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Keeping Cats out of the Garden

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  • 15-04-2012 10:52am
    #1
    tigger123
    Registered Users Posts: 4,482 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    My Dad is having trouble with his garden at the moment. It seems that cats from the neighbourhood are using his garden as a toilet.

    Would anyone here have suggestions on how to keep them out? Maybe a chemical repellent of some sort?

    Any help at all is greatly appreciated! :D


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    #2
    MLC61
    Registered Users Posts: 287 ✭✭MLC61


    I'm having the same problem, but specifically with raised vegetables beds that they use as litters.
    Some research online suggests chicken wire in the soil as they don't like to walk on it, however this doesn't suit me as it makes ongoing planting impossible.
    An sane suggestions?


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    #3
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    A dog.

    Try making a bed for specifically for them to go into. Have two cats myself and having the same problem. Going to try that this year and see what happens. Cats can't resist fresh muck so having a bed that they can go into might draw them away from the flowers and veg.

    Read that any citrus peals will keep them out of beds they'll smell the soil first to see were they last went. They don't like the smell of citrus you should put fresh ones down every four days or something. It would be a lot of orange to cover a large bed though so don't know how practical it would be.


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    #4
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    Peppar Dust...it works.


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    #5
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    paddy147 wrote: »
    Peppar Dust...it works.

    Yeah, how ofthen do you need to apply?


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    #6
    kynzvart
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭kynzvart


    I have tried everything to keep them out of the garden, but nothing seems to work,They dig up everything where they crap.I spend all my time cleaning up after them.


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    #7
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    We had this problem a few years ago in children's play area.
    Get one of the ultrasonic repellers from Mr Middlton. About €40 and it lasts for years. Definitely works and ours was on a plastic stake so could be moved a bit to cover different areas, after a short while the cats just didn't bother coming back.
    Pepper works but washes away with any rain so it's a very short term thing.


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    #8
    kylith
    Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    iLikeWaffles wrote: »
    Read that any citrus peals will keep them out of beds they'll smell the soil first to see were they last went. They don't like the smell of citrus you should put fresh ones down every four days or something. It would be a lot of orange to cover a large bed though so don't know how practical it would be.
    Unfortunately citrus peels seem to attract slugs. My gran used to use them and the peels were always covered in slugs, and they didn't seem to make any difference to the cats. The poor woman had a terrible fear of cats and tried all the home remedies to no avail.

    I'd also worry that the peels would affect the soil.

    Op, do you know whose cats hey are? It may be worth calling round and explaining the problem to them, and asking them to keep their cats in their own garden, but, sadly, it'd probably be no good, judging from the attitudes of cat owners in previous threads. I'd be tempted to deliver all the poo back to them, too.


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    #9
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    kylith wrote: »

    Op, do you know whose cats hey are? It may be worth calling round and explaining the problem to them, and asking them to keep their cats in their own garden, but, sadly, it'd probably be no good, judging from the attitudes of cat owners in previous threads. I'd be tempted to deliver all the poo back to them, too.

    Have you ever tried speaking to a cat owner? If someone came to me I would try to take their problem on board, depending on the situation.

    Not all cat owners have the attitude you suggest. My cats have cat litter indoors or use my garden as soon as they go outside.

    I think a lot of the problem is that people who do not have an interest in gardening themselves cover their own garden with hard landscaping, therefore their pets use other gardens.


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    #10
    kylith
    Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    Mo60 wrote: »
    kylith wrote: »

    Op, do you know whose cats hey are? It may be worth calling round and explaining the problem to them, and asking them to keep their cats in their own garden, but, sadly, it'd probably be no good, judging from the attitudes of cat owners in previous threads. I'd be tempted to deliver all the poo back to them, too.

    Have you ever tried speaking to a cat owner? If someone came to me I would try to take their problem on board, depending on the situation.

    Not all cat owners have the attitude you suggest. My cats have cat litter indoors or use my garden as soon as they go outside.

    I think a lot of the problem is that people who do not have an interest in gardening themselves cover their own garden with hard landscaping, therefore their pets use other gardens.
    I have spoken to many cat owners, and there are dozens of threads similar to this one in the animals and pets forum. Unfortunately most cat owners tend to have 3 main arguements, none of which make sense:
    1) It's in a cat's nature to roam.
    2) It's not illegal to let my cat roam.
    3) Wild animals poo in your garden, therefore it should be ok for my cat to, too.

    You say your cats use your garden, and that's great, but unless they're confined to your garden you don't know where else they might be toiletting.


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    #11
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    kylith wrote: »

    You say your cats use your garden, and that's great, but unless they're confined to your garden you don't know where else they might be toiletting.

    Unless they toilet more than 4 times daily I think I know where they tiolet. Wherever I have lived I have never had an issue with neighbours - never had poo delivered back. Perhaps its to do with my attitude.

    I do sympathise with anyone who has problems with cats in their garden, but talking to your neighbours is a start.


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    #12
    kylith
    Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    Mo60 wrote: »
    Unless they toilet more than 4 times daily I think I know where they tiolet. Wherever I have lived I have never had an issue with neighbours - never had poo delivered back. Perhaps its to do with my attitude.

    I do sympathise with anyone who has problems with cats in their garden, but talking to your neighbours is a start.
    I absolutely agree that talking to your neighbours is the best first option. You'll see that that's what I suggested in my post.

    I'm sure you have a very good relationship with your neighbours but if you're not getting any complaints all it means is that no-one's complained to you. Hopefully no-one has any complaints, but if anyone does they may not know who the cat's owner is, or even if it has an owner, or they may have tried to talk to one of the less responsible cat owners about problems in the past and have been put off trying that avenue.


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    #13
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    kylith wrote: »
    I absolutely agree that talking to your neighbours is the best first option. You'll see that that's what I suggested in my post.

    I'm sure you have a very good relationship with your neighbours but if you're not getting any complaints all it means is that no-one's complained to you. Hopefully no-one has any complaints, but if anyone does they may not know who the cat's owner is, or even if it has an owner, or they may have tried to talk to one of the less responsible cat owners about problems in the past and have been put off trying that avenue.

    I have a good relationship with all my neighbours and they know what cats I have. I have asked them in the past if they have any problems with them and they all replied in the negative. I can tell you some of them would soon let me know if there was any problem.


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    #14
    dfbemt
    Registered Users Posts: 1,398 ✭✭✭dfbemt


    Did we not discuss this extensively in this very Gardening thread only 2 weeks ago ?!?!?!

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056225240

    Amazing what a simple search will uncover.


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    #15
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    dfbemt wrote: »
    Did we not discuss this extensively in this very Gardening thread only 2 weeks ago ?!?!?!

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056225240

    Amazing what a simple search will uncover.

    It would seem more stickied threads are needed 'Gardening Tips and Tricks' perhaps???


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    #16
    Abi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,058 ✭✭✭✭Abi


    This is a problem for me lately too. The lady next door took on some stray kittens that had taken residence before she moved in. I think there's about five of them who all treat my back garden as their toilet, it's do frustrating =/

    So far ive used pepper, the citrus peelings and the deep heat trick but they're still crapping away. They're also chasing all my birds away which is a shame because I enjoy watching them :(


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