I must say that you have my sympathy. I know that cat poo is unpleasant .If you have little children visiting it is a worry .I have friends who have cats .They live in rural situations and the cats don’t cause trouble to other people. I live in a more built up area and have four cats .My cats are house cats .They are well looked after but some of them wanted to go out .We had a cat run installed directly outside our back door .The cat run has a large climbing frame, and room for a chair for any of the family to sit outside .The run also has an outside door gate that allows access to our back garden .We installed the cat run because we didn’t want out cats to be hurt by people spraying them with something unpleasant or kicking them .I can see now that the run has a dual purpose and stops my cats from pooing in other peoples gardens .Please don’t put down anything that could harm these beautiful creatures .I think scarecrows are a good idea .For cats that you see in your garden, a spray bottle of water aimed at their bodies will send them off . I use this method in the house when any of my cats decide to chew the curtains .They do get the message after being sprayed a few times .I am aware that you don’t always see the cats and a scarecrow would be a help . They don’t like flappy things either.The neighbours cats that come into my garden ,more often than not cover their poo .If you are living in a rural area ,some of the poo you are finding could be from other wild creatures .Also when you think that we humans have caused such devastation to our beautiful planet ,animal poo is a small problem,and I m very aware of how nasty cat poo is . I am asthmatic and air pollution causes me a lot of problems . We humans are far more culpable for the problems with human health and the health of the entire planet . Please inform your neighbours that there are cat run builders available on the internet . For those who either can’t or wont have a cat run,I think it should be emphasised that they are ultimately responsible for their animals .
I find the RSPB devices entirely effective. Yes, you do get the occasional deaf cat. It takes some time for the cats to learn to avoid areas. Cats are very sneaky and will learn in time to avoid the motion sensor over the months, so you do need to shift the monitors around every now and then. I use several devices to triangulate areas. The devices have been a game changer for my gardens - front and back.
The ultrasonic audio devices (we used PestBye) worked to dissuade two, one of which has re-routed between a hedge and fence in order to avoid the sound and the other which has disappeared altogether. We are left with one unwelcome guest that seems to always be off their owner's property, whether that is chasing birds on an adjacent garage roof or adopting a lookout from a fence post at the back of our garden. He is unfazed by the ultrasonic devices. We have deployed cat spikes, which are so 'open' as to be utterly ineffective.
We are redesigning the garden in a way that (unintentionally, but conveniently) should serve to reduce this cat's routes through our garden. One route will be fenced to two metres with clematis running up it, another will be hedged with pyracantha. Also inadvertently, I realised on reading a list posted to this thread that our planting plan features six of the plants noted as toxic to cats. I should like to think they will act as yet further deterrents.
Just out of interest @Astraeus, what plants are you planting that are toxic to cats?
From this link - https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/plants-poisonous-to-cats - which was posted earlier in the thread, we have lavender and, when the landscaping is done, will be planting two clematis, tulips, delphinium and lilies. I should hope this means that the cats will have the sense to prefer other gardens to ours, even though it was not our intention (and indeed was not in my knowledge!) when deciding on the plants.
Understood. As I say, it's mere coincidence that we have a preference for flowers and plants that will hopefully dissuade the cats from using our garden as a cut-through. I certainly wouldn't plant to harm or to accommodate them.
Not to be discouraging but I grow most of those plants and my cats ignore them. Cats are not stupid enough to eat toxic plants usually. They also seem unaware of plants toxicity and are not put off from going where they like. I should add that they are 2 lazy tom cats who stay mostly in my garden or go next door for treats-and fuss from the lady there.
The affected area by cats is a lawn in-front of the house so is open to them. I have tried various liquid treatments ranging from creosote on the surrounding concrete to diluted dettol sprayed on the regular spot used by the cats. I have had limited success during dry periods but when wet, it is virtually ineffective. Anyway why should the victims of cat fouling have to purchase remedies for a situation not of their making. The only solution is to solve various problems at the same time. Since the reduction in the bird population can in part be linked to cats, then the status of cats should be changed so that they are classified as a domestic animal like dogs. I believe with that classification, it would mean that owners would become responsible for their cat's behaviour and any consequential damage or distress caused. Owners who just allow their cats to roam free are being anti social and totally inconsiderate to their neighbourhood, in fact behaving irresponsibly. By all means allow cat owners to enjoy their in-house pets or have a leashed system set up so that a degree of freedom in the owners garden can be created. Then perhaps they would realise the full nature of owning their pet and the attendant obnoxious overhead that can be linked to them. A statute change to introduce a licensing system for cats with relevant fee would also make any potential cat owner think how deep their love of cats really is. This would probably reduce the number of cat owners(the irresponsible ones mainly) in the process, reduce the potential of neighbourhood disputes, be better for the environment and improve the bird population. What are we waiting for.
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We humans are far more culpable for the problems with human health and the health of the entire planet . Please inform your neighbours that there are cat run builders available on the internet .
For those who either can’t or wont have a cat run,I think it should be emphasised that they are ultimately responsible for their animals .
The ultrasonic audio devices (we used PestBye) worked to dissuade two, one of which has re-routed between a hedge and fence in order to avoid the sound and the other which has disappeared altogether. We are left with one unwelcome guest that seems to always be off their owner's property, whether that is chasing birds on an adjacent garage roof or adopting a lookout from a fence post at the back of our garden. He is unfazed by the ultrasonic devices. We have deployed cat spikes, which are so 'open' as to be utterly ineffective.
We are redesigning the garden in a way that (unintentionally, but conveniently) should serve to reduce this cat's routes through our garden. One route will be fenced to two metres with clematis running up it, another will be hedged with pyracantha. Also inadvertently, I realised on reading a list posted to this thread that our planting plan features six of the plants noted as toxic to cats. I should like to think they will act as yet further deterrents.
Get a grip!!