A serious poo problem in my garden

[papalazaru]

First I need to identify what animal is crapping on my patio. So here's what it looks like :- almost liquid, mid brown, left in a pile on patio, paths, up on planter walls (right next to all my herbs - grrrr) and sometimes found on the grass. We find it in the morning in three or four places. Been going on for at least a week now.
So any ideas what's doing this? Fox or cat....?
And once identified how to I stop this? We have a dog and I already pick up all his turds which is not pleasant but this stuff makes me want to gag.
Thanks!

fox poo is usually blackish, but they do go for territorial marking. If you learn to recognise the smell of fox, it is distinctive.

They avoid large male carnivores, so try to get a man to wee round the garden fence after the sunday roast.

If you have your own cat, other cats will tend to stay out of your garden. If not, not.

Thanks pigletjohn - I agree that this doesn't look like fox poo as the fox scat I find looks like a small black dog turd and smells absolutely rank! So unless this is a very ill fox I suppose it must be a cat - but shouldn't that also be solid? And that would also explain why I find it on walls too.

My husband will be happy that he can now pee in the garden whenever he likes but I'm not sure the neighbours will appreciate it....
And is there nothing you don't know about PigletJohn? From boilers to gas meters to poo identification - you've got it covered

We put out a couple of large plastic bottles half filled with water, laid down as cats supposedly don't like that, also a large plastic snake.

It worked for a few days until we got a solar powered cat scarer thingy!

To me, it sounds like the presents my cats left me in the tray when they had a tummy bug.

Is there any attempt by the Unknown Pooper to bury it?

Agree with pigletjohn re wee in garden.....think both cats and foxes like to mark their terrritory with wee, and if they find it has been wee'd on by something else, will go off in search of other territory. Heard suggestion on radio once to pee in bottle and save for three days or so..intensifies the smell...

Don't think repeated applications needed(!), once cat/fox has been put off they will leave well alone.

It worked for us anyway.....

OP, I sympathise, when we lived in London, I used to have to do Poo Patrol in back garden every morning..

Thanks all.
No attempt to bury the poop - it's always found on the hard path or patio tiles - yuck!
Will look into solar power cat scaring devices ;)
And my husband has already stepped into help - carte Blanche to pee in the garden has made him a happy man. I'd better explain to the neighbours what he's up to.......

conspicuous poo on paths and low walls is typical of scent marking by foxes. Every time you clean it up, the animal will come back and mark again. I don't know another animal found in UK gardens that does it.

Bloody fox! I blame my crazy neighbour who feeds the b**rs. And they chewed up my son's favourite sandals which we accidentally left out overnight a few days ago. Grrrrrr......

A territorial cat will chase foxes out of the garden.

If the fox is bald around the tail and quarters, it has mange which will drive it insane from irritation, lack of sleep and hunger, so it is liable to behave oddly.

It is possible, but very difficult, to get a cure for this. Usually the fox will not live long.

I hate to see an animal suffer so find this distressing.

There are some homeopathic remedies that some people buy, they are of course just as useless as any other source of purified water drops would be.