Cats Poo.....Help

[shirley]

the cats breath easier now

[Wendy]

A lady I used to live next door to used to fill old squash/pop bottles with water and lay them around her garden. Must have worked cos my cat had to crap in his own garden! Something about the bottles they don't like.

cats do really hate bottles filled with water in the garden, its true Kirsty this really works!!!

[Flummery]

So do I. I think it's because it's not gin!

[Vegmonkey]

We have the same problem too. I covered all bear earth yesterday, and woke up this morning to find the tiny bit of bare earth i had missed, was all turned over...upon further investigation i found....urgh!

So i've sprinkled the area with chilli powder...we'll see how that works!

[rustylady]

I also have a big problem with cat poo. I actually quite like cats one at a time, but all the neighbourhood cats seem to use my garden as a toilet and a place to sit in the sun. Sitting in the sun I don't mind, but cat poo I hate!!! Their owners should provide them with litter trays (OK, I know anyone can get caught short occasionally, but they sh*t in my garden on a regular basis). Often when I get up in the morning and open the back door (around 6 am) two or three cats go shooting out over the fence (6' high). Nothing seems to work for long. The half filled bottles did for a while till they got used to them. Water pistols and sprayers work, but you have to be there to catch them, and I work full time. Orange peel hasn't worked, neither has thorny branches and I keep getting the thorns in my fingers when I'm weeding. Proprietary granules only work until it rains. My friend bought one of the electronic gadgets at £30 and that hasn't worked either and her garden is a lot smaller than mine. HELP!!!!!!!

[Two_Sheds]

they don't even need earth...our little concrete strip of yard is covered with vile smelling lumps of cat dung every day. Despite having a Rottweiler in residence

[Mulberry]

I was going to ask the same question, as next door have five cats! I put netting over the bed which was fine when my plants were small, but now they have reached the netting, so I'm wondering how long the bed will survive when I take the netting off. I also read about the coleus plant but haven't yet tried to buy it.

[The Doctor]

I also have a big problem with cat poo. I actually quite like cats one at a time, but all the neighbourhood cats seem to use my garden as a toilet and a place to sit in the sun. Sitting in the sun I don't mind, but cat poo I hate!!! Their owners should provide them with litter trays (OK, I know anyone can get caught short occasionally, but they sh*t in my garden on a regular basis). Often when I get up in the morning and open the back door (around 6 am) two or three cats go shooting out over the fence (6' high). Nothing seems to work for long. The half filled bottles did for a while till they got used to them. Water pistols and sprayers work, but you have to be there to catch them, and I work full time. Orange peel hasn't worked, neither has thorny branches and I keep getting the thorns in my fingers when I'm weeding. Proprietary granules only work until it rains. My friend bought one of the electronic gadgets at £30 and that hasn't worked either and her garden is a lot smaller than mine. HELP!!!!!!!

See my post above. There are ways and means, it just depends on how committed you are!

[rustylady]

I give up!!! I need four rottweilers and a machine gun attached to a cat sensor. Got home from work today, went up to water the greenhouse (in back garden, door left ajar when I went to work this morning so everything didn't cook) and I noticed immediately that distinctive smell!! The cheeky little ******* had only s**t on the staging inside the greenhouse. I want to kill it!!!!!!!!

[Vegmonkey]

It seems we are all in the same boat here! I've tried chilli flakes for the last two days and have had no mess. I've also set a sprinkler up on a timer that i set to go off at different times in the morning, so the cats must get a shock!

[Stacey]

All I can say is that having had my mouth washe dout with soap in my younger days, I wouldnt wish it on an innocent animal. Whether it works or not its animal cruelty. I agree cats can be pests but there are obviously plenty of cruelty free ways of dealing with the problem. Is there any chance that in some instances you are actually dealing with foxes? Maybe more than one method should be applied at once as maybe some cats are just more tolerant to certain things than others?

[The Doctor]

All I can say is that having had my mouth washe dout with soap in my younger days, I wouldnt wish it on an innocent animal. Whether it works or not its animal cruelty. I agree cats can be pests but there are obviously plenty of cruelty free ways of dealing with the problem. Is there any chance that in some instances you are actually dealing with foxes? Maybe more than one method should be applied at once as maybe some cats are just more tolerant to certain things than others?

That really is a matter of opinion. You remember having your mouth washed out and it has done you no permanent damage. Believe it or not, cats do have memories too. Similar memory-based training methods are used for other animals the world over, including humans. They CAN be cruel, but are not necessarily so to work.

[Spreadsheet]

I'm feeling positively guilty reading this, just for owning my 2 cats.

My cats have a litter tray but have been known to "go" outside. I am more than happy for my neighbours to use any of the suggested, non-violent measures suggested above to keep them in their own garden (I would be alot happier knowing they hadn't gone too far anyway).

But I really hope they don't frustrate people quite as much as this thread suggests. They are quite lovable really!

I do sympathise though - there is cat out the back of us that is caged - and howls constantly - it drives me up the wall! But I suppose at least it doesn't do it's business in the gardens!

[SueA]

Think having a cat of your own is the best deterrent & the automatic cat scarer devices sometimes work. Covering as much bare earth with plants as possible & sticking prickly twigs etc. in between gives then less room to manouver & don't leave any nicely cultivated & raked earth bare - they'll think you've done it specially for them! Gravel is also an attractant especially if it's fine grade, they're not so keen on large pebble gravel as it's harder to shovel with their paws.

[rustylady]

Don't get me wrong, I love animals (including cats). It's not their fault, it's the fact that their owners just let them roam, don't call them in at night, and don't provide litter trays. I used to have a cat and two dogs, all used to do their business in my garden and I cleared it up. The cats round here just seem to do their own thing, and I feel sorry for them in a way cos they're not really loved by their owners. They're not exactly strays, but they don't seem to spend much time at home.