Neighborhood cat

StoptheClocks

Hi there

My neighbour's cat keeps digging up my lawn and doing his business. This has been going on over a year now. I had thought I deterred him But he's back. I've mentioned it to the neighbour. Her English isn't great. I'm not sure she understood me. She said sorry but didn't offer to clean up after her cat. I've had enough. My child will be walking soon and I don't want to be checking my garden every time she goes out. If it was a dog I could phone the litter warden. Is this the same for cat poop? Is there anything I can do?

Nody

Your best bet would be something like this as no the dog warden does not deal with cats. It also allows you to move it around as needed.

StoptheClocks

Nody wrote: »

Your best bet would be something like this as no the dog warden does not deal with cats. It also allows you to move it around as needed.

Thought about buying one but the problem is at the front of the house. You need to hook it up the hose and the passers by would be getting sprayed.

PoochieW

I think a water gun might help! My cat was peeing in a vegetable patch I was trying to keep and so I would give a gentle squirt of the gun, didn't even have to hit him, (just aim close to him and he should stop entering your garden....) and he stopped peeing in that patch. Cats really dislike water and this is great humane way to stop them urinating in spots you would rather they didn't! You might have to do this a good few times until the cat gets the message, but it really does work. A friend of mine did the same with her cat to stop her peeing on furniture and it worked. Just a little squirt of water, no need to soak the cat, he will get the message that your garden is off limits pretty soon!

StoptheClocks

PoochieW wrote: »

I think a water gun might help! My cat was peeing in a vegetable patch I was trying to keep and so I would give a gentle squirt of the gun, didn't even have to hit him, (just aim close to him and he should stop entering your garden....) and he stopped peeing in that patch. Cats really dislike water and this is great humane way to stop them urinating in spots you would rather they didn't! You might have to do this a good few times until the cat gets the message, but it really does work. A friend of mine did the same with her cat to stop her peeing on furniture and it worked. Just a little squirt of water, no need to soak the cat, he will get the message that your garden is off limits pretty soon!

I have been doing this. Anytime i see him and open the front door, he's gone. I even caught him in the act of cover up after himself on monday. He **** a brick (poop!) and ran. He came back last night after i cut the grass for him.

I don't understand why people own cats and let them **** where they want. If you can't train your cat to **** in a litter tray, you shouldn't own a cat. You wouldn't let your dog out to wonder the streets, so he can **** where he wants.

professore

You can't train a cat. They will only use a litter tray if locked inside 24/7.

Also, you never own a cat - it will stay where it gets the best "deal" in terms of food and board. A cat is clean though as it covers it's poo, unlike a dog, who will poo anywhere. I'm not a big fan of cats myself, but you are being unrealistic.

kylith

professore wrote: »

A cat is clean though as it covers it's poo, unlike a dog, who will poo anywhere.

All that does is booby trap your garden. At least if a dog poos you can see it to clean it up, it's not buried for someone to stick their hand in while they're weeding.

StoptheClocks

professore wrote: »

You can't train a cat. They will only use a litter tray if locked inside 24/7.

Also, you never own a cat - it will stay where it gets the best "deal" in terms of food and board. A cat is clean though as it covers it's poo, unlike a dog, who will poo anywhere. I'm not a big fan of cats myself, but you are being unrealistic.

Unrealistic! If it needs to be locked in the house to stop pooping in my garden, then i'm fine with that. Using my lawn to cover up his poop isn't clean. It makes it worse. Poop is easy enough to clean up but disgusting. My lawn looks like it's on the last day of wimbledon.

professore

Well there must be something attracting it to your garden. You can't expect someone to lock up their cat to suit you.

<snip>

Whilst commercial products act aversively by spraying water towards the cat, this is about as far as I'm prepared to allow this discussion go in terms of aversiveness... Anything more than a scary spray of water towards the cat is, to me, looming perilously close to breaching the charter's rules on advocating cruelty.
Another forum might allow it, but not here.
Do no reply to this edit on thread.
Thanks,
DBB

StoptheClocks

professore wrote: »

Well there must be something attracting it to your garden. You can't expect someone to lock up their cat to suit you.

<snip>

Honestly. I do expect them to lock up their cat, until it's done its business. Dogs are locked up. I've soaked the cat a few times with the hose but it generally doesn't hang around . He's very quick!

