To not want neighbours cats in my garden?

[Rainbow3210]

Our neighbour has cats and they keep coming into our garden. They have also made their way into our house several times through the window and back door. I’m currently pregnant and have two young children. The children get upset when they come in as they don’t understand why they come and go (they want them to stay to play with). We have a lot of songbirds birds that sit in a bush in our garden and the cats are constantly trying to hunt the birds.

The cats are also doing the toilet in the garden which my husband has to clean with a hose. I believe it’s not entirely safe to clean up cat mess when pregnant.

I spoke to the neighbour and asked if they could stop the cats coming into my house and garden. They said there is nothing that can be done.

Is it unreasonable that this is bothering me?

We had a neighbour who had four cats who used to our garden like a toilet. We bought these little electrical things that makes some sort of noise that human has can’t hear that annoy the cats. You can also buy (i kid you not) lion poo to put around the garden that scares them off. I know the owner can’t really do anything, but it’s one of the reasons I think cat ownership isn’t for me. I’d be mortified if my dog was sh*ing in my neighbours garden every day.

It’s not unreasonable to be annoyed, but it is unreasonable to expect there’s anything your neighbours can do.

You can buy a device to fit on a hosepipe. It is triggered by movement and shoots in a wide arc. No use if there’s a hosepipe ban. More useful for nocturnal foxes. It works…

I have had cats and dogs I say get your garden hose on jet and soak the cats they will stop coming into the garden.

A fly screen? Will let air in but not cats.

Sadly not much you can do except make it a place they aren’t welcome.

I personally wouldn’t do it but a can of pennies shaken at them will deter them with no harm done.

No touching of them or anything to encourage them. They should get the message.

Putting cat-proof fencing along the top of the existing fence would be a good start.

I only know of the type that keeps the cat in its own garden and has to be fixed to the owner's side of the fence, so that's no good to OP unless she can persuade the neighbour.

Cat owners could, at the very least, train their pets to use a litter tray.

If a cat can walk in off the street so can a fox or a burglar. Just close your door and open windows instead. Or install a mesh door for ventilation.

Cat proof your fences. But don't expect anyone to trap cats indoors, cats legally are allowed to roam.

Ive never yet seen a cat that shits openly without burying. If you are finding it in the middle of your lawn etc, it is not cats, it is MUCH more likely to be foxes

As a cat owner myself, I agree that it is very difficult to keep cats out of the garden.
However, you could try a water pistol and spray them when they come in. I wouldn't be adverse to water being used on my cats to deter them as it won't actually hurt them.

This
I am not, and never have been, a cat lover! In fact I detest the bloody things…….I've lost count of the cat shit that I’ve had to clear up in my garden, it stinks and carries disease to OP you are wise to not get near it whilst pregnant! Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t hurt a cat physically but I would move a mounta8 to keep the damn things out of my garden. There are some plants that deter them and they aren’t terribly fond of a soaking with a garden hose (I hear those aquablaster water pistol things are good too). The sonic animal scarer units sometimes work but occasionally a cat will get used to it so it’s important to relocate them from time to time.
It is bloody annoying when you can’t leave a door or window open in the warm weather for fear of a moggy making itself at home!
My daughter regular brings her dog to visit and she is allowed to wee in various places in the garden as cats don’t like the smell of dog urine apparently but if you have children that might also be a problem OP.
Good luck with the pregnancy and I hope you find a solution for the cats.

Cats do cats. 🤷‍♀️. They help keep any mice and rats away. There are no restrictions on them do nothing you can do.

I have the same problem.

Maybe someone can explain to me why I have to tolerate other peoples' cats but I can't send a visiting dog into their garden for a dump?

Cats are the only pets that other people are supposed to clean up their gardens after them without complaining.

I’ve seen cats shit openly, on grass mainly so no covering it up.

I’m fully with you OP but you won’t get people thinking like that on here. If this was a dog thread the hate would be palpable but since it’s about cats it’s all “there’s nothing the owner can do!”. I can’t bear it when, as others have mentioned, cat owners allow their pet to roam “because it’s legal” and “you can’t keep a cat indoors” then kick off when they get hit by a car and the driver leaves them on the road and doesn’t report.
Your DH needs to stop being kind and actually spray the cat with the hose. It won’t hurt them, it’s just water, but they certainly won’t like it. A good few times and hopefully they won’t come back. I wouldn’t be putting lion poo in my garden, surely the whole point of not wanting cats shitting in your garden is because it stinks?

To be honest, you're not going to get any good advice here, OP.

MN is famously anti-dog, and pro-cat. Cat owners are notoriously the worst.

They will invoke the "cats have a right to roam" and declare that it is "cruel" for a cat to be indoors.

They will also cry and yell that their cat was mowed down by a car, or has gone missing, or taken residence with other people-and expect others to bear the brunt of the responsibility when something goes wrong whilst they bear absolutely none and throw their hands up at the mere suggestion that they act responsible for their cats.

You can't reason with these people. The only thing you can do is make your garden as inhospitable as possible to the cats.

Cats shit in holes they dig and cover, out of the way. It’s hardly the same.

And that's really lovely when you find it when you're harvesting veg from your garden eh?

Squirt them with water every time you see them on your property.

YANBU - I will never understand why people think it's okay for their cats to go around, have the whole world look after them on behalf of their owners, clean their poo, have to worry about their animals coming into contact with the poo of a cat that's been anywhere and everywhere, have it in THEIR garden and all the cat owner has to do is kick it out all day and maybe feed and give it some water.

No one would be okay if dogs just came and poo'd in their garden but we give passes to cats.

This is the hypocrisy of MN.

They will cry until they're blue in the face if it's a thread about a dog merely barking and demand action must be taken.

Whilst throwing their hands up and declaring that they can't do a thing about their cats. Yes, you actually can. Get a catio. Keep them indoors. Get an enclosed area in your garden for them to roam and explore.

Or, they can, when it all goes tits up and they lose their cat, accept the responsibility for that on their own carelessness and that they allowed them to roam-they won't do that, though. Whilst they will insist there's nothing they can do to control their cat and it's not their responsibility-when it all goes wrong and the cat is run over-they will expect the driver to take more responsibility for the cat than they ever have.

It is ridiculous. Imagine if dog owners just opened their doors and let their pets walk in everyone's gardens!

Tell them to put collars on them or you will to at least give birds a chance. Have a water pistol handy to squirt them with and tell the hapless neighbours to invest in litter tray and at least try to get get them crapping at theirs and not everyone else's.

I don't think it is

I've seen em spring into action time and time again when they think their neighbour is stealing their cat!

Our neighbours cats peed on the lawn and ruined it, awful patches all over.. we tried lavender and plastic spike things that did nothing but the battery operated motion activated thing that you put into the lawn and it gives a high frequency noise that cats do not like and humans usually cannot hear. Got it from amazon. I did get four so slight overkill but it does not hurt them, they just go and do it somewhere else. Lawn is fine this year.

Lilies won't put them off but could kill them. Seems a rather nasty option

'Whilst throwing their hands up and declaring that they can't do a thing about their cats. Yes, you actually can. Get a catio. Keep them indoors. Get an enclosed area in your garden for them to roam and explore'

This! Look after your pet or don't bother having one.

I think that's entirely reasonable. I don't think anyone should have to put up with other people's pets in their homes or gardens.

A blast with a powerful water pistol every time you see the cat might be enough to deter it from your garden, but it may just work out not to enter your garden when you're at home. The only thing that is guaranteed to work is something like this