Suggestions to prevent cats doing business around HA properties?

fionajbanana

I live in a shared ownership house and part of my rent is a small service charge.

Between the paving slabs and the properties - 4 houses and 10 flats are some small pebbles. The problem is cats around the area use it as their toilet. The smell of cat poo is horrible.

I feel the need to contact the HA of some low price solution to prevent the cats doing their business. Also needs to be low maintenance.

Many cats that do their business on the pebbles don't belong to the tenants in the properties. I don't know where they live either.

tanith

Well there are lots of things to try they are well advertised or you could try scattering citric peels around cats don't like the smell but I'm afraid unless you are going to keep doing this on a very regular basis with no guarantee that any of it will work and as if its a large area then you are fighting a losing battle as the cats will keep on doing what cats do I'm afraid.

mikeandrach_2

get a big dog, or several big dogs. problem solved. failing that a rifle.

theartfullodger

& what would you do if all the properties were privately owned & HA weren't involved?? Why not talk to all the neighbours....

Dogs would likely be even worse...

Is the gun to shoot anyone suggesting cruelty to animals?? I'd vote for that.

ACG

I hate cats! I hate how they can do what they like in my garden but i cant.

Maybe the gun is to shoot the owners that let their pets go in other peoples gardens? If your going to have a pet and let it out, have your own secure garden it can walk around and dump in - not mine!

Apparantly there is a plant which cats hate, might be worth getting a couple of pots for the plant?

mikeandrach_2

no the gun is for incentivising the cat to leave the area. I must stress I am an animal lover, I love dogs etc and have pets but cats are a total pita to everyone, did see one lose a battle with an hgv yesterday morning though, so an hgv is an alternative to a gun tho a little harder to store

googler

Cuttings from roses or other thorny plants scattered around

Some other synthetic spiky or bumpy material - you can buy these in strips for going on top of walls, you may be able to find a way to use this on the ground

Sonic deterrent, available at DIY stores or via catalogues. You can get motion-activated sprinklers, but the more complex the solution, the more expensive it becomes, unfortunately

If you see the cats, spray with water or hiss at them. The hissing is their aggressive signal, and if you do it, they see you as a BIG cat.

Wash down pebbles to diminish smell

Davesnave

We have this regularly on the Greenfingered Board.

There are no cheap solutions, just as there aren't for badgers and foxes. On our smallholding we have to keep those out of some areas. It costs.

Some people swear by electronic deterrents, others just swear. Like it or not, cats are more athletic than humans, and occasionally they're smarter too.

mikeandrach_2

Davesnave wrote: »

We have this regularly on the Greenfingered Board.

There are no cheap solutions, just as there aren't for badgers and foxes. On our smallholding we have to keep those out of some areas. It costs.

Some people swear by electronic deterrents, others just swear. Like it or not, cats are more athletic than humans, and occasionally they're smarter too.

any human that isn't as smart as a cat is thick. its a cat, not einstein

pmlindyloo

Another suggestion is to replace the small pebbles with much larger pebbles which the cats can't move. Or (depending on the size of the pebbled areas) create rock gardens with plenty of large rocks and a few plants.

Basically you need to prevent the cats having room to dig and squat!

mikeandrach_2

sprinkle the pebble with very, very, very hot chilli powder, worth a try