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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To Think My DD Should Be Able To Play In Our Garden????

55 replies

Melscorp · 14/03/2009 12:42

Well, I am so cross!!! This morning we looked outside our sliding doors and found four huge piles of cat poo!!!! The thing is I don't have any cats. My neighbour does. Four to be exact!!!! This all started when I was pregnant. The cats decided to use mmy garden as their cat litter. I spent most of my latter pregnancy cleaning it up!!! I tried every thing. Sonic deterrents, liquid deterrents, gel deterrents!!! Towards the latter part of last year I gave up. I decided that I would deal with it this year. We opted to taking my daughter to the park. Well, this morning when DH opened the curtains he noticed FOUR HUGE PILES OF POO sitting right outside the sliding doors. The cats have now decided that they don't want to poo in the dirt anymore and have now decided to poo on the slabs of concrete!!! I know it is the cats, because we have seen them pooing. I even mentioned it to my neighbour and she said her cats are lazy for some reason and do not bother to cover their stuff up!! My DD is 26 months and I fear I am about to implode as I would love her to play in our garden. Any suggestions!!!!!!!!!

OP posts:
QueenEagle · 14/03/2009 12:44

You definitely need a football.

littleducks · 14/03/2009 12:45

get a dog? or lion poo?

Geepers · 14/03/2009 12:57

I would be consumed with rage.

I'd speak to the neighbours again, and if no luck, well, I can't say what I'd do on here as it's probably illegal and constitutes animal cruelty.

memoo · 14/03/2009 13:01

I would speak to the neighbour again and then contact enviromental health. They can speak to her about it and even prosicute

lilacclaire · 14/03/2009 13:06

The thing is, what can the neighbour actually do about it?
Totally sympathise though.

willowthewispa · 14/03/2009 13:09

The neighbour could keep her cats in, or come round every morning and clear the poo up herself.

subtlemouse · 14/03/2009 13:11

Get a water pistol and drench them from a window every time you see them in your garden. They should get the message.

(I have cats myself, and would not object to this being done to mine.)

chuggabopps · 14/03/2009 13:15

what about teaching your child how water pistols work? and then playing cat chase?

Ohforfoxsake · 14/03/2009 13:16

I've spent years of my life shoveling next doors cat shit back over the fence and I finally stopped it, but its a seasonal solution.

I chopped all the branches off my Christmas tree and laid it over 'cat-poo corner'.

There have been 3 turds since Christmas.

Perhaps not useful to you right now though, but I can't tell you how delighted I am that I found a solution. (No, really, I am that sad, but am the only bugger who shifts the shit in this house )

Another fairly successful strategy was to get a big bag of peppercorns and smash them up with a rolling pin and scatter it over the patch. That worked but you have to reapply because it washes away.

JazzHands · 14/03/2009 13:25

I sympathise as I have exactly the same. As a cat person though I also understand that there's not much the owner can do about it.

I have found that cheap ground pepper sprinkled liberally puts them off.

Please don't do anything in the heat of the moment, when I was a girl our next door neighbours poured used engine oil all over our cat, which was a really horrible thing to do, and I have never forgotten it.

HensMum · 14/03/2009 13:31

That lion poo stuff really works. It's called Silent Roar.

Or you can get a cat or dog yourself. Or if you know someone with a dog, get them to bring the dog round and let it wee in your garden.

Try and catch the in the act and give them a massive fright, or get them with water. I have a cat and wouldn't mind anyone doing that to him, as long as they didn't hurt him.

Buda · 14/03/2009 13:46

Apparently human urine works too - get your DH to pee in the garden??

I sympathise - we have this issue too and i hate cats. We are getting a dog soon though!

snickersnack · 14/03/2009 13:56

I am ordering some lion poo!!!! Yelling at the bloody cat next door is having no impact and I too am so very very sick of cleaning up cat poo before the children can go outside. I really don't like cats - if it keeps them out of the garden totally, that would be fantastic.

insertwittynicknameHERE · 14/03/2009 16:36

If you are near me at all you are more than welcome to borrow my dogs for a couple of hours.

When we moved in this house just over 2 years ago now, cats were always in the garden, but once they saw/smelt the dogs they have NEVER been back.

undomesticgodess · 14/03/2009 16:47

I have a cat. I would spray them with a water bottle if you see them at it.

undomesticgodess · 14/03/2009 16:49

I agree that there is not much the owner can do. My next door neighbour used to complain all the time about poo in her garden, if I could have I would have stopped my cat doing it.

theowlwhowasafraidofthedark · 14/03/2009 16:55

Not much the owner can do. I would recommended aiming the hose at them whenever they come into your garden.

CarGirl · 14/03/2009 16:56

Water pistol def a good idea as well as sprinkling stuff.

JaneSeymour · 14/03/2009 16:59

Can you possibly cover your entire garden with netting.

Other than that you may need to demand neighbour comes and disposes of poo. I suspect if she kept the cats in at night and used a tray, they would poo in her house instead of in your garden. Environmental health possibly one way to put pressure on.

BlueCowWondersWhenItsChocTime · 14/03/2009 17:00

go to a pet shop and you can get blue crystals in a bottle (don't know what it's called). Works for our garden - never been back.

ray81 · 14/03/2009 17:02

I have a cat and would agree that there isnt much an owner can do about it but i know that my neighbour scares my cat off because she frightens the birds and i dont mind at all.

Water is a good one, dogs is another, i have dogs also and the only cat that comes in my garden is my cat. Failing that Betterware sell a Black cat garden ornament thats meant to stop other cats coming in the garden. The problem is those cats may think its their territory and if you get the ornament they should bugger off as they will think someone is challenging them.

Hope this helps.

cece · 14/03/2009 17:14

I have used the water pistol technique in the past and it is very effective. I did check whether my nieghbours minded first though!

cilitbang · 14/03/2009 17:21

this looks good
especially the Scarecrow Water Jet Pack - I love to see them being squirted at and run!

JustCallMeGoat · 14/03/2009 17:34

clean it up and let your toddler roam free nothing puts a cat off like a toddler.

other than that, you have my sympathies. why do they have 4 cats?

JustCallMeGoat · 14/03/2009 17:34

clean it up and let your toddler roam free nothing puts a cat off like a toddler.

other than that, you have my sympathies. why do they have 4 cats?