I totally relate to the problem you are experiencing,
@ecotourist. We have a neighbor that used to keep more cats than the city code allows, and her cats spent a lot of time in our flower beds, and killing the birds that we like to feed. The tipping point was when one of them dug up freshly potted flowers, so it could use our planter as a litter box.
Our neighbor made it clear to my wife that there are no city code requiring her to keep her cats in her yard. My wife called animal control to ask them about live trapping the cats. Animal Control said they are very familiar with out neighbor, and said that they didn't want to do anything about her cat situation, at that time, and asked if we could live with the situation. What they were really saying, is they wanted me to put up with the situation, so they didn't have to deal with my neighbor. Yea, she's a difficult person.
I bought a live trap, and trapped cats until they quit coming in my fenced in yard. They all found new homes, where they should have lived a nice life, with plenty of rodents to hunt, water to drink, and land to play in.
As someone else mentioned, you may check with Animal Control. In one city I lived in, Animal Control would actually provide the live trap, and when you caught a cat in your yard, they would come pick up the trap. If the animal was tagged or chipped, they would contact the owner, and charge them to retrieve their pet.
My neighbor across the street traps cats and calls Animal Control to have them picked up . I prefer my Daisy Red Ryder but I was told that makes me a Sociopath . I'm ok with that . Besides , the Red Ryder only stings them .
On several occasions I have trapped a cat and taken it for about a thirty minute drive out in the country . Hmmmm , are there any houses nearby ? Yep , this looks like a good place . Bye bye Kitty .
Both very effective methods. Most cats are smart enough to quickly learn to stay out of a yard, after being stung by a low powered pellet gun once or twice.
