Dealing with Stray/Feral Cats

[Daniel Stone]

Looking at purchasing rental property(s) in a Phoenix neighborhood.  Everything about the neighborhood is great, except the stray cat problem.  There is a cat colony there, not just one house, throughout the small neighborhood.  We already own one home there and have seen personally the mess the cats can make in the landscaping.  Several neighbors have been trapping, neutering, and releasing as able, but this is a long term mitigation at best.  Plus a few new ones will show up each year or existing ones will have kittens before they are neutered.

Has anyone found any effective strategies to manage cat problems like this?  Way to deter them or drive them out of yards?

From a rental perspective, what kind of issues could this pose with tenants?  From deterring potential renters from living there or active renters breaking their lease?  Would the type of renters that would be ok with this cat issue but the type of renters you wouldn't want?  Can the renter hold the landlord responsible for dealing with this issue (its a neighborhood and city-wide problem in that area)?

This cat issue is the only hang up and possible deal breaker.  I appreciate anyone's experience and insight in dealing with this.

[Caroline Gerardo]

Aren't there any coyotes in Arizona? Here the cats would not make it outside. What are they eating? (someone feeding them? open garbage bins?)