Feral Felines Fear Fragrance

Today, November 16th is National Feral Cat Day!  The dilemma of feral felines is something not unique to Kent County, Maryland and is an area of intense interest to the Shelter Medicine program at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.  In the most recent edition of the Cornell Feline Health Center's "CatWatch" magazine, there is some interesting advise on keeping these unwanted felines out of your gardens and other outside areas. 

Citrus, specifically the rind of oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes is a fragrance that most cats despise.  So if you have feral felines spending time digging, pooping, peeing, and or lounging in your vegetable or flower gardens try a citrus compost.  The suggestion is to chop, grate or grind the rind of your favorite citrus fruit and sprinkle it throughout your garden on a regular basis, this will encourage all felines to look elsewhere for a comfort zone.  Camphor balls will have a similar impact and can protect your precious flower bulbs from moles and squirrels too. However, camphor balls if not buried in the soil can poison some canine friends.

Cornell's recommendation for feral felines is institute a trap, neuter, release program but assure that no one is feeding these felines.  Create a town event where neighbors can help build cat shelters deep in a wooded area within the township.  Plans for these feline shelters are readily available online.  All privately owned felines should be micro-chipped so that they can easily be identified and returned to their rightful owners should they stray from home.