Please how can I get rid of stray cats living in my ceiling? They get access thru a neighbour's roof and always urinate into the ceiling boards.
By Samuel. A from Seattle, WA
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I had one, slightly crazy, cat get in the attic once. I was not going to stick my head into an attic where there was a slightly crazy cat, talking to himself in his outside voice! Animal control would not come unless we caught the cat for them.
So, we found a humane trapping service and had them trap the offender, and they took it to a shelter because it was feral. It had been getting in through a small space at the apex of the two roofs; we asked the trapper for a recommendation for someone who could fix it.
As it turns out they also fixed animal entry points. They put something there that could not be accessed, and no more problem. Perhaps someone can come asses your situation and fix your portion so they cannot get in. That might prompt your neighbor to fix theirs since they will be doing to the neighbor, what they did to you. Good luck!
Find a way to put dried lemon peel and pulp up there. Cat's hate lemons. Also, seal off where they are getting in. Is it just the roof because that might be harder. But you said they were peeing on the ceiling, so I can assume you can find someone to help you seal it off?
Sure it's not raccoons? I hope it's only cats and not raccoons. To keep the kitties out, you need to staple some hardware cloth or chicken wire over your openings. To get the urine odor, you can purchase spray enzyme products. Cats like to hide under decks..not in attics. If you noisily feed canned or bagged food at a certain time daily, the kitties will learn to come to feeding time. They can be trained.
Now, there is a nationwide network of cat rescue people. We help in situations such as yours, trapping, neutering, returning, if that is called for, and generally looking after the welfare of feral kitties. Call your local shelter to get the names of these rescue organizations, contact the organization, and they will be glad to help you! If you call animal control, they will trap and kill the kitties. So get in touch with the rescues. You'll meet some good people.
Try using Moth Balls. My cousin had a squirrel get inside her car and nibble on some of the wires. When she had it repaired, she mechanic advised she put some moth balls under the hood.
Oh, you poor thing! What about someone to check their access and close, screen it off? Would deer repellent work on cats? Worth asking!
I agree with the previous posters that suggest getting someone to rescue those stray cats. And I also wonder if it is not raccoons; I have never known cats to want to hang out on the rooftops. However, as a first line of defense you can buy a cat repellant at the hardware store. It does have an odd smell, and you might want to try the orange/lemon peel thing first.
I had a stray cat spraying his scent on the front of my house in the winter, so I splashed the place generously with hot water and generous amounts of lemon scented Mr. Clean. That dealt with the smell and seemed to discourage the cat from returning. DO NOT use mothballs. They are poisonous to all living things -- you as well, and their stench will permeate the attic. It is just as bad as cat urine, and more poisonous.
And seal off the attic. If you have openings big enough for cats, you must also have room for squirrels, mice, rats, raccoons, and all sorts of other critters.
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