on furniture and plants. Even more annoying is the owners of these pets, who feel entitled to having their pet be other people's problem.

If you have a cat, be responsible and keep it in your care, and away from other people's yards. And if not, then don't complain when someone traps your cat and calls the city to have the cat taken to the nearest shelter. You will have to pay the fee, btw, to have your cat released to you, it will get expensive after a while.

Thanks to all the wonderful, thoughtful positive comments!
My cats are not micro chipped
My neighbors, shelters and local police department is also aware.
I had pictures up around my street and an ad on Craigslist

Cat #1 is a big black 5 year old cat #2 is a small tan/brown 1 year old Siamese.
To all other negatives- you should have read my blog(or maybe you just can't read through your ignorance) MY cats stay in MY backyard and MY house- this is unusual and that's why I posted this- if my cats were roamers, I would have known better and not posted this!

As I grow older, I find it increasingly odd that people choose to live with creatures that lick their privates and shed hair on them, where they sit and where they sleep. Not that I find creatures that lick themselves or shed hair particularly odd in and of themselves, mind you: just that people choose to have them in their homes.


Mike

"MY cats stay in MY backyard and MY house"

If that were true, we we would not be have this forum, right? How can you lose your cats if they are in your yard and house? If indeed your cats were in your house, then you should not call the shelters, but the police to report a break in and the stealing of your property (ie, cats) which were inside your house.

The only way your cats could be in a shelter is if they were NOT in your house or yard but in SOMEONE ELSE's property and they caught them and called aninal control.

Excellent point Really? Probably too obvious for Darlene, but there it is in black and white. Regarding another adjacent topic, if we boycott china will more cats go missing?.

WOW!!! Calm down people- this is about cats- I'm not looking for my buddy the sex offender or my pal the murderer- This is an unusual situation, never has happened before and they do stay around- I have noticed an increase in raccoon's too. I didn't realize I would get such a immature reaction from grown men- you obviously have no life.

LOL! I'm not even sure that they are grown men. The "no life" part is certain, though.. Hey everyone, if you see Darlene's cats then let her know so they can get back home.

HAHAHAHA!!!!!

Thanks Sam! Isn't amazing the creatures that come out over a posting?

Thanks to all! Even the oddballs!

My friends cat was just killed a couple weeks ago by racoons. He lives in the Kotenger park area. Keep them inside at night is the only safe thing to do.

Hmmm.... if you remember my previous blog....
Just another example of the kind, caring and compassionate people of Pleasanton. This is why I LOVE This town.

I had a cat once.

I think many of you cat haters would be shocked at the Pleasanton RAT population in the neighborhoods with few cats. I have first hand experience with a family friend who recently trapped over 30 rats within 10 days. I am not a cat lover but I am a rat hater!

ok cat haters - get a reality check: cats are not really 100% domesticated & keep some of their natural instincts (even if they are fixed)like rat catching, walking outside of their backyard, territory marking (damn males!)digging in dirt for fun trying to catch anything that moves & fights etc. My cats would go crazy & be totally destructive if i kept them in 24/7, they are in & out all day long & get locked up at night - I have had serious talks to them about visiting other peoples property - but they have a mind of their own. I do my best - they are fixed, have yearly shots & flea control & have their cat boxes & beds in my house. They are butt heads but sweet at the same time! Please have tolerance for their species!

thx

If you don't like cats in your yard, get a dog. Either the dog will scare them away or eat them. Its a win win.

The Siamese cat has been FOUND!!!!!!!

Still missing my black cat, its been 3 weeks :(

Thanks to all for the wonderful thoughts and positive comments.

A very friendly, very thin, and very frightened black cat has perched itself in my yard. I admit to feeding it, as it seems domesticated and not feral. Any ideas, about how to help it find its way back to its owner? It does not belong to anyone in my neighborhood. I choose to keep my own cat indoors so that she doesn't stray and I am sorry to hear others have lost theirs when they are let outdoors.

Darlene said: "The Siamese cat has been FOUND!!!!!!!"

That's great! Hope the other cat makes it home, too.

