Someone Is Putting Cat Food in My Front Yard

lonewolf on 13/11/2024 - 11:55
Last edited 13/11/2024 - 12:25 by 1 other user

There is someone who puts cat food on a plastic tray in a corner of my driveway. I noticed these cats always hang around my driveway. A couple of nights ago I came home and after I parked and got out of my car and went to get my passenger side to get my dog out of the car.

I heard a sound. Looked at the driveway and some idiot speeding just hit this young cat and sped off. There was blood everywhere and one eye had come out a bit from the socket. The cat was still shaking so I put her into a box and took her to the hospital but I reckon she was gone. I got blood all over me and some on the car as well. There was blood leaking out of the box as I was carrying her into the hospital.

This probably wouldn't have happened if the guy putting food on my driveway didn't do it. Not even sure why he does. The cat was hanging around the food in my driveway, when I parked and got out of the car, it got spooked and ran out on to the road. I went to the driveway after I came back home and sure enough there was food in a tray there for the cats. It's been happening for months now. They hide it in the bushes in my front driveway.

I had moved the food yesterday morning, someone had dropped off another tray with food in the night, which I moved that tray of food, and then this morning, they had put more food in the front and also walked down my driveway to get to the other 2 trays of food I had moved.

So it seems this person is checking the food at least twice a day?? Plus getting brazen enough to now walk down the driveway to get the older trays I had moved towards the side gate.

Any ideas on the motives of this person? Are they targeting me, or just trying to feed stray cats (although if it's the latter, then why not their own driveway or the nearby park or the dead end quiet side streets, instead of my driveway which leads to a somewhat busy road.

Or is it to move cats away from their property? Now I don't mind someone trying to help cats out and I don't mind having cats near my house. But after see this cat doing cartwheels when it got smashed by the car. And then writhing in pain for minutes while blood was pouring out and the eye popped out of the socket. I still can't get that image of the poor cat out of my mind. It was quite young and seemed quite friendly too. It didn't deserve it and while I am pissed at the driver who was speeding and it was a wide open road with not a single other car at that time of night or parked car nearby. The driver didn't swerve or brake or stop after hitting the cat.

I still also hold this other person putting cat food in that spot somewhat responsible as it's right next to the road.

Home & Garden Cat Food Pet Food

Comments

      • lonewolf on 14/11/2024 - 10:24

        I am seriously considering if i can put up a fence and gate as well, My house got burgled a few years ago and it was my first experience with that. Issue i have is, I am in a duplex so it would look weird when my front low fence has got extra grills and a gate when the neighbours dont. Neighbours wont be happy with that either as they generally want both of our properties to look alike, Every time they have done something on the outside (re-rendering the house or driveway etc) they have asked me to do it with them.

        But I would definitely recommend anyone building or renovating to get a fence and gate. I feel it makes a big difference in this day and age to security, if nothing else just for parcels being dropped off or kids or i have even seen adults walking their dogs and letting their dogs crap on my front lawn.

  • WT on 14/11/2024 - 10:21
    +5

    most likely some old lady feeding the strays

    Prob the best thing you can do is trap them and take them to a shelter for rehoming

    If youre in syd I have a couple of possum traps you can borrow or you can buy them online for about $40 each

    • blurn on 15/11/2024 - 17:51
      +3

      I didn't know possum traps were effective at trapping old ladies

    • Silentin on 15/11/2024 - 18:02

      Find a local charity that does trap, neuter release. Far more ethical than euthenasia.

  • lonewolf on 14/11/2024 - 10:39

    My neighbour has told me to throw it out asap so rats dont start coming, I threw it out yesterday and then in the evening it was back, threw that out and this morning it was back again, so i threw that out before i went to work. I presume it will be back in the evening. So its someone who is passing by twice a day, so possibly school drop offs or church visits or intentionally comes by just to drop the food off.

  • WastedWombat on 14/11/2024 - 10:55
    +4

    Sounds like somebody trying to help the stray cats instead of something malicious. I would try and speak to whoever is doing it to get them to understand there's a better way to do it so everyone is happy. (Somewhere else, not in your yard/somewhere safer)

    For now, you could keep throwing out the food until they realise or you can finally talk to them. I'm sure they wouldn't want to keep wasting cat food either.

