"Cats are regarded rather differently to dogs under the law, as they are considered to have the 'right to roam,' which means that they are not expected to be restrained or managed at all times when outside of your home or property. However, you do still have a duty of care to take all reasonable measures to ensure that your cat does not damage another person's property or cause injury.
Under planning laws, if a significant number of cats are kept in a domestic property, the local council is within their rights to require the owner to apply for a change of use order for the home to reflect that the amount of cats kept is not within usual domestic norms. The amount of cats which constitutes 'usual domestic norms' is not set, and generally depends greatly on their impact on the surrounding environment and any complains or problems with neighbours who may be affected by the pets you keep.
The Environmental Protection Act of 1990 also makes provision to intervene in cases where cats cause significant nuisance in their local area in terms of noise, fouling gardens, and smells."
In terms of injury, not sure though, if that covers the distress of throwing your guts up after you've just stuck your fingers through another example of foetid feline faecal matter ...
I have the greatest admiration for the cat as a species in all its forms but nothing makes my blood boil more than seeing a domestic cat entering my garden for the birds or a dump.
Get a Border Terrier, a small dog bred as a fox and vermin hunter, Even Tempered, Alert, Obedient, Fearless, Intelligent and Affectionate. Very economical to run and look after, no health or hereditary medical problems. Lives 12 to 15yrs
Likes nothing better than chasing and catching vermin and always wins!
Although scientists and conservationists are fighting to save our Scottish Wild Cat and restore the animals genetic DNA there doomed to fail, all because of the Domestic Cat.
One corner and one side of my lawn was used as a cat toilet for years. Typically there would be 4-5 turds lying around. I bought a scarer, but the batteries are hard to replace. I now have two solar charged ultrasonic scarers, one with a fixed frequency, one with a selectable frequency and flashing lights. I bought them a few months ago, and there are no turds. I chose two in case one was ignored. If each lasts a year I am happy, what price a lawn free of excrement?
Having tried all powders ,sprays etc. etc. I was really fed up with the patch being used as a cat bog. This year has been the year of all cat poops so, I have now put up an electric fence .two feet high. Not a cat poop in sight. Not a cat in sight.my salads will taste of salad not ....you no what!!!!!
I also bought an electric fence device called 'The Mosquito' - it certainly worked as a means of stopping cats and grey squirrels (aka tree rats) but the down side is that as the plants begin to grow near the fence wire it will arc across and burn the leaves. It is very sucessful over a seed bed though in the early stages. I haven't used it now for a few years as the neighbours who had 4 cats, 5 yapping dogs and a rabbit have now moved away. There is just 1 local cat that was beginning to be a problem so I have invested in 4 cat scarers (CATWATCH - the only one recommended by RSPB) and strategically placed have solved the problem - they aren't cheap however @ circa £55 each. They take 1 PP3 battery each (not supplied) which can also be expensive so I use rechargeable Duracells, though manufacturers do say using them will invalidate their warranty! So far they have worked perfectly so I wonder the reason for the disclaimer! They say ONLY Duracell Alkaline should be used so I wonder if they have shares in Duracell !!! - they also offer a mains unit for about 15 quid per unit.
Glad to hear someone else has gone for a electric fence. Got mine from Northern Ireland on e bay. As we've got a field next to us ,rabbits are all over the place but not in garden yet. My feelings are " it's our food so vermin can go elsewhere to eat and poop.if electric fences are good enough for farmers they are good enough for me!
Problem with rabbits is not the poo but the fact they indiscriminately munch their way through all the produce you can grow. You can get special rabbit fencing to connect to the electric fence but rabbits have a habit of jumping fences or burrowing underneath them. If the fields adjacent offer sufficient food for them they probably will not bother you. Alternative is - if they eat your food - you eat them!
Ah! the natural solution - doesn't always work though - we have a lot of urban foxes here in Bristol and frequently see them at night. Cat population doesn't seem to diminish though! (unless their owners move away!!!)
