Cats!

Chyna81

I'm just curious even if I establish who the cats belong to what can the owners do there still going to let the cats out.

Hillbilly1

Good lord! What a thread.

It's simple

1 make your garden as un cat friendly as possible

This means minimal fresh soil to dig in, remove areas of shade for sleeping in and no sand/gravel that could mistaken for a poop pit

ACG

penguingirl wrote: »

No offence but you have made a lot of assumptions about my relationships with my neighbours and their attitudes towards cats! I dont tell my neighbours their cat annoys me, what are they going to do? Probably nothing. Your assuming your cat isnt a nuisance to ANY neighbour by the sounds of it.

I do bother to look after my cat and think I'm a pretty good cat owner. My neighbours have never once commented on him using their gardens as litter trays, and in fact I have had to ask them not to feed him (he is very affectionate and some of the local children give him treats). Most of my neighbours have cats anyway so maybe we're just tolerant of each other. In a cul-de-sac you pretty much have to be. No you dont? Why do you? I have no issues with them havin cats, just keep it in yoru own garden/house.

My cat is pretty much family to me. And I can promise you he is a lot less annoying than some of the children in my cul-de-sac. And the dogs that people leave in their gardens to bark all day/night.
To you he is - because he is family. Just like the kids kicking a ball in your street are family to their parents.

But despite the fact I do have a cat, I'm still sympathetic to the OP and honestly wouldn't be upset if someone tried to deter my cat using non-harmful methods (chasing him, water guns, smells, sonar) Great, why not keep it within your property? Then your cat doesnt get frightened and you can be 100% sure it is not causing a nuisance.

I go out running a lot on local footpaths and I sure as hell see a lot more dog mess (and even horse mess) than cat mess!

Thats what it has come down to, comparing your cat to others which are worse? Is not illegal to let horses do their business in the street either is it so how can that be annoying?

MissMoneypenny

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Good grief. One would think the animals were producing a hundred weight of dung, like a veritable herd of prize fresians periodically galloping along your newly purchased paddock.

If the felines really are so effusive in their fecal effluent I suggest you contact DEFRA and find a farmer who could make good use of it for his flora and fauna.

Non cat owners don't want cats to mess in their garden as their faeces is a health hazard. I suspect some cat owners do not want to provide a cat tray for their cats to mess in as they don't want their cat's faeces either.

Unfortunately, cats are the only known host of the parasite Toxoplasma gondi. This passes onto other animals to carry on, but this parasite can only breed in cats.You can google how bad this is for pregnant women, children and immunosuppressives, but here is one from a famous university:-

"What causes toxoplasmosis?


The life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii is complex and involves two types of host—definitive and intermediate. Cats, both wild and domestic, are the only definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii. This means that the parasite can only produce oocysts (eggs) when infecting a cat"

"These oocysts are then excreted in great numbers in the cat's feces."


"There are two populations at high risk for infection with Toxoplasma gondii; pregnant women and immunodeficient individuals. Congenital infection is of greatest concern in humans. About one-third to one-half of human infants born to mothers who have acquired Toxoplasma during that pregnancy are infected. The vast majority of women infected during pregnancy have no symptoms of the infection themselves. The majority of infected infants will show no symptoms of toxoplasmosis at birth, but many are likely to develop signs of infection later in life. Loss of vision, mental retardation, loss of hearing, and death in severe cases, are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected children.

In immunodeficient people—those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., for cancer or organ transplantation) or those with an immunosuppressive disease such as AIDS—enlargement of the lymph nodes, ocular and central nervous-system disturbances, respiratory disease, and heart disease are among the more characteristic symptoms. In these patients—especially those with AIDS—relapses of the disease are common, and the mortality rate is high. In the past, immunodeficient people and pregnant women were advised to avoid cats. "

"What can I do to prevent toxoplasmosis?


There are several general sanitation and food safety steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming infected with Toxoplasma:

• Do not eat raw or undercooked meat. Meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 160°F for 20 minutes.
  
• Do not drink unpasteurized milk.
  
• Do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables.
  
• Wash hands and food preparation surfaces with warm soapy water after handling raw meat.
  
• Wear gloves when gardening. Wash hands after gardening.
  
• Wash hands before eating (especially for children).
  
• Keep children's sandboxes covered.
  
• Do not drink water from the environment unless it is boiled.
  
• Do not feed raw meat or undercooked meat to cats. Also, do not give them unpasteurized milk.
  
• Do not allow cats to hunt or roam.
  
• Do not allow cats to use a garden or children's play area as their litter box.
  
• Remove feces from the litter box daily and clean with boiling or scalding water.
  
• Pregnant women, and persons with suppressed immune systems, should not clean the litter box.
  
• Control rodent populations and other potential intermediate hosts."

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/toxoplasmosis.cfm

GwylimT

The above is only a problem if you have poor hygiene practices or eat the lawn or soil in your garden.

ACG

Or kids playing in the grass and then putting hands in their mouth?

penguingirl

Wow, I guessed you ignored the bit about not wanting to get in argument. The Op asked for advice about getting rid of cats- I provided information about one way I knew to keep cats away.

ACG

I didnt ignore it, you said something and I replied. You then replied and so did I... nothing wrong with a healthy debate. Clearly we disagree but theres no need to argue.

J_i_m

ACG wrote: »

Or kids playing in the grass and then putting hands in their mouth?

They could do that anywhere... just in the same way a cat could possibly do it's business just about any where.

Mrstickle

We have had this problem since we moved into our new house 12 months ago. And its getting worse with the nice summer we are having.
I have a three year old child, who loves to run around the garden, rolling in the grass, roly ploys, bare-footed, and she should be able to. But she can't. She's trod in cat poo. She has run her little toy pram though it.
They squirt against my decking and it smells foul no matter how much it gets hosed down.
We have a large lawn, and I can't physically check it all before she gets in the garden. And why should I have to?!
Cat repellant is expensive and doesn't work, but ACG I like the look of those sonar things, do they work?
I have a water pistol, but I've yet to get the cats with it as they move to quickly. I wouldn't think anything of tipping a full bucket of water on one if I could.
Gwylim obviously can't have young children. Cats are a plague in my garden, and I feel very angry towards owners that let them roam. I can't imagine they would like cleaning cat poo off a child's foot.