Cats - I need help

seikothrill

I am the only person in the street of 9 houses without a cat (I am allergic to them so cannot get one). So why is it that the cats only sh*t in my garden?

I have threatened the owners with a letter saying the next time their cat sh*ts in my garden I will return the sh*t through their letter box. This idea has created a great deal of animosity between me and my neighbours.

I have never been one for hurting any animal but if this situation does not improve then I fear I will hurt a cat.

Now someone has mentioned there are plants that can be planted that cats don't like and deters them from entering the garden with such plants. Does anyone know the names of these plants or alternatively does anyone have any ideas on how I can keep cats out of my garden without me hurting them?

I'm at the end of my temper control so need ideas/ suggestions quick.

Sorry to all you cat lovers but my garden is full of sh*t and I don't want my 2 year daughter getting it on her

Thanks

Kitten_Claws

Have you thought of moving?

con_fused

Have a look at some of these:-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catdeterrents.aspx

My friends use the tip of half-filling a plastic bottle with water, seems to work for them

giantmutantbroccoli

Unless your garden is entirely made of sand or bare earth I'm sure you're not the only one with cats in your garden, not that that's any comfort. The problem is that there's not really much the cat owner can do to keep their animals out of your garden, aside from keep their cats indoors at all times. Threatening to shove the cats' 'leavings' through their letterbox won't really help anyone.

There are plenty of ways to (painlessly) deter cats from entering your garden. I personally wouldn't put any trust in cat-repelling plants, there's always one kitty that has no sense of smell! You can get devices that emit a high-pitched sound that humans can't hear, but which cats find unpleasant:
http://www.deteracat.co.uk/catwatch.htm
If the cats are using a particular area of your garden as a toilet, you could use some sort of citrus oil (lemon is probably most effective) or, at a pinch, orange peel. Spread the oil around at cat head height if possible, or sprinkle it on the ground where they like to 'go'.
If you're home when this is going on and have the time, you could deter the cats quite effectively just by chucking water on them. You could use a supersoaker to get them at a distance, but for maximum effect a good slosh from a bucket should frighten them off.

Unless you're planning to set out bear traps or poison, hurting the cats to keep them away wouldn't be effective anyway. You can't really smack a cat, all you'd end up doing would be chasing them away. I'm pretty sure that hurting/mistreating an animal is illegal, not to mention it's a horrible thing to do to any animal, especially someone else's pet. And given that your neighbors know you're upset about the cats in your garden, if anything were to happen to their kitties they'd have a good idea who might be responsible.

cyberbob

seikothrill wrote: »

I have threatened the owners with a letter saying the next time their cat sh*ts in my garden I will return the sh*t through their letter box. This idea has created a great deal of animosity between me and my neighbours.

I'm not surprised. If your not a troll your not a very good neighbour. It's always better to talk to people before you threaten them with childish actions.

There are quite a few products out there that will reduce the chances of cats using your garden. Google is a good place to start/

seikothrill

Kitten_Claws wrote: »

Have you thought of moving?

I have but due to current financial climate I would not be able to obtain a mortgage. Recently changed to self-employment and have not got 1 years accounts yet

seikothrill

cyberbob wrote: »

I'm not surprised. If your not a troll your not a very good neighbour. It's always better to talk to people before you threaten them with childish actions.

There are quite a few products out there that will reduce the chances of cats using your garden. Google is a good place to start/

I have spoken to my neighbours over last 3-4 months but still nothing happens.

I am spending sometime on Google and the like as now at home and a lot calmer as I wrote original post whilst at work in a foul mood (no pun intended) after another morning of removing sh*t from my garden.

seikothrill

giantmutantbroccoli wrote: »

Unless your garden is entirely made of sand or bare earth I'm sure you're not the only one with cats in your garden, not that that's any comfort. The problem is that there's not really much the cat owner can do to keep their animals out of your garden, aside from keep their cats indoors at all times. Threatening to shove the cats' 'leavings' through their letterbox won't really help anyone.

There are plenty of ways to (painlessly) deter cats from entering your garden. I personally wouldn't put any trust in cat-repelling plants, there's always one kitty that has no sense of smell! You can get devices that emit a high-pitched sound that humans can't hear, but which cats find unpleasant:
http://www.deteracat.co.uk/catwatch.htm
If the cats are using a particular area of your garden as a toilet, you could use some sort of citrus oil (lemon is probably most effective) or, at a pinch, orange peel. Spread the oil around at cat head height if possible, or sprinkle it on the ground where they like to 'go'.
If you're home when this is going on and have the time, you could deter the cats quite effectively just by chucking water on them. You could use a supersoaker to get them at a distance, but for maximum effect a good slosh from a bucket should frighten them off.

Thanks for your reply. You have provided some interesting remedies which I will try. Also thanks for website recommendation.

devildog

I would add one word of caution regarding the devices that emit a sound that "humans can't hear", adults may not be able to hear them but youngsters can!!
My sister had the same problem as you and resorted to one of these devices, we visited her and were eating out in her garden and my son was being driven to distraction by a noise, which us 'oldies' couldn't hear(he was 14 at the time) When she switched the cat device off he couldn't hear the noise anymore!!
It did work up to that point by keeping the cats out, however she discontinued it's use because it was apparent that it could be heard by younger people and her oldest was only two years old.

PerfectPeaches

Have you tried putting ground pepper down? It works just as well as citrus oil and cats hate the smell of it.

Unfortunately there is never a way of stopping cats from coming into your garden and as much as you tell the owners there is not much they can do about it either apart from keeping their cats indoors which some see as unfair.

Peaches

LittleTinker

seikothrill wrote: »

I have spoken to my neighbours over last 3-4 months but still nothing happens.

I am spending sometime on Google and the like as now at home and a lot calmer as I wrote original post whilst at work in a foul mood (no pun intended) after another morning of removing sh*t from my garden.

What do you expect the neighbours do?
Cats go outside and they need to do their business and their owners cant train cats the way a dog can be trained.

You cant put a cat on a lead and take it for a walk.....so what can a cat owner do in your opinion?

I do know one thing.......it isnt the cats fault. Threatening to hurt the cat is a disgracful way to behave and so is threatening to put cats do'ings through a neighbours letterbox.

Get some citronella or something.