A recent post to my community list serve about a stricter leash law in Montgomery County (for dogs...) led me to post comments on keeping cats indoors. I included both a link to ABA's Cats Indoors campaign and to the sections of the Montgomery County Code dealing with pets. One provision, in particular, caused a furor on the list serve: the section that would allow me to humanely trap any pets trespassing in my yard (any unwelcome cat is trespassing) and take them to animal control. That really got folks' attention. 

But I wouldn't resort to trapping cats to keep them away from my feeders unless as a last, desperate resort (I'm feeding birds this winter after no doing so for many years, and glad I am - the other day, I had a flock of 39 Mourning Doves cleaning up safflower seed spilled all over the ground by the horde of House Sparrows usually hanging out). With some vigilance, I've been able to spray water at several offenders, though I doubt that will do any long term good. I'm just hoping that as the weather gets a lot colder, the cats will stay indoors longer. 

Does anyone on MDOsprey have any sure fire cat exclusion methods? I would love to hear any stories or suggestions...

And what is it with cat owners who let their cats roam? It's dangerous to birds, but also very dangerous to the cats. Every time I see a cat dead on the street, I curse its owner, not the driver of the car who hit it. There's cat fights, too, which can leave a cat in precarious medical condition. And as coyotes spread far and wide in the region, I suspect cats will begin mysteriously disappearing. Leaving cats outside is cruel to birds and to the cats. 

Tom Stock
Silver Spring, Montgomery County