I get quite a few emails asking how to stop cats pooping in your garden when the cat owner doesn’t give a poop about you or your flower beds. One I received a few days ago in particular had an air of desperation to it that is familiar to many a gardener.
Here’s the email…..
Dear Bob
My husband and I are at our wits end with our neighbours cat. Don’t get us wrong, we know the right to roam law relating to the cat, we don’t dislike cats. But to cut to the chase, everyday we are subject to spoilt flower beds due to the neighbours cat digging and using the flowerbeds as a toilet.
The difficulty we have is that we have an extremely poor relationship with our neighbours.
We’ve been reading the law regarding cats and come across the same thing, cats have a right to roam.
Earlier this year I approached my neighbour and showed him photographic evidence of his cat fouling and digging our flowerbeds. It’s soul destroying watching your efforts being dug up and spoiled.
We were able to capture the cat on camera, it has been happening for a considerable amount of time now but without evidence we realise there is little you can do. But I did have a short conversation with the owner next door who agreed it was his cat and I gathered that he had had problems like this at his previous address.
He told me to put citrus peel in the ground, purchase cat repellent etc. and a parting note was that it would be a gesture to receive a contribution to purchase some of the damaged flowers. He agreed to pay a sum of £3 but never did.
The saga continues. The cat continues to use our garden most days. We now have cctv evidence, the same cat fouling in our garden.
Everyday I have to tidy the area, remove the cat faeces and dispose of THEIR cat excrement!
Last year I underwent treatment for a serious illness, my husband had our garden renovated for me to relax in and enjoy whilst undergoing chemotherapy. He is beside himself to see the garden being used as a toilet and the neighbour doesn’t give a monkeys because of the right to roam law.
I’ve read your site and felt a glimmer of hope. Surely the neighbours do have a duty of care towards us with this ongoing issue?
We’re obtaining more and more evidence now with our cctv and have made it our business to take dates and times and screen shots to compile this evidence.
I am galled that I have to clear the cats excrement, dispose of it with my own gloves and bags and put it in my bin. I want to throw it over the fence but I’m aware I need to do things in the right way and not land ourselves in trouble.
Can you give us any further advice Bob?
Kind regards
Tracey
Unfortunately Tracey, you only have to read some of the comments left by cat owners here on Cats Away to realise that some of them simply do not understand how you can consider a cat coming into your garden and doing what cats do as a problem so I suspect you are beating your head against a wall when trying to reason with a cat owner like this.
The first thing I advise anyone trying to stop cats pooping in the garden is to tackle the cat rather than the owner once it becomes obvious they don’t really give a damn about you or your right to enjoy your own garden.
Collecting video and photographic evidence will obviously help your case should you wish to attempt to go the legal route and visit a Solicitor but there is no guarantee of a successful outcome and it is not going to be cheap.
Water Is Your Best Defence Against Cats Pooping In Your Garden
If erecting a cat proof fence is out of the question your best and fastest course of action is to invest in a water deterrent and set it up to protect the area your neighbours cat is currently using as its toilet or its point of entry into your garden.
Both these work in the same way – They have a motion detector monitoring for cats and other small animals and once they detect one within range they blast a short 5 second spurt of water at them.
Believe me, once the cat has received a blast of water from one these it very quickly gets the message that this area is no longer a giant litter tray.
If the flower bed the cat is using cannot be protected by a water sprayer due to its location (they aren’t really suitable for protecting areas next to a boundary fence for instance where you might end up giving a neighbour a soaking) then set up a few solar powered cat deterrents around the area.
These work by sensing movement and giving off ultrasonic noises that cats don’t like. These might not give the instant success that you get with a water deterrent but usually after a few nights the cat will take the hint and stop paying your garden a visit.
Another option is to set up a simple frame around your flowerbeds and lay pea netting or chicken wire over it to keep the cat off.
Finally, as a last resort you might want to invest in a decent water pistol. Cats are intelligent critters and they soon move on to somewhere new when a garden suddenly becomes a wet area.
I am confident that with the use of at least one of the cat deterrents mentioned above you will soon be able to enjoy your garden without the need to approach the cat owner again.
Good luck and please call back and let us all know how you get on.
It is unfortunate that cats are under attack. Raccoons and skunks leave similar bundles of joy in gardens but the cat is often the only animal blamed. The other “Big Problem” is that a cat will kill birds and some delusional mathematician will have you believe that cat kill millions. But then there is the upside to cats – no mice, rats or rodents. These unwelcome guests don’t hide their dropping in your garden, they leave them anywhere and that can be extremely unhealthy for humans. That means the main concern is that the cat is looked after properly with all the necessary shot. I applaud your suggestion of water training the cats – that’s how you protect trees with low nests from cats as well – it works.
Well I think it’s rude. And it doesn’t matter what cats may keep away. who wants to clean up shit that doesn’t belong to your pet( if you have on) People have kids that have the right to play In their homes yard with out having to watch their step. At least my dog shits in the same area where I allowed him to actually go. The place where kids don’t play or I can sit in peace without smelly animal feces. Secondly we for example clean our dog poop up. Cats just piss and shit where ever they feel. If people choose to get cats. Then keep them from littering in neighbors property ä. For I respectfully do this foebmy neighbor.
Delusional? Cats are a menace to all wildlife, they kill birds, snakes, slow worms, and frogs in my garden, and leave the mice and rats alone! They dig up my plants and cr*p everywhere. It’s disgusting!
I’ve just had to put a wire net door on may green house to keep the vermin out! They annoy my dog by sitting on the fence, and so cause noise pollution.
I think that cat owners should be forced to license their animals, £150 pa, with the money ring-fenced for wildlife projects; or better remove them altogether from the UK and allow the Scots wild cat to maintain free genetic lines.
The general trend today is kill half the wildlife by building houses and then the job is completed by irresponsible people who want a pet that requires no responsibility and yet is also the biggest spreader of toxicosis.
Never mind a hose or water pistol, I’m tempted to trap them and throw them in my pond!
Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing cats out there, but I don’t want them in my garden or needlessly killing wildlife.
Im a vegan and love all animals but I can’t help but agree…cats are no better than humans when it comes to destroying nature and just like humans, there are one or two that are ok but not many.
I’m not entirely certain that veganism is relevant, nor (in the UK) is it very green (no pun intended) but to stay on point, Cat’s are just doing what cats do. Whenever we introduce a non-indigenous species we cause issues. It is entirely humans who should be blamed. Just as I should be blamed for my dog’s actions.
Someone commented that cats are domesticated, I’d disagree with that, they are wild animals that are happy to share a house until they decide to move on! And in addition to killing wildlife, spreading filth, disease and stench, they add to litter and plastic pollution with all the “Lost” notices wire-tied to lamp-posts (never taken down by the poster as far as I can see). They always make me smile whenever I see one!
As dog owners, we take the responsibility for our pet and it’s actions very seriously, even if out on the moors in a remote location we clean up after it (those who throw bags of dog crap into hedges and trees, are they mental? They should be punished with a bat until they learn!). But having to tolerate neighbors’ pets crapping in my garden is beyond the pale!
I absolutely agree.I live in an area where lots of people have cats, they are let out to roam and they all seem to use my garden as a big litter tray, pooping here rather than in their own back yard. I’ve tried everything to stop them, pepper, citrus peels, bottles, scare cats, you name it and I’m sick to death of getting cat shit on my shoes. I can’t even sit in the garden because of the overwhelming smell of cat piss. I have a bird box that Blue Tits breed in every year and I have to use carpet smooth edge fastened all around it to stop the cats from climbing on top. If there were a license to pay, people would think twice about buying a cat. Also for the sake of the birds, they should have to wear a bell. People need to be made responsible for their animals and should not be fined if their cats is a bother to others. Noone would put up witha dog doing the same thing so why cats?!!!!