    • lonewolf on 14/11/2024 - 11:05

      I am printing out a note to leave in the spot. But its open to the elements so not sure with this wet weather it will last. I do still find it odd that someone feels they are allowed to enter someone elses property and leave food for strays on their property. Just odd they dont think theres anything wrong with that.

      • Mugsy on 14/11/2024 - 11:20

        You'd be surprised.

        If you know where the public housing properties are in the area, there's a good chance it's someone unemployed or is on the housing program for the mentally ill that is doing this. Or an elderly person in the area. Basically anyone who's in a position where they could have their rationale thinking compromised.

        • lonewolf on 14/11/2024 - 11:22

          I do know where there is some public housing, its in the neighbouring suburb about 2 streets away. People in that area also usually come to this church.

      • Jolakot on 14/11/2024 - 11:24
        +7

        Put the note in a zip-lock sandwich bag to keep it dry, and put it under the tray so it doesn't blow away

  • Kempe on 14/11/2024 - 12:28
    +3

    Every time a tray is there throw it in the bin, they will soon stop

  • 91rs on 14/11/2024 - 15:17
    -4

    "This probably wouldn't have happened if the guy putting food on my driveway didn't do it" Sure, not the "speeding driver" who by your description didn't slow or react to an animal on the road.

    "The cat was hanging around the food in my driveway, when I parked and got out of the car, it got spooked and ran out on to the road" Sounds like you're responsible for what happened to the cat, the cat was just trying to get a meal.

    I will admit its odd to do in front of someone else's house but I know people who do feed local strays or those who've been left behind by careless a-hole owners who've dumped pets, usually its in alleyways or other areas.

    Leave a note, see what happens from there.
    But glad you didnt just leave it there on the road, plenty would have just ignored it and walked off.

    • OzBarAnon on 15/11/2024 - 15:28
      +4

      "The cat was hanging around the food in my driveway, when I parked and got out of the car, it got spooked and ran out on to the road" Sounds like you're responsible for what happened to the cat, the cat was just trying to get a meal.

      Absolutely insane

      • Daabido on 15/11/2024 - 21:38
        +3

        The victim blaming is strong on OzJudgement.

  • LFO on 14/11/2024 - 15:25
    -1

    I put her into a box and took her to the hospital

    I hope you took the box and her to the veterinary instead.

    • lonewolf on 15/11/2024 - 20:50
      +2

      I took her to the hospital. There are Animal hospitals, these are the only ones that are open 24/7 for emergencies. This happened around 11pm.

    • kiitos on 18/11/2024 - 19:04
      +1

      Veterinary is more an adjective than a noun, so veterinary hospital or veterinary surgeon is more correct.

  • Shifter0183 on 14/11/2024 - 15:31

    So it seems this person is checking the food at least twice a day?? Plus getting brazen enough to now walk down the driveway to get the older trays I had moved towards the side gate.

    What they are doing is illegal since they are not entering your property with a reasonable excuse (retrieval of property that has been discarded would not be considered a reasonable excuse). Install cameras and no trespassing signs (any potentially signage which states that they will be reported to the police) and if the behaviour continues, report it to the police as trespassing, after you have the video evidence. Also continue to throw away any food to stop both vermin and any potential native birds eating it.

    • lonewolf on 14/11/2024 - 18:44

      We do have bush turkeys and ibis in the parks but luckily on the streets, a friend of mine has a lot of ibis right on his front yard but he lives on a quiet cul-de-sac. My street is quite busy at school and church times especially.
      Cameras are what i am looking to install. I actually would like to put up a gate and grills on top of the low fence i have but i am not sure if my neighbours will be happy if i did that.

  • TheRealCher on 14/11/2024 - 18:09

    Sleep in the bushes
    Collect cat food
    Profit!

    • smartazz104 on 14/11/2024 - 22:11
      +1

      Man that was almost English.

