@Rik56 a friend of mine who is ‘horsey’ and with whom my daughter has ridden when we visited them, up in Scotland, explained that their yard’s rule is very clear on horse dung: any time a horse is taken out and has a poo on their walk / hack, along a public thoroughfare anywhere on the route (whether that is a tarmac Road or lane, or a dirt track, is irrelevant) it is the horse rider’s responsibility to collect the dung and dispose of it, back at the yard. So you would be within your rights to show them that bucket and spade!
Hi - if you can get hold of any - old fashioned mothballs are a good deterrent. Cats hate the smell! Yes, they do keep the birds away but then birds like snails and slugs! I know the smell of citronella stops puppies from pooing in the middle of the path (learning tool) - maybe a few drops of that in some water. Also sprinkle pepper in the "cat" area. Good luck!
A neighbour did the mothball thing, but unfortunately, the smell was overpowering - even on our side of a thickly clad ivy covered fence. Could still smell it a year later.
Some cats can be trained not to use your garden. I use the sonic thing, netting over the raised planter and lots of bamboo skewers in pots and any open soil areas. Doesn’t look pretty but I no longer get cats in my garden and only have a couple of the sonic things. They’ve learnt it’s not even worth looking into my garden. My garden isn’t huge though so probably easier to manage 🙂
I would have the horse's stuff on the compost heap. I work with a lot of cat fans and they will not have it that their cats are an environmental carpet bomb.
I would have the horse's stuff on the compost heap. I work with a lot of cat fans and they will not have it that their cats are an environmental carpet bomb.
"there are none so blind as those who WILL not see"
Ma used to tell me that if her father was waiting at their gate when she got home from school it was because he was ‘guarding’ a deposit left by a passing tradesman’s horse ... apparently it was beneath his dignity to go into the road and shovel it up for his roses ... but not beneath the dignity of his children. 😆
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My understanding is that toxoplasmosis is particularly dangerous to pregnant women but for all others, including young children, the risk is slight. Indeed in 80% of cases those infected with the disease have no symptoms at all and for most of the rest the problem is quite minor.
This is not to say there are no risks. Of course there are. And there are risks from rose thorns, stinging nettles, euphorbia sap, garden ponds, laburnum seeds, hand tools - indeed all manner of garden plants and implements. One needs to keep a sense of proportion about the matter.
There are two other items on the cat charge sheet. Cats kill wildlife. It’s sad but it’s nature. Bigger birds kill smaller birds, many larger animals prey on mice. Do we get upset about that as well? No, because that is part of the natural order of things, you might say whereas cats have been domesticated and it is our choice to bring them into our environment. But it is also our choice to do all manner of things that are detrimental to the natural world and driving cars is high on the list. Anybody volunteering to give theirs up?
The other issue is cats’ faeces. No, it’s not nice but claiming it stinks the garden out, frankly, is ridiculous. When my cat uses the indoor dirt tray it is a bit whiffy for five minutes. In the garden and in the open air? C’mon! Cats also scratch over the soil when they’re about their business. Again, it’s annoying but it is not so difficult to protect such areas with a web of string or jute netting. Try seeing the damage badgers can do to your garden if you want something to complain about!
Having said all that I know I am lucky because my garden is bigger than most and our two cats rarely venture beyond its borders. We do have a very few neighbours’ cats who make forays but they seem to be aware they’re in alien territory and can be readily shooed away. In short, I do not have a cat problem or believe my cats cause a problem to others (wildlife excepted but that is around 1 bird and 8 mice a year). In a smaller suburban garden with a much higher feline density I might well think differently.
Well I can tell you the crap that these 4 cats that one of my neighbours own.. That leave their disgusting smelly hazardous waste in our garden absolutely stink and it lingers.. They also crap anywhere and on anything and don’t even bury it.. They will crap on soil, grass, stone chippings, pebbles, paving slabs and concrete and bark.. In fact the disgusting pests will crap anywhere they fancy..
Yup typical cat owners let the cats out to go and crap on other people’s garden.. Well I don’t think these scruffy dirty looking moggies like Jeys Fluid.. but it certainly smells nicer than the cats disgusting smelly hazardous waste.. Not my problem if they come into contact with the Fluid..
My garden not theirs.. I think the irresponsible cat owners should train their cats to crap on their own gardens for their owners to clear up the crap instead.. After all it’s their pests..
@Fencepost i totally agree with you. Im still having problems with my neighbours cats. They now get sprayed everytime they set foot in the garden. Nothing cruel but I need to totally discourage them. Couldnt believe this person said it was ridiculous that it stinks
PotteringMad 😆 yeah I couldn’t believe it either.. Well their cat must be something extremely special cos all the disgusting foul cat crap I’ve unfortunately and angrily encountered absolutely stinks.. not to mention how wrenching it is to clear it up too..
But then again some cat owners think it’s fair and reasonable that other people clean someone else pests/cats crap up... I think it’s fair and reasonable that cat owners keep their cats indoors and only allow them out in their own garden on a lead so they can crap on theirs instead.. Like they say it’s not the cats that irresponsible it’s the cat owners who let their cats crap on other people’s gardens who’re irresponsible.. Totally disgusting and anti social..
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yup typical cat owners let the cats out to go and crap on other people’s garden.. Well I don’t think these scruffy dirty looking moggies like Jeys Fluid.. but it certainly smells nicer than the cats disgusting smelly hazardous waste.. Not my problem if they come into contact with the Fluid..
My garden not theirs.. I think the irresponsible cat owners should train their cats to crap on their own gardens for their owners to clear up the crap instead.. After all it’s their pests..
But then again some cat owners think it’s fair and reasonable that other people clean someone else pests/cats crap up...
I think it’s fair and reasonable that cat owners keep their cats indoors and only allow them out in their own garden on a lead so they can crap on theirs instead.. Like they say it’s not the cats that irresponsible it’s the cat owners who let their cats crap on other people’s gardens who’re irresponsible.. Totally disgusting and anti social..