Cat deterrent...

[Spuddybean]

Hi All

Not posted on here before. I am sure this has been asked many times but i couldn't find anything. I didn't want to post in Chat as i don't want a cat bashing thread.

For the record i love cats and am very :( i can't have one as DP is allergic (any suggestions on hypoallergenic cats would be great too!). I do not want to hurt them or cause any distress.

BUT...we are the only house on the street with no cats and they all seem to use our garden as a toilet. We have just had our garden done, so me and the baby can enjoy it (i am 37 wks pg), but i can barely go out there. There is poo everywhere. It is in the beds and all over the grass. The cats make no attempt to bury it. They also do it right in front of me if i am in the garden despite shooing etc.

I am wary of toxo, but also the smell is foul. It's now getting so i don't want my patio doors or windows open because the smell wafts in. I find it hard to bend and clean it up so am just burying it atm.

What i want is tried and tested deterrents to keep the cats away. I have googled cat deterrents and i am overwhelmed by what's on the market. Can anyone help me narrow it down?

Thanks

I'd try a water gun/spray if you see them there. They hate being wet and it does them no harm apart from hitting at their dignity. The pressurized sprays with a pump-up action are best because once you've squirted a few, they come to know the sound of the pumping action and scoot when they hear it. That kind of spray also goes very far indeed - and is useful around the house and garden for other tasks.

I'll have to leave it to others for recommendations on more permanent/ scent based deterrents etc.

Thanks Cozie. Sorry should have said the majority seems to be overnight. I bury it/clear it at night then the next morning it is out there. Sometimes 6 poos just on the grass and about 12 in the beds.

I was thinking of a scent thing or sound thing which doesn't distress them. I'm thinking this is karma, as i have had cats, who clearly must have been doing it in others gardens - as i have never had an issue with cat poo before.

Ah well - sorry but I'm an ignoramus on that. I never had a problem overnight so never had to deal with it. Hopefully others can advise.

where you have flower beds small sharp sticks standing up close together is supposed to be good as cats squat to poo and dont get a hold where there are spikes, and lion poo (google it) is supposed to put them off coming in your garden, and the sonic noise cat detterents are supposed to be good too but you wont get any birds either, dont have any freshly dug areas of dirt as cats love this , tin foil laid over ground in between plants cats are supposed to hate treading on tinfoil, maybe a movement triggered sprinkler on the lawn would deter them , lemon or orange oil sprinkled around as cats dont like citrus ,running out of ideas as you can see from my name i have cats lol

I got some stuff from Morrisons call "Get Off My Garden" or something like that. It smelled like deep heat/citronella. After a couple of weeks and a couple of applications we were poo free.

I used a clear plastic bottle half-filled with water.

It worked, no idea why, an old-gardener gave me the tip.