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AIBU?

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Original poster

To feel guilty about getting anti cat stuff for garden?

31 replies

pukkapoon · 09/06/2026 22:17

Firstly I love animals and have owned several cats in the past.

My NDN has several cats which tend to poo in my garden quite a lot.
I have toddlers so I am concerned about the health risks and plus it's disgusting that I have to pick it up each time it happens.
They have even done it by the kitchen door in the past.
Its non stop now and I haven't got the time/desire to keep picking it up each time.

I have now had bird spikes installed on the top of the fencing and garden gate.
These are not those awful metal spikes, these are the plastic ones.

I hope a cat dosent get hurt on these but importantly my kids health comes first.

AIBU to have got the bird spikes?

AIBU

OP posts:
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BringBackCatsEyes · 10/06/2026 09:16

Paisleybuddy · 10/06/2026 08:51

My neighbour has them (fair enough). My cat just picks his way through them.

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This. Cats are smart. It might deter them jumping on the fence but if they find another way up they’ll just tip toe through them.
They do stop birds landing.

InWithPeaceOutWithStress · 10/06/2026 09:13

The bare soil is perfect for them, unfortunately you’ve made a very attractive toilet for them. I keep bare soil in my garden for my cats to prevent them using the neighbours gardens. Can you sort it out so you don’t have bare soil?

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 10/06/2026 09:10

WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing · 10/06/2026 08:54

Crack on. I have a cat, it’s impossible and cruel to keep them inside, so people are justified in using humane ways to make their garden a less attractive place to poo!

leatherjackets though 🤢 grim things x

Second. As long as nothing actually harms my cat then a bit of discomfort won’t hurt her.

Illbethereinaminute · 10/06/2026 09:00

Be aware that the plastic spikes might not be a deterrent. I installed several on the legs of my pergola in an effort to stop my cat escaping the cat proofing...if anything it helped her climb up!

Mine you, she isn't an average cat, she can climb upside down under a 6ft diameter of netting and can scale horizontally over 6ft of floppy netting...

It's worth a try though, they won't hurt any animal, they are just uncomfortable. I wouldn't have an issue if you were my neighbour and trying to stop my cat going in your garden. If I thought there was a serious risk to her life then I would reattempt cat proofing or let her be free at risk if she wouldn't tolerate being kept in (which is why we scrapped the cat proofing in 2013 and haven't attempted it since)

WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing · 10/06/2026 08:54

Crack on. I have a cat, it’s impossible and cruel to keep them inside, so people are justified in using humane ways to make their garden a less attractive place to poo!

leatherjackets though 🤢 grim things x

Paisleybuddy · 10/06/2026 08:51

pukkapoon · 09/06/2026 23:06

The bird spikes aren't hurtful to animals, just uncomfortable for them.
I have the plastic ones.

It's the awful metal ones that are harmful.

My neighbour has them (fair enough). My cat just picks his way through them.

Original poster
pukkapoon · 09/06/2026 23:06

The bird spikes aren't hurtful to animals, just uncomfortable for them.
I have the plastic ones.

It's the awful metal ones that are harmful.

OP posts:
Original poster
pukkapoon · 09/06/2026 23:05

My neighbour has 6 cats and they must of been pooing in her garden as she has now got some patio done and since then they have been pooing in my garden.

It really is disgusting, they don't even cover it and just leave it.

The lawn is a mess at the minute as we have leather jackets infestation which I am also treating, they are pooing on the bare soil.

I have tried a motion activated sprinkler as well.

OP posts:
SafetyLady · 09/06/2026 23:01

Surely the plastic bird spikes aren't meant to hurt animals as people are assuming, just deter them?
On that basis it's fine.

I was about to comment that cats aren't daft, but then caught sight of the orange fluff-ball!

FourSevenThree · 09/06/2026 22:47

MariaMagdalenaa · 09/06/2026 22:28

There are other ways than hurting animals. Cats are allowed to roam in the Uk.

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If the cat roams, it will inevitably meet non-cat-friendly terrains.
Parents are allowed to protect their children with fences in the UK.

The neighbours could chose to be considerate - for example teach the cats to use litter trays at home/their own garden (some cat owners do it with roaming cats), but it seems they didn't.