Posts
Interestingly, cats' "right to roam" does not exclude their owners from liability for damage caused by them.
http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/your-pets-and-the-law.html
"Cats are regarded rather differently to dogs under the law, as they are considered to have the 'right to roam,' which means that they are not expected to be restrained or managed at all times when outside of your home or property. However, you do still have a duty of care to take all reasonable measures to ensure that your cat does not damage another person's property or cause injury.
Under planning laws, if a significant number of cats are kept in a domestic property, the local council is within their rights to require the owner to apply for a change of use order for the home to reflect that the amount of cats kept is not within usual domestic norms. The amount of cats which constitutes 'usual domestic norms' is not set, and generally depends greatly on their impact on the surrounding environment and any complains or problems with neighbours who may be affected by the pets you keep.
The Environmental Protection Act of 1990 also makes provision to intervene in cases where cats cause significant nuisance in their local area in terms of noise, fouling gardens, and smells."
In terms of injury, not sure though, if that covers the distress of throwing your guts up after you've just stuck your fingers through another example of foetid feline faecal matter ...
I have the greatest admiration for the cat as a species in all its forms but nothing makes my blood boil more than seeing a domestic cat entering my garden for the birds or a dump.
Get a Border Terrier, a small dog bred as a fox and vermin hunter, Even Tempered, Alert, Obedient, Fearless, Intelligent and Affectionate. Very economical to run and look after, no health or hereditary medical problems. Lives 12 to 15yrs
Likes nothing better than chasing and catching vermin and always wins!
Although scientists and conservationists are fighting to save our Scottish Wild Cat and restore the animals genetic DNA there doomed to fail, all because of the Domestic Cat.
One corner and one side of my lawn was used as a cat toilet for years. Typically there would be 4-5 turds lying around. I bought a scarer, but the batteries are hard to replace. I now have two solar charged ultrasonic scarers, one with a fixed frequency, one with a selectable frequency and flashing lights. I bought them a few months ago, and there are no turds. I chose two in case one was ignored. If each lasts a year I am happy, what price a lawn free of excrement?
Having tried all powders ,sprays etc. etc. I was really fed up with the patch being used as a cat bog. This year has been the year of all cat poops so, I have now put up an electric fence .two feet high. Not a cat poop in sight. Not a cat in sight.my salads will taste of salad not ....you no what!!!!!
I also bought an electric fence device called 'The Mosquito' - it certainly worked as a means of stopping cats and grey squirrels (aka tree rats) but the down side is that as the plants begin to grow near the fence wire it will arc across and burn the leaves. It is very sucessful over a seed bed though in the early stages. I haven't used it now for a few years as the neighbours who had 4 cats, 5 yapping dogs and a rabbit have now moved away. There is just 1 local cat that was beginning to be a problem so I have invested in 4 cat scarers (CATWATCH - the only one recommended by RSPB) and strategically placed have solved the problem - they aren't cheap however @ circa £55 each. They take 1 PP3 battery each (not supplied) which can also be expensive so I use rechargeable Duracells, though manufacturers do say using them will invalidate their warranty! So far they have worked perfectly so I wonder the reason for the disclaimer! They say ONLY Duracell Alkaline should be used so I wonder if they have shares in Duracell !!! - they also offer a mains unit for about 15 quid per unit.
Glad to hear someone else has gone for a electric fence. Got mine from Northern Ireland on e bay. As we've got a field next to us ,rabbits are all over the place but not in garden yet. My feelings are " it's our food so vermin can go elsewhere to eat and poop.if electric fences are good enough for farmers they are good enough for me!
Problem with rabbits is not the poo but the fact they indiscriminately munch their way through all the produce you can grow. You can get special rabbit fencing to connect to the electric fence but rabbits have a habit of jumping fences or burrowing underneath them. If the fields adjacent offer sufficient food for them they probably will not bother you. Alternative is - if they eat your food - you eat them!
It gets better ..... Just seen a fox in the field by us ...so no cats and maybe no rabbits....
Ah! the natural solution - doesn't always work though - we have a lot of urban foxes here in Bristol and frequently see them at night. Cat population doesn't seem to diminish though! (unless their owners move away!!!)
seems my garden is the new dumping ground. A friend told me about moth balls, seems to work, but I am looking for another plan just in case