Deter a cat

[voobylooby]

Hi all, this is possibly the wrong place to post this but I hope you'll understand that I'm posting here as I'd like to know what cat owners feel is appropriate.

My garden has lots of connecting gardens. We regularly get visits from a large cat which doesn't belong to any of my neighbours, but possibly belongs to someone that backs on to us, although I'm entirely unsure of this.

Cat is VERY 'confident' and isn't deterred by a hiss for example, in fact he approaches what ever happens if you are in the garden. He/she has also entered NDN house on occasion.

The reason I'd like to try and deter this cat is that I now have a baby, who loves being in the garden/in our summer house, but I don't want to be worrying about the cat approaching/ pooing in the garden.

I'd appreciate any ideas anyone has. I know many of you may think I'm being ridiculous, but any ideas would be great!

Many threads on same subject!

And you're not being difficult! !!

Not sure if electronic scarers work !

Thank you! Baby brain stopped me from searching first :)

Water pistol

One of those spray bottles with water in

Yup, water.

I have a cat and we had a nearby big tom who wanted to make our garden into his. For about 2 weeks I kept the back door unlocked with a jug of water next to it.

Any time I saw him I'd throw the lot in his direction. He learnt very quickly that it was a lot less hassle (and dryer!) for him if he stayed clear. He's still around perfectly fit and well - sometimes even walks along the back fence. Just not in my garden!

Cayenne pepper deters cats if you sprinkle it around x

Thanks all. Will get my pistol ready and some cayenne pepper for its favourite spots!

@voobylooby and @SomeOtherFuckers

Please please please do not use cayenne pepper.

Imagine how it feels when that sort of thing gets in your own eyes or you accidentally taste it, even in cooked food. Then imagine rubbing, scratching at and clawing at yourself because you have absolutely no idea what it is and making it 100x worse. They can get infections and in some cases even blind themselves.

Cayenne, chilli and other things like that can cause serious, painful injury to cats, and it is absolutely unnecessary when there are plenty of cruelty-free deterrents available instead. Thank you.

Please don't douse them with a jug of water/ hose. I know a cat who fell off a slippery fence and died instantly of a broken neck.

A water spray bottle does the job just as well without risking someone's pet being hurt or killed.

Oh and you're not being ridiculous OP. Having to clear up cat mess, especially when the animal doesn't even belong to you, is a right PITA.

Thanks for that. It's a very small pistol, so won't drench it.

And will steer clear of the pepper- exactly why I asked here, I don't want to do anything that would harm the cat, as much as it annoys me!