For years we have put up with this problem and used everything we could to deter cats and there are so many believe me. Then last January my husband bought a water scarecrow. BLISS. After a few days no sign of cats and we have a big garden. He placed it first so that when a cat appeared on my neighbours shed ready to jump down into our garden the scarer clicked and shot a burst of water ...you couldn't see the cat for dust. Now when cats hear a click they bolt for it. It cost £43 but is strongly made and originated in Canada where it is used to scare elk and other pesky creatures from gardens. I would hasten to add too that we have had no problem with elk either !!!!! This may have something to do with living in Devon. There is just one problem .....my husband and I often forget that the cat scarer is on and the times I've heard B......... From the garden and my husband coming in drenched. (good fun ). I agree that this product is expensive but it has given us so much amusement seeing cats getting caught for the first time. They don't bother again..they hate water.
Very short,,,,, we also had huge Huge probs with cats untill my other half was in tears, I was advised (after spending a lot of money on fences etc to spray Jeyes ready mixed fluid on our boundaries and around any newly disturbed soil that Kate might have planted in etc,Result a few days no cats in the garden,nothing got hurt including my ignorant neighbor and in 7 months only 2 deposits,,we have since moved to wonderful Norfolk,I recommend Jeyes and Norfolk Jeyes for the cats and Norfolk for the people, good luck give it a try.
having posted HELP! on the subject of cat pooh on our small front lawn a few days ago I have read all of this with great interest.Lion dung has not worked for us and it isn't cheap.We do use jars of chopped garlic from Lidl and that has some effect but needs doing every few days,Our first ultrasonic machine worked very well but subsequent ones haven't.We have tried practically everything and have even covered the lawn with strong mesh...pooh is just left on the top. We know that thanks to the "thread" we will be getting a conteh water blaster for Christmas.Great! The post suggesting a law to put a stop to the misery caused by this is food for thought.Cats may be free spirits in the eyes of the law but the law should be changed .Sad thing is that dirty cats are the victims of irresponsible owners.One neighbour we have will not let her cat out until it has used the litter tray,her cat is no bother..........enough said?
Foxes live everywhere. Seen them in the middle of Lincoln at 3am beside the railway when I got up to go to he loo! I lived in 6th floor flat overlooking the railway. Urban, towns and cities - they love the rubbish bins.My mum had them in London garden, too.
Plant every patch of soil with plants then there is nowhere for them to dig. Use prickly plants, scented leaved geraniums and ground cover evergreens like sedum. Bulbs will still find their way through. Loads of neighbours have cats and I like the animals but they never come in my garden as I have no bare soil and when they sit on the fence they look in and decide there is nowhere to "go"!
Lizzybusy,you are fortunate in your neighbourhood cats.Those around my garden just sit and leave it on top of ground cover plants! and that is when there is plenty of turned over soil for them to use.
OK, I am very lucky because I live in a remote area, and cats are the only way to stop lots of rodents pouring out of the barns and into my house. So I have 11 of the furry little darlings at the moment. I am a very keen gardener, and love having the cats around when I am digging, potting up, putting things in trays and so on. I have two solutions to the problem that you might be able to put into operation, but it all depends if you have access to the countryside.
Cats in towns are not so easy to deal with. First, they need a big area of rough soil that you regularly agitate. Under a shrubbery, a nearby hedge or a coppice is absolutely great. Under shrubs and hedges is the best if you lift the crown of the shrub or hedge - i.e. lift or prune off the lower branches so that the cats can get under them easily without having to crouch down at all. Then, each week you give the earth around the shrubs a good rummage with a long (as long as possible) handled hoe, or possibly a rake if that's what you have. Add leaf mould if you find the roots are too near the surface to get a good litter. The cats go "oh wow, a proper toilet" and compete with each other to use the designated area. This is the carrot method.Second (the stick) method is best used with the above carrot. You need plenty of old, rusty stock fencing, so you must were gloves when handling it. If you go out on forays into the country, especially rugged sheep country, you will find that shepherds and farmers regularly replace their fences. When they do this they often leave the rusty old rolls in ditches or on road sidings until they can get round to picking them up. Choose a sheep area if possible, because shepherds are very, very busy people, and it is a chore to collect and dispose of rusty fencing rolls. Stock fencing consists of wire rectangles, so you will think at first "well the cats will get through that". It's a bit more complicated than that. 1) they don't like the rusty texture at all, 2) it will be crinkly and not geometrician by the time you pick it up, so will have lots of raised and lowered areas, adding to the complexity with which a cat can find a good gap, while still being able to make a quick exit if anyone sees him/her. 3) rusty stock fencing is damn near invisible when it is put down on soil with plants dotted about in it. This is good for you (you won't notice the stuff once it has settled in) and it is great for confounding the cats. Cats have notoriously good eyesight, but only if the obstacle is over a foot from their faces. That means that if they are rummaging around, and there sensitive little whiskers keep brushing rough hard only slightly visible stuff, they won't want to be messing about in the area for too long.
