Poo-ing Cat

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Please help! My neighbor's cat has now made a habit of using my yard as a litterbox. No one really knows whose cat it is, although different neighbors suspect other different neighbors of owning it. Therefore, I have no idea who to speak to about it (although I'd like to speak to someone, believe me!). Plus, it's pretty rural here and I doubt they'd keep the cat in anyway.

How do I keep this cat out of my yard?! I am SO SICK of it! It is using my garden beds! And my tiny son grabbed a handful of it today. So I am here to ask everyone to tell me everything they've ever heard of to deal with this problem :) Thank you!

[windsng225]

Dear Ipaint,
Well I have the same problem. Only this year we have an addition of another cat. The owner does not care and keeps letting them out all day. So needless to say to speak to the owner may or may not do any good.
Last year I was told to try some dryed powdered hot pepper, which I did and heavely sprinkled it all over my garden inbetween all the plants and it did no good what so ever. Then I tried a squirt gun and shot him every time I saw him even coming close to the garden. That didn't work. I just got fed up and cleaned up after him it was easier.
This year, the first thing that I bought was some plastic chicken wire and I am going to fence my garden in and hope that it will keep him out. My other neighboor in back of me has his garden fenced in and the cat just walks right by it. So maybe it's too much trouble to jump the fence. "I hope so!"
I will let you know if this works. I wish you good luck, if you find anything else that works, please let me know.
joyce

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Hmm, well, my backyard is fenced in already, partly with chickenwire and partly with chain fence (I think it's called). I have found "evidence" of him 5 times recently in the fenced in area. So, for some reason he is willing to deal with the fence. WHY ME! ? Of all the yards! *sob*
I guess it's 'cause lots of the other neighbors have dogs.
I wish you well. Sigh.
I have fantasies of an electric fence. Ha! That's not happening any time soon. But it would be nice...

[Pharmerphil]

Sounds like it's time for a Dog! :D

[redbrick]

Well, you could try (now, bear with me on this) fox urine. Agway sells the stuff in plastic squirt bottles, ironically enough. Squirt that at the fence posts around the garden and you might chase it away.

The other trick you can try is laying hardware cloth on the surface of your soil so it can't dig. Of course, you probably need a lot of the cloth, right?

[Pharmerphil]

I think I seen the Ol' Tom barn cat makin' eyes at a fox though! J/K Andy!....It may work, as for the chickenwire, they don't like walking on it at all

[redbrick]

Well now, Phil, that thar's one tough-as-nails Tomcat! LOL! Ya know, I have heard the advice that if you use YOUR OWN urine, that works, too! "Evie, that crazy neighbor's out whizzin' at his fence again!" "What's that, Amos? I was too busy lettin' the cat back in!" :eek: ;)

[flowerpower]

A few days ago, I saw this black cat under a pine tree right next to the bird feeder. Since I am not a cat owner (or lover), this is unacceptable. If I continue to see it, I will trap it in a humane trap. I will not bother looking for the owner. It will go directly to the shelter.

Some animal shelters will lend you a humane trap if you have feral cats in your yard. Maybe you could try calling them.

[Pharmerphil]

good solution Flower!

Andy :p , dat would at least keep the neighbors away :D

[windsng225]

Well, there are a lot of suggestions here, and I think I like the "dog" one the best! Maybe you could rent one for a week or so. I have no clue what will work, as I said before, I will try the fencing in of my garden just to see if it works.
Last year my neighboor in back of me warned me about these animals that we have I think he said they were ground hogs. He said that they eat everything in the garden so don't put that much effort into the garden because he will get to it before you get a chance to eat anything from the garden. Well, I rushed on the Internet to find out what was available and low and behold there we have "fox Urine" powder form. So I bought it and by the time I got it I had seen this big brown thing standing right up in the back yard looking towards the house eating something of a weed. This thing was big! Bigger than a cat, I know that much. When I got the fox urine, I sprinkled it all around the outside of my garden (per the instructions) .... No more Ground hog! Haven't seen it since.
But now that I think of it, I didn't have a problem with the cat until the ground hog got a scent of the fox urine! Can you figure that one out?
I still think the dog is the best!
Joyce

[dirtundernails]

HUbby of DUN here. we been there, done that.