But most of these other animals are herbivores. ..they are also wild and are lovely. I love mice in my garden but cats are like humans…they kill for fun…their poo is toxic and I dont understand how people tolerate their smell. They are DOMESTICATED. ..so they should stink your houses out not ruin peoples gardens.
I am an owner of two cats both of which are house cats and only go outside in my own garden on a lead and only use their litter box which is cleaned daily for hygiene reasons as I suffer from health and immunity problems and have just had a baby girl.
My elderly neighbour has four cats all of which use my garden and my driveway as a giant litter box, my husband has watched it is her cats that are the offenders but she also keeps putting food out encouraging all the cats in the area!
I’ve put bleach down, disinfectant, jeys fluid, citrus scents, brought a motion sensor water jet (which my neighbour with the cats keeps coming down my drive and moving it!). We can’t put chicken wire down as that would make the drive slippy and I’m not steady on my legs as it is with my health issues.
I don’t know what else we can do as it’s getting worse everyday there are at least five piles of poo on my driveway alone and every time I speak to her she says the same it’s fox or badger poo even though I’ve watched its her cats and you can tell the difference as cat poo is alot smaller and less Smelly then fox and badger poo.
Rodents are “extremely unhealthy for humans.” That’s a bigger pile of excrement than what I find in my garden. Rodents (far more timid than the average cat) and only transmit diseases through direct contact with them or their urine and faeces’ so unless you’re in a confined space with them they’ll cause you no harm. Cats are worse for the spread of disease while they may only spread disease though direct contact like rodents they are far less timid than the typical rodent so direct contact with them and especially there faeces is more likely. Cats claws are filthy and can cause horrific infection such as impetigo (I know that from personal experience) and cat scratch fever among other infections. They can also carry a variety of worms which can be transmitted just through touching a cat, their urine also is the main cause of toxoplasmosis which can be fatal to humans.
Don’t get me wrong, I like all animals but I don’t like animal excrement in my garden, especially when someone is responsible for that animal. So I feel no guilt in using a humane deferent such as water to get a cat off my flower bed.
My beautiful garden became therapy for treatment of bad PTSD of being in the military. Mind you I would gladly defend my wonderful country again but now I am at battle with the neighbors cats who use my garden as their toilet! I have resorted to using the gentle traps and relocating the cats to another city. One by one this enemy is shrinking and I am gaining in the battle of wills.
Coleus Canina is a plant for perimeter of yard to keep cats away! I pick the stems and lay them weekly in my raised beds to deter them from doing stuff among my vegetables. Flowers similar to lavender, long stems, drought tolerant, and you can even steep for 24 hrs or more to make a spray .
Brenda, that is a brilliant idea, cats should be illegal unless kept in the house, we are in UK and have lots of problems, I get so angry even to the point of tears. We sit in the garden enjoying the sun( which isn’t often in UK ) and all you can smell is cat poo ! we walk around the garden and …oh no cat poo on our footwear because we didn’t see it slyly buried in the garden ( we have gravel instead of a lawn and it has become a giant cat litter tray), I love gardening but it is so disgusting when i am planting or weeding and I get cat poo on my hands !!!. It really does make me mad enough to remove cats from this earth and send them to kitty heaven. Keep up the good work !!.
Mens urine sprinkled around garden does work my husband does this daily pees in bottle in garage and puts it around our garden daily it keeps all cats away
What do I do my neighbor has complained to are associate about my 5 cats pooping in her backyard.. There’s other cats around besides mine. I have a big litter box in my backyard and 2 reg side ones. They now want me to give 3 cats up.
Can I just say as much as I appreciate it’s really not nice for any animal to soil in your garden please remember and appreciate that these animals are also someone’s family members. My cat was killed by a car because a neighbour threw water at her. She was only 10 months old and my children were beyond devestated, especially my 8 year old who is a diabetic and her
Little cat used to have this unusual ‘knowing’ of when her blood levels are low. It’s been 18 months since she was killed and my children are still so heartbroken by it. Sadly when I was a child the my neighbour threw water at our cat who ran straight out in the road and was killed. She was also pregnant due to give birth any day and her and her kittens were squashed across the road. A haunting sight for a 6 year old. So as much as cats/animals spiking your garden is inconvenient please do remember these are people’s family members and try to be kind and considerate when wanting to keep them away from your garden as your hateful actions could have heartbreaking consequence. They might not matter to you but are the world to their families. Thankyou.
I’m sorry your cat was killed but perhaps if people kept house cats other people who choose not to have cats at all would not have to put up with cat shit in their garden and wouldn’t have to chase cats off their property.
I am quite allergic to cats. Obviously I cannot have a pet cat myself and I would prefer my home and garden to be cat free for my health. I absolutely will chase any cat off my property and use cat deterrents. I don’t want to be picking up cat shit when I spend time in my own garden, it’s disgusting, unsanitary and can trigger an allergic reaction in me.
So who is more important here? The life of a cat? Or the life of a person? Keep your cats indoors.
Alice… I COMPLETELY agree with you. I do not understand the “entitled” mentality of cat owners to think their cats should be able to leave their disgusting feces in ANYONE’S yard but their OWN. Geez! As much as I like cats and empathize with the loss of a pet, it is ENTIRELY the cat owner’s responsibility to keep their cats indoors if they are such valued “family” members that their loss would be devastating. Cat owners who feel as though their cats not only should be able to defecate in neighbour’s yards… and then reprimand any of us for attempting to keep them out by whatever means we choose are contemptible. They are not unlike the kind of people who think a gardener should not get upset if their children pick lilies and other flowers/plants from yards that do not belong to them. “My kids did not mean any harm” simply does not cut it when I have spent good money, hard work and time in nurturing MY garden, only to see all that effort destroyed by irresponsible parents who do not teach their children to respect what does not belong to them. This applies to all the irresponsible CAT OWNERS too!
This comment is all anyone ever needs to read on the subject..!!
I am sorry for your loss and never expected to become aware of such an extreme situation when researching this problem.
The loss of any cat can no way ever be compared what you have experienced.
Sending love and best wishes for the future to you.
I completely agree with you! I have always been an animal lover, until our neighbor’s ridiculous cats starting leaving their excrement all over our front planter. I have had shoes ruined, had to clean off our porch from the feces several times, and now experience more frustration toward animals than I EVER thought I would. It’s really not fair or appropriate to have to clean up after someone else’s pet. Pretty ridiculous to me.
I completely agree. People should take responsibility for their pets.
I’ve been experiencing a huge problem within last couple of months since next door neighbors moved in with a cat.
It’s been a constant battle: me against the cat poop.
I’m a massive animal lover, but I don’t want to clean somebody else’s cat’s poop on daily basis. Twice a day to be more precise.
I’ve spoken to the neighbor. But it seems she doesn’t give a poop.
It frustrates me a lot!
I have tried all natural repellents: lemon, pepper, essential oils… sprays and powders from the shops. Nothing, nothing helped.
With a help of my friend, i’ll be trying to put a chicken wire tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!!
“Kind and considerate”… are you SERIOUS?! “Hateful actions”? The two “heartbreaking consequences” could have been avoided if you were a responsible cat OWNER. It is unlikely that either incident of throwing water @ the cats were hateful as the water throwers likely were not DESIROUS that the cats would be killed. Try employing KIND and CONSIDERATE by preventing YOUR cats from DEFILING other people’s yards. And please do not preach to us about your precious cats meaning the world to your family if you CHOOSE to allow them to run free outdoors.
So unaccountable of you to NOT take responsibility for your own pet and blame it on your neighbor. If you had taken the time to consider the ramifications of cats running free it is a no-brainer they could get hurt. Keep your pets either inside or contained by an electric fence. It is not everyone else’s responsibility to take care of your things, it’s YOURS!