Kittens are worst to deter, because everything is a big adventure, but they are easier to shoo off, don't make such big messes and soon grow up. Someone mentioned that only bold cats do it on the surface, this is true. Unfortunately you get the odd cat that seems to think that major earthworks are needed for each visit. This is worse for young plants, but once your stock fencing has buried bits, and protruding bits it will help stop even the most fastidious cat. If you are lucky, you may find enough rusty old fencing to put a double layer down, and that is a brilliant deterrent. The problem with chicken wire and similar is that if it is not suspended and crinkly above the ground it is quite comfortable and easy to walk on. A-symmetry and unpredictability, along with a rough texture is much better. You can put the same stuff over groups of pots, and seed trays - I have no problems with either now that I employ the carrot and the stick, and believe me - my garden is always full of cats who only poop in the proper places!
One very important warning! Because the stock fencing is so well camouflaged you may trip over it, so mark the edges and make sure they don't overhand paths.
Have been reading this with mixed feelings. One thing I wonder about, lots of you say keep the cats indoors. This may work if you live in an upstairs apartment, but I'm sure most people who live in houses regularly leave their front doors or windows open. Open door or window, and cat goes for a stroll!
As for poo on a lawn, what about foxes, martens, even hedgehogs?
Our latest cat spends most of her life indoors and has a litter tray but previous cats have always used our garden. When we lived in Harrow we had up to 7 cats take up residence with us, 3 cats next door and 2 at the next house so I simply gardened with gloves on.
Now we have 2 dogs and have to do regular poo patrols in our garden as well as taking poo bags on walkies. It's all part of responsible pet ownership along with having cats and dogs sterilised, chipped, vaccinated and regularly treated for worms, ticks and fleas. I also think cats should be kept in at night.
We feed the birds all year round but I have a special hanging bird feeder bar that keeps them out of the range of pouncing pussies and the ground feeding slab is clear of cover too. There are shrubs nearby so the small birds have shelter from sparrowhawks too.
We live in the country in an old farmhouse so need a cat or two to catch the mice which try to migrate into the house for winter. Our terrier rescue dog is good at chasing rats which live in burrows along the edge of the arable field behind and also like to explore our garden and garage for food in winter.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I think reading the 'two' sides of the argument is always interesting.
What about fox poo? It isn't the least bit of a problem and not the same as having 5-6 cats use the garden as a toilet 365 days a year at all.
All research regarding cats being effective at controlling rodents points towards them having some effect on urban rodent populations and none at all in rural areas, where they prefer to prey on song birds, voles and shrews. Yet it is often given a reason to allow them to free roam even though far more effective controls exist. My own experience was that rats moved into my garden when it was overrun by cats. Probably attracted by the awful smell.
What is becoming clear to me though is there is no point discussing the issue really. I doubt if any cat owner posting here is anything like my neighbours, throwing the cats out day and night and not providing anything for them, one only has to see the cat appreciation thread to see pictures of well fed happy moggies living in bliss, and I do myself actually like cats.
These are not the sort of cats that visits my garden, they are semi-feral and I have plenty of video evidence they are hunting constantly both day and night.In fact they pose a danger to each other because of the constant fighting and injuries they sustain. They do though have 'owners' and any that get run over are quickly 'replaced'.
I also feel the posters looking to solve their cat problems are not cat haters, simply people who do not choose to own cats and do not want what inevitably comes with it. If they actually hated cats it is remarkably easy though unlawful to 'solve' the problem.
Hard really to see where the debate leads because those causing the problems are very unlikely to be reading any of the points made and in my own experience face to face, wouldn't care less any way. Those living a nightmare in their own gardens are nice people who wouldn't harm their neighbour's pet....
