Cat poo just ruining our time in the garden

[CTW23]

Our neighbours have several cats. We have a modest garden (lawn and boarders either side) several shrub/ tree/ bushes and lots of flowers.
We saved over winter and bought a new seating set with the view of enjoying the garden more with our toddler.

Problem is, despite looking for and clearing up the cat poo - I can still smell it. It just smells like there's a dog poo there constantly. It's so unpleasant and any breeze just brings it over to where I'm sitting. It's really getting me down because I just don't enjoy being outside.

Has anyone found any helpful deterrents? Also we obviously don't want to create any difficulties with the relationship with our neighbour ls. They obviously love their cats. Thank you!

Could the cat be shitting on the other side of the fence in their borders?
You can put crushed egg shells in the borders ir something similar as they often don't like to stand on sharp things, theirs certain smell like citrus that cats don't like. I think what you need to do is try tonstop the cats coming into your garden, super soaker? Sprinkler/ that sort of thing. Your right about not falling out with neighbours as its very hard to say who's cat it is.

Could you plant some really fragrant plants near your seating area so that’s what you smell? Rose, jasmine on a trellis, lavender etc? We have the cat problem too and I haven’t found any reliable way to keep them from fouling.

Is your garden totally fenced in? You could put mesh fencing overhangs on it to stop cats getting in.

Op ale the neighbour cats coming in our garden and I always just dig in their poop in the soil and the plants just love it.
It doesn't smell though idk.

Our house was unoccupied for a while before we moved in. In that time, the many neighbourhood cats turned our garden and driveway into THE place to poo.

Make sure to dig out any old, buried cat poo if you can, so they will forget it's one of their poo spots. Pick up any new presents quickly.

We used a citrus spray and a white vinegar spray, often simultaneously for good measure, and scattered lemongrass around. We also covered the flowerbed with twigs for a while to make it less comfy for them to walk on. Don't know which of those options did the trick, but I do know that it's largely stopped now.

We brought a largish pressure sprayer (the kind used for weed killer). We filled mainly with water and also a bit of concentrated citronella oil. Then sprayed this around the whole garden. Works until it rains then have to respray. Also used the upturned sticks thing a pp has mentioned

Old chestnut : you need to get an adult male (son/ husband etc) to pinkle into a jar and spread across the garden on a regular basis. Alternatively he can pinkle around the garden in the evening. The testosterone in the urine will ward off cats that there is an adult Tom cat in that territory. This needs to be kept up for a while, and then intermittently thereafter.

I find a supersoaker gives cats the message (plus they're fun on a nice day eith kids).

The best solution is to get your own cat and then your garden will become its territory