Might I suggest a German Shorthair pointer? The even have a euphamism regarding that breed,,,,, CAT SHARP.

For the record, we have 3 cats and 3 dogs, ( all spayed / neutered ) so take the following with the frustrated empathy and sarcasm with which it is intended. IOW, DON'T TAKE the how I _threatend_ to deal with a similar problem too seriously.

We were having a bad cat problem in South Dakota, and the city we lived in had the shelter run by some far too liberal doo gooders that thought animals were more important than a persons private property rights.
There was an ordinance and leash law that applied to cats as well as dogs. We borrowed a trap from the city, and caught a feral cat. The police picked it up and took it to the shelter. The city then brought us back the trap, as there were at least a half dozen feral cats making a mess of things. The next day, the city wanted their trap back, because the "shelter was full". The contract the city had with the shelter required that the shelter accept ALL ANIMALS, and, either contact the owners or put them down. Feral animals or animals not suitable as pets were to be destroyed. We found out that the people running the shelter was taking the feral cats, doing a spay/neuter, and then turning these same animals loose IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, just a couple of doors down, near a vacant house!
They were then FEEDING these animals as well, all using "grant money" and donations that should have been used to run the shelter. So, we had an endless supply of these animals messing in the garden, and getting into stuff, fighting, etc. I was told to try putting some cayenne pepper on the garden ( expensive & didn't work ) etc.
So, I finally got fed up, and went to city hall to complain. I was once again told that to try the pepper trick...
So, I mentioned that my truck was starting to develop an antifreeze leak, but not to worry, I would catch it in a drip pan, and just to keep the animals safe, I would sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on the antifreeze... You shold have seen their faces. OH! DON'T DO THAT! That won't keep the animals out of it! (my point exactly).
I then made it known to the shelter workers that either they should find some other way to deal with these animals, lest they fall prey to the coyotes or the local lion, (yes, we had felis concolor in the neighborhood) or otherwise "dissapear". I would have brought the whole mess up at a city council meeting, except, one council member was a shelter officer, one was married to the street dept supervisor, and another was the mother of one of the other one's previously mentioned. (Gee, I WONDER how they got the shelter contract.... Certainly not because of any nepotism). Since I was already dealing with complaining of election fraud, pushing a referendum on the building code, and malfeasance complaint regarding the mayor, and his intimdation of city employees by threatening any city employess who discussed the recent election fraud (on their own time) with termination, and of the transferring of city funds to a private NFP corp that wanted to hire an executive manager for the "opera house", and who then used that money to hire one of the councilmen who voted for the grant, and a mess of other truly "important" issues, I decided to let that one alone. So, I was about as popular as a frog in a puchbowl at city hall.... Expecting them to actually follow the law and SERVE the citizens... how dare I. :eek:

So , I was certainly ready to euthanize the feral cats myself, via lead poisoning, although a better solution would have been to get rid of the politicus graftus recipitus.

Was mad as h***, I had a real mess for over a year, all because these bozo's refused to do their job. :mad:

Poly = many + ticks = small bloodsucking creatures.

Anyway..... We know the frustration of cat doo and cat spray, and feel for you. Hope you fare better than we did with the "official" solution.

Unofficially, if the neighbors and goverment wont deal with it, then I suggest you consider the 'alternatives'.

Good Luck.

DUN & hubby.

[flowerpower]

DUN & Hubby, They did that whole catch and release thing with the cats in my friend's neighborhood. The shelter won't accept them. They only suggested the animals could be given away as "barn'' cats. The "alternatives" I have thought about- just can't do it. Too much bad Karma.

One of our neighbors couldn't understand where her barn cats disappeared to. Turns out they are in the tummy of the local coyote. This animal comes right to the back door in the daytime and is not afraid of humans. They have already told me to expect gunshots.

[Bellepepper]

Most people won't agree with our method of unwanted animals in the garden (or the back porch). We live in a fairly remote area and get a lot of dump dogs and cats. Also lots of coons, opossums, skunks, bob cats, you name it. Heard there was a bear a couple of miles from here. Oh, our method? The S S S method. Shoot, shovel, then shut up.

