Cat faeces - can I ask owner to come and clear it up?

[HungryHippo11]

There is a new black and white cat in our neighbourhood, I've seen it in our garden once our twice.
We went away for a week and I've come back to find piles of cat shit in the space between our car and bins, covered in flies. Obviously cat has found a nice quiet spot to do his business.
We have a neighbour Facebook page, so I can probably find out who the cat belongs to. WIBU to request that they come and clean up the crap? And is there a way to prevent it happening? Luckily it driveway is a little away from the house so at least its not right by my front door.

Totally with you Op. It's gross and unfair.

Completely agree that it's unpleasant and horrible for you, especially with a little baby. It's not your cat very frustrating.

Unfortunately I think you just have to pick it up this time and then go for some deterrents. Cats aren't domesticated in the same way as dogs so poop pretty freely ( although it seems lots of dogs poop freely too) 😳

Slingshot is a vile suggestion but as a cat owner I fully agree with super soakers or hoses, they'll hate it but won't be injured.

My mum had the neighbours cats crapping all over her gravel drive like a huge litter tray (definitely cats, she took to water pistoling them). MN has an obsession with no animal shit ever being from cats. I have known many cats use gravel as an enormous litter tray. The water pistol solved it, along with accidentally screaming at the neighbour one day, when she mistook the crunch of gravel from their feet for a digging cat.

The last bit probably only works if you look like a scary nutter though.

@Catouttahell

Is it this one? If so, you're one of my neighbours... I sympathise- for all those saying that they don't go on hard surfaces or even gravel- this one goes daily under the trees on our road

We've been blighted by cat mess for over a decade now, to the point where I've just spent thousands on paving the whole garden, and one day last week I had to shovel three cat poos out of the remaining 10cm x 1m border.

Well, many people are saying that cats poo on hard surfaces, so I stand corrected. I wonder if the soft material around there gives the cat something to scrape at, to cover the poo. In many decades of being owned by cats I have only known them to poo indoors if accidentally shut in ( for a long time; they will hang on as long as possible).

I think it’s unlikely a cat would shit on gravel,

I completely disagree, cats love to shit in gravel. It's very annoying OP but unless you caught the cat on camera you can't really ask their owner to clean it up. Agree with getting some cat repellant (saw a powder one in Morrison's the other day) and sprinkle it all over the gravel. You can also get those cat alarms. They are motion sensors that let off a very high pitched (silent to humans) noise. That should work on cats or foxes I think.

Are you sure its not a fox? Its just I have cats so I am familiar with their poo - we get fox faeces near rubbish. Cats like to be clean usually - they often don't poo in a litterbox which is dirty so seems weird they would poo between bins.

I understand there are low level noises a cat can hear (not sure from what device) you could try. You might be able to put the cat off visiting if you are about (stamping your feet nearby I found worked when I wanted them away from a car for their safety). Check the liquid soap idea.

Asking the person in whose house the cat resides could be done, but even if they are lovely considerate people, no-one owns a cat, the cat owns them.

We have a cat that shits in our gravel (despite the rumours that they don't do their business on their own doorstep!) and a neighbours cat pisses up our front door on an almost nightly basis! Honestly, I'm kind of over pets for a few years and certainly won't be getting any more for a loooooong time. I also have a dog that does legit 6-8 poos per day. It's never ending shit collecting!

No. You can’t.

Cats do like to poo on gravel. It’s a peril of having gravel when you live in a country with lots of cats.

@HungryHippo11

I'm not trying to be dramatic. I just think its really gross. I don't have a pet but I have a baby. I wouldn't leave their dirty nappies on someone else's driveway and expect them to clear it up.

Oh, well if it’s the owners who are coming and depositing their cat’s poo on your drive, you’d be perfectly reasonable to ask them to come and pick it back up.

I think this is mostly likely fox poo. Cats prefer to bury their poo, foxes often poo on our street, in the same places, whilst the cats on our street bury their poo in the garden. OP I think you need to go after the fox, the cat owners will just think you're bonkers if you blame them and their cat for your neighbourhood fox...

I don’t even know why I wrote “and gravel”. I know cats shit in gravel. They are a nightmare! You have to get the right type and weight /size to deter it and be too much work for their paws!

So so tired is my only defence

Caught on camera Cats poo all over the place.

@Hopeisallineed

I think it’s unlikely a cat would shit on gravel, snd that sounds like a lot of poo ! But you could try putting down orange peel or strong smelling aromatherapy oils as they don’t like the smell, peppermint or citrus works. Dilute it in a spray and apply liberally!

A cat shits on our gravel every fucking morning. Doesn’t bury it. I know because I see it. It drives me mad. People are up in arms if there’s dog poo anywhere (understandably) but cat shit is apparently fine.

Unless I'm mistaken and that's a fox?

“ You won't get any sympathy from cat owners, they just don't care. It's disgusting and I want the garden to be a nice space for my children.”

^ I’m surprised and intrigued to read all the dismissive comments from the cat owners (probably a fox, not the owner doing it etc.) and it really does appear to bear out the above.

I totally get that cats will roam. Heck, I like cats. A lot. But why such a lack of empathy for those people/parents who just want to enjoy their spaces free of stinking and unhealthy shit?

Cats are a pain the arse, mine included. Just spend money on a lovely wooden patio table which I caught my cat using the surface of as a scratching post not to mention that he loves to roll in soil and then park himself on my lovely light beige outdoor cushions.

You’re right it is disgusting but there’s not much you can do about it. Cats (rightly or wrongly) have a right to roam, unlike dogs who people FREAK out about if you don’t pick up after them. You didn’t see the cat so it could realistically be any cat (they’re elusive there could be many more cats you haven’t seen) or animal. Something keeps shitting in our gravel, it’s horrible and our dog runs around that part so we’ve got to be careful, plus I’m pregnant so extra risk having to deal with it. We’re getting a motion sensor sprinkler to try and deter the vile beasts.

@Neverrains I certainly didn’t say it was fine and I suggested ways to deter it. I was under the impression cats like a soft place to dig. No cat shit in our gravel or neighbours but plenty elsewhere. Cat and dog shit is awful. We just have more of a problem locally with dog poo as they don’t bury it and owners don’t pick it up.

@rookiemere

I've seen cats shitting on our lawn. It's really not a fox they really don't bury all their poo. OP get a dog - that will resolve your cat poo problem although brings a few of its own challenges.

Our puppy likes to eat any at poo it finds.

I think cats have got lazy, they might scoot a small paw of soil over it but. mostly it’s left uncovered.

[quote Hopeisallineed]@Neverrains I certainly didn’t say it was fine and I suggested ways to deter it. I was under the impression cats like a soft place to dig. No cat shit in our gravel or neighbours but plenty elsewhere. Cat and dog shit is awful. We just have more of a problem locally with dog poo as they don’t bury it and owners don’t pick it up.[/quote]
Apologies, I quoted for your post for the ‘it’s unlikely a cat will shit on gravel’ part, didn’t mean to imply that you thought it was fine. That was just a general observation about people’s attitudes to cat poo!

There is NOTHING you can do about this. Cat owners will defend to the death their right to own a cat that shits in other people's gardens. They don't care that it endangers pregnant women or toddlers.

I have tried everything - plastic snakes, sonic things, gels, sprays, crystals, wooden skewers, garlic, pepper, chilli, prickle strips etc. Nothing works unless you cover the entire garden in netting and give up on birds and hedgehogs and humans using the garden too.

My solution is to accept what I cannot change. I have more shrubs than flowers (although of course, last week a cat left a big shit on top of a lavender) and to go out every morning picking up whatever I can find and scattering whatever spray or crystals we have in.