Discouraging cat from pooping in garden

[DoleWhipFloat]

Not a huge problem…

I live in an area with a number of kitties.

I like cats, but for some reason, they all love to poop on my lawn.

I’ve tolerated it for some time. But I love my garden and try to take care of it. Most of the neighbours have paving slabs, which is why I think my garden is so popular with other peoples furry friends.

Anyway, I had enough of picking up cat poop, so I tried some pellets; spices; citrus fruit peels to no avail. Then I tried fake cats and sonar devices, but no luck.

I’m not at home to chase them away or spritz them with water, so today I tried something a bit new.

I bought a huge yellow net. I mowed the lawn. Placed a pole in the middle of the grass to hold the net up in the centre and then stretched the net across my lawn, pegging it down at the sides. My thinking is the cats can’t get on the lawn, due to the net.

Ok, the garden doesn’t look great, it’s giving me circus vibes but, I hope that the cats will get used to NOT using my lawn and then I can take it down.

Also to note, I don’t get other wildlife coming into the garden. No hedgehogs or squirrels ever seen etc.

Friend pops over today. Says that I’m just passing the problem on to someone else and it’s ridiculous. She has cats and would hate for her neighbours to do what I’ve done.

Aibu?

Yes - take the net down, it’s ridiculous
No - leave it up, it’s a great idea

I think it's completely fine, it's up to you what you do in your garden anyway but it won't harm the cats and should help break their habit of going on your lawn. Your friend sounds very unreasonable to criticise you when she has cats, she probably just hopes her neighbours don't get the same idea and she suddenly has to deal with her own cat's poo.

Friend pops over today. Says that I’m just passing the problem on to someone else and it’s ridiculous. She has cats and would hate for her neighbours to do what I’ve done.

Ask her when she's available to come and scoop up random cats shit off your lawn if she's so concerned.

It's a net. Not poison.

Why should it it your problem and not someone else's?
Preferably someone who actually has a cat.

There's not a great deal you can do to stop cats shitting anywhere and anyone who thinks otherwise is crackers, but if you find a harmless solution then good for you.

Just to add, I think your net might work. I had a similar problem with cats pooing on our lawn but found after I had caught a couple in the act and gone out clapping and making a noise that they seemed to stop. I suppose I would prefer not to be startled mid-shit so presumably they thought the same and found somewhere more peaceful. I think even just a little inconvenience can put them right off a preferred poo arena and they can make a new habit of going somewhere else.

No
Leave it there.
I might try the same!

100% fine - its your garden !!!!

Also your friend is a dick.

It's absolutely fine. I'm a cat owner and I take steps to try and make sure they go on my property (albeit I can't watch them all the time). I've spoken to my neighbours about it and said to tell me if it ever becomes a problem and I'll pay for whatever deterrents they need etc. They are lovely and said it's not a problem at all, but we had a good laugh when I said I would buy them a supersoaker if necessary! Absolutely YANBU

Says that I’m just passing the problem on to someone else

It's the owners of the cats who are passing the problem onto someone else.

I personally think it is a great honour for a cat to choose to relieve themselves in your garden. Take it as the most magnificent compliment you will ever receive.

Good idea. I'm thinking motion activated sprinklers but I got the worst offender with a cup of water the other day so I'm hoping she takes the hint.

Thank you everyone. When I happened across the idea, I thought it was brilliant. But I had a little doubt earlier.

My friend is lovely and her cats are her babies. She doesn’t get what the big issue is. And I guess I don’t have small children playing in the garden or pets, so I probably look a bit mean. She pointed out that a cat could get tangled in the net and I wouldn’t want that, but I hope with the colour it is, they’ll see it!

@duvetdayforeveryone

I personally think it is a great honour for a cat to choose to relieve themselves in your garden. Take it as the most magnificent compliment you will ever receive.

Haha! I’m sure it is…but it kills off my grass and makes the lawn/garden look awful. It also kills my plants when they poop too close and I do love my plants.