"Stay right there cat until i get the pressure up on this hose to teach you a lesson"

I've i had a dog that liked pooping in someones garden and i took it around there every evening to do his business and the owner complained and i turned around and said "But he's a dog and its natural for him to poop where he's comfortable" Would that be acceptable ? "Hold on, when he's finished he'll cover it up. He's not one of those dirty dogs. He's more like a cat.

kylith

OP, I'm going to give a synopsis because these are always locked quickly: There is no way to keep the cat out of your garden without building a cat proof fence about 6' high with a 45 degree turn-out at the top. The owner will not be likely to care about their cat fouling your garden and will not be inclined to keep their cat on their property by building such a fence. Your options are, basically, to like it or to lump it.

Personally I would pick up every poo and deliver it back to their front door in a bag.

tk123

kylith wrote: »

There is no way to keep the cat out of your garden without building a cat proof fence about 6' high with a 45 degree turn-out at the top..

I kept cats out of our garden for years using get off my lawn gel and cheap vapo rub from aldi spread on the bottom of the gate. OP how is the cat getting in - could you put something to deter it on the gate/railings/fence etc?

kylith

tk123 wrote: »

I kept cats out of our garden for years using get off my lawn gel and cheap vapo rub from aldi spread on the bottom of the gate. OP how is the cat getting in - could you put something to deter it on the gate/railings/fence etc?

I don't know about the vaporub, but my parents tried the Get Off gel to no avail. Bottles of water also don't work, and citrus peels just attract slugs.

PoochieW

OP, the water gun trick didn't work overnight, one must be persistent and patient! This does work though, albeit with time!
No point in soaking the cat, the cat gets more annoyed by the fast squirt of water and runs from this, eventually he will just go elsewhere as your garden will not be a pleasant place to visit due to the water gun spray. So, it is best to not aim at the cat directly but near him so he is more aware of the water spray and will run off. This worked for me and not just on one cat, I have had several cats and more than my fair share of cat visitors in my time. I used this trick to prevent cat fights also. It works with time!

There's nothing you can do to stop cats roaming and doing their business, it's the nature of the animal and so therefore, no restriction and legal bindings to prevent them from doing so!

Shivi111

This question comes up so often, and I've given some ideas on previous threads, but here's one a woman in work told me about recently which I think it very clever...

She put a small sand box in her garden, hey presto, cat litter tray. So, they use her garden, but confined to one area that she can easily clean. Okay, you still have the job of cleaning up after someone's pet which I understand can be annoying, but it's at least not affecting the rest of the garden....

I'm sure lots will tell me why it's not ideal, but if nothing else is working it's a possible solution?

PoochieW

Shiv111, that's a really practical solution! At least it is all confined to one spot, and as you can't stop cats from roaming, then this seems like a really useful step in keeping all relatively happy!

Nody

Shivi111 wrote: »

This question comes up so often, and I've given some ideas on previous threads, but here's one a woman in work told me about recently which I think it very clever...

She put a small sand box in her garden, hey presto, cat litter tray. So, they use her garden, but confined to one area that she can easily clean. Okay, you still have the job of cleaning up after someone's pet which I understand can be annoying, but it's at least not affecting the rest of the garden....

I'm sure lots will tell me why it's not ideal, but if nothing else is working it's a possible solution?

Only recommendation I'd add would be to clean the sand with bio washing powder (has to be biological due to the reaction required) by mixing up some with water and pouring it all over the sand (helps break down the smell) every couple of weeks.

StoptheClocks

It's a front garden. No way of keeping him out. He does his business beside a hedge that separates next doors garden. I guess he has a quick get away under the hedge. He's just come in as I write this. I opened the door and he ran a mile.

DanWall

I just tried cutting and onion in to small pieces and spreading it on the garden, it seems to have worked but I need to try again.

boomerang

Nody wrote: »

Only recommendation I'd add would be to clean the sand with bio washing powder (has to be biological due to the reaction required) by mixing up some with water and pouring it all over the sand (helps break down the smell) every couple of weeks.

Oh that's very clever! It doesn't put them off it at all, Nody?

Nody

boomerang wrote: »

Oh that's very clever! It doesn't put them off it at all, Nody?

Nope; it's commonly used by cat owners as a way to clean up pee as well so should not be any issues there.

Ashbx

Sounds like a good idea with the sandbox. I would still be getting the owner to clean it up though! Don't think its fair to expect the OP to pick it up.