Real problem with cats

scatpep54 · May 2019

We are having our garden front and back landscaped. We are putting a lot of thought and money into it, but for the past year it has been a bit of a wilderness with all my plants in tubs and planters. My neighbour has 4 dogs and EIGHT cats which I feel is a tad excessive especially as they consider our gardens to be their personal lavatory. And I mean these felines must eat a lot because we are forever find large, disgusting well.... turds... for want of a better word. We Really do not want things to get nasty with the neighbours which, frankly, I don’t think would take a lot as the ‘guilty’ party usually get defensive and go on the offensive - in my experience at least.
We really don’t know what to do because It will be distressing to watch our new raised, freshly planted beds being desecrated by all these damned cats. We even asked Longleat for some lion poo but they said it doesn’t actually work. So far the only ideas we’ve come up with is to buy a water pistol and to put short spikes on every available surface eg fences and to find plants they don’t like the smell of. If I’m honest I resent having to spend money on plants I don’t want just to try to put these troublesome creatures off.
Suggestions anybody?

Dovefromabove · May 2019

All you ever wanted to know about cat poo can be found here https://forum.gardenersworld.com/search?Search=Cat+poo

It’s a subject that can rouse strong feelings on both sides and the moderators will close down discussions that become overheated.

On top of that @hostafan pockets a virtual £1 whenever the subject is raised and is well on the way to accumulating an obscene level of wealth to spend on hostas and agapanthus. Most of us try not to add to his loot. 😉

Brexiteer · May 2019

I bought the spikes from eBay and believe me they are sharp, you wouldn't want to fall on them. We put them up for the same reason and even though they are very uncomfortable the cats still walk on them. I use a device that's wired up to a hosepipe and as soon as they cross it's path water turns on like a sprinkler and scares the shit out of them so to speak. If you see one creep out if possible and spray it with the jet setting on the hosepipe it takes perseverance but it does work

Julia1983 · May 2019

We had a bit of a problem with neighbours cats pooping in our back garden, I love cats but it was annoying, so every time we saw them one of us would go out and chase him away or use the hosepipe, and we don't really get them coming in anymore. Takes a bit of perseverance but they do seem to remember! Hot chilli powder can work to put them off as well I believe, or lots of little bamboo canes just poking out above ground level so they can't scrape. Good luck!

KT53 · May 2019

pansyface said:

Well, when you moved in you must have been aware that there were a lot of animals living next door, so this can’t have come as a surprise to you.

Why do you make that assumption? Visits to houses you are considering purchasing aren't generally all that long, despite it being the biggest expenditure most of us make. Unless a cat was actually crapping in the front garden at the time, there would be no reason to know or suspect that there were 4 next door. Many cats spend most of their lives indoors and only seem to go out to **** in other people's gardens. I don't imagine it's the sort of information the previous owners gave out. We had no idea what pets the people next to us had when we bought our current house.

In answer to the OP, it's going to be very difficult to stop them unless you watch like a hawk and scare them off as soon as they appear in your garden. A water pistol loaded with vinegar is more effective than water.

Brexiteer · May 2019

People should never presume it only causes friction and disagreement

Julia1983 · May 2019

Please don't put anything chemical or acidic in the water if you use it. It could cause skin irritation and digestive problems if they lick it off, or if it gets in their eyes. No matter how you feel about your neighbours the cats are just animals doing what comes naturally (whether they should be there at all is another debate) and are not deliberately causing you distress. If you look at cat behaviour they do not like being disturbed while doing the business so a few well timed chases or even a clod of earth thrown in their direction will make them far more likely to go somewhere else. They also like to bury their poop so things like bark mulch will make the area more attractive than bare soil. Hence having a bamboo stick minefield can pretty effective in keeping them away, it's cheap and won't hurt them.

Brexiteer · May 2019

People should never presume it only causes friction and disagreement

Loxley · May 2019

I found the ultrasonic 'Pestbye' cat repellents pretty effective. I'm certain that the best repellent are those automatic water sprayers with motion sensors - get the best quality branded ones. Failing that, get a greyhound: https://www.greyhoundtrust.org.uk/

scatpep54 · May 2019

Haha... willDB ... i have had two greyhounds and am considering another one!
But yes , thanks for your suggestions... the sprinkler thing sounds good but worry that a) it wouldn’t get the cats and b) my flowers may accidentally drown!

scatpep54 · May 2019

Thank you all.... when we bought the place there didn’t seem to be any sign of cat poo although distressingly we did find several dead voles and moles which seemed to stop when we moved in... but no we did not expect the amount of poo we are now confronted with

Real problem with cats

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