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There is the question of plastic bottles filled with water and placed in public to consider. Last night I saw five liter bottles crammed onto a single step, a dozen surrounding a telephone pole, and single, small bottle blocking a large entranceway to a home. I have seen narrow alleyways scrupulously lined with plastic bottles on both sides, or a solitary, token bottle deliberately positioned. They are supposed to ward off cats, although I have never heard a credible explanation as to how this actually functions. I am usually told something along the line that that this system works because “Cats are scared of water,” or that “Cats see their distorted reflection in the bottles and are frightened away.” Last night it was suggested to me that I might consider that the water bottle phenomenon is not actually to dissuade the creatures from loitering, but to function like a flag and strategically let neighbors know the position that the owner of the premises takes towards feline loitering.