Neighbours cat fouling our garden

adouglasmhor

mrs_sparrow wrote: »

Holly leaves on the garden stop cats going on it as they do not like the prickles.

My grandkids aren't that keen on them either.

mrs_sparrow

Some more things to note - if we did not have 'free roaming cats' there would be a much higher level of rat infestation, they keep the rat numbers down. This is nature and this is probably why cats have right to roam - they do a job. Unfortunately they do kill birds yes, but so do things like fishing wire or garden netting draped on or around ponds, gardens and fences, foxes and birds of prey also kill birds. Again, nature. While we are quick enough to blame the cats for the decline in birds, there are now vast numbers of birds of prey and we can often hear them killing birds while in flight over our house. But they mainly kill pigeons so not sure if that makes it OK, they poo everywhere too, all over the kids play equipment. And I am not even going to get started on the magpies..... We also get vast numbers of pheasants killed on the roads here - but they are dim, so that is probably OK too.

Nature is, what nature is. If cats were kept inside this would not stop there being feral cats. feral cats need somewhere to poo, I lived in one area where there were a huge numbers of feral cats around. People would simply let their cats out and no longer look after them and we would end up with further problems of feral cats. Someone who said cats not being looked after if they are out - if they have an available bed, are being fed and they are given adequate medical care when required, they are being cared for. We have always had a cat and we have other cats come mess in our gardens at times too.

What I cannot understand from the OP is this, the cats are pooing on her freshly dug flowerbeds, she says she has to remove it before the kids go out there to play. Can you just tell the kids not to play on the freshly dug flowerbeds? Aren't they ruining the plants? You also need to teach your kids to come and tell you when they find a pile as they could also find it in the park, all kids should be poo-aware from an early age!! We have huge numbers of foxes here and their poo is everywhere, I'll walk mine and you can tell from the colour and because of the seeds in it that it is foxes poo. They cannot clean up after themselves.

And finally, to the person who ended up with a labrador instead of picking up cat poo.... unless you have a tiny labrador, or next doors cat is a lion, surely the poo collection now requires a bigger bag and takes more time. I have a dog smaller than a lab and sometimes I need 2 hands, LOL.

mrs_sparrow

adouglasmhor wrote: »

My grandkids aren't that keen on them either.

Why are the grand kids playing on the freshly dug flowerbeds.....?

sammyjammy

Loopy28 wrote: »

Cats don't generally poo in their own garden, they poo elsewhere. I have three cats and am quite aware they poo in others gardens but what can an owner realistically do?

The best way to stop getting cat poo in your garden is to get a cat yourself. Cats generally don't poo on another cats territory.

Other than that a light water pistol is a humane way to deter them, cats have good memories! A quick squirt with a water pistol won't hurt them but it will make them think twice!

Mine do, its about making your own garden a place where your cats want to "go" we have an outdoor litter tray which contains a mix of sand and small gravel, I empty it of waste everyday. My cats have free rein to wander and use my neighbours garden for sunbathing. They do not go for a poo in this garden. Anywhere else they wander is probably undergrowth and wild areas.

Pixie5740

I think the point is that when people get a pet, any kind of pet, they are responsible for that animal and the actions of that animal. If a dog attacks a child then is that not just the dog's nature? No, because the owner should know how to control the dog. If you cannot control your cats i.e. keep them in your own house and garden, then perhaps you should not have them.

Wild animals are just that, wild, nobody has assumed any responsibility for them or specifically bred them as happens with pets.

Comparing domesticated animals with wild animals is comparing apples with oranges.

Since some cat owners refuse to take responsibility for their own pet(s) then I shall take steps to keep cats out my garden with the cat scarecrow. Once I eventually have my own garden that is.

mrs_sparrow

adouglasmhor wrote: »

My grandkids aren't that keen on them either.

You can also sprinkle citronella or menthol oils around the garden, they do not wash away when it rains but do evaporate quicker when it is sunny.

mrs_sparrow

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I think the point is that when people get a pet, any kind of pet, they are responsible for that animal and the actions of that animal. If a dog attacks a child then is that not just the dog's nature? No, because the owner should know how to control the dog. If you cannot control your cats i.e. keep them in your own house and garden, then perhaps you should not have them.

Wild animals are just that, wild, nobody has assumed any responsibility for them or specifically bred them as happens with pets.

Comparing domesticated animals with wild animals is comparing apples with oranges.

Since some cat owners refuse to take responsibility for their own pet(s) then I shall take steps to keep cats out my garden with the cat scarecrow. Once I eventually have my own garden that is.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/section/9

The Animal Welfare Act which passed into law in 2006 states that all animals kept as pets in the UK must have provision made for a suitable living environment, including the freedom to exhibit normal and natural behaviour patterns, a suitable diet, and protection from pain, suffering, wilful neglect and preventable disease.

It also covers the penalties for wilful neglect or causing deliberate harm to an animal (whether owned or not) which can include a prison sentence, fines of up to £20,000, and being banned from keeping animals. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 also states that it is illegal to sell an animal of any type to a person of less than 16 years of age.

Pixie5740

Your cat can exhibit normal behaviours in your home and garden. If your garden isn't big enough then you shouldn't have a cat. End of.

Many breeds of dogs were bred for hunting yet their owners manage to stop them going out and killing things.

Bernard_Coleslaw

This is a common issue for many homeowners. The thing is, cats are notoriously territorial. They like to mark out their own acre of turf, so to speak, and will shy away if they think they're encroaching on another cat's space.

This is why (a) I have a cat and (b) I've trained him to poo next door.

However, this isn't an option for everyone. So what you need to do is to make your garden as unwelcome as possible for the local feline population. You need to be putting something out there that they're not going to want to go near. And the answer?

Tiger manure.

Now, I know what you're thinking. This might seem a little odd. Counter-productive, even. But think of it as fighting fire with fire. Or perhaps fighting poo with Really Big Poo. No cats are going to come anywhere near your herbaceous border if they think they're going to come snout to snout with Shere Khan, are they?

Now, I'm not going to pretend that this is an issue-free solution. The scent of tiger manure is quite alluring to other tigers. If you're unlucky, you might find all the local tigers making a bee-line for your garden. Which will make those impromptu barbecues a little unpredictable, to say the least. So you would need something that would scare off tigers.

At this point you might need to fall back on elephant dung. Not literally "fall back on", of course; that would be a mistake. They don't do Stain Devils for it, for one thing. But out there on the veldt, there's only one creature that tigers respect, and that's the common or garden elephant. Well, African or Asian elephant, if we're being picky, but you get the point.

Now your garden is well and truly Jumboed, there is the slight chance that the odour will attract any other passing elephants. This won't do your lawn many favours. But you must be very careful at this point as you're now entering a scatological arms race. What is there in the animal kingdom that is above elephants, poo-wise?

No, not blue whale. That would be quite tricky to implement if you're more than a few miles from the Pacific. Get yourself to the other end of the animal kingdom. Think smaller.

Mouse droppings. That's what you'll need. Scatter them around, mice will soon be attracted. Before you know it, the elephants will be history. Of course, you could argue that having a garden overrun by mice is not exactly an optimal situation.

Easy answer. Get some cats in.

phoenix_w

This is the most depressing thread in the history of online forums. Where did common sense go to? Once the new world order forces cat owners to lock their pets indoors, will you all move your targets to squirrels or pigeons? Will we be reading threads where people are advising each other to blow up invading badgers with plastic explosives?