Strawberrryfields · 09/06/2026 22:40

Thats gross and I would be annoyed too but think some of the more humane options suggested here would be best to try first. Spikes just seems cruel. They’re not purposely trying to piss you off, they’re just animals being animals. Sad how it’s so much more accepted to be mean to cats. If it were dogs people would be up in arms!

CarolinaLeah · 09/06/2026 22:36

I hope it works for you.

Had this in a previous house and it’s awful- especially when they spray and poo all over the kids things. I’m with you 100%.

TheChosenTwo · 09/06/2026 22:33

I don’t think yabu but I do hate cats - they used to shit in our garden too and toddler ds would like playing in our soil with his diggers.
We have cameras in our garden (so we can see if our workshop out the back gets broken into) and they were doing it in the daytime.
Obviously they have to go somewhere but not my garden please, I chose not to have pets in part because I don’t want to pick up it’s shit.

PinkNailPolish2026 · 09/06/2026 22:32

Dilbertian · 09/06/2026 22:24

I would recommend you get a supply of Silent Roar and sprinkle it over all your flowerbeds every couple of months. The pellets are soaked in an extract of lion urine and deter cats because they smell a higher predator. It doesn’t work if there is a lot of cat poo around, so if there is a toilet area where they poo regularly, first water it with diluted ammonia, and apply the Silent Roar after a couple of days.

Once the cats have learned to avoid your garden, you can reduce the Silent Roar to a couple of times a year, or as soon as you see a cat in the garden.

The peppers are pretty much invisible in the soil and IIRC they are non-toxic.

(Cat owner and lover.)

I was just going to post about silent roar before I saw your post, it’s wonderful stuff. It’s a great fertiliser too.

OP we have farm cats who preferred to use my flowerbeds but they’re now happily evicted that’s to the silent roar pellets.

SqueakyFromme · 09/06/2026 22:32

If you just asked the cat owner to come and clean it up,I am sure they would, if they are reasonable and good neighbours. Have you asked ?

SqueakyFromme · 09/06/2026 22:29

Those spikes will also hurt birds

TeaPot496 · 09/06/2026 22:29

DDivaStar · 09/06/2026 22:28

Are you sure its the cats? Cats usually bury their poo (not always well). Foxes don't usually.

Ha. My cats don't!

Pollqueen · 09/06/2026 22:28

Fuck the cats. YANBU

DDivaStar · 09/06/2026 22:28

Are you sure its the cats? Cats usually bury their poo (not always well). Foxes don't usually.

MariaMagdalenaa · 09/06/2026 22:28

FourSevenThree · 09/06/2026 22:23

Maybe the neighbours should make sure their pets don't crap in the OP's garden which is disgusting and can make her children sick?

If the cat roams, it will inevitably get to less cat-friendly zones.

Show quote history

There are other ways than hurting animals. Cats are allowed to roam in the Uk.

SapphOhNo · 09/06/2026 22:25

Didn't we just have a thread about this?

YANBU. Protect your garden.

Dilbertian · 09/06/2026 22:24

I would recommend you get a supply of Silent Roar and sprinkle it over all your flowerbeds every couple of months. The pellets are soaked in an extract of lion urine and deter cats because they smell a higher predator. It doesn’t work if there is a lot of cat poo around, so if there is a toilet area where they poo regularly, first water it with diluted ammonia, and apply the Silent Roar after a couple of days.

Once the cats have learned to avoid your garden, you can reduce the Silent Roar to a couple of times a year, or as soon as you see a cat in the garden.

The peppers are pretty much invisible in the soil and IIRC they are non-toxic.

(Cat owner and lover.)

thisisyoursign · 09/06/2026 22:23

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable, it doesn’t seem fair that you need to deal with the fall out of picking it up and cleaning up.

FourSevenThree · 09/06/2026 22:23

MariaMagdalenaa · 09/06/2026 22:19

YABU to install anything that can hurt animals.

Maybe the neighbours should make sure their pets don't crap in the OP's garden which is disgusting and can make her children sick?

If the cat roams, it will inevitably get to less cat-friendly zones.

TeaPot496 · 09/06/2026 22:22

Just get the fence toppers with nets and brackets, and do it properly.

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