[Pharmerphil]

S.S.S...LOL. Belle...works fer Me!!

[windsng225]

I appreciate all the effort that everyone has put into all of this! As I am sure Ipaintmyhouse does too. However, with me, I could not or would not think of poisning or sss any animal. I don't sleep at night now, imagine if I did something like that. That would be a big NO for me, but thanks for the input. You would think that the owners of these precious animals would love them enough to keep them inside where they belong. I am a cat lover and a dog lover, unfortunately I don't have any at this time, because of circumstances. But I will tell you this, when I did have cats they never went outside unless they were in a caddy. I don't understand how these owners of cats can subject them to the dangers of traffic, loose dogs and wild animals let alone the fear of a human taking them and doing something awful to them (you hear that stuff on the news all the time).
I guess I will just have to find another way...hummm...? I will think of something short of killing them (not that I haven't thought of that at times!). Maybe some stickey fly paper (if they still make it)....that should drive them crazy for a while!
thanks everyone!
Joyce

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Hi everybody, I got busy for a couple days and am just reading all these posts. Thank you all for the suggestions and commiseration :) A friend just told me that the SPCA will lend you a trap to trap the cats and they'll take them...she said someone she knew just did this in our area, so we'll try that. Because my husband and I were toying with the idea of the good ol' cartoon trap...box on a stick with a can of tuna inside, LOL! So SPCA trap will probably work better.
However, if that goes wrong for whatever reason, I have no problem with urine of any kind. I am 100% sure I can find a couple people who'd be happy to pee in my yard! Or some fox urine. Whatever :)

I do have too much ground to cover with hardware cloth, you are right, redbrick.

Still, you all have gotten me whipped up to win against this cat. I will do it. I feel it in my bones.

Sidenote to dirtundernails...we have quite the crazy lawlessness in our little community too. Frustrating. I don't have the energy to fight right now, too much going on in life at the moment...I have to let dirty looks and front-lawn rants suffice.

[flowerpower]

My kitty enemy is not a stray, though I have had my share of drop-offs. Some jerk once dumped a purebred Husky at my place. I would have kept him. He was a really nice dog. But he jumped the fence and chased the goats. Plus my Lab hated him.

So I took him to the shelter the next day, where they proceeded to lecture me.They said I should have waited for the dog warden to pick him up and not put a strange dog in my car.They did not want to accept him. I called the warden. He was at his real job and never called me back. I threatened to leave him where I found him.Not that I would. I live on a road where big trucks are not uncommon. They took him and he was adopted the 2nd day he was available.

[dirtundernails]

S.S.S...LOL. Belle...works fer Me!!

It worked for us.... not the SSS, the "Belle" part. When I first read that, I had to do a double take, and see you were referring to Bellepepper... Belle, that was the name of our German Shorthair pointer. Very effective anti cat weapon. She was fast, but the neighborhood cats were faster. She almost got one once, just rolled it.

Many people around here use the SSS method though... And some of them don't much care what the predator is.... or its ESA status. :eek:

How about this idea.... A SLOW old dog that hates cats. Fast enought they cant poo, slow enough he cant catch them. :)

Hubby of Dun.

[Cheri Cason]

Most people won't agree with our method of unwanted animals in the garden (or the back porch). We live in a fairly remote area and get a lot of dump dogs and cats. Also lots of coons, opossums, skunks, bob cats, you name it. Heard there was a bear a couple of miles from here. Oh, our method? The S S S method. Shoot, shovel, then shut up.