YEAH!!!!!!!!! Congratulations, that's Wonderful. Where was she? Was she okay ....no injuries or items of concern? Maybe she got lost looking for your other cat?? Okay, now that you've found her you must get that microchip and since she now has a taste for adventure she needs to stay inside.....she just lost her outside privileges!! Did you see the last post? A lady found a black cat! You gotta find him fast cause there are some sick individuals out there......AKA boob..oops I mean....BOB!! :). So happy for you, don't stop looking.

After $3000 in vet bills from cats getting sick or injured I don't let my cats out anymore, except for one ratter who is very persistent at nagging me.

Often a missing cat is simply hiding or trapped somewhere near home. One of my cats was missing for over a week and turned out to be under my house. She got in through a torn vent and couldn't get out. I drove up to Animal Control in Martinez twice to look for her, and she was literally right under my nose.

Here's a link to a website with instructions on how to find a missing cat. I hope the black one described above is yours, but if not, try some of these ideas.

Web Link


PS If you want to reduce the number of stray and unwanted cats and dogs, invest in a Spay and Neuter license plate. Web Link

The State of California spends $300M annually sheltering and putting to sleep homeless cats and dogs. Don't you think this taxpayer money could be better spent on something else, or better yet saved?

I love and appreciate all the support. My Siamese was found after 5 days near my backyard- very scared, but Thank Goodness uninjured, she is safe in the house and that's where she will stay. The black cat described above is 'very thin' it would take my heavy black cat weeks to lose his extra pounds, if someone is feeding him, he won't budge- literally.

Thanks Again!

Darlene: We lost our cat awhile back. Call "Find Toto" and place an order. They are a service that will call neighbors on the phone for you and leave messages on answering machines. Then neighbors will call you if they have seen or have been taking care of your cat. That's how we got our cat back! In two days he was back home.

I was told that cats are usually found within 3 miles of home, dogs are usually within 5 miles. Good luck!

@ Nanc

So I deal with cats invading my land using cayenne pepper, and you think I am sick? Did I anytime mention trapping them and sending them to the pound, or killing them in any shape or form? Go back and read my posts lady. I think you are the one with serious issues.

I use cayenne pepper too, because i am tired of having cats in my property. Just like oblivious cat owners feel they have the right to let their cats go wherever they please (since no laws prohibit that), I feel I have the right to put cayenne pepper in my fenced backyard (since no law says I can't)

Am I a cat hater? No, but I am not a cat lover either, and that is why I chose NOT to own a cat, so that I would not have to deal with their destructive habits on MY yard. Yet I end up having to deal with cat feces, urine and destruction of plants because of other people's cats....cayenne it is, and if it stops working, traps it is. So keep YOUR cats in YOUR property or stop complaining about cayenne or traps on properties that do NOT belong to you

so Darlene . . . your cat never leaves your yard but your cat was found somewhere other than your yard? Say what?
So far I have only trapped cats but if my neighbors continue to allow their cats to crap on my yard furniture and sleep on my car I will resort to feeding them kitty appetizers. Tuna mixed with antifreeze should be good. People have no common courtesy when it comes to getting along in a neighborhood. No wandering animals, no barking dogs and no loud music. Is life really that difficult?

To "one too many cats"

If you are able to snap a digital picture, you could email it to Valley Humane Society and to the East Bay SPCA so that if someone is looking for a lost cat at one of those places, they could give your email to the owner...

If you are really kind, you could print out 10 fliers and take them to local vets offices.

If you really need help catching cats (or rats, or raccoons, or dogs) that have strayed onto your property and become a nuisance, I believe you can call the City of Pleasanton animal control and they will eventually send the Animal Services Officer with a humane trap.

Web Link

The city website also says you can report a found animal... they may keep records of people who have called regarding their own animals that have gone missing.

I would like to add to the post from "Not a cat hater". What we hate is not your cats, and not you personally. But we hate your irresponsibility in letting your cats roam and do random damage.

And lets just say we dislike when you disingenously claim they stay under your control, but yet they disappear. And when they are found, they were someone else's backyard. Yet you say "MY cats stay in MY backyard and MY house".

