Cats! aargh - a rant (feline lovers don't read this)

[knickerelasticjones]

We live in a lovely street, little houses, little gardens all very victorian and charming.

Except....

Why? WHY? do all of my neighbours persist in getting cats? Seriously almost everybody has not one cat, but TWO. And I am fed up - every single morning my garden is covered in cat poo. I've tried cat pepper, lion dung (yes really) all sorts of things to keep them out but nothing works really. The thing that really pisses me off is that the cats use my garden as a latrine as I have lawn and plants - as opposed to most of my cat owning neighbours who have thoughtfully paved / decked their gardens so the cats CAN'T GO TO THE LOO THERE.

It's not the cats that I'm annoyed at really - hey they're just doing what comes naturally. It's the neighbours. And I like my neighbours, I'm just so fed up of this.

I had to remove cat shit when I was pregnant, in spite of the risks just to allow my DD to play in the garden.

My DDs pop up tent and tunnel thing has now been ruined as a cat sprayed/peed all over it and it stinks. But what can I do? I don't know which moggy is the offending one so I can't very well go and bill the owner (not that I would anyway - I'm not really very assertive about such things).

I think the only answer is for me to leave some of DDs dirty nappies in the cat owners gardens. As a king of payback - now that's not unreasonable really, is it? is it?

[knickerelasticjones]

That was supposed to read a kind of payback.

Although I like the idea of a king of payback.

It's a kind of feline-based insanity taking over. Sorry.

[BabiesEverywhere]

I am a cat lover/owner, however I have a cat fence to keep my cats in my garden...plus litter trays

Have you tried those sensory alarm units (which issue loud noises that only cats/dogs can hear ?

Or as a last expensive resort, what about cat toppers/ fences on your fences. Although they are designed to keep cats in, they will work just as well as keeping neighbours cats out.

Or get a dog

[birdinatent]

I feel for you and I have a cat!!!

Cant offer much help though, they are awkward buggers cats, sorry.

[DustyTV]

YANBU, but not sure what you can do about it. We used to get cats in our garden all the time before we got the dogs. I read somewhere that if you can borrow a dog off someone and let it roam your garden for a few days then the cats will stay away.

I don't know how true it is though.

[knickerelasticjones]

we used to have a dog - she died about four years ago and we just don't have the time energy for another dog now.

Unfortunately we don't have fences round our garden - we have low victorian stone walls - so the cat toppers wouldn't work for us.

Sensory alarm sounds good.

somebody told me that the best thing was to stand guard and then squirt cats with a high-powered water pistol. Sounds like fun - but I'm not sure my two DDs would take well to sitting around all day while mummy goes on some kamakaze cat squirting spree....

[knickerelasticjones]

Guy across the road has a dog.

A nice old boxer.

Doesn't seem to be doing much to scare the cats away though. Think she might be one of those dogs that is actually scared of cats.

[knickerelasticjones]

bottle half filled with water? Is that so he can chuck the water at the cats? Or does the threat of the water do enough to scare them off?

I'll try anything!

[HeadFairy]

We have similar problems where we are. My sister seems to have solved the problem in her garden, she planted loads of lemon scented plants (lemon verbena is a good one) as cats hate citrus smells. Also she planted some spikey plants and planted everything really close together so there are no gaps for them to get in and poo in. Lots of low ground cover works well. Heathers and such like which spread and cover (they're also quite pretty). It's hard work keeping them out, but once they've decided they don't like your garden they will move on.

Failing that, a dog will keep them away, or a cat of your own. Preferably a male cat, who will mark your garden as his territory, so other cats will stay away. Then you can train your cat to use a litter tray - keep the tray outside if you don't fancy it in the house, you can get ones that have lids, they look like pet carriers, so you can keep them outside without them getting very wet and full of pooey water. That way, all your cat's poo is contained in one place away from your dd, but also the neighbour hood cats won't come in to your garden as it's not their territory. Perhaps that's why all your neighbours have cats, to keep everyone else's cats away!

[BandofMothers]

I had this too in the last house I lived in. VERY annoying. I got rid of the poo and tried the repellent stuff but they still did it. My garden was very small though and they seemed to stop doing it when I filled all the available dirt with plants. They liked to sit in the grass and so didn't really poo in it.

I hope you can sort it. You could get a cat, then your cat should make the garden it's territory and then the others might keep away, but that doesn't really solve the problem.

I found that keeping a squirty bottle near the door and being vigilant worked quite well. Everytime you see a cat about to pee/poo go out and give 'em a good squirt. Keep this up for a while til they run at the sight of you and the squirty bottle. Then leave the bottle in view iin the garden as a deterent. Cats are smart and they will recognise the bottle and may keep away, tho they do sound rather stubborn.