Posts
For years we have put up with this problem and used everything we could to deter cats and there are so many believe me. Then last January my husband bought a water scarecrow. BLISS. After a few days no sign of cats and we have a big garden. He placed it first so that when a cat appeared on my neighbours shed ready to jump down into our garden the scarer clicked and shot a burst of water ...you couldn't see the cat for dust. Now when cats hear a click they bolt for it. It cost £43 but is strongly made and originated in Canada where it is used to scare elk and other pesky creatures from gardens. I would hasten to add too that we have had no problem with elk either !!!!! This may have something to do with living in Devon. There is just one problem .....my husband and I often forget that the cat scarer is on and the times I've heard B......... From the garden and my husband coming in drenched. (good fun ). I agree that this product is expensive but it has given us so much amusement seeing cats getting caught for the first time. They don't bother again..they hate water.
Very short,,,,, we also had huge Huge probs with cats untill my other half was in tears, I was advised (after spending a lot of money on fences etc to spray Jeyes ready mixed fluid on our boundaries and around any newly disturbed soil that Kate might have planted in etc,Result a few days no cats in the garden,nothing got hurt including my ignorant neighbor and in 7 months only 2 deposits,,we have since moved to wonderful Norfolk,I recommend Jeyes and Norfolk Jeyes for the cats and Norfolk for the people, good luck give it a try.
having posted HELP! on the subject of cat pooh on our small front lawn a few days ago I have read all of this with great interest.Lion dung has not worked for us and it isn't cheap.We do use jars of chopped garlic from Lidl and that has some effect but needs doing every few days,Our first ultrasonic machine worked very well but subsequent ones haven't.We have tried practically everything and have even covered the lawn with strong mesh...pooh is just left on the top. We know that thanks to the "thread" we will be getting a conteh water blaster for Christmas.Great! The post suggesting a law to put a stop to the misery caused by this is food for thought.Cats may be free spirits in the eyes of the law but the law should be changed .Sad thing is that dirty cats are the victims of irresponsible owners.One neighbour we have will not let her cat out until it has used the litter tray,her cat is no bother..........enough said?
Foxes live everywhere. Seen them in the middle of Lincoln at 3am beside the railway when I got up to go to he loo! I lived in 6th floor flat overlooking the railway. Urban, towns and cities - they love the rubbish bins.My mum had them in London garden, too.
Plant every patch of soil with plants then there is nowhere for them to dig. Use prickly plants, scented leaved geraniums and ground cover evergreens like sedum. Bulbs will still find their way through. Loads of neighbours have cats and I like the animals but they never come in my garden as I have no bare soil and when they sit on the fence they look in and decide there is nowhere to "go"!
Lizzybusy,you are fortunate in your neighbourhood cats.Those around my garden just sit and leave it on top of ground cover plants! and that is when there is plenty of turned over soil for them to use.
OK, I am very lucky because I live in a remote area, and cats are the only way to stop lots of rodents pouring out of the barns and into my house. So I have 11 of the furry little darlings at the moment. I am a very keen gardener, and love having the cats around when I am digging, potting up, putting things in trays and so on. I have two solutions to the problem that you might be able to put into operation, but it all depends if you have access to the countryside.
Cats in towns are not so easy to deal with. First, they need a big area of rough soil that you regularly agitate. Under a shrubbery, a nearby hedge or a coppice is absolutely great. Under shrubs and hedges is the best if you lift the crown of the shrub or hedge - i.e. lift or prune off the lower branches so that the cats can get under them easily without having to crouch down at all. Then, each week you give the earth around the shrubs a good rummage with a long (as long as possible) handled hoe, or possibly a rake if that's what you have. Add leaf mould if you find the roots are too near the surface to get a good litter. The cats go "oh wow, a proper toilet" and compete with each other to use the designated area. This is the carrot method.Second (the stick) method is best used with the above carrot. You need plenty of old, rusty stock fencing, so you must were gloves when handling it. If you go out on forays into the country, especially rugged sheep country, you will find that shepherds and farmers regularly replace their fences. When they do this they often leave the rusty old rolls in ditches or on road sidings until they can get round to picking them up. Choose a sheep area if possible, because shepherds are very, very busy people, and it is a chore to collect and dispose of rusty fencing rolls. Stock fencing consists of wire rectangles, so you will think at first "well the cats will get through that". It's a bit more complicated than that. 1) they don't like the rusty texture at all, 2) it will be crinkly and not geometrician by the time you pick it up, so will have lots of raised and lowered areas, adding to the complexity with which a cat can find a good gap, while still being able to make a quick exit if anyone sees him/her. 3) rusty stock fencing is damn near invisible when it is put down on soil with plants dotted about in it. This is good for you (you won't notice the stuff once it has settled in) and it is great for confounding the cats. Cats have notoriously good eyesight, but only if the obstacle is over a foot from their faces. That means that if they are rummaging around, and there sensitive little whiskers keep brushing rough hard only slightly visible stuff, they won't want to be messing about in the area for too long.
