Humane Trap and Deterrent Rental Program
Young-Williams Animal Center is committed to serving our community’s needs and is excited to roll out a live trap and cat deterrent rental program as a part of our Community Cat Program.
Traps
Humane live traps are available for rental to assist in Trap-Neuter-Release in your community. You may rent a humane cat trap from Young Williams Animal Center for free with a $25.00 deposit, payable by cash or check, which will be refunded when the trap is returned in its original, working condition. To rent a trap, you can stop by 3201 Division Street or 6400 Kingston Pike or give Christi Jarvis, our Community Cat Program Coordinator a call at 865-556-9729.
Deterrents
In addition to our live traps, we offer 2 types of humane cat deterrents for rent. Community Cats are some of the best natural pest deterrents on earth! However, sometimes they can come with their own pesky behavior. If community cats are causing you unwanted problems, we have some great options that should help! These deterrents are available for free with a deposit of $25.00, payable by cash or check. Funds will be held for the duration of the rental. Once the deterrents have been returned in good working order, your deposit will be refunded.
We offer the Hoont solar powered, motion activated, ultrasonic option that emits a high frequency, harmless sound only heard by the animal that is great for use in gardens or flower beds, near the entrances to your house or garage, and around crawl spaces or outbuildings.
We also offer the Hoont Cobra motion activated, water powered deterrent that works especially well around your house as it has to be connected to a hose. When it detects an animal’s motion, it sprays a quick burst of water towards it.
Both the traps and deterrents are rented to you to use for up to two weeks. Extensions are granted on an as-needed basis. If these trap and deterrent options don’t appeal to you, we also have a really helpful list of cheap, do it yourself solutions to keep pesky critters away listed below.
Problem Solving DIY
Problem: Cats are getting into your trash
Reason: Cats are looking for food
- Secure your trash can with a tight lid or bungee cords. This will protect your trash from wildlife as well as community cats.
- Find out if neighbors are feeding the cat. If they are, make sure they following best practices. For more information on these best practices click here.
- Consider feeding the cats yourself if you find no regular caregiver. Feeding cats, using best practices, will help ensure they don’t get hungry enough to get into trash
- Feeding stations provide cats with a designated area to eat. Find tips for building or buying feeding stations here.
Problem: Cats are digging in your garden
Reason: It is a cat’s natural instinct to dig in soft or loose soil, moss, mulch, or sand
- Put out fragrances that keep cats away. Scatter fresh orange or lemon peels. Wet coffee grounds—which you may be able to get for free from coffee houses and fast food chains—and metal pans filled with vinegar also deter cats. You can also add a few plants known to repel cats. Lavender, Rosemary and Lemon Balm are great options with the added benefit of being very pleasant smelling to humans.
- Make an outdoor litter box away from your garden by tilling the soil or placing sand in an out-of-the-way spot in your yard. Clean the area frequently.
- Use plastic carpet runners, spike-side up, covered lightly in soil. They can be found at hardware or office supply stores. You can also set chicken wire firmly into the dirt (roll sharp edges under), arrange branches or sticks in a lattice pattern, or put wooden or plastic fencing over soil.
- Get the Cat Scat Mat, a nonchemical cat deterrent consisting of plastic mats that are cut into smaller pieces and pressed into the soil. Each mat has flexible plastic spikes that are harmless to cats and other animals but discourage digging.
- Get motion-activated sprinklers or ultrasonic deterrents
- Cover exposed ground in flower beds with large river rocks to prevent cats from digging. Rocks have the added benefit of deterring weeds.
- Plant a few catnip plants in an off the beaten path area where you wouldn’t mind the cats visiting
Problem: Cats are lounging in your yard or porch, or on your car
Reason: Cats tend to remain close to their food source
- Shift the cats’ food source to a less central location, where you won’t mind if they hang out.
- Apply fragrances that deter cats around the edges of your yard, the tops of fences, and on any favorite digging areas or plants. See “Cats are digging in your garden” for a list of cat-deterring fragrances.
- Use a car cover or place carpet runners on top of your car to avoid paw prints.
Problem: Cats are sleeping under your porch or in your shed
Reason: The cats are looking for a dry, warm shelter away from the elements
- Provide covered shelter. Or, if the cats have a caregiver, ask the caregiver to provide covered shelter. Shelters should be placed in quiet areas away from traffic. Find tips to build or buy shelters here.
- Block or seal the area where the cats enter with chicken wire or lattice, but only once you are absolutely certain no cats or kittens are inside.
Problem: Feeding cats attracts insects and wildlife
Reason: Leaving food out for too long can attract other animals and pests
- Feed the cats at the same time and location each day. They should be given only enough food to finish in one sitting. If another person is caring for the cats, ask them to follow these guidelines. For more colony care guidelines, visit alleycat.org/ColonyCare
- Keep the feeding area neat and free of leftover food and trash.
Problem: Cats are yowling, fighting, spraying, roaming, and having kittens
Reason: These are mating behaviors. Once the cats are spayed or neutered, these behaviors will stop.
- Contact Young-Williams Spay/Neuter Solutions at 865-215-6677 to make and appointment to have a community cat altered or contact Christi Jarvis, our Community Cat Program Coordinator at 865-556-9729.