Suggestions to prevent cats doing business around HA properties?

Davesnave

GlynD wrote: »

Good idea but a big expense for someone who just wants to keep cats off his garden.

Not necessarily. Plenty of gardens have areas that don't attract cats to poo, simply by the way they are planted/landscaped. Once close planted, little maintenance may be needed involving disturbance of the soil, which would be an attraction.

Also, it's possible to attract cats to 'go' in places where it causes minimal inconvenience. Under hedges is the classic one, because it's always dry and there is leaf litter etc.

The problems are worst in veggie gardens and places where the soil is dug frequently, but it's still possible to deter cats more easily than it is to keep foxes out of, say, a chicken run, or badgers from following their usual route. Cats won't persist much if you make things difficult or uncomfortable. They certainly won't gnaw through wire or bulldoze their way under anything they can't tear apart!

I'm not saying any method is infallible, but I used to live in a city, and in 20 years the number of 'incidents' I had with cat poo was about 4 or 5.

GlynD

Davesnave wrote: »

Not necessarily. Plenty of gardens have areas that don't attract cats to poo, simply by the way they are planted/landscaped. Once close planted, little maintenance may be needed involving disturbance of the soil, which would be an attraction.

Also, it's possible to attract cats to 'go' in places where it causes minimal inconvenience. Under hedges is the classic one, because it's always dry and there is leaf litter etc.

The problems are worst in veggie gardens and places where the soil is dug frequently, but it's still possible to deter cats more easily than it is to keep foxes out of, say, a chicken run, or badgers from following their usual route. Cats won't persist much if you make things difficult or uncomfortable. They certainly won't gnaw through wire or bulldoze their way under anything they can't tear apart!

I'm not saying any method is infallible, but I used to live in a city, and in 20 years the number of 'incidents' I had with cat poo was about 4 or 5.

All very useful but don't you realise you'd be asking someone to spend extensive man hours or loads of money to eradicate a problem which isn't of their making?

A wee bit of common sense is what's needed.

Davesnave

GlynD wrote: »

All very useful but don't you realise you'd be asking someone to spend extensive man hours or loads of money to eradicate a problem which isn't of their making?

A wee bit of common sense is what's needed.

Well, they'd be gardening, which is what gardens are for, or they could do s0d-all and it could turn into a wilderness, in which case a bit of cat poo would be fairly academic. I don't see your point.

The common sense you mention should ensure that people who don't want to garden much have an outdoor space appropriate to their interest level, surely?

GlynD

Davesnave wrote: »

Well, they'd be gardening, which is what gardens are for, or they could do s0d-all and it could turn into a wilderness, in which case a bit of cat poo would be fairly academic. I don't see your point.

The common sense you mention should ensure that people who don't want to garden much have an outdoor space appropriate to their interest level, surely?

You can try and build logic into it but you can't remove the fact that you want someone who doesn't own the animal in question to make major modifications to suit.

calicocat

I have to say those sonic things never bothered my dog or cat when I had a shared garden, dog used to pee up it, but neither of them did their business in it as were only in when I was there too.

My cat isn't bothered by orange either.

I would go with the larger pebbles if you can get some cheaply, as due to the garden where I have just moved to having them I have come to see that they really don't like them. I am considering putting some on my front bed over the soil to deter the moggies around here that hang out all over the place...cute though they are.


Edit....i'm thinking wood chippings may be equally irritating to them maybe?...dont know if that's cheaper.

Davesnave

GlynD wrote: »

You can try and build logic into it but you can't remove the fact that you want someone who doesn't own the animal in question to make major modifications to suit.

I don't 'want' anyone to do anything.

Richard asked for practical examples, instead of waffle, and I supplied a few.

ANGLICANPAT

If you live in an area where you may get n'er do goods clambering into your garden to rob you, you pay out to put up extra wire or panels .iYou dont just not do it because it should be the n'er do goods paying. Id get together with a few neighbours who feel the same way -wire netting isnt that expensive nor is a sonic gadget when costs shared . Im having to buy one in order to discourage the four cats next door to my rental property who have all decided to use its flower borders as a toilet whilst its being renovated. Cant see any tennants staying if I do nothing about it. Its disgusting , but theres no mileage in trying to deal with owners any more than potential vandals

ANGLICANPAT

GlynD wrote: »

All very useful but don't you realise you'd be asking someone to spend extensive man hours or loads of money to eradicate a problem which isn't of their making?

If you live in an area where you may get n'er do goods clambering into your garden to rob you, you pay out to put up extra wire or panels .iYou dont just not do it because it should be the n'er do goods paying. Id get together with a few neighbours who feel the same way -wire netting isnt that expensive nor is a sonic gadget when costs shared . Im having to buy one in order to discourage the four cats next door to my rental property who have all decided to use its flower borders as a toilet whilst its being renovated. Cant see any tennants staying if I do nothing about it. Its disgusting , but theres no mileage in trying to deal with owners any more than potential vandals