Yeah, mine too. ;)

[Cliff Timmons]

I'm thinkin with a few potatoes, carrots, onions in a crock-pot,.....

nevermind :p

[dirtundernails]

I'm thinkin with a few potatoes, carrots, onions in a crock-pot,.....

nevermind :p


Nah, all ya need is a little CATsup. :rolleyes:

Hubby of DUN

[Cliff Timmons]

Nah, all ya need is a little CATsup. :rolleyes:

Hubby of DUN

Uggggghhhhhhhh, That was worse than mine. :D

[dirtundernails]

OK, I have a real solution! My own cat was "watering" my big houseplant pot. I put all the trimmings from haircuts in my garden, but it was too windy the other day to spread, so I stashed it in the houseplant. The cat has not scratched AT ALL!!

dun

[windsng225]

Dun, thanks that one sounds realy good, it makes sence! I am going to ask my son to save the clippings from his son and his own hair and just mix it in the soil, let's see!
Boy, oh boy, if that works.... what a solution! Especially now with the duo from next door to me! If it works, I will call a beauty salon and ask them to bag some clippings up and just use that.
I am sure that everyone who has this problem, their mouths just dropped open like mine did when I read this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[DanaDW]

We have quite a few feral cats around so new plantings I often mulch with nice thorny, rose cane cuttings. More established plants haven't suffered any from their activities.

The upside is I don't have any gophers or mice around.

Periodically we have had to get traps from the animal shelter when their numbers skyrocket but it's kind of an ongoing problem in the area so until someone figures out a way to get people to stop dumping animals...

Two we trapped years ago we had fixed and allowed to stay...weakness for seriously damaged critters and there are no neighbours nearby for them to bother. These two would never make "pets" and can just barely tolerate humans. Strangely enough though, one of them is madly in love with one of my dogs (rottie/chow mix) and will sit on the back porch just waiting for her to come outside then rub all over her. They are both elderly and female, both spayed, I have no clue what is behind this odd love affair.

[SunflowerMeg]

I have cats, and I take the good, with the bad. They keep the voles under control and chase the mice away (unfortunately, they chase the birds away too). They are inside and outside cats and I freak when I see them using my garden as a litter box. My garden will be fairly small this year again, so I will use netting on the ground. The cats don't like walking on it. I'm not even sure what it's intended for; my old neighbor gave me a bunch of rolls of it years ago and it comes in handy. I've got to say though, after these cats go to cat heaven, I don't want anymore. They are more work than my kids were. :eek:

[DanaDW]

They keep the voles under control and chase the mice away (unfortunately, they chase the birds away too).

For whatever reason these here show no interest in bird hunting. I have birds all over the place, including a covey of quail. The only bird loss we get is from the occasional hawk or falcon drive-by.

Been my experience that animals are able to figure out how to co-exist with other creatures a whole lot better than most humans can :D .

I doubt we'll ever be content until we've leashed or harnessed for our own purposes every living thing on the planet.

[Cliff Timmons]

As soon as they start paying morgage payments on the property, they get a vote.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Thank you for the hair clippings tip! I'll try that till I can get out and get that trap :) Yeah, I'm a slowpoke.

[boognish]

I know where you're coming from in all of this, but as SunflowerMeg said, there's a positive side in the reduction of pests. Last night I saw one of my cats "playing" with a mouse in the garden. Nice to know they won't be a serious problem this summer.

Now if he would just chase off the birds who are eating all of my worms....

[dirtundernails]

Hey, I love it when our cats catch mice and voles and eat every last hair. In my opinion, Poo in my garden is a pest. It carries all kinds of disease and I've heard of kids going blind if it gets in their eye, not to mention the gag factor when sticking a hand in it. There are plenty of other places for a cat to use, especially if it's someone else's cat. My family went rounds with this other people' cat issue in the city where there are ordinances that do no good. Now we are in the country and there are different rules. This is America, and we get to use our own decision making skills in some areas. God bless us all with the wisdom to do the right thing for our own problems.

dun

[boognish]

Well I'm certainly not denying that it is indeed a huge pain in the butt.


and gross.


good luck

[Cliff Timmons]

Hey, as long as they leave my chickens alone, and I don't have to feed them, they're welcome to eat all the mice and voles and what ever they can sink their claws in. And put up with my 330 lbs of dogs.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Development: I found out that the cat "belongs" to someone, so I feel badly trapping it. I was thinking of just going ahead, digging a small pit away from where the children play (on the other side of the fence), and filling it with sand. That way, at least I'd know where the poo was and I could take care of it, instead of finding surprises. Do you all think this would likely work?

[Cliff Timmons]

Or build a pit and put spikes down in the bottom of it and cover the top with a netting so when the cat,...... no wait. That's a Burmese tiger trap. Prob. against the law.