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Along the lines of the citrus thing, my next door neighbout (we have 2 cats ) used to put the peel of satsumas/tangerines/clementines on her flower beds. (No idea if it worked!)

[youcannotbeserious]

I hate cats. I bought a dog.

A dog who is trained to go wild at the mere mention of catzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

my garden has no cat poo

He's as soft as butter (the dog) - doesn't react to anything else, but he flippin' hates cats. I taught him well!

[BandofMothers]

AHA, someone else already mentioned that, just buy squirters for the girls too, if they are old enough, they wil have a whale of a time, and they might act as further deterent for the cats, my mum's cats run at the sight of my 2

[DustyTV]

If you live near me you are welcome to borrow one (or both) of my dogs for a couple of hours

[knickerelasticjones]

The big problem I have is cats poo-ing in the lawn. And the lawn is kept very short but they still do it.

Can't / won't get a cat I'm afraid. Too many members of my family very allergic. And if we get a cat then we will pass the problem onto someone else which would be wrong.

As I type this I've just seen another of the little feckers nosing around DD's peddle car in the garden - probably wants to piss on it.

Do you think I could just invite all the cat owners in the street to a party and then present them with DDs pissed on garden toys and say 'clean these please".

No? Didn't think so.....

[Flibbertyjibbet]

A cat of your own doesn't keep them away.
Our cat poos in some woodland/scrub type land just at the back (which isn't used and backs on to some allotments before you all jump on me) but next doors cats come in and dump in my yard every morning!!!!

We are moving in a few weeks to a street where several neighbours leave barking dogs in the yards all day..... tbh I'd rather have the cat shit.

[knickerelasticjones]

ha ha! Maybe I could borrow a few mumsnet dogs for the day and scare all the mogs away!

Will try the lemon verbena thing. I love lemon verbena so it won't be hard!

[youcannotbeserious]

Flibberty... Really not sure about that

Both are equally offensive.

But, there are dog wardens etc., to deal with dogs.

Cats are no subject to any laws... I hate the little feckers (but am also seriously allergic!)

[VictorianSqualor]

MiL has a sonic sound emitter thingy which was used to keep her cat away from the front of the house (big dangerous road) which worked pretty well. Sadly the cat got ran over on the quiet road behind her house

Apparently a man's pee works, if you got your DH to pee where the cats frequent it should stop them.

On googling I found this.

'Silent roar?. Now this is going to sound a bit mad but they are basically pellets soaked in lion poo essence. I have just checked their website and due to EU law they have to sell the product as a fertiliser and not a cat repellent. This has something to do with the fact that they cannot control the exact make up of the product due to the fact that every lion poo is different depending on what they eat. But anyway, it really does work - cats are territorial and what cat is going to be brave enough to enter the territory of a much larger lion?! It costs about 9 quid a box so is fairly cheap and also harmless.

[greenandpleasant]

YANBU - I have the same problem with cats in the garden - and trying (once succeeding!) to get into my house. I like cats but I don't see why I should put up with their crap in my garden for my ds to crawl over, put hands in etc. So far no solutions for getting shot of them though.

[Flibbertyjibbet]

Hmm cat shit one scoop and its gone.

Dogs barking all day and evening - and quite often in the night too 7 days a week.

I know which I find most offensive. We can hear the mutts in every room of the house. Big f-off type dogs too with very loud and aggressive barks, not some little yorkie thing.

BUT for those of you with cat poo probs and no barking dogs to compare the nuisance factor, I'd say a hosepipe put on the offending cats whenever you see them does the trick after a few goes. Has to be a hosepipe not a little water pistol. Soak the fekkers. worked a treat on any other cats over the years I've lived here. I'd do that to my neighbours cat but they poop before I get up in the morning (while my cat still inside).

[AlistairSim]

Diluted vinegar squirted around on all the paths can be an effective deterrent, ime.

[knickerelasticjones]

VictorianSqualor - tried silent roar. Doesn't really work (although it IS good fertiliser) and costs £7 for a packet which lasts about a week so not really a goer there. But thanks for the suggestion.

We have also had a couple of cats in the house. I'm really worried about that - because TBH if a cat came and sprayed on the sofa / living room rug etc. I really think I might do it harm!

Sounds like hosepipe and / or sonic beepy thing might be the best chance of getting rid...

[ElfOnTheTopShelf]

water pistol works.
we had to use one on our cat to stop her climbing up the walls / scratching the wood in the house.

my dad has a gun thingy which shoots rubber balls, which he aims at the fence not the cat to scare the cats away. It works. He did it because his two cats are litter trained, but other cats came into the back garden to poo etc, when dd plays there.

[HeadFairy]

I didn't realise they pooed on the lawn, that horrible. I'm sure it's a terrible waste of water (lets face it though, we've had enough rain this year) but could you leave a sprinkler on? Maybe one of those jet ones would be effective, plus your garden would get a nice watering too!