You should have kept it on a lead then or did you expect the driver of the car to swerve and possibly injure a person? Cats are filthy vermin that are responsible for the decline in native wildlife. With an estimated 11 million cats in the UK just each cat catching 1 bird a week each is not sustainable. I see my neighbours cats with several different birds in their mouths each day. These filthy disease spreading animals are only owned by irresponsible people who expect others to clean up their animals shit up for them.
A good catapult works a treat. I’ve heard a crossbow is good too. Keep your vermin indoors or use a lead like I have to with my dogs.
Then keep you cats indoors and away from neighbors property and they wouldn’t water them. Besides if they were indoors they couldn’t run in to the street and be unfortunately run over. Why not take some personal responsibility for your actions of not controlling your cat!
I too am absolutely sick of scraping up cat excrement from our two lawns. There are dozens of cats in our area. Yesterday I must have removed 20 loads of the stuff before I could mow.
I will check out the sprayer.
Ralph, it is indeed a real problem that a cat kills birds. No inverted commas needed. The neighbouring cats not only see fit to use our garden as a toilet but this evening killed some robins, right in front of us. In spite of no doubt having plenty of food at home, as pampered pets. There are way too many cats (and I say this as a former cat owner and cat lover). And it is well documented that populations of song birds are going down. Needless to say, our neighbours don’t give a ***t (no pun intended) whereas I would have been mortified had the situation been reversed.
Alice, I note your comment too and sympathise as a fellow asthmatic. I can no longer keep cats and am trying to have a bird friendly garden (unsuccessfully, it seems).
If you don’t like cats doing business in your garden use onions cats don’t like the smell of them and then will keep them away
I know it’s not the best advice but it might work
I would never be cruel to an animal but after spending quite a bit on hard earned cash on my garden, having to lift shit that neighbours cats have left in my garden day after day is really getting me down and i am starting to have a real dislike for these animals. My mum owns a cat and i love her dearly but this is getting to be a big problem…
Likewise.
I actually consider myself an animal lover, however after having become sick and tired of cleaning up peoples cat shit from my yard and my main path and doorway consistently stinking of the stuff I have now come to hate the disgusting little vermin..!
I just found a reeking pile in my own garden- extra disgusting as I have a VEGGIE garden, not a flower garden! The cat also dug it’s toilet right in the middle of a lettuce row that had just started sprouting. Infuriating.
I have spent a small fortune on my garden so my grandchildren can play outside safely. I have a neighbour with 3 cats who use my garden as their personal toilet. Cat poo is dangerous to children. I have to pick it up! I throw it back over the fence. I have tried citrus sprays, pepper etc., I am totally fed up. If the cat spots me it runs so water pistols are out. I’m interested in the automatic spray.
This problem is usually caused by the fact that the owners of these cats are as feral as the animals. The neighbours we had next to us were disgusting, their animals ,a dog and three cats were mange ridden,flea infested and also suffered from lack of worming treatment!,.. they left a mess in our garden. I invested in high fences, Pyracantha hedging,spikes, sensors. I resorted to throwing stones ,water cannon and returning the mess to their garden. Only when they were moved the problem dissipated.
Recently I left an apartment community to rent a house so I would have a yard for my granddaughters to play in. After moving in I soon discovered that the neighbors on either side of me have multiple cats that they allow to roam the neighborhood and they seem to have a preference for my yard in particular. Daily I watch as they use my front and back yard as well as my driveway (which is gravel) as one huge litter box not to mention throwing up!! Mind you I’ve had several cats over the years and loved them dearly but I would never dream of allowing them to roam freely outside and risk them being a nuisance to my neighbors! These cats climb on our vehicles as well as lay inside if the windows happen to be down. It is totally irresponsible of the cat owners to allow this. Needless to say I will not allow my granddaughters to play in the yard until I figure out the best solution to keep the cats out. I should not have to be inconvenienced by cleaning up after my neighbors animals or spend my hard earned dollars trying one thing after another to get rid of them but I’m over it and will do whatever it takes to keep them out!! Shame on pet owners who feel their pets have a right to destroy and cause unsanitary conditions to others just because they’re animals! It’s disgusting and a health hazard. What about my rights and my granddaughters rights? Fed up for sure…
if your cats stay on your property then no problem Ariana,however if your cats shit in my garden which I have turned into a little playground for my grand daughter…they can take what comes to them.keep your pets under control,if you cant then get rid of them.
I am living with the stink and mess with cat shit in my small garden from other peoples cats. Yes I do thrown the odd pebble at and have a super soaker too. I think it is you Ariana that needs to understand who has a life or not, your priorites are somewhat mixed up.
You’re actually getting narked about people throwing WATER at your cats??
So it’s ok for your pets to continually and repeatedly threaten the health of your neighbours, ruin their property and enjoyment of it and have to suffer the smell and disgusting chore of cleaning up your pets faeces, but if we frighten/scare/upset them you consider us to be in the wrong?
It’s completely inconsiderate selfish pieces of shit like YOU that are the problem with society and I would happily drop kick your beloved pet right over the fence into your face!! You utter wench.
Totally well said Nick !!
Most cat owners are self-centered untidy F**** in regards to their own property (seems the case around here, where I live !) never mind other peoples!
“ariana” is a complete and utter self-entitled self-centered narcissist D***, and I’d happily kick her F-ing A along with her vermin “cat” if it shat on my property.
Cats are dirty stinking “b*******” when crapping in other folks’ gardens….
Never in my life have I heard such selfishness coming from (most) cat owners, (in general ) who think it is ok for their bloody cat to shit where it pleases – yet would be up in arms if someone’s dog shat on their property !
To those particular Cat Owners – Learn A Bit Of Respect Towards Others & Their Property- You Self Entitled B******* !!!!!!!!!!!!!
My girlfriends mother was born blind because of Toxoplasmosis!
You, and your cats, are disgusting.
Keep them to yourself you irresponsible horrible person!
These people have got lives…They’re just fed up with people like you who let their cats shit in their gardens you ignoramus. I’d run over it in my car. But don’t worry I’d finish it off with the jack if I had too.
If I didn’t clean up after my dog in a public place I could be fined £150 in my town .Yet the average cat produces as much crap as a small dog and their owners get away with it.A neighbour got a cat scarer and a cat craped in front of it! Paracetamols and sardines cure the problem permanently so I’m told as are shotgun pellets.
To deter cats I use pelleted chicken manure it also keeps the neighbour’s kids off my lawn .
My rescue dog EATS cat poo so it is a race to see who gets to it first! I spent the winter with all my raised beds covered in pea netting, paving stones and plant pots. They came off a couple of weeks ago, guess what my puppy found in the garden today ?
I am sick of the cats in my neighborhood. My neighbor doesn’t take care of the stray cats he picks up, other than pouring cat food out on his driveway occasionally. I’ve found dead birds in my yard and on my porch. I regularly have to shovel up cat poo. And yes, I’ve seen them poo right on top of the grass. I’ve called animal control and my community association. I’ve gotten no help from either. I tried one of the motion detector water sprayers. First, they can be quite expensive. Luckily, I found one for about $25 on Amazon but it eats through batteries faster than the cats can poo. Second, my water bill rose significantly, as it will spray often on a windy day when some motion sets it off. You get what you pay for, I guess. I also try to move it around in the yard, front yard, back yard, left side yard, right side yard, but cats are very smart and very sneaky. I saw one sitting feet away from the sprayer just watching it, when I had turned it off a few rainy days and neglected to turn it back on. I actually found a pile of poo right behind the sprayer another time. It’s as if the cats are trying to prove to me that I can’t keep them from using my yard as their toilet. So generally the motion sprayer has not been effective. Years ago, my husband would trap and relocate the cats. It reduced the population, but unfortunately it’s grown again. Obviously it won’t work when I’ve seen my inconsiderate neighbor picking up strays in the neighborhood. I understand being an animal lover. However, I am not an animal lover. I have allergies, my grandchildren have allergies, and the smell of poo literally makes me sick. I’ve spent the past 3 days nauseous due to all the cat poo smells around the outside of my house. I had to mop the entire downstairs with bleach after one of my grandchildren accidently stepped in and carried poo into the house on Easter. I have no pets to attract and don’t put trash out until pickup day. I tried relocating their poo to his yard and pouring vinegar in the location where they had poo’d. That helped for a few days but the vinegar kills my grass. I’ve tried commercial repellents, coffee grounds, cayenne pepper, essential oils, moth balls, etc. with no lasting effect. Sadly, I will resort to trapping again to reduce the cat population and thereby reduce the abundance of cat poo. Animal owners, please be responsible for your pets and considerate to your neighbors.
