Cat spikes around garden

[VividDenimTiger]

So, we live in house with a small garden. The neighbours cats have been shitting in our garden every day for literally 5 years. We have tried EVERYTHING to deter them- sensors, water sprays, planting cat deterrent plants, lion poo, spraying stuff. You name it, we have tried it.

Our garden stinks of cat shit all the time. The neighbours who own the cats- sit outside in their garden all the time enjoying life because their cats don’t shit at home.

It’s broken me - we can’t actually use our garden at all at the moment as it’s terrible- they shit in the beds, dig up our plants and spray against the shed.

So we have put up cat spikes to try and deter them as a last resort. I hate them and they look awful but I am hoping it might deter them. Neighbour has already made it clear how unreasonable we are - they are on our side of the fence so no boundary issues. I am trying not to fall out with them but we have asked them many times to try and contain their cats- they have 4.

so AIBU? I am literally at the end of my tether. My kids can’t play in the garden as there is constant shit. It’s stressing me out so much - we just want to use our own garden so this is honestly last resort. I am really upset by it all.

@BloodandGlitter Outdoor cats are illegal in most of Australia

I didn't realise this. I wish we had this law in the UK.

They really aren't. The homes of cat owners stink to high heaven without exception.

Loathe and hate cats. Put the spikes up and hope they are well deterred

Nope. Not unless the litter trays aren't cleaned straight away after use or the cat sprays indoors. Hate cats all you want but no need for lies is there?

Yup- tried the high pitched thing with sprinkler too- my kids could hear it but it didn’t deter the cats!

I have two indoor cats. My neighbours cats shit in my garden.

again, nonsense. You’ve spent time in a handful of places belonging to people with poor household hygiene and are drawing wildly inaccurate conclusions from it. I know people with dogs and cats and lovely clean homes.

Wrong. The homes of cat owners absolutely reek. The owners live in blissful denial but it doesn't change facts. I can smell immediately in any house if a cat lives there - I'm never wrong.

I’m a coat lover and tbh it would be impossible as a cat owner to stop your pets pooping in someone’s garden so I wouldn’t have a problem with you putting cat spikes around your own garden, in fact I’d be relieved as I’d feel so bad if my cat was messing in your garden.

Have you tried a big dog? When I first moved here all the local cats crapped all over my garden. Now they know there’s a dog here they stay away.

I have done the same thing. I was so sick of clearing up cat poo every single day. Tried pellets, tried ground coffee, cinnamon, citrus sprays.
I’d have put down poison except there were hedgehogs a couple of years ago and I would not want to harm them in case there are any around.
The spikes work although I had to adjust them and buy more as initially a cat still managed to foul a small area. I hope the cats had a nice sharp prod too!
YANBU.

No you cant. Stop being ridiculous 😆

I must tell my friends, family and neighbours they are liars.... You know, those people I trust to be honest with me. 🙄

I have cats and we got them when they were very young so could ‘train’ them as best a cat can be trained. The cats need to be moved indoors and taught how to use a litter box. Then the box can be slowly moved towards the door and outside.
We had a cat that used to regularly come into our garden to attack our older cat and after a few big saucepans of water over him every time the problem was solved! They are creatures of habit unfortunately but should be disciplined not quite as a dog but it can be done! Best of luck OP it’s a very difficult situation.

You don't want to poison hedgehogs but you'd be fine to poison cats?

I think you should seek help because that's not normal.

Hedgehogs don’t have owners who couldn’t be arsed to keep them inside or build outdoor cat runs for them.

'I'm never wrong'

😂

huge bag of crushed chillies from amazon.. strewn liberally round your garden.. top up when it rains..

You can buy pellets called Silent Roar, its pellets soaked in lion dug essence and they act as a fertiliser too. We have farm cats and I use it on my flower beds, they don’t go near the garden now.

I would get the spikes up, definitely.

We had the same issue, surrounded by cats but didn't have one ourself and became the local litter tray. It's vile.

I know you've tried everything, we set a few of these up, one at each corner, and that did the trick eventually, takes a bit of faffing to get it set up right but sorted out the fox shit issue too. Good luck.

There's a world of difference between being frustrated by cats using your garden and wanting to poison them.

The worrying part of that post isn't the concern for hedgehogs. It's the casual suggestion that poisoning cats would otherwise have been an acceptable solution.

Definitely psychopathic behaviour.

Chilling post. You need help.

We had similar. Planted loads of Lillies and put pots out too with them in as apparently cats hate them. We used spikes too, some garlic granules and we never had them poo in the garden again, in fact we rarely saw cats after and next door had 6!

Hope it works for you op but I’ve watched cats stand on those spikes no fucks given.

We have a catio.

However the poster above me is right about the Lillies. When ever I get some the cats won’t even go near them thankfully obviously but they can clearly smell that they are no good.

The only thing that stopped cats coming in ours was a dog……