Kittens are worst to deter, because everything is a big adventure, but they are easier to shoo off, don't make such big messes and soon grow up. Someone mentioned that only bold cats do it on the surface, this is true. Unfortunately you get the odd cat that seems to think that major earthworks are needed for each visit. This is worse for young plants, but once your stock fencing has buried bits, and protruding bits it will help stop even the most fastidious cat. If you are lucky, you may find enough rusty old fencing to put a double layer down, and that is a brilliant deterrent. The problem with chicken wire and similar is that if it is not suspended and crinkly above the ground it is quite comfortable and easy to walk on. A-symmetry and unpredictability, along with a rough texture is much better. You can put the same stuff over groups of pots, and seed trays - I have no problems with either now that I employ the carrot and the stick, and believe me - my garden is always full of cats who only poop in the proper places!
One very important warning! Because the stock fencing is so well camouflaged you may trip over it, so mark the edges and make sure they don't overhand paths.
Have been reading this with mixed feelings. One thing I wonder about, lots of you say keep the cats indoors. This may work if you live in an upstairs apartment, but I'm sure most people who live in houses regularly leave their front doors or windows open. Open door or window, and cat goes for a stroll!
As for poo on a lawn, what about foxes, martens, even hedgehogs?
Our latest cat spends most of her life indoors and has a litter tray but previous cats have always used our garden. When we lived in Harrow we had up to 7 cats take up residence with us, 3 cats next door and 2 at the next house so I simply gardened with gloves on.
Now we have 2 dogs and have to do regular poo patrols in our garden as well as taking poo bags on walkies. It's all part of responsible pet ownership along with having cats and dogs sterilised, chipped, vaccinated and regularly treated for worms, ticks and fleas. I also think cats should be kept in at night.
We feed the birds all year round but I have a special hanging bird feeder bar that keeps them out of the range of pouncing pussies and the ground feeding slab is clear of cover too. There are shrubs nearby so the small birds have shelter from sparrowhawks too.
We live in the country in an old farmhouse so need a cat or two to catch the mice which try to migrate into the house for winter. Our terrier rescue dog is good at chasing rats which live in burrows along the edge of the arable field behind and also like to explore our garden and garage for food in winter.
I think reading the 'two' sides of the argument is always interesting.
What about fox poo? It isn't the least bit of a problem and not the same as having 5-6 cats use the garden as a toilet 365 days a year at all.
All research regarding cats being effective at controlling rodents points towards them having some effect on urban rodent populations and none at all in rural areas, where they prefer to prey on song birds, voles and shrews. Yet it is often given a reason to allow them to free roam even though far more effective controls exist. My own experience was that rats moved into my garden when it was overrun by cats. Probably attracted by the awful smell.
What is becoming clear to me though is there is no point discussing the issue really. I doubt if any cat owner posting here is anything like my neighbours, throwing the cats out day and night and not providing anything for them, one only has to see the cat appreciation thread to see pictures of well fed happy moggies living in bliss, and I do myself actually like cats.
These are not the sort of cats that visits my garden, they are semi-feral and I have plenty of video evidence they are hunting constantly both day and night.In fact they pose a danger to each other because of the constant fighting and injuries they sustain. They do though have 'owners' and any that get run over are quickly 'replaced'.
I also feel the posters looking to solve their cat problems are not cat haters, simply people who do not choose to own cats and do not want what inevitably comes with it. If they actually hated cats it is remarkably easy though unlawful to 'solve' the problem.
Hard really to see where the debate leads because those causing the problems are very unlikely to be reading any of the points made and in my own experience face to face, wouldn't care less any way. Those living a nightmare in their own gardens are nice people who wouldn't harm their neighbour's pet....