  • railspider on 14/11/2024 - 20:27
    +5

    OP I am annoyed we haven't been given a MS paint diagram of the feeding spot and your driveway yet

  • SuperMid on 14/11/2024 - 20:58

    Just get one of those $20 fake but real looking cameras and stick up a sign saying smile you are on camera, they will have no way of knowing its fake.

    • TheRealCher on 14/11/2024 - 21:52

      Amateur connect it to the neighbours pool power outlet…it's the ozb way

  • TiredKitty78 on 15/11/2024 - 15:27

    Any ideas on the motives of this person?

    I'm wondering as messed up as it may be, has an abusive guy abandoned his girlfriends cat. But is 50/50 on if he'd get away with 'the cat just got out, i can't fine them anywhere!? Oh no!' Or even they might want to pull a 'omg, i found the cat, i'm your hero now'. Or just someone looking to punish a person. Because they seemed to come back to make sure a/the cat was there and feed it, and i'm wondering if it was THEIR (or someone else's) cat that they hit trying to speed off before the cat could idk, get in/chase the car.

    Or idk, maybe someone was in their own messed up way trying to save a cat from a bad situation….

    You mention these cats, but is your area KNOWN for a large ahem 'feral' cat population? And why would this person know about it? And why a person driveway, instead of some possibly secluded section of walkway or a perk or something where the cats are likely to be? The cats are young and friendly, that's not common - ok maybe 50/50 with feral cats. Young and friendly says to me, comes from a ahem 'loving' home. As to why your house? Idk, maybe they've seen you or got the cat lady/kind person vibes?
    But then….just surrender them to a shelter?

    • OzBarAnon on 15/11/2024 - 15:42

      After reading OP's post, your suggestions don't make sense. The cat wasn't hit trying to chase after the other car, OP explicitly said it was hanging around the food before getting spooked by OP's car pulling into the driveway. I also don't know where you got the idea that the cats are particularly friendly seeing as I can't see OP mentioning it anywhere in their post. The cat also ran off open seeing OP, so it doesn't seem that friendly.

  • jaimex2 on 15/11/2024 - 19:46
    +1

    OP is sleep walking and doing it themselves at night.

    • Diesmile on 15/11/2024 - 19:57

      Omg, I was joking this in my mind this morning

  • lonewolf on 15/11/2024 - 20:56

    What do you guys think of the Blink camera as an option to use in this regard.

    • fratzhaus on 15/11/2024 - 21:29
      +1

      I was about to link it in this thread.
      It's a great deal and does everything you need, will save motion recordings locally via the sync module to a usb - and runs on batteries - including the mounts you were worried about needing to source. They are also Outdoor cameras so weather aint a problem.

      I'd honestly buy the 2/3 pack and then get the doorbell for $99 off ebay when you feel like it. Have the whole setup for $300.

      Clarity might not be the best depending on distance to the end of your driveway, but at least you'll have timestamps of when they rock up - and can use that to do a stakeout if you ever feel game approaching them.

      The sync module means you don't need a subscription btw*

      • lonewolf on 15/11/2024 - 21:32

        Cool, I might get it for front and back and also for my folks place too then. My driveway is about 2 car lengths so not that big really. I can basically park 2 cars on it before i hit my fence line / entrance to the driveway.

        • fratzhaus on 15/11/2024 - 21:34
          +1

          sure, just remember that you only get 1 sync module per pack, so if you want one for your folks, you'd want to grab the double pack $140, and the single pack $75 separately.

          • lonewolf on 15/11/2024 - 21:36

            @fratzhaus: Yeah i was thinking of getting the 5 pack and then another single pack. I presume the ones that come in the 5 pack i can get to sync to the other sync module instead and hence split them up to have 3 each / per household?

            • fratzhaus on 16/11/2024 - 12:40
              +1

              @lonewolf: Yeah, so long as you have the module, you can link each one up to whichever

              • lonewolf on 19/11/2024 - 10:39

                @fratzhaus: Odd, someone negged me asking what about the blink cameras lol but didnt actually give a reason for the neg, like they dont recommend it…

  • morse on 18/11/2024 - 19:06
    +2

    Any updates?