We have a problem with neighbour’s cats pooping & scraping in plant pots and on the garden lawn. This is especially upsetting when they have just been planted out with summer bedding. We also have a small pond with fish and frogs in and frequently see one particular cat “fishing”, occasionally carrying a frog, and lying in wait for birds.
40 years ago, we had three cats all at the same time and trained each of them to use litter trays and it worked extremely well. We’ve now had dogs (Goldies) for the past 25 years but unfortunately none of them has showed any particular interest in chasing cats out of the garden!! Also, our latest Goldie is a rescue dog…. almost perfect, except for the horrible habit of eating cat poo !!
Because we own a dog, we can’t use the ultrasonic or automatic water spraying devices, so we are down to physical barriers of some sort.
Cat proof fence
Has anyone tried the solution given by the RSPB – Taut wire or string fitted 10-15 cm above the fence-top?
I was thinking trying this by stretching some pvc coated garden wire through vine eyes along the top of close board fencing.
Cat’s crap….It stinks, it’s dangerous and it isn’t mine. Yet it’s me that has to clear it up on an all too regular basis from my garden, where my Grandchildren play, roll over, lie down.. Keep your crapping cats in to shat in your own house, it’s you that wanted one/two/several ..Cat owners are probably the only people who don’t get this problem.. I don’t hate cats but I thoroughly dislike them now and furthermore there are far too many..Maybe an humane cull is required ?? For now tho a strong water pistol/rifle is called for..
I’ve had cats all my life and personally I wouldn’t dream of letting them outside. All of mine have been house cats. The majority of the above comments are very ignorant and are the exact reason I do not let them out. There are too many horrible, spiteful and vindictive people in society that do god knows what to animals, let alone cats. I think all cats should be kept indoors with access to outside ‘catios’ I also agree that ALL pets owners should be licensed and that pets should be neutered unless for licensed breeding. I cannot abide irresponsible pet owners.
However, this isn’t the case and until it is people should learn to be more tolerant. Animals will shit were they like and unfortunately that may be your garden. There are plenty of things you can do to discourage this behavior. Cats are incredibly intelligent and will learn if their usual ‘litter box’ is no longer suitable.
OMG so glad to find this site and to know I’m not just a grumpy old woman who is obsessed with this problem. My immediate neighbour has 4 cats and there are loads of others in my road. It’s not unusual to arrive home to 4 or 5 cats sitting around my driveway. My main problem is cat sh*t on my drive. It is loose gravel and I probably move 3 + loads every day.
I’ve tried the sonic things to no avail. Today I’ve sprinkled red hot chilli powder in the hope that they walk on it then lick it!
My other problem is they jump on my car and slide down the windscreen then leave scratches on the bonnet
My daughter is a vet nurse so we like animals but I don’t know why people have cats which just pi*s people off.
I share the driveway with said neighbour so I can’t put the water spraying gadget there sadly
It’s good to know I’m not alone. We should set up an online petition to have cats licensed, chipped and neutered. Lobby your MP!!
I am disabled, and am at my wits end with up to four cats sh__ing in my garden every night, it is not right, if you have a cat you should also teach it to use a litter tray, inside your own home. If you lived in Canada and had cats, by law you must keep them inside your four walls. They are not aloud outside your home, not even in the garden. This is one law I would love to see passed, in this country. They poo in my front garden and kill birds in my back garden, (just because they can.) As somebody else posted it is upsetting when you have spent lots of money planting your garden only to have it destroyed by an animal that is not yours, and because of the stupid right to roam law, you can not even claim compensation. My neighbour has been cutting Blackthorne branches and laying them all around my garden for me. It works but miss a couple of inches and they poo there. But who wants to sit and look at dead Blackthorn branches all year round. I can not use one of the water spray sensors, as it would spray on anyone walking passed. They poo at night and I will not sit in the garden all night with a water pistol waiting for them. My neighbour’s would have me carted away. The sonic sensors are carp. I had one four years ago and watched a cat poo right next to it. The only thing left for me to do is buy a big cat hating dog, but as I can not walk one that’s out of the question. Or get the law changed. Anyone noticed that there are always cats at number 10. Maybe that’s the reason for the law as it is. I’m now going out in my wheelchair to clear up cat poo.
These are exactly the views expressed by my neighbourhood cat owners. I also live with a vegan flat mate that thinks nobody should ever hurt or traumatise any animal ever, for any reason.
Bullets are too good for people like this.
These people are never the ones who have to clean up after these disgusting foul vermin. I’ve said it before, your cats on my property are quite rightly called vermin (read the dictionary cat owners).
We need a change in the law that says I can kill any animal that comes onto my property and is causing a risk to my health and well-being. Cat poop/urine is a major health hazard that can even lead to death in humans. Therefore I should be legally protected when I destroy a threat to my life.
Cat owners should also be legally liable for any and all damages done by their animal to other people or property in the same way as dog owners are. If my dog poops and I don’t clean it up I get fined.
If that poop contains some foul disease or parasite that causes harm or even death, particularly to a child. Then any good lawyer would hang me out to dry in any court you care to mention. Not even counting what the tabloid media would do to me.
Cats are disgusting and one keeps shitting in my tomato grow bag and it’s happening at night so I can’t scare the little flea bag off. I have three young children who play in our very small back garden and I mean small. When I get my hands on it I will do more than just throw water at it. Cats are vermin!!!!
Sadly, I’ve faced the same thing with ferral cats. Got to trapping them one by one and taking them to the authorities for either placement or disposal. It helped a lot. A humane trap can be all you need, but you need to live in jurisdiction where turning in a ferral cat is allowable. Unfortunately, there are times when you trap other things, such as opossums or skunks, not very delightful to come up on the trap with those creatures trapped, particularly the skunks. I’d advise if you use traps, to figure up some kind of remote release in case you catch yourself a skunk. A long string to pull open the trap from a distance to allow with little stinker out.
Then there is the sad situation where the culprit is someone’s pet. I hate to admit it, but these are the worst offenders. They are someone’s pet, so you don’t want to be cruel, but I’ve found that trying to negotiate with the owner has been fruitless. Like others have already stated, can’t cannot be contained unless they are kept indoors permanently. When I’ve trapped a pet cat, I generally take it back to the owner and explain that I’ve had a problem. Generally it improves for a day or two, but then as soon as the cat it let outdoors again, he or she is headstrong on returning to my garden.
I am looking for some solution and hope to find something that really does work. A repellant that truly works would be ideal to keep the neighborhood pets out of the garden. This is just completely frustrating.
We have a very nice neighbour but he feeds feral cats and they use my garden as their litter box. Additionally, they are harbored in another nice neighbour’s barn and my garden is in-between. Both people are elderly and not well and I don’t wish to upset them. This is a rural village in France and there is a national law against feeding stray or feral animals. It could be that they are unaware or the mayor has never enforced the law.
