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information provided because of the poster - although be reasonable about the amountyou list so the poster appears credible. Despite the unlikelihood of finding andconvicting anyone, the poster has two important effects – it alerts someone consideringpoisoning that he would be committing a crime and it also lets him know others arewatching. Not many people will care enough about getting rid of the cats to risk going tojail. As a result, in our experience, the poster is an effective deterrent.The Stop Poisoning poster should only be used if there is a reasonable suspicion ofpossible poisoning. It should not be used simply because you’re afraid someone is soangry, he might try it. Something concrete like an articulated threat or the mysteriousdeath of a cat should be the threshold. Otherwise, you could be needlessly stirring thingsup and planting the idea. FleasOne reason someone may give for wanting to remove feral cats from an area is fleas.Flea infestations can become severe, especially if the cats shelter in a spot favorable tofleas, such as the crawl space beneath a building. Employees at a workplace or residentsof an apartment complex may complain of flea bites and attempts to fumigate may fail.The thinking then becomes, “get rid of the cats and we’ll get rid of the fleas.” Asdiscussed in Chapter 2, removing feral cats is much easier said than done and there arebetter ways.• Improved living conditionsIt’s not unusual for free-roaming cats to carry some fleas – more in warm weather,fewer in cold. When the fleas are so plentiful the condition reaches the level of aninfestation, this can be a sign something is wrong with the animal’s health. Situationswhere ferals are infested with fleas are often unmanaged ones where the cats areunneutered and/or poorly fed. A factory where feeding of cats has been banned would betypical. The cats, deprived of adequate nutrition and facing the demands of matingbehavior, become weakened and more susceptible to fleas. They start coming in closer towhere people are working because of hunger and their search for food. The result is aflea infestation of the workplace.Neutering the cats and providing them with regular food and adequate shelter booststheir immune systems and usually eliminates the problem. While the cats are at thespay/neuter clinic, they can be given flea medication so everyone can start off clean andinfested locations can be treated as long as no cats would be in danger. In addition, bymanaging the colony and deciding where the cats will eat and sleep, they can be drawnout of locations which fleas favor and away from the immediate areas where people liveand work.21