Nevermind.

[windsng225]

Short of killing these animals, I will try just about anything. I have two invasive cats now, last year it was one, now my wonderful neighbor has added another. Last year her cat dug up all my herb seedlings, which may I add drew fly's galore. I didn't feel that it was my job to clean up after them, but I did, couldn't stand the odor or the fly's. Maybe for some people, it's ok, for me this is disgusting!
ipaint.... I thought of that too, good idea, but now we have to clean an inground litter box! Personally, I don't want to do that, I want this to end. I wonder if a bb gun would kill them or maybe just sting them? I would use that if I could catch them squatting and knowing it would only really sting them. Boy oh boy, I bet they would not go back there again!
I would have to be sure that it would not kill them!
Good luck to all of us with this cat problem. It is a BIG pain in the ---!

[Cliff Timmons]

In all seriousness, I have thought about getting a paint gun and shooting them with that. The owner would have to know that someone shot them with it and maybe take care of their pets.

I hate to kill stray dogs and cats. I've done it before and I guess I will have to in the future, but I always cuss the owners for putting the animal and me in that position. It's not the stray's fault.

[redbrick]

Windsng, if you get a pump-style BB gun, you can choose your "damage". Three pumps (the minimum) will sting, while ten pumps (the maximum) will give "rapid lead poisoning". If you only want to sting, aim for the hindquarters, where it's all muscle mass, and use the round steel BB's. If you've really had it, aim for the ribcage or the eye, and use lead hunting point pellets. I have problems with rabbits and groundhogs, so you can guess how I know.

[donsgal]

Please help! My neighbor's cat has now made a habit of using my yard as a litterbox. No one really knows whose cat it is, although different neighbors suspect other different neighbors of owning it. Therefore, I have no idea who to speak to about it (although I'd like to speak to someone, believe me!). Plus, it's pretty rural here and I doubt they'd keep the cat in anyway.

How do I keep this cat out of my yard?! I am SO SICK of it! It is using my garden beds! And my tiny son grabbed a handful of it today. So I am here to ask everyone to tell me everything they've ever heard of to deal with this problem :) Thank you!

I am told that if you lay chicken wire down on the ground that cats (and other critters too) will not walk on it because it feels to weird and they cannot understand what it is. Worth a try!

Neighbors should do the right thing and keep their pets under control. That's what I do with my two cats.

Donsgal

[windsng225]

Redbrick: Andy, thank you so much for the information. I (ME) never thought I would be looking for a fire arm, I am so against them. Maybe in most people's eye's a bb gun is not a fire arm, to me though anything that shoots, is. I am so afraid. I am so happy that you explained the three pumps on this gun. So this month, I will be going out to find myself a "pump style bb I guess rifle" with some "round steel bb's". Hopefully I will have good aim, because I don't think I will be able to do this again after the first shot!

[dirtundernails]

A regular ol daisy red rider ( you'll shoot yer eye out kid! ) bb gun will almost never break the skin, but it will sting like the dickens. Also, they are so easy to use. We have on occasion used it on our dog's behind if we catch them stalking the chickens.

Usually, a simple "shake" of the gun (make the bb's rattle) is ALL that it takes, cause they know what is about to happen if they persist...

Practive a bit first so you can hit a 3- 4 inch target at typical "cat distance".
Aim for the hind end.

[pineknot]

I hope I don't repeat something someone else suggested. I did read through the thread and didn't see this possibility, though.

I use cocoa mulch in my flower gardens. I don't have to cover the beds, just enough to let the cat know it's there. They HATE it. I have used it for years. I have suggested it on different boards and recently someone told me it might make a cat sick. I've never had that happen and I used it to keep my own cat out, also.

The stuff works miracles and makes the flower beds look very nice...smells like cocoa, too! :D

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

A BB gun was my husband's first suggestion, also, LOL. I may have to do it. I feel a little nervous about it since our houses are so close together and the neighbors would see me shooting at the cat, but then again, at least I'm not poisoning it, so that should be worth something to them.

I just read that some people say blood meal is an animal repellant. Anyone ever try it?

And thanks, pineknot, I'll see if I can find a source for