At any rate, I find the following works pretty well and three of the five cats have now moved on:
– latest generation of sonic deterrents
– hot chili seeds
– pruned branches from roses, blackberry bushes and bramble; today I’ve added nettle. Lavender prunings work very well too. All placed on beds and I patrol twice a day and before nightfall. Really does anger me to be cleaning up the poo and I spend more time protecting my garden rather than gardening!
The regional TNR insists that the cats be bright back ‘home’ after treatment. This is absurd as we simply don’t want the cats on our property. Hello toxoplasmosis! So, aside from the above procedures I’ll trap them and take them elsewhere. Cats are wonderful in many ways but not in the numbers here . Yes, I understand another litter has arrived a few doors down. To the barricades!
I caught the next door neighbour’s cat crapping just outside my front door one night. She leaves her front door open and just lets her dogs and cats roam in the road (a cul-de-sac) and we have shared drive areas as it is a block of maisonettes. This was just a while ago and while I cornered the neighbour and she apologised and cleared up the mess on that occasion, it is obvious the cat is still messing right outside my front door. How can I deter the cat from this area as other deterrents are intended for protecting lawns and flower beds?
It is unfortunate that cats are under attack. Raccoons and skunks leave similar bundles of joy in gardens but the cat is often the only animal blamed. The other “Big Problem” is that a cat will kill birds and some delusional mathematician will have you believe that cat kill millions. But then there is the upside to cats – no mice, rats or rodents. These unwelcome guests don’t hide their dropping in your garden, they leave them anywhere and that can be extremely unhealthy for humans. That means the main concern is that the cat is looked after properly with all the necessary shot. I applaud your suggestion of water training the cats – that’s how you protect trees with low nests from cats as well – it works.
If a cat is well looked after and well fed it will make little or no difference to rat and mice populations.
Well I think it’s rude. And it doesn’t matter what cats may keep away. who wants to clean up shit that doesn’t belong to your pet( if you have on) People have kids that have the right to play In their homes yard with out having to watch their step. At least my dog shits in the same area where I allowed him to actually go. The place where kids don’t play or I can sit in peace without smelly animal feces. Secondly we for example clean our dog poop up. Cats just piss and shit where ever they feel. If people choose to get cats. Then keep them from littering in neighbors property ä. For I respectfully do this foebmy neighbor.
Yessss! You are 100 percent correct.
Delusional? Cats are a menace to all wildlife, they kill birds, snakes, slow worms, and frogs in my garden, and leave the mice and rats alone! They dig up my plants and cr*p everywhere. It’s disgusting!
I’ve just had to put a wire net door on may green house to keep the vermin out! They annoy my dog by sitting on the fence, and so cause noise pollution.
I think that cat owners should be forced to license their animals, £150 pa, with the money ring-fenced for wildlife projects; or better remove them altogether from the UK and allow the Scots wild cat to maintain free genetic lines.
The general trend today is kill half the wildlife by building houses and then the job is completed by irresponsible people who want a pet that requires no responsibility and yet is also the biggest spreader of toxicosis.
Never mind a hose or water pistol, I’m tempted to trap them and throw them in my pond!
Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing cats out there, but I don’t want them in my garden or needlessly killing wildlife.
Im a vegan and love all animals but I can’t help but agree…cats are no better than humans when it comes to destroying nature and just like humans, there are one or two that are ok but not many.
I’m not entirely certain that veganism is relevant, nor (in the UK) is it very green (no pun intended) but to stay on point, Cat’s are just doing what cats do. Whenever we introduce a non-indigenous species we cause issues. It is entirely humans who should be blamed. Just as I should be blamed for my dog’s actions.
Someone commented that cats are domesticated, I’d disagree with that, they are wild animals that are happy to share a house until they decide to move on! And in addition to killing wildlife, spreading filth, disease and stench, they add to litter and plastic pollution with all the “Lost” notices wire-tied to lamp-posts (never taken down by the poster as far as I can see). They always make me smile whenever I see one!
As dog owners, we take the responsibility for our pet and it’s actions very seriously, even if out on the moors in a remote location we clean up after it (those who throw bags of dog crap into hedges and trees, are they mental? They should be punished with a bat until they learn!). But having to tolerate neighbors’ pets crapping in my garden is beyond the pale!
How do you know someone’s a vegan? It’s the first thing they say!
I absolutely agree.I live in an area where lots of people have cats, they are let out to roam and they all seem to use my garden as a big litter tray, pooping here rather than in their own back yard. I’ve tried everything to stop them, pepper, citrus peels, bottles, scare cats, you name it and I’m sick to death of getting cat shit on my shoes. I can’t even sit in the garden because of the overwhelming smell of cat piss. I have a bird box that Blue Tits breed in every year and I have to use carpet smooth edge fastened all around it to stop the cats from climbing on top. If there were a license to pay, people would think twice about buying a cat. Also for the sake of the birds, they should have to wear a bell. People need to be made responsible for their animals and should not be fined if their cats is a bother to others. Noone would put up witha dog doing the same thing so why cats?!!!!
But most of these other animals are herbivores. ..they are also wild and are lovely. I love mice in my garden but cats are like humans…they kill for fun…their poo is toxic and I dont understand how people tolerate their smell. They are DOMESTICATED. ..so they should stink your houses out not ruin peoples gardens.
I am an owner of two cats both of which are house cats and only go outside in my own garden on a lead and only use their litter box which is cleaned daily for hygiene reasons as I suffer from health and immunity problems and have just had a baby girl.
My elderly neighbour has four cats all of which use my garden and my driveway as a giant litter box, my husband has watched it is her cats that are the offenders but she also keeps putting food out encouraging all the cats in the area!
I’ve put bleach down, disinfectant, jeys fluid, citrus scents, brought a motion sensor water jet (which my neighbour with the cats keeps coming down my drive and moving it!). We can’t put chicken wire down as that would make the drive slippy and I’m not steady on my legs as it is with my health issues.
I don’t know what else we can do as it’s getting worse everyday there are at least five piles of poo on my driveway alone and every time I speak to her she says the same it’s fox or badger poo even though I’ve watched its her cats and you can tell the difference as cat poo is alot smaller and less Smelly then fox and badger poo.
Any advise on anything else I can try?
Rodents are “extremely unhealthy for humans.” That’s a bigger pile of excrement than what I find in my garden. Rodents (far more timid than the average cat) and only transmit diseases through direct contact with them or their urine and faeces’ so unless you’re in a confined space with them they’ll cause you no harm. Cats are worse for the spread of disease while they may only spread disease though direct contact like rodents they are far less timid than the typical rodent so direct contact with them and especially there faeces is more likely. Cats claws are filthy and can cause horrific infection such as impetigo (I know that from personal experience) and cat scratch fever among other infections. They can also carry a variety of worms which can be transmitted just through touching a cat, their urine also is the main cause of toxoplasmosis which can be fatal to humans.
Don’t get me wrong, I like all animals but I don’t like animal excrement in my garden, especially when someone is responsible for that animal. So I feel no guilt in using a humane deferent such as water to get a cat off my flower bed.
My beautiful garden became therapy for treatment of bad PTSD of being in the military. Mind you I would gladly defend my wonderful country again but now I am at battle with the neighbors cats who use my garden as their toilet! I have resorted to using the gentle traps and relocating the cats to another city. One by one this enemy is shrinking and I am gaining in the battle of wills.
Coleus Canina is a plant for perimeter of yard to keep cats away! I pick the stems and lay them weekly in my raised beds to deter them from doing stuff among my vegetables. Flowers similar to lavender, long stems, drought tolerant, and you can even steep for 24 hrs or more to make a spray .
