To spike my garden

[CuntingToms]

Because of cats (I am a cat owner myself)

Name changed because combined with my other posts, info about problem neighbour could be outing..

Honest to god it’s really starting to get me down now.

My neighbour won’t neuter his cats, I dread to think how many are inside, the female is on heat every few months and the street is absolutely overrun with entire Tom cats now and they are really giving me the fucking rage.

It wasn’t too bad at first when it was just the one Tom, they are breeding and there’s now at least six entire toms I see (and hear) regularly!

A huge tray of violas binned after they constantly dug them up and left crap all over the top of them, a dead hebe from spraying it, dead herbs from spraying, sometimes I come downstairs and my whole downstairs heaves of cat urine where they have sprayed the front door.
Pooing on top of clumps of flowers, I’ve just seen one of them has pooed on top of yet more of my flowers and then scratched the shit out of the surrounding plants shredding them and no, they weren’t trying to hide the poo.
It’s sat right there in the middle as a clear territory marker 😡😡😡

I deliberately left patches of bare earth all over my garden specifically so the cats could toilet away from my flowers!!

My garden is their favourite haunt and I’m starting to feel like giving up trying to make it nice as they are just ruining it.

Am I allowed to put varying heights of cocktail stick/bamboo skewer all amongst my plants or am I going to be punished if one of the bastards lands on one and injures itself?

I can’t really cat proof it’s my front garden so ‘open’ massive fences and cat mesh will look really odd
😖

I know it has gotten slammed repeatedly but teabags soaked in Jeyes fluid then put in small plastic cups near entries and poo zones. Plus we used a sonic deterrent, holly branches, orange peels and a water gun when we could. They chose a different garden after a week or two of vigilance.

Plant some Helichrysum italicum in your borders (curry plant). Cats hate them, they smell delicious when it rains though.

The prik a strips I've seen as cat deterrents aren't sharp but make it slightly more difficult for cats to walk along the fence.

Hopefully you use something that won’t harm the cats, it’s not their fault is it? Frustrating for you yes but don’t harm them
It’s not my intention to harm them, I just want to stop them entering my garden beds.
I was thinking the skewers would be uncomfortable/prickly on their toes and they therefore would stop shredding, pooing and seeing on my plants.
So not injuring them, just deterring.

But if they ran or jumped suddenly, they may injure themselves, I was querying if I would be held responsible even though it wasn’t my intention to injure them.

Rather irrelevant though as I’m going to buy the amazon spike mats instead.

Is your cat an outdoor cat?
She is, in hindsight I wouldn’t get a cat again, or at least not one allowed outside.
They are a rather selfish pet I suppose.
Though in her defence, she is a spayed female.
She doesn’t spray urine.
She doesn’t leave piles of poo sitting proudly everywhere as a territorial marker
She uses loose soil to toilet (like a normal spayed/neutered cat)
She doesn’t yowl all hours annoying everyone or pick out fights with other cats.
She is pretty shy and rarely goes much further than my garden

Get yourself brambles branches and cover your flower beds with them. They stopped coming pretty quickly.

You can also diy this yoursassyself.com/roll-bar-fence-diy-keep-your-pets-in-others-out/

Get yourself brambles branches and cover your flower beds with them. They stopped coming pretty quickly

This I can do.
The cuttings won’t root will they..?

lion poo from the zoo
Oh please, if you ask for this can we see the email and reply??

Hide in the bushes with a jet wash. Obviously don't spray the cats with it but somewhere near them might be enough to scare them away. I wouldn't put anything sharp down!!

@CuntingToms

Get yourself brambles branches and cover your flower beds with them. They stopped coming pretty quickly

This I can do.
The cuttings won’t root will they..?

No they shouldn't. Mine didn't. Just keep an eye on them. Maybe leave them for couple of days to dry first. I put them down straight away and was fine.

@TimeWastingButFun

lion poo from the zoo Oh please, if you ask for this can we see the email and reply??

They actually sell it in most zoos

I’m not sure if it was lion poo but definitely some sort of dried poo sold online. A woman on my Instagram used it to deter cats from her garden and apparently it worked, she just went around sprinkling it into the flowerbeds. I’ll find out what it is

my neighbour had lots of cats, i started using scent off granules in my garden and they stopped using it as a litter tray, the stuff is great, barely see any of the cats now

This is it, could be worth a go - www.scottsofstow.co.uk/silent-roar-cat-deterrent-500g/?apply=PPS2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_7TU7IfS6gIVwu7tCh1iYgJoEAsYASABEgLxcPD_BwE

Orange peel. They don't like the smell.

What I meant OP is that if you put spikes around you may end up with a hurt cat yourself so probably not sensible

We're going to spike our garden walls, as the neighbourhood cats walk along them and set our dogs barking. Your garden, your rules.

Do it, buy spikes.
I'm a cat person but next door has three cats who constantly have kittens, neighbour doesn't ever take her animals to the vets, shes completely irresponsible.
My last cat was 21 yrs old, half blind, partially deaf, kidney failure, heart failure and athritic.
I told neighbour I was putting up spikes (plastic ones) to deter her cats as they were attacking my cat including coming in the house through the cat flap, one of her cats also bites and scratches my legs if it can get close enough, I think its playing.
Anyway, all hell broke loose, shouting, swearing, her teenage daughters got involved, we lived next door to each other for 22 yrs and her husband actually gave me my cat when she was a kitten.
I'd definitely put up the spikes if I were you

Garden hose. Spikes. Black pepper. More spikes.

Your username is great, btw.

According to Google:

'Citrus peels, used tea leaves and raw onions can all be spread around the garden to keep cats out. Black or cayenne pepper, as well as cinnamon can also be sprinkled throughout your flower beds to keep cats at bay'

We bought one of these, as a local cat was using the garden to poo in: www.amazon.co.uk/zonpor-Repellent-Ultrasonic-Repeller-Deterrent/dp/B07SGJXXCF/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&s=pet-supplies&keywords=anti+animal+sound+device+for+garden&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1594915073&sr=1-7

It worked, and the ginger tom doesn't come in the garden at all anymore

Also squirt them with a water gun whenever you see them

CuntingToms just a word of warning about Amazon and Ebay, the item in the link is a Chinese address known for sending shonky items. Many people have complained about them on both sites but they still have listings for them.

You can buy lion poo in bags in garden centres. Not sure it works, but worth a try as a deterrent,.

The trouble with things that smell is that a shower of rain reduces their effectiveness. I spent so much money on granules/spray deterrents and they just don’t work long term. Only physical deterrents are really going to do the job.

just a word of warning about Amazon and Ebay, the item in the link is a Chinese address known for sending shonky items. Many people have complained about them on both sites but they still have listings for them
Oh no!
Do you have a link for a similar product from a more reputable company please?