  • lonewolf on 19/11/2024 - 10:13

    I bought the blink cameras from amazon which have now arrived. But just saw a much better cashback deal now :(. Not sure if i should return these unopened and repurchase with the new cashback.

  • lonewolf on 19/11/2024 - 21:08

    The trays of food dont seem to be happening as much after i cleared up the plants and bushes near the area where the food was being put. So it was easier for people to see. But now only once a day, there seems to be some small pieces of meat being dropped there as they are inconspicuous

    • eug on 20/11/2024 - 12:23

      That's disappointing. You should have set up the camera first. Now we all won't get the satisfaction of seeing the footage! You're such a tease. :)

      • lonewolf on 20/11/2024 - 14:19

        Apparently the new cameras should be arriving on friday.

    • mapax on 20/11/2024 - 13:45

      Could some people think your house is derelict if your neighbour complained about your backyard and the dumbass cat feeding activity has decrease since you cleared some plants in your driveway?

      • lonewolf on 20/11/2024 - 14:18

        nah, When i say bushes, Its like a couple of plants, Everything is in decent condition from the garden and front lawn to the plants and trees. Plus my car is parked in the driveway.

        • Gervais fanboy on 20/11/2024 - 14:25
          +2

          I am just amazed that you still haven’t caught the culprit yet, makes me lowkey think that this has been a troll post all along.

  • neo on 21/11/2024 - 11:08

    So you've got your new cameras on 19/11 and still haven't posted any video?

    • lonewolf on 21/11/2024 - 11:31

      i am returning them brand new in box. As I reordered them with better cashback. I have noticed the trays of food isnt happening as much now that i have been throwing them away morning and night. Only thing i have noticed last few days has been pieces of meat being left where the trays of food was before.

  • BartholemewH on 23/11/2024 - 18:49

    Wait in the dark for them and hit them with a bat. You know, the things that fly around and eat fruit.

    • lonewolf on 24/11/2024 - 07:38

      We actually have bats in the area, including in some trees near my house. Some of my friends dont park under those trees as they get a lot of bat shit on their cars.

      • BartholemewH on 24/11/2024 - 11:31

        Horrible protected things they are.

        • lonewolf on 25/11/2024 - 11:37
          +1

          Its actually funny, the sound they make reminds me of a couple of horror movies / cave horror movies where there are creatures in those caves and i guess the movie sound design used the same sounds or similar sounds of a bat and just adjusted it a bit.

  • Ladcake on 24/11/2024 - 23:55
    +1

    Meow

  • morse on 29/11/2024 - 15:45

    Checking in again to see if you caught the person or have footage?

    • lonewolf on 29/11/2024 - 15:47
      -1

      I havent seen the trays for a week or so now. I did see a couple of pieces of meat but now dont even see them unless by the time i come they are eaten or my neighbour is now helping me throw them out. (She was furious when i told her someone was leaving food behind), I was away for a few days but am back and have gotten the new cameras that i ordered. Havent set them up yet, I think i need a USB flash drive to use as storage from what i gather, not sure if i can use a USB 2.5 external hdd?

      But on a sombre note, I thought with all this rain, the blood stain would have been completely off the road. I am not saying you can see red etc, but the stain mark while slowly dissipating is still a little bit there, I see it in the middle of the road from my driveway. Is it because of the Tar / road material or is it just that blood is very sticky / stains?

  • lonewolf on 01/12/2024 - 12:28
    -1

    I was wrong..I thought it had stopped. Came home last night found a empty tray. I threw it away. This morning was about to go out. Saw all this flies in the area and my dog kept sniffing towards the area. Went over. There was like 50 flies on top of like 6 or 7 pieces of that type of chicken necks or something..I took pictures of the location and the tray and the pieces.

    • morse on 01/12/2024 - 13:50
      +1

      You need to set up your cameras. I think most only record when motion detected so shouldn’t need heaps of storage. Or you need to camp out and watch.

      • lonewolf on 02/12/2024 - 02:36
        -1

        Yeah , I have been lazy. I thought it had stopped so thought theres no rush. But I definitely have to get it set up. I am not sure yet how to place it where it's safe but can see the spot where the stuff is being dumped..but worst case I put it on my balcony..

