To ask for ideas to stop my neighbours cat from destroying my garden and attacking all the birds

[startrek90]

So I have a garden, a lovely big one with lots of trees and every year we get lots and lots of song birds nesting in the shrubs and trees. It's really lovely watching them and I love it. Last year however my neighbours got a cat. The cat has a very good hunting instinct, unfortunately that has meant that last year he attacked every single bird in the garden, ate the lizards and attacked the hedgehogs that were living here. It's has also now taken to digging up my strawberry plants and pooing and peeing-but just in my vegetable beds.😓😜
I tried covering the plant beds but the cat has just torn through them. As for the birds I have tried to place the birds nest up high and I got rid of the feeders as it was just staking it out. Tbh at this point I am at my wit's end so I was hoping I could lean on the collective wisdom of Mumsnet. I didn't want to go to the litter box board as I think they would just tell me to get over it. I don't want to hurt that cat but I am genuinely getting really upset and irritated at having to clean up dead animals and cat poo. I just need some suggestions as to dissuade it from coming here.

I did try asking about the cat to my neighbour
he told me that he has just got rid of his own garden beds. He seemed pretty annoyed that it's my garden his cat got the birds from. I don't want to start a row but it was pretty clear that they wouldn't consider putting a bell on the cat.

So please Mumsnet do you have any ideas?

Nesting not besting birds ffs.

Here's an example of a cat barrier:

https://www.gardigo.com/animal-repellent/dog-cat/cat-tree-barrier-60067

Well my dogs would kill any cat they catch in the garden, and it wouldn't trouble me much if they did. The cats stay away because of the dogs so the birds, amphibians and small furries can exist in peace. If dogs are not possible then I can only suggest things that would be frowned upon on here.

If you like dogs then a sighthound is an extremely effective deterrent to cats!! I have loads of bird visitors in my garden. My dogs aren't bothered by them but one whiff of a cat and they're on patrol. Consequently the neighbourhood cats - who used to congregate in my garden like some kind of hippy-style cat Woodstock, are nowhere to be seen.

Things like peel, granules etc only work until it rains.
Years ago a young local cat started coming into our garden while we were on holiday. At the time, I had young children so the poo being left was a health hazard. In the summer the cat killed the baby birds that were nesting.
However, the cat made the mistake of falling asleep in the sunshine in my garden. I got a wide jug and filled it with vegetable oil. I then went out and poured it over the cat. Before the last drop of vegetable oil was out of the jug the cat was awake up and out of my garden. The cat was fine but it NEVER came into my garden again.
I will always put the birds in my garden before cats.

If you're at home a lot to see the cat when it's in your garden I would buy a spray bottle. (Only for water, which won't hurt the cat but will make it run away!)

Sadly I don't think I'd have bird feeders if I lived next door to a killer cat. Sort of makes you complicit in the murders.

Put spikes on top of your fences or a wobbly layer of wire.

Try to find out how they are getting in by checking for muddy pawprints after rain.

Worth checking whether your DH & DS are allergic to greyhounds.
I'm allergic to a lot of "normal" dogs like Labs, Collies etc, but not to greyhounds.
OTOH current DDog has to have an eye kept on him in the garden as he's taken up digging as a hobby!

New neighbour’s fat ginger bastard destroyed a nest of goldfinches in my garden last year, just appalling. Horrible unnecessary destruction by animals with selfish entitled and irresponsible owners.

Cat having a collar with a bell has worked for family members with cats.

Cat lover and former cat owner here. Borrow someone's sighthound to pop in for a few days. The granules and oranges do work I used to go round and spread it on my neighbours garden because one of our cats was pooing in her borders. I'm not sure if the sonic preventor would disturb the already resident wildlife. The supersoaker will work, cats hate it. I told my neighbour to hose mine. I feel so sorry for you OP the cat sounds I little shit! Typical cat behaviour but you shouldn't have to suck it up. If your neighbour was responsible he would put a bell on the cat.
Good luck. 💐

Cats getting in through the garden gate(well underneath)

I liked the idea of spikes (as a security thing) but we just have 7ft hedges so I don't know what we would fasten them too.

