I have 2 cats and so here's my advice - Essentially you'll have to train them out of your garden. The good thing is that if you found vomit and this likely means the cats won't bother coming back to that particular spot after a few times because they quickly learn that whatever's there only makes them spew and that there's nothing decent to sniff and munch on. As for the other parts of your garden.. Cats don't like noisy things so you could put some motion sensors in about the garden beds, maybe something like a motion sensor croaking frog ornament type thing, they're only around £5 - £10, it will startle them every time, hence the phrase 'scaredy cat' cats unfortunately take a couple of months to train but they will get there if you stick to the 'training' and they'll give up coming over and you can probably get rid of the motion sensors. If motion sensors don't work out for you then a more annoying step to take could be installing sprinklers or something that will make them wet as they despise being wet lol good luck!
Chris It's for neighbours like you that I chose not to wean my boys off of their litter trays once they were old enough for the great outdoors, wish more cat owners did this - Cleaning the litter trays is really just a small chore for the self satisfaction in knowing that your neighbours won't be feeling stressed out. It's pretty funny seeing them come flying through the cat flap for a quick pee and dash off out again like they've been holding it in until it was definitely necessary to go lol.
Well said Dove and how refreshing to read posts by cat owners who take the time and make the effort to consider their neighbours by training there cats instead of defending the actions of their cats!
Thanks Pottering Shame that it isn't just common common sense to folk. Am i wrong or isn't it the law that you get fined if you don't pick up your dogs waste? Why should cats owners get away with it .... And yeah Jo it is ! it's just down to persistence mainly, I think people expect their cats to learn quicker and so they give up trying after a while, Took around 3 months of me being strict and never giving in to them no matter how tired I was or what time of the night it was, all forms of general kitten training( no shitting in daddys shoes, no chewing all the laptop and phone chargers, no using the wallpaper as an aid to run up and down the side walls of the house haha) keeping with the same rules always and only then they just start to show signs of 'getting it' They're great at working against you to match your persistence, The stubborn smart little monkeys !
We have 2 out of the 9 that regularly visit, that tend to rip our little birds apart.One black one sits hidden in one of our honeysuckle plants where the sparrows tend to visit. wish the owners would put big bells round their necks.
2] Ensure no bare soil is available for cats to do their business
3] Try putting prickly mulch down (assume in areas where cats are known to do business)
Anything else?
My back garden is absolutely free of cats. But I do have trouble in the front. I've tried prickly bits of cuttings from prickly hedging but perhaps not enough. I've tried bottle filled water - stopped working. I've tried planting 'cat schoo' plants - they defecate right next to it (how insulting).
I really don't mind cats at all, but it's the possibility of disease/infection from their faeces that worries me. Saw a programme on toxoplasmosis the other day, nice! I'm forever washing hands etc but still worries me.
Posts
This thread has got a bit 'dark'
I have 2 cats and so here's my advice - Essentially you'll have to train them out of your garden.
cats unfortunately take a couple of months to train but they will get there if you stick to the 'training' and they'll give up coming over and you can probably get rid of the motion sensors.
The good thing is that if you found vomit and this likely means the cats won't bother coming back to that particular spot after a few times because they quickly learn that whatever's there only makes them spew and that there's nothing decent to sniff and munch on.
As for the other parts of your garden.. Cats don't like noisy things so you could put some motion sensors in about the garden beds, maybe something like a motion sensor croaking frog ornament type thing, they're only around £5 - £10, it will startle them every time, hence the phrase 'scaredy cat'
If motion sensors don't work out for you then a more annoying step to take could be installing sprinklers or something that will make them wet as they despise being wet lol good luck!
I think this thread is a 'first'!!! Four pages of discussion about cats and gardens, and no ill-feeling, unkindness or arguments!!!
Hurrah!
It can be done
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
lol Dove
Chris It's for neighbours like you that I chose not to wean my boys off of their litter trays once they were old enough for the great outdoors, wish more cat owners did this - Cleaning the litter trays is really just a small chore for the self satisfaction in knowing that your neighbours won't be feeling stressed out.
It's pretty funny seeing them come flying through the cat flap for a quick pee and dash off out again like they've been holding it in until it was definitely necessary to go lol.
Well said Dove and how refreshing to read posts by cat owners who take the time and make the effort to consider their neighbours by training there cats instead of defending the actions of their cats!
Bravo!
Thanks Pottering
Shame that it isn't just common common sense to folk.
Am i wrong or isn't it the law that you get fined if you don't pick up your dogs waste? Why should cats owners get away with it ....
And yeah Jo it is ! it's just down to persistence mainly, I think people expect their cats to learn quicker and so they give up trying after a while, Took around 3 months of me being strict and never giving in to them no matter how tired I was or what time of the night it was, all forms of general kitten training( no shitting in daddys shoes, no chewing all the laptop and phone chargers, no using the wallpaper as an aid to run up and down the side walls of the house haha) keeping with the same rules always and only then they just start to show signs of 'getting it' They're great at working against you to match your persistence, The stubborn smart little monkeys !
Bits of holly work every time and come with a side-order of schadenfreude, gratis
We have 2 out of the 9 that regularly visit, that tend to rip our little birds apart.One black one sits hidden in one of our honeysuckle plants where the sparrows tend to visit.
wish the owners would put big bells round their necks.
So I take it the advice is
1] Try sonic or water spray deterrents
2] Ensure no bare soil is available for cats to do their business
3] Try putting prickly mulch down (assume in areas where cats are known to do business)
Anything else?
My back garden is absolutely free of cats. But I do have trouble in the front. I've tried prickly bits of cuttings from prickly hedging but perhaps not enough. I've tried bottle filled water - stopped working. I've tried planting 'cat schoo' plants - they defecate right next to it (how insulting).
I really don't mind cats at all, but it's the possibility of disease/infection from their faeces that worries me. Saw a programme on toxoplasmosis the other day, nice! I'm forever washing hands etc but still worries me.