  • g3ck0z on 20/02/2025 - 23:47
    +1

    A lot of comments here but not really any good answers. I can tell you what is very likely happening. Your house, or very close to your house is likely home to a cat colony - cats like to hang out in a small area together and tend not to stray too far away. There's a good chance that the cats are TNR, which means they have already been trapped, neutered and returned back to the colony. This is because they are feral and cannot be rescued/homed, so the best option for everyone is to trap them and desex them so they can't reproduce. If they're not desexed yet, the person feeding them (or people) are likely in the process of trying to trap and desex them. Good chance you can tell if their ears have a slight clipping.

    They are definitely not targeting you for any malicious or vindictive reason - it seems silly to suggest so. There's many better ways for someone to do something bad to you. This is not one of them.

    Feeding the stray cats also mean that the cats rely on the food and thus have less of an inclination to go and hunt/kill other animals as they are known to do.

    It's understandable that you feel unjust in that it's happening at your house. Perhaps you can move the food to somewhere safer or ask them to keep it more tidy and clean up any mess they make - they will understand and be cooperative as they are simply trying to help the cats.

    • Loopholio on 21/02/2025 - 05:35
      +2

      Surely feral cats are destroyed, not released.

    • lonewolf on 21/02/2025 - 10:36

      hmm interesting, I havent heard of this before, So you are saying the people feeding them are part of a organisation tasked to do this service? Its not only happening at my place, its happening at my neighbours too now. The cats now hanging outside our area has increased to about 5. The reason why i thought someone was trying to move the cats is because i noticed i used to hear cats fighting / making noise down the street , further away last couple of years. And then i never hear that anymore but suddenly all these cats are now hanging outside my house.

      The way they are doing food though and especially the raw meat, is attracting hordes of flies, slugs for the cat food, but also the smell. My neighbour already contact the council but they cant do anything about it, she asked me to call the cops, but i dont know if the cops will do anything. Other issue is these guys seem to be doing it sneakily, as in they go through another neighbours front yard and then poke their hand through the bushes to drop the food in a hidden location on my front yard. If they were doing it with no malicious intent why would they go to all this trouble?

      I will keep an eye out for clipped ears, but if they are trying to trap them, this has been going on for several months now.

      I had thought maybe it was some neighbour down one of the side streets, trying to move the cats away from their area and to another area.

      • eug on 21/02/2025 - 10:38
        +1

        I think at this point all we care about is the video footage. ;)

        • lonewolf on 21/02/2025 - 10:42

          problem is like i said they are now going through my neighbours front yard, my friend saw them but wasnt sure if they were the ones i had mentioned to him or it was just my neighbours doing something as at that point i hadnt realised they were doing this. So it seems like they know i am trying to catch them and are now doing it in a way where i cant get a picture of them? As there are trees and bushes blocking the view to my neighbours front yard. I spoke to my other neighbour who is also having food put at their driveway, they said the ,neighbours whose front yard is being used as a pathway to drop food in my front yard, do have a son who is around the age my friend said he saw. But they doubt he would be putting cat food in my area, The neighbours are quite elderly and dont speak much english when i have tried speaking to them before, so i wasnt sure i should frighten them with the possibility of some strange man walking across their front yard.

          I have also figured out the usual time in the night the drop off seems to happen, it seems to happen between 8:30-9:30. The morning drop off doesnt seem to happen much anymore, i wonder if its also because they know i am trying to catch them.

      • g3ck0z on 21/02/2025 - 11:13

        It's likely a volunteer group around your area that help these cats. They are trapped and desexed by these volunteer groups and then they are returned back to the colony. They live a life and are fed by the feeders to stop them from going out to hunt for food. It might not align with what you think is right but that's the motive.

        It's unfortunate that they're making a mess and leaving raw meat around which is definitely frustrating for you. Likely reason for them trying to sneak around and drop the food in these hidden locations is so that the food doesn't get found by you and thrown out.

        It's a difficult situation for sure and your best bet is trying to work with them instead of against them - perhaps trying to communicate to them that you'd rather have them feed the cats elsewhere away from your house if possible.

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