Neighbours cats

[Hullabalooo]

My neighbours have six cats which seem to be free roaming and out all day. They're a nice family next door but the cats are driving me nuts.

They shit everywhere and it stinks. It's become a full time job keeping them out of my small patio garden so it's not a horrible place to sit in and one of them even broke in once whilst I was away and shat in my bath.

They sit on my door mat and shed fur everywhere and have bitten DC too.

How do I tackle this without falling out with my neighbours? I know cats are impossible to control but who has six cats anyway?!

Not much point in having a word, there's very little the neighbour can do (beyond keeping the cats indoors which is cruel to ones used to freedom).

Make it a cat free zone.

FWIW, we have 2 cats, and 3 litter trays. The trays haven't been emptied since Christmas as they are never ever used, they hold it until they get outside. Thankfully they shit it our garden so not bothering anyone else but I think thats just luck.

But what sort of owner would not have been out searching, putting up posters etc if one of their cats was missing for 3 days?

Why are you assuming they didn’t? Op wasn’t there, she was away for the 3 days.

OP locked a cat in their house and went away for three days. If course the cat is going to piss and shit everywhere
Eh? So the cat is targeting her garden because it previously got locked in her house? My comment was to ask them to come and clear the cat shit up each time they use op’s garden which is what the op is about.

@Hullabalooo the original link works for me if I click it twice but will try again. I wouldn’t object at all to someone spraying a water pistol at my cat, neither would I object to going round and picking up my cats poop -as long as they saw it was my cat that did it.
davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/keep-cats-garden/

I'd speak to the neighbours first, it would be much much easier if they cat proofed their garden to keep their cats IN, instead of you having to do same to keep them out...

If they won't - the first option I would try is to fit rollers on top of your fence, so extend your fence height by about 5 inches, string wire along, with pvc pipe threaded through the wire - and do something to the post tops to stop cats sitting on those (anti cat strips, plastic spikes).

You will need to be able to do this all the way round however and this poses problems if any section of the fence is not yours to alter, in which case you'll need an inner post to fix an overhanging mesh..

The vibration/ultrasonic/odour methods all involve upsetting other wildlife etc as well as the cats and aren't that effective (and the ultrasonic can cause migraines in some humans) so would not be my choice of deterrant. Also that ones likely to upset animals in their own gardens, so cats and dogs minding their own biz on their own properties would suffer.

I would also supersoaker but again discuss with neighbours first as if you can avoid a neighbour dispute, its best to do so!

Wilkos do pellets that seem to deter NDN cat from pooing in the garden (although it still comes I'm en-route to other neighbour's conifers to chase the birds.). It is just clay and garlic oil... took me ages to find one that didn't contain strong chemicals.

Thanks for the sensible suggestions.

The speculative ones aren't helpful. I didn't knowingly lock a cat in in house. What kind of a person does that!

I would assume that whilst loading the car with front door slightly ajar one of their cats got in. I wasn't to know that when locking up and why would I have done a sweep of the house if this had never happened before. There were no lost cat posters up.

I don't have a cat but I like cats but am sick of the pervasive smell of cat poo whenever I want to sit in my tiny garden. It's overwhelming.

Putting up a cat net would definitely work. They're usually used to keep cats in but I'd be very surprised if they didn't work the other way around as well... And it would probably be quite feasible with a small garden.

Let your neighbour know you’ve planted lilies all over your garden

I bet they make an effort to keep them inside then...

High powered super soaker.

I have a cat who's free roaming and I absolutely would encourage neighbours to soak her if she was going in their gardens and shitting. Unfortunately our garden isn't able to be fenced so we can't keep her enclosed and she would go mental being kept indoors (and would escape out of any open window or door without hesitation.

tenbob I doubt it. And even if it did, it'd only be for a couple of weeks a year, not exactly a long term solution. Plus if the neighbour could see the garden she could see it was untrue.

one of them even broke in once whilst I was away and shat in my bath

I am howling at this 😂 . I'm sorry OP, I've no practical advice. I have two cats and the local stray keeps sneaking into mine to piss in my kitchen larder, so, I feel your pain. I intend to get a water pistol and chase it away with it when I see it in the garden. Maybe try that?

I don't have a cat but I like cats but am sick of the pervasive smell of cat poo whenever I want to sit in my tiny garden. It's overwhelming.

That does sound disgusting and I used to have seven cats. Can you get some good quality lavender plants and pot them around the area affected? It may help.

I'll going to buy up all the lavender at my local garden centre!

Just caught one shitting in my back patio this morning.

I wouldn't just bank on the lavender. Seems very all eggs in one basket to me.

Cats being pure carnivores have a strong dislike of most plant smells. Lavender, rue, geranium, absinthe and lemon thyme are especially unpleasant to them.

Cats also hate eucalyptus oil and oil of wintergreen. Soak pieces of cloth or cotton balls in one of these and cats will keep their distance.

A huge pot of rose geranium, a lot of thyme (there is also stepping thyme, might be good for gravel or grass covered areas) etc.?

You could also use a citrus scented furniture oil on wood structures etc...

Good luck!!

www.cuteness.com/article/scents-cats-hate

One of the six cats from next door left a dismembered mouse on my front door mat this morning. I trod in the entrails before i realised what it was.

Think I'm going to have a word with the neighbours.