I will try the lavender and the citrus thing. I will also try the pee thing (I have heard off it but I thought it was a myth)

Thank you so much. I don't want to cause a fight with my neighbours but at the same time I am getting really fed up. Me and the kids can't feed the songbirds anymore (I know they can feed themselves but still) and my plants are dying and getting crapped over. Not to mention that my kids don't want to play out there as kitty scratches if they get too close. I would never be violent to an animal but I admit I really wanted to chuck said cat when it took over my toddlers play car and then swiped at her as when she tried to come out to play. I know it's pointless complaining to the neighbours as they can't control what the cat does when it's out but it's still awful.

This, but I have heard cats don't like orange, so maybe fill it with orange squash not water.

I used a water pistol inside the house to encourage them to leave a certain item of furniture alone. It did work as they trashed the cheap pine chest of drawers on the landing, but did leave the expensive piece in the living room alone.

If I wanted to keep them away from something in the house, I did put orange peel down sometimes and I did see ours recoiling from it. But every cat is different.

We have trouble with a neighbours cat attacking ours and coming in our house. Every time he enters my garden I spray him with water- I have a bit water pistol waiting by the back door! I don't think his owners like it but he has bitten me on a few occasions before so I don't want him near my baby. The water trick has worked quite well and as soon as he see's me now he scarpers. He very rarely comes over now. you have to be very persistent with it but it worked well in our case.

I would be happy for someone to do the same to my cat if she was causing a nuisance.

The citrus won't poison them will it? I don't want it to eat something and get sick and then have to deal with an irate neighbour and a vet bill.

The neighbours will not put a bell on the cat. It's too annoying apparently.

Also if the neighbours say anything negative about you spraying him with water - its perfectly harmless, doesn't hurt them and lots of animal behaviour experts recommend it as they learn quickly from it.

Jeyes fluid on hard surfaces - they don't like the smell.

Cat Owners absolve themselves of all responsibility, once the cat has left the house … you’ll find it’s your own fault, and should just accept (without question), cat shit & dead birds. It’s the “natural instinct” of the cat .. and this will be used as an excuse. They want a pet, so you have to suffer

Absolutely agree with this. The neighbours reaction is 'well it's nature'.. so that makes It someone else's problem.. Great thanks!

I got lynched on the litter tray topic more than once for my views.

BTW sadly the cat collar bells don't work.

We completely catio-ed out garden in the end at great expense to keep the neighbour's vicious bengal-X out of our garden, and away from our own pets and wild amphibians.

The fucker of a neighbour, who had concreted his own garden, had the brass neck to complain that his cat was being 'excluded' from his murder and shit pad.

I used to put huge amounts of hot chilli powder (obvs away from where the children go).

@GrumpyPanda I've not seen those before. What a great idea.

We dog sit a lurcher from time to time, once every couple of months. I've not seen cats in our garden since.

I use ultrasonic anti-cat and it works fine.

The neighbours who own three cats decided to kindly patio over most of their garden so the cats could not go there and ended up going in everyone elses.

I got 2x ultrasonic anti cat and it really works.

Also, put your bird stuff where a) cats find it difficult to get to and b) birds can see cats approaching from a mile off.

Yes to the supersoaker. Just use water, cat will get the message if you are consistent with it for a while. I am a cat owner and would have no issues with neighbours squirting my cat with water. I would however get pretty angry if they covered it with oil as per a PP.

Also can you make your beds less attractive to the cat. Unplanted soil filled areas = litter tray for them. If you have any cuttings of tough or ideally thorny plants, spread them out in any gaps so there isn’t a nice place for the cat to dig.

Borrowing a dog or inviting round guests with a dog is a good idea too. Dog would be in garden so hopefully wouldn’t set off allergies.

Can’t believe the owners won’t put a bell on. I would if mine attacked birds. I wonder if you could string cat bells in the nesting bushes/trees? Cat would set them off when approaching?

Lion poo is meant to be a deterrent if you have a zoo near you they might give you some. Otherwise I’d be hosing the fucker down if it stepped foot in my garden, with a hose, a bucket or a super soaker. Or just run out and chase it off if you have to - scare it. I have two cat hating dogs though so the cats would have to be really stupid to come in mine. If the owner doesn’t like it they can keep their cats in their own garden.

Ooh cat bells in the tree is a good idea as long as the wind didn’t set them off the birds might become de sensitised to them if they’re just jingling all the time