@hamsterchump

Just to add, I think your net might work. I had a similar problem with cats pooing on our lawn but found after I had caught a couple in the act and gone out clapping and making a noise that they seemed to stop. I suppose I would prefer not to be startled mid-shit so presumably they thought the same and found somewhere more peaceful. I think even just a little inconvenience can put them right off a preferred poo arena and they can make a new habit of going somewhere else.

I do hope it’ll work! I rarely manage to catch them to chase them off. I think they know when I’m in 😂

Owning a cat I can tell you now it won't work..as soon as its down they'll investigate and "claim" it.

You'd be better off getting fox poo from some where....or hedging your garden in pyracantha (a spikey bush) so they can't get in.

Is it true cat don't like citrus?

@Dociousalaexpifragalisticcalas

Owning a cat I can tell you now it won't work..as soon as its down they'll investigate and "claim" it.

You'd be better off getting fox poo from some where....or hedging your garden in pyracantha (a spikey bush) so they can't get in.

Oh dear.

@duvetdayforeveryone

Is it true cat don't like citrus?

Well, it didn’t work for me, so I assume they love it.

Sounds like a great idea!

I don't blame you for going to extreme lengths to protect your grass! Our next door neighbours are absolutely lovely, but their cat ruined our entire flower bed of winter pansies and violas within a few days after it dug them up to shit down the entire length. It was really upsetting. We've replanted more hardy (and unfortunately less colourful) shrubs that will grow quite tall over the next couple of years and fill the space which hopefully won't leave any room for the cat. To protect them from being dug up I've surrounded them with 40+ bamboo sticks. It's a lot of hard work but the alternative is literally a bare flowerbed full of cat shit.

Sounds like a good idea to me, and preferable to sonar devices which drive plenty of people nuts. I know adults aren't supposed to hear them, but I can at 29, and they're painful. Also, this won't help you at all but hopefully it will amuse you: we had a few neighbour cats who would "visit" our garden most days. As soon as our dog died, they stopped. I like to think they were doing it just to wind her up. I can't help but respect that.

Rubber snake where they poop. I figured that if cats jump at cucumbers because they think it's a snake, perhaps they won't poo if there's something that looks like a real snake. Amount of poo has shrunk considerably. So far.
Do need to warn visitors though 🤣

@CurbsideProphet

I don't blame you for going to extreme lengths to protect your grass! Our next door neighbours are absolutely lovely, but their cat ruined our entire flower bed of winter pansies and violas within a few days after it dug them up to shit down the entire length. It was really upsetting. We've replanted more hardy (and unfortunately less colourful) shrubs that will grow quite tall over the next couple of years and fill the space which hopefully won't leave any room for the cat. To protect them from being dug up I've surrounded them with 40+ bamboo sticks. It's a lot of hard work but the alternative is literally a bare flowerbed full of cat shit.

Your poor flowers! 😢

I had a beautiful hydrangea that died due to the cats urinating in the soil near by. I find it quite sad. The plants are like my pets…I grow them from tiny saplings to big lovely shrubs.

I know the cats are just being cats, but anything I can do to discourage is worth a shot…I think.

@GeorgiaMcGraw

Sounds like a good idea to me, and preferable to sonar devices which drive plenty of people nuts. I know adults aren't supposed to hear them, but I can at 29, and they're painful. Also, this won't help you at all but hopefully it will amuse you: we had a few neighbour cats who would "visit" our garden most days. As soon as our dog died, they stopped. I like to think they were doing it just to wind her up. I can't help but respect that.

😂 hilarious.

I am sorry you lost your furbaby though x

@Sparklybanana

Rubber snake where they poop. I figured that if cats jump at cucumbers because they think it's a snake, perhaps they won't poo if there's something that looks like a real snake. Amount of poo has shrunk considerably. So far. Do need to warn visitors though 🤣

Straight off to Amazon!!! 😃

The neighbours will talk when they’ve seen I’ve netted over my entire garden and filled it with rubber snakes!

I bought a solar powered thing from
Amazon which makes a high pitched noise and it has worked.

But your net sounds fair enough. It's a health hazard