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Spraying for ticks does a good job of eliminating the existing ticks in your yard. Moderate to severe infestations might require several treatment sessions, but most infestations are well controlled with enough treatments, regardless of their severity.

However, wildlife, pets, and people can still carry ticks into a yard, even after treatment, so if you're concerned about ticks in your area, it's a good idea to spray annually for tick prevention.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fleas can carry human disease-causing pathogens for Plague, Flea-borne typhus, and Cat scratch disease. These diseases are caused by fleas such as Oropsylla montana, Xenopsylla cheopis, and Ctenocephalides felis, and are commonly found in rural areas of the western United States, California, Texas, and Hawaii. Fleaborne parasites like tapeworms can also be spread to people and animals if they accidentally swallow an infected flea, and small children are at a higher risk. Symptoms may not be present in most infected people.

While foxes may find them unpleasant, mothballs are not an effective deterrent. Additionally, mothballs are toxic for humans and animals and should never be used outside. They contain naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, which are very harmful to the environment. Use safer, more reliable deterrents, or hire a professional wildlife control expert.

If the cat is stray (you noticed a collar or other signs of domestication), the kind thing to do is to try and find the owner. Call around to other neighbors to see if they can lead you in the right direction. If you can get close enough to snap a picture, try posting an image of the cat to local community groups and pages on social media. 

If the cat is feral, you can try to humanely trap them and participate in a local shelter’s TNR program. Before attempting capture, call around to local rescues and shelters to make sure one near you does participate in a TNR program. They may even be able to catch the cat for you.