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.

Well remember there are plenty of people who have reached the end of their tether with fouling cats and have poison down, when you next make the decision to let them out. On your head be it.

Is it? I clean up my cats turds from the litter tray everyday. It doesnt bother me in the slightest. Id sooner do that than clean up a babys dirty bottom for three years and put their non biodegrabable nappies in landfill to rot for 100s of years.

At least cats tend to poo in a border. Dogs shit in the middle of a lawn, and a pavement or a public footpath. Dog shit is the nemesis of our times. As are dogs. Bloody everywhere, yapping in cafés, barking for no reason

And poison a hedgehog, or a fox, or any kind of Bird. Don’t encourage the batshit crazy poisoner (who I have encouraged the police to look into)

I'm sure the police will be right on it. 😂😂😂

I'm a cat lover too (though mine stays inside) but no argument from me if what you are doing is legal and humane. The trouble is that people have too many cats (and dogs) in built-up areas. Cats need their own territory and expecting four to confine themselves to one small garden just isnt going to happen.

I have the same problem with cats. I tried everything, nothing worked.
Now, i stopped planting.
If a deterrent is found please tell us.

Get a greyhound.

Cat proof your garden , as I said earlier it is as effective at keeping cats out as it is at keeping them in . You may get the odd one but most will be foiled . The ones you catch can then be dropped at the local vets as ‘stray’ if you really want to inconvenience the owners .

I used to do that too.

Not that I need to explain anything to you but I live in a huge house, she’s a pedigree and I live very close to a busy road and tram stop.

Cats who are allowed to roam live, on average, 3 years. Cats who don’t live, on average, 15 years.

I’m more than happy to keep her a prisoner.

Youre disgusting.

Where did you get this statistic from? Did you make it up? 😆

I have had cat my whole life and they have all roamed and lived a long and very happy life. Yes I know the risk of letting my cats roam, but I much prefer them to have a fun and active life chasing butterflies in the garden. I think it depends where you live. I live on a quiet road with huge gardens around for them to play with (and poo in😀)

I think it depends where you live. I live on a quiet road with huge gardens around for them to play with (and poo in😀)

This is actually quite a crunch of it.
2 random map screenshots.
If 30% households have cats in each of these areas, one is fucked, second is fine.
I lived in both type of set ups and it makes such a massive difference. Especially when your garden is interesting so it becomes a territory fight (which I think has happened to OP as well because it soumds like what I had when I lived in area like image 1). Totally different experiences.

Google is your friend 🙄

The very fact you live in a quiet area with lots of gardens around might give you a clue as to why your cats don’t pass earlier.

Try it OP but it may not work unfortunately. I have a cat and I put up cat spikes, both to keep my cat in and to keep other cats out. It didn't work at all, the cats were deterred for less than one day. After that both my cat and the neighbours cats just walked/jumped right on without being bothered.

Surely nobody ever actually throws cat poo over the fence to their neighbours? How can you prove it was their cat? There’s loads in an area. If my neighbour did that, I would fling it straight back over and aim for their furniture and windows. Some people are disgusting.

No Google isn’t always your friend. Clearly no one actually keeps statistics on this. Cats who roam don’t live on average 3 years. You are making things up as you go along here.

I know. Madness right? My cats roam but 💩 in their litter trays at home. There are lots of cats and foxes around. Most of the 💩 visible on the grass is 🦊 💩.
i would go mental if my neighbours started to throw random poo over the fence. They’d have to show me cctv if my cat being the culprit.

It may not always be your friend, however, in this case it could have been.

It’s also common sense that indoor cats live longer; they’re not exposed to the dangers that outdoor, free roaming cats are.

You’ve already mentioned you live in a quiet area, so your cats aren’t going to be exposed to the same dangers that urban cats are, so it is nuanced but I can assure you I’m not making anything up “as I go along”.

You literally only need to look and you’ll find many pieces of evidenced information but you seem to want to make a liar of me and I can’t stand liars, so here’s some reading, if you’re interested.

“Remarkable Lifespan Differences
Most importantly, the lifespan data proves striking. UC Davis research demonstrates that outdoor-only cats typically live just 2-5 years, whilst indoor cats enjoy lifespans averaging 15-17 years.”

Taken from the site linked below.

https://catlives.co.uk/general/indoor-vs-outdoor-cats-pros-and-cons/

@MariaMagdalenaa I think most people can tell the difference between fox poo and cat poo and you are deluded if you think most cats bury their poo , they don’t , they shit wherever have a quick scrape and walk off because they are basically lazy . That said you can’t be throwing poo over fences unless you’ve actually witnessed the cat in the act and if that is the case you should be out there chasing it away not watching it crap !

Simply cannot bear cats but the responsibility lies firmly with the owners.

Maggots or worms? I'd ask the owner to come and remove it every time

Do you really this is would be enough? So many deluded cat owners about.

Cleaning them from a litter tray is much easier and nicer than having to dig them up (or worse, come across them accidentally) all around the garden.

Out of interest - assuming the cat is litter trained, would it work to have a litter tray in the garden? Would that mean the cat only used the tray, so it was at least contained/easier to clean?

I have been wondering how to deal with the same problem!