Hope no harm has come to your cats. I would check at the shelter often. If they were indoor cats, I would also put out a feral trap. I got my lost foster that way. She was missing for over a week before I put out the trap. If you get them back it would probably be a good idea to make them indoor only kitties. They are much safer and for the most part you know where they are. Though sometimes they hid and it feels like you lost them. Hope you find your kitties soon!!

No one should be giving antifreeze to a neighbor's cat. That is excusable! Killing someone's beloved pet!! I am sure glad you are not my neighbor!!

Ya know.......It's pretty disturbing to see that some of you "grown-ups"??? are so mean and hateful. No wonder our society has become so violent. And...YOU have the nerve to watch the news and witness all the rage and lack of compassion in our world with saddness. Maybe the most of you are deceiving and go to church, smile at your neighbors maybe drop a buck into a local charity....but deep down inside your angry and empty. WHY...WHY...would you (not the majority) here you even reply to this blog if you can't help this woman find her animals...whether it be a cat or a dog or WHATEVER!! If you don't have any reasonable advise or information then STAY THE HECK OFF. YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT CATS/DOGS HAVE NO PLACE ON THIS BLOG...SO STEP OFF!!!!!! Start your own blog with your own haters. No body wants to hear you all running your mouth about your own personal feelings. Didn't your mama teach you anything "if you ain't got nothing nice to say then say nothing at all!!" Now...go to church and help an old lady cross the street....AMEN!!!

If you are trapping cats PLEASE post info on the cats sø we can save our beloved pets. We live in the Downtown/Junipero area and am missing a small gray cat. My children's small breed gray cat that we rescued has been missing for two days. They are very worried.

You cat people just don't get it. Keep your cats INSIDE or lose them. To dogs, cars, trapping or poison. FYI, I make no distinction between cats or dogs that come, unwanted, onto my property. If you don't want them being trapped and destroyed (no I will NOT take my time to post about your wandering pet) then keep them off my property.
And for those who think animals should not be poisoned, the rats also like the kitty appetizers so I can eliminate more than one pest at a time. Just keep your pets out of my yard and the problem will never arise.

I am frightened that you live in our community. You are evil!!!

DARLENE!

DID YOU EVER FIND YOUR BLACK CAT?? I LIVE OVER IN THE AMADOR ESTATES AND LATELY THERE HAS BEEN A "NEW" BLACK CAT HANGING AROUND OUR BLOCK. HE LOOKS LARGER THAN OTHER BLACKS I'VE SEEN...HE'S DOESNT LOOK LIKE A SHORT HAIR BUT NOT A FULL ON PERSIAN EITHER. HE DOES LOOK A LITTLE WEATHERED LIKE HES BEEN LIVING OUTSIDE AND DOESN'T HAVE A FAMILY. PLEASE EMAIL ME BACK AND LET ME KNOW IF IT'S YOUR GUY!!!!! TODAY IS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18TH...I'VE SEEN HIM THREE TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK.

I live on San Gabriel Court and in the last month I have had 3 of my cats disappear. I have searched all over, posted flyers, contacted Animal Control, talked to neighbors...all the things we're told to do. But no one has seen them. Having a pet go missing feels as if I've lost my child. I can't and won't stop searching until I have answers.

I don't have any problem with someone trapping cats if they've exhausted all other options first, but it is ILLEGAL for the trapper to NOT surrender the animal to the LOCAL animal control once it's trapped! These are my beloved pets! If you have a problem with them, ask around & find out who owns them & talk to the owner about it before you take it upon yourself to kill an innocent being! Or 3! At this point, I am almost certain that my cats are never coming home, and if the person that has done this to me & my family is reading this, you have messed with the wrong cat person...

I just now spoke to a neighbor of mine and she let me know her cat has been missing for 4 days (she lives directly behind me). So something is going on and it's not a raccoon or coyote or a dog...it is a person doing this and I am just disgusted that anyone could be so cruel.

I cannot comprehend hurting anything on purpose. What happened to the Golden Rule? Or at the very least, LIVE & LET LIVE!

If anyone knows ANYTHING, please contact me. I'm posting new flyers today.