One thing no one has noted is that cat feces are a possible source of (do I get this right) toxic plasmosis which IS transmissable from cat to human. It is nasty stuff and especially not-good to those pregnant gardeners. Another reason they tell you not to compost pet waste.

No it's not carried by every cat but the few carriers don't exactly post warning signs either.

Have to say they haven't bothered my garden much. The red-tail hawk that drops in occasionally and the neighbor's dog probably do as much as anything.

For population control - one neighborhood block club decided to help solve the problem - they took in strays from the street, fed them and took them to the vet to be neutered (did fundraisers and got the vet to donate some time) - then notched an ear of the ones neutered so they could tell if caught again. Worked pretty well, they said.