To think that next door have four cats more than necessary?

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

I understand that people like cats, some love them and make a child substitute of them. Next door have seven, 7 of them, they come into our garden and shit next to DD's trampoline and it is really getting my back up. I did try to speak to them in my extremely limited Dutch but they confounded the issue by answering in a Baltic language. DH spoke to them in French and their answer to the request to keep them indoors was 'they don't shit in our garden'. Well of course they fucking don't, ours is much nicer. I don't condone animal cruelty at all, but I do wish there was a way to keep them out. We do have a motion detector which worked for the first couple of weeks, but, short of sitting outside with a water pistol I can't think what else I can do.

Aren't you meant to try putting down lemon juice or something?

or can you squirt them with water pistol when they come into your garden? might put them off?

orange peel, garlic or lion poo
I adore cats but I'm limited to three...

Buy a dog!

Fake snakes seem to work!

My mum has little bits of bendy pipe (?not sure exactly what they are?) in her garden cos she had trouble with cats and someone told her that they don't like snakes (or things that resemble snakes) and it seems to have worked :)

Can you put some of that fence topper stuff with spikes on your fences?

Lemonade bottle filled with water in the garden is supposed to put them off.

We've tried all those things, with the exeption of lion poo and they have all failed. I thought I saw a slug yesterday, it was shit.

So up to 3 cats is ok, more than that is wrong?

If they have enought space for 7 cats and aren't bein unkind to them YABU. I am sure its pretty annoying but there are ways around it. Try looking on a gardening site, there are many plants thats cats cant stand the smell of, and you could lace your garden with these.. ANd then maybe throw some cat nip seeds over next doors fence.

maybe do a cat nip seed bomb!

I've tried looking on gardening sites and most recommend the cat deterrent thing we have. It worked for a couple of weeks then I think they must have got desensitised to it. I don't think that the people next door do have adequate room for the cats. Their house is the same size as ours and, while it's spacious I can't think how they all get on. Looks like I'll have to sit by the back door with my super soaker loaded.

Just wondering how many cats are 'necessary'?

Sorry Trillian, I think there are seven, I have seen seven outside the door waiting to go in there may be more that hadn't joined the queue. Some of the cats are really pretty, one is a complete bruiser and as I said, I wouldn't want to hurt them. I just want DD to be able to go out into the garden without dodging the UXP's.

Ah, so do you have distinct ideas on which of the cats are necessary and which are the 4 unnecessary ones?

Definitely, the necessary ones are the grey tabby and the black and white ones, DD really likes those and I don't think they are soiling my garden, they are too pretty.

So whats the answer if these cats are jumping all over cars and scratching the hell out of them?

how do you tackle that problem

just dont put the unnecessary ones in the bin....

have you checked the battery on the motion detector thingy?

put anticlimb stuff on your fences and a water pistol just in case they managed to abseil in ....

7 is too many. If you are in CH, there must be some kind of law that covers this... is there any Govt body you can appeal to?

All cats are unnecessary. Unless they are house cats, they are all a social menace. Yep, I am a dog owner! Totally with you YANBU! But what to do about it.... hmmmm....well I had this exact same problem. I moved.

Can you start flinging the cat turds back over the fence? Esp if they are out in the garden (the owners not the cats). Or regularly hand them a bag of turds/leave it on their doorstep?

I know cat owners all say that cats can't help it but you (and I) have not chosen to have cats and I don't see why anyone has to put up with other peoples' pets pooing in their gardens. Nor do I see why non-cat owners should have to pay for cat deterrents.

I have thrown some back over but their garden is a jungle so they probably don't see them. As a child, my friends and I would shovel up some dog shit, put it into a paper bag, set fire to the bag and ring the door bell of the local misery guts. LMG would come out, see the fire and stamp on it. I am considering this as my next mo and I am not sure what the Belgian rules say about the number of animals you are allowed.

Oh you are in Belgium now? Hmm, not much of a chance of governmental help then... I did wonder why you were talking to them in broken Dutch!!

I flung a few turds back over my neighbours fence, figuring that their own poo would tell the cats where the litter area was.... i.e their own garden. I then got a motion detector thingymajiggy, and no more cats in my gardens....

Mind you neighbour only had 2....

Hose sprinkler wired up to motion detector???? Invent one and you could make a fortune!!

See you on Dragon's Den!

I lay rose prunings over any toileting areas. Thorns up your bum tend to be a distraction

They don't like gravel, cayenne pepper or organge peel. Oh and mine doesn't like children, but I think that might just be him.

Thanks for the additional suggestions. Our garden really is tiny, only just room for DD's 8 foot trampoline so about 5 metres long and three wide at most. I don't know where to get rose prunings from, TBH, I haven't seen a rose bush since we moved here. Maybe I could borrow theresisalights children. Next door the other way have two dogs and the cats do their solids there too.

Get your own cat. It won't crap in your own garden and the other cats will probably stop as well.

Yep - any time - just let me know when you want them