Our neighbour complaining that our cats using his garden as a litter tray...how to defuse?

[swanthingafteranother]

We have three cats, two male neutered and one female (neutered). Since little cats arrived (they are Feb birthday) the neighbours have said their front doorstep has been peed on, and their garden is being descecrated (lots of neat flowerbeds with bare earth). We have a garden too, but a bit wilder perhaps.
Neighbour has a two year old and is pregnant; also they are not very keen on cats anyway. I understand why it is horrible for them. I used to suffer the neighbours' cats using our sandpit/lawn etc when my dcs were small so I feel her pain.

Soooo...how do I change our current cats' habits? I've explained there is a rogue unneutered tom around who is probably doing the spraying on their door step and bins, not our cats, but I can't see how I can ban our cats from wandering where and when they please. Her other objection is that they are stalking birds and climbing trees: I really cannot do anything about that can I? Cats are hunters.

First step is I've re-instated a litter tray in the house. Should it be two as we have three cats?
Second step is, I'm not letting them out the front door anymore (maybe if they go round the back, it will be less of an invitation to use the neighbours nice front garden
Third step is, perhaps install some pheremone in house in case our older cat (3 years) is suffering stress?

I want to be on good terms with neighbours, but also to make it clear to them that CATS ARE CATS.

Buy them a sonic cat scarer from amazon

Tough one. Have you offered to buy him a super soaker? Are the cats belled? Have you offered to clean up any mess?

I have similar problems complicated in that the cat-disliking neighbours have a natural-born-cat-killer dog.

Make a cat toilet in your garden. Have an area where you turn the soil very regularly to make it very attractive to your cats.

If you sprinkle used cat litter in your garden it should attract your cats to use your garden.

As above - and I'd get some extra litter trays. I've got two for one my indoor cat; and while I'm not suggesting that you get six, one between three isn't enough in my view if you want them to be used.

It's a real difficult one. Yes, cats will be cats but after all you chose to have them. If they're not cat people, try to do as much as you personally can to minimise the impact on them is my recommendation. They shouldn't be having to sort things out themselves - in the cause of good relations.

If they do come to use the trays (and my lodger preferred that although he went outside) it's quite wonderful to be able to say to the neighbour - 'it can't be Grumpy, Dopey and Bashful because they use inside trays!' Stops them in their tracks.

Pick up cat poo for them.
Create some nice bare earth in your garden for them to poo in.
Tell them you are perfectly happy for them to squirt your cats with water.
Clean the cat wee up too, my neutered female cat used to spray so itmight well be yours.
Get her some cat scaring stuff, sonic, lion poo etc
Fit bells or similar to your cats.

Go round regularly and pick up any cat poo found, plus make it as likely as possible that your cats will poo in your own garden (a nice pile of sand will do the trick).