So neat will try thanks
Brenda, that is a brilliant idea, cats should be illegal unless kept in the house, we are in UK and have lots of problems, I get so angry even to the point of tears. We sit in the garden enjoying the sun( which isn’t often in UK ) and all you can smell is cat poo ! we walk around the garden and …oh no cat poo on our footwear because we didn’t see it slyly buried in the garden ( we have gravel instead of a lawn and it has become a giant cat litter tray), I love gardening but it is so disgusting when i am planting or weeding and I get cat poo on my hands !!!. It really does make me mad enough to remove cats from this earth and send them to kitty heaven. Keep up the good work !!.
Mens urine sprinkled around garden does work my husband does this daily pees in bottle in garage and puts it around our garden daily it keeps all cats away
What do I do my neighbor has complained to are associate about my 5 cats pooping in her backyard.. There’s other cats around besides mine. I have a big litter box in my backyard and 2 reg side ones. They now want me to give 3 cats up.
Simple, keep your cats in the house and take them out on a lead and when they poo clean it up, just like dog owners have to do !!!!
Can I just say as much as I appreciate it’s really not nice for any animal to soil in your garden please remember and appreciate that these animals are also someone’s family members. My cat was killed by a car because a neighbour threw water at her. She was only 10 months old and my children were beyond devestated, especially my 8 year old who is a diabetic and her
Little cat used to have this unusual ‘knowing’ of when her blood levels are low. It’s been 18 months since she was killed and my children are still so heartbroken by it. Sadly when I was a child the my neighbour threw water at our cat who ran straight out in the road and was killed. She was also pregnant due to give birth any day and her and her kittens were squashed across the road. A haunting sight for a 6 year old. So as much as cats/animals spiking your garden is inconvenient please do remember these are people’s family members and try to be kind and considerate when wanting to keep them away from your garden as your hateful actions could have heartbreaking consequence. They might not matter to you but are the world to their families. Thankyou.
I’m sorry your cat was killed but perhaps if people kept house cats other people who choose not to have cats at all would not have to put up with cat shit in their garden and wouldn’t have to chase cats off their property.
I am quite allergic to cats. Obviously I cannot have a pet cat myself and I would prefer my home and garden to be cat free for my health. I absolutely will chase any cat off my property and use cat deterrents. I don’t want to be picking up cat shit when I spend time in my own garden, it’s disgusting, unsanitary and can trigger an allergic reaction in me.
So who is more important here? The life of a cat? Or the life of a person? Keep your cats indoors.
Alice… I COMPLETELY agree with you. I do not understand the “entitled” mentality of cat owners to think their cats should be able to leave their disgusting feces in ANYONE’S yard but their OWN. Geez! As much as I like cats and empathize with the loss of a pet, it is ENTIRELY the cat owner’s responsibility to keep their cats indoors if they are such valued “family” members that their loss would be devastating. Cat owners who feel as though their cats not only should be able to defecate in neighbour’s yards… and then reprimand any of us for attempting to keep them out by whatever means we choose are contemptible. They are not unlike the kind of people who think a gardener should not get upset if their children pick lilies and other flowers/plants from yards that do not belong to them. “My kids did not mean any harm” simply does not cut it when I have spent good money, hard work and time in nurturing MY garden, only to see all that effort destroyed by irresponsible parents who do not teach their children to respect what does not belong to them. This applies to all the irresponsible CAT OWNERS too!
I lost a baby due to cat excrement in my garden. I had no idea it was there until it was too late. Pet cats should be kept indoors
This comment is all anyone ever needs to read on the subject..!!
I am sorry for your loss and never expected to become aware of such an extreme situation when researching this problem.
The loss of any cat can no way ever be compared what you have experienced.
Sending love and best wishes for the future to you.
I completely agree with you! I have always been an animal lover, until our neighbor’s ridiculous cats starting leaving their excrement all over our front planter. I have had shoes ruined, had to clean off our porch from the feces several times, and now experience more frustration toward animals than I EVER thought I would. It’s really not fair or appropriate to have to clean up after someone else’s pet. Pretty ridiculous to me.
I completely agree. People should take responsibility for their pets.
I’ve been experiencing a huge problem within last couple of months since next door neighbors moved in with a cat.
It’s been a constant battle: me against the cat poop.
I’m a massive animal lover, but I don’t want to clean somebody else’s cat’s poop on daily basis. Twice a day to be more precise.
I’ve spoken to the neighbor. But it seems she doesn’t give a poop.
It frustrates me a lot!
I have tried all natural repellents: lemon, pepper, essential oils… sprays and powders from the shops. Nothing, nothing helped.
With a help of my friend, i’ll be trying to put a chicken wire tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!!
“Kind and considerate”… are you SERIOUS?! “Hateful actions”? The two “heartbreaking consequences” could have been avoided if you were a responsible cat OWNER. It is unlikely that either incident of throwing water @ the cats were hateful as the water throwers likely were not DESIROUS that the cats would be killed. Try employing KIND and CONSIDERATE by preventing YOUR cats from DEFILING other people’s yards. And please do not preach to us about your precious cats meaning the world to your family if you CHOOSE to allow them to run free outdoors.
Get electric fence and collars for all your pets. The neighbors and you will feel secure it is not your pet doing the damage.
So unaccountable of you to NOT take responsibility for your own pet and blame it on your neighbor. If you had taken the time to consider the ramifications of cats running free it is a no-brainer they could get hurt. Keep your pets either inside or contained by an electric fence. It is not everyone else’s responsibility to take care of your things, it’s YOURS!
Should have kept the cat in the house like dog owners do.
You should have kept it on a lead then or did you expect the driver of the car to swerve and possibly injure a person? Cats are filthy vermin that are responsible for the decline in native wildlife. With an estimated 11 million cats in the UK just each cat catching 1 bird a week each is not sustainable. I see my neighbours cats with several different birds in their mouths each day. These filthy disease spreading animals are only owned by irresponsible people who expect others to clean up their animals shit up for them.
A good catapult works a treat. I’ve heard a crossbow is good too. Keep your vermin indoors or use a lead like I have to with my dogs.
LOL! good for your neighbour! stinking, filthy, animal!
Then keep your cat in your house!! You don’t see my children taking a shit in your house, do you? Those kids are my family and I keep them close.
Then keep you cats indoors and away from neighbors property and they wouldn’t water them. Besides if they were indoors they couldn’t run in to the street and be unfortunately run over. Why not take some personal responsibility for your actions of not controlling your cat!
I too am absolutely sick of scraping up cat excrement from our two lawns. There are dozens of cats in our area. Yesterday I must have removed 20 loads of the stuff before I could mow.
I will check out the sprayer.
Ralph, it is indeed a real problem that a cat kills birds. No inverted commas needed. The neighbouring cats not only see fit to use our garden as a toilet but this evening killed some robins, right in front of us. In spite of no doubt having plenty of food at home, as pampered pets. There are way too many cats (and I say this as a former cat owner and cat lover). And it is well documented that populations of song birds are going down. Needless to say, our neighbours don’t give a ***t (no pun intended) whereas I would have been mortified had the situation been reversed.
Alice, I note your comment too and sympathise as a fellow asthmatic. I can no longer keep cats and am trying to have a bird friendly garden (unsuccessfully, it seems).
If you don’t like cats doing business in your garden use onions cats don’t like the smell of them and then will keep them away
I know it’s not the best advice but it might work
Good Luck x
Sounds an ok idea but do you really want to sit in the sun smelling onions ….on the other hand it is better than smelling cat poo. 🙂
I would never be cruel to an animal but after spending quite a bit on hard earned cash on my garden, having to lift shit that neighbours cats have left in my garden day after day is really getting me down and i am starting to have a real dislike for these animals. My mum owns a cat and i love her dearly but this is getting to be a big problem…
I feel the same Norma, I am starting to hate cats, not good but the owners should keep them in the house like dog owners do !
Likewise.
I actually consider myself an animal lover, however after having become sick and tired of cleaning up peoples cat shit from my yard and my main path and doorway consistently stinking of the stuff I have now come to hate the disgusting little vermin..!
I just found a reeking pile in my own garden- extra disgusting as I have a VEGGIE garden, not a flower garden! The cat also dug it’s toilet right in the middle of a lettuce row that had just started sprouting. Infuriating.
I have spent a small fortune on my garden so my grandchildren can play outside safely. I have a neighbour with 3 cats who use my garden as their personal toilet. Cat poo is dangerous to children. I have to pick it up! I throw it back over the fence. I have tried citrus sprays, pepper etc., I am totally fed up. If the cat spots me it runs so water pistols are out. I’m interested in the automatic spray.
Collect it all up and post it back to the owners, it is there property you would be kindly returning LOL
This problem is usually caused by the fact that the owners of these cats are as feral as the animals. The neighbours we had next to us were disgusting, their animals ,a dog and three cats were mange ridden,flea infested and also suffered from lack of worming treatment!,.. they left a mess in our garden. I invested in high fences, Pyracantha hedging,spikes, sensors. I resorted to throwing stones ,water cannon and returning the mess to their garden. Only when they were moved the problem dissipated.
Recently I left an apartment community to rent a house so I would have a yard for my granddaughters to play in. After moving in I soon discovered that the neighbors on either side of me have multiple cats that they allow to roam the neighborhood and they seem to have a preference for my yard in particular. Daily I watch as they use my front and back yard as well as my driveway (which is gravel) as one huge litter box not to mention throwing up!! Mind you I’ve had several cats over the years and loved them dearly but I would never dream of allowing them to roam freely outside and risk them being a nuisance to my neighbors! These cats climb on our vehicles as well as lay inside if the windows happen to be down. It is totally irresponsible of the cat owners to allow this. Needless to say I will not allow my granddaughters to play in the yard until I figure out the best solution to keep the cats out. I should not have to be inconvenienced by cleaning up after my neighbors animals or spend my hard earned dollars trying one thing after another to get rid of them but I’m over it and will do whatever it takes to keep them out!! Shame on pet owners who feel their pets have a right to destroy and cause unsanitary conditions to others just because they’re animals! It’s disgusting and a health hazard. What about my rights and my granddaughters rights? Fed up for sure…
if any of you lot would throw rocks or water at my cats i would honestly and with no second though do the same to you,get a life
if your cats stay on your property then no problem Ariana,however if your cats shit in my garden which I have turned into a little playground for my grand daughter…they can take what comes to them.keep your pets under control,if you cant then get rid of them.
Well bloody said!
Ariana, maybe I should go shit in your yard. Would that be fair then if your cat shit in mine first? Would you be ok with that? Doubtful…
I am living with the stink and mess with cat shit in my small garden from other peoples cats. Yes I do thrown the odd pebble at and have a super soaker too. I think it is you Ariana that needs to understand who has a life or not, your priorites are somewhat mixed up.
You’re actually getting narked about people throwing WATER at your cats??
So it’s ok for your pets to continually and repeatedly threaten the health of your neighbours, ruin their property and enjoyment of it and have to suffer the smell and disgusting chore of cleaning up your pets faeces, but if we frighten/scare/upset them you consider us to be in the wrong?
It’s completely inconsiderate selfish pieces of shit like YOU that are the problem with society and I would happily drop kick your beloved pet right over the fence into your face!! You utter wench.
Totally well said Nick !!
Most cat owners are self-centered untidy F**** in regards to their own property (seems the case around here, where I live !) never mind other peoples!
“ariana” is a complete and utter self-entitled self-centered narcissist D***, and I’d happily kick her F-ing A along with her vermin “cat” if it shat on my property.
Cats are dirty stinking “b*******” when crapping in other folks’ gardens….
Never in my life have I heard such selfishness coming from (most) cat owners, (in general ) who think it is ok for their bloody cat to shit where it pleases – yet would be up in arms if someone’s dog shat on their property !
To those particular Cat Owners – Learn A Bit Of Respect Towards Others & Their Property- You Self Entitled B******* !!!!!!!!!!!!!
My girlfriends mother was born blind because of Toxoplasmosis!
You, and your cats, are disgusting.
Keep them to yourself you irresponsible horrible person!
These people have got lives…They’re just fed up with people like you who let their cats shit in their gardens you ignoramus. I’d run over it in my car. But don’t worry I’d finish it off with the jack if I had too.
If I didn’t clean up after my dog in a public place I could be fined £150 in my town .Yet the average cat produces as much crap as a small dog and their owners get away with it.A neighbour got a cat scarer and a cat craped in front of it! Paracetamols and sardines cure the problem permanently so I’m told as are shotgun pellets.
To deter cats I use pelleted chicken manure it also keeps the neighbour’s kids off my lawn .
I like sardines and i often get headaches ( due to cats messing in my garden )mmmm, there’s a thought !
is that for real?
My rescue dog EATS cat poo so it is a race to see who gets to it first! I spent the winter with all my raised beds covered in pea netting, paving stones and plant pots. They came off a couple of weeks ago, guess what my puppy found in the garden today ?
This is probably the most significant challenge on Roblox.
I am sick of the cats in my neighborhood. My neighbor doesn’t take care of the stray cats he picks up, other than pouring cat food out on his driveway occasionally. I’ve found dead birds in my yard and on my porch. I regularly have to shovel up cat poo. And yes, I’ve seen them poo right on top of the grass. I’ve called animal control and my community association. I’ve gotten no help from either. I tried one of the motion detector water sprayers. First, they can be quite expensive. Luckily, I found one for about $25 on Amazon but it eats through batteries faster than the cats can poo. Second, my water bill rose significantly, as it will spray often on a windy day when some motion sets it off. You get what you pay for, I guess. I also try to move it around in the yard, front yard, back yard, left side yard, right side yard, but cats are very smart and very sneaky. I saw one sitting feet away from the sprayer just watching it, when I had turned it off a few rainy days and neglected to turn it back on. I actually found a pile of poo right behind the sprayer another time. It’s as if the cats are trying to prove to me that I can’t keep them from using my yard as their toilet. So generally the motion sprayer has not been effective. Years ago, my husband would trap and relocate the cats. It reduced the population, but unfortunately it’s grown again. Obviously it won’t work when I’ve seen my inconsiderate neighbor picking up strays in the neighborhood. I understand being an animal lover. However, I am not an animal lover. I have allergies, my grandchildren have allergies, and the smell of poo literally makes me sick. I’ve spent the past 3 days nauseous due to all the cat poo smells around the outside of my house. I had to mop the entire downstairs with bleach after one of my grandchildren accidently stepped in and carried poo into the house on Easter. I have no pets to attract and don’t put trash out until pickup day. I tried relocating their poo to his yard and pouring vinegar in the location where they had poo’d. That helped for a few days but the vinegar kills my grass. I’ve tried commercial repellents, coffee grounds, cayenne pepper, essential oils, moth balls, etc. with no lasting effect. Sadly, I will resort to trapping again to reduce the cat population and thereby reduce the abundance of cat poo. Animal owners, please be responsible for your pets and considerate to your neighbors.
We have a problem with neighbour’s cats pooping & scraping in plant pots and on the garden lawn. This is especially upsetting when they have just been planted out with summer bedding. We also have a small pond with fish and frogs in and frequently see one particular cat “fishing”, occasionally carrying a frog, and lying in wait for birds.
40 years ago, we had three cats all at the same time and trained each of them to use litter trays and it worked extremely well. We’ve now had dogs (Goldies) for the past 25 years but unfortunately none of them has showed any particular interest in chasing cats out of the garden!! Also, our latest Goldie is a rescue dog…. almost perfect, except for the horrible habit of eating cat poo !!
Because we own a dog, we can’t use the ultrasonic or automatic water spraying devices, so we are down to physical barriers of some sort.
Cat proof fence
Has anyone tried the solution given by the RSPB – Taut wire or string fitted 10-15 cm above the fence-top?
I was thinking trying this by stretching some pvc coated garden wire through vine eyes along the top of close board fencing.
Cat’s crap….It stinks, it’s dangerous and it isn’t mine. Yet it’s me that has to clear it up on an all too regular basis from my garden, where my Grandchildren play, roll over, lie down.. Keep your crapping cats in to shat in your own house, it’s you that wanted one/two/several ..Cat owners are probably the only people who don’t get this problem.. I don’t hate cats but I thoroughly dislike them now and furthermore there are far too many..Maybe an humane cull is required ?? For now tho a strong water pistol/rifle is called for..
I’ve had cats all my life and personally I wouldn’t dream of letting them outside. All of mine have been house cats. The majority of the above comments are very ignorant and are the exact reason I do not let them out. There are too many horrible, spiteful and vindictive people in society that do god knows what to animals, let alone cats. I think all cats should be kept indoors with access to outside ‘catios’ I also agree that ALL pets owners should be licensed and that pets should be neutered unless for licensed breeding. I cannot abide irresponsible pet owners.
However, this isn’t the case and until it is people should learn to be more tolerant. Animals will shit were they like and unfortunately that may be your garden. There are plenty of things you can do to discourage this behavior. Cats are incredibly intelligent and will learn if their usual ‘litter box’ is no longer suitable.
OMG so glad to find this site and to know I’m not just a grumpy old woman who is obsessed with this problem. My immediate neighbour has 4 cats and there are loads of others in my road. It’s not unusual to arrive home to 4 or 5 cats sitting around my driveway. My main problem is cat sh*t on my drive. It is loose gravel and I probably move 3 + loads every day.
I’ve tried the sonic things to no avail. Today I’ve sprinkled red hot chilli powder in the hope that they walk on it then lick it!
My other problem is they jump on my car and slide down the windscreen then leave scratches on the bonnet
My daughter is a vet nurse so we like animals but I don’t know why people have cats which just pi*s people off.
I share the driveway with said neighbour so I can’t put the water spraying gadget there sadly
It’s good to know I’m not alone. We should set up an online petition to have cats licensed, chipped and neutered. Lobby your MP!!
I am disabled, and am at my wits end with up to four cats sh__ing in my garden every night, it is not right, if you have a cat you should also teach it to use a litter tray, inside your own home. If you lived in Canada and had cats, by law you must keep them inside your four walls. They are not aloud outside your home, not even in the garden. This is one law I would love to see passed, in this country. They poo in my front garden and kill birds in my back garden, (just because they can.) As somebody else posted it is upsetting when you have spent lots of money planting your garden only to have it destroyed by an animal that is not yours, and because of the stupid right to roam law, you can not even claim compensation. My neighbour has been cutting Blackthorne branches and laying them all around my garden for me. It works but miss a couple of inches and they poo there. But who wants to sit and look at dead Blackthorn branches all year round. I can not use one of the water spray sensors, as it would spray on anyone walking passed. They poo at night and I will not sit in the garden all night with a water pistol waiting for them. My neighbour’s would have me carted away. The sonic sensors are carp. I had one four years ago and watched a cat poo right next to it. The only thing left for me to do is buy a big cat hating dog, but as I can not walk one that’s out of the question. Or get the law changed. Anyone noticed that there are always cats at number 10. Maybe that’s the reason for the law as it is. I’m now going out in my wheelchair to clear up cat poo.
Cats are horrible cat owners are deluded.
These are exactly the views expressed by my neighbourhood cat owners. I also live with a vegan flat mate that thinks nobody should ever hurt or traumatise any animal ever, for any reason.
Bullets are too good for people like this.
These people are never the ones who have to clean up after these disgusting foul vermin. I’ve said it before, your cats on my property are quite rightly called vermin (read the dictionary cat owners).
We need a change in the law that says I can kill any animal that comes onto my property and is causing a risk to my health and well-being. Cat poop/urine is a major health hazard that can even lead to death in humans. Therefore I should be legally protected when I destroy a threat to my life.
Cat owners should also be legally liable for any and all damages done by their animal to other people or property in the same way as dog owners are. If my dog poops and I don’t clean it up I get fined.
If that poop contains some foul disease or parasite that causes harm or even death, particularly to a child. Then any good lawyer would hang me out to dry in any court you care to mention. Not even counting what the tabloid media would do to me.
Cats are disgusting and one keeps shitting in my tomato grow bag and it’s happening at night so I can’t scare the little flea bag off. I have three young children who play in our very small back garden and I mean small. When I get my hands on it I will do more than just throw water at it. Cats are vermin!!!!
if my dog chews a cat up in my garden can i be prosecuted
If nobody saw it, it didn’t happen! 😉
Now that our little JR has died we get even more cats in the garden, they even crap on his grave!
Sadly, I’ve faced the same thing with ferral cats. Got to trapping them one by one and taking them to the authorities for either placement or disposal. It helped a lot. A humane trap can be all you need, but you need to live in jurisdiction where turning in a ferral cat is allowable. Unfortunately, there are times when you trap other things, such as opossums or skunks, not very delightful to come up on the trap with those creatures trapped, particularly the skunks. I’d advise if you use traps, to figure up some kind of remote release in case you catch yourself a skunk. A long string to pull open the trap from a distance to allow with little stinker out.
Then there is the sad situation where the culprit is someone’s pet. I hate to admit it, but these are the worst offenders. They are someone’s pet, so you don’t want to be cruel, but I’ve found that trying to negotiate with the owner has been fruitless. Like others have already stated, can’t cannot be contained unless they are kept indoors permanently. When I’ve trapped a pet cat, I generally take it back to the owner and explain that I’ve had a problem. Generally it improves for a day or two, but then as soon as the cat it let outdoors again, he or she is headstrong on returning to my garden.
I am looking for some solution and hope to find something that really does work. A repellant that truly works would be ideal to keep the neighborhood pets out of the garden. This is just completely frustrating.
We have a very nice neighbour but he feeds feral cats and they use my garden as their litter box. Additionally, they are harbored in another nice neighbour’s barn and my garden is in-between. Both people are elderly and not well and I don’t wish to upset them. This is a rural village in France and there is a national law against feeding stray or feral animals. It could be that they are unaware or the mayor has never enforced the law.
At any rate, I find the following works pretty well and three of the five cats have now moved on:
– latest generation of sonic deterrents
– hot chili seeds
– pruned branches from roses, blackberry bushes and bramble; today I’ve added nettle. Lavender prunings work very well too. All placed on beds and I patrol twice a day and before nightfall. Really does anger me to be cleaning up the poo and I spend more time protecting my garden rather than gardening!
The regional TNR insists that the cats be bright back ‘home’ after treatment. This is absurd as we simply don’t want the cats on our property. Hello toxoplasmosis! So, aside from the above procedures I’ll trap them and take them elsewhere. Cats are wonderful in many ways but not in the numbers here . Yes, I understand another litter has arrived a few doors down. To the barricades!
I caught the next door neighbour’s cat crapping just outside my front door one night. She leaves her front door open and just lets her dogs and cats roam in the road (a cul-de-sac) and we have shared drive areas as it is a block of maisonettes. This was just a while ago and while I cornered the neighbour and she apologised and cleared up the mess on that occasion, it is obvious the cat is still messing right outside my front door. How can I deter the cat from this area as other deterrents are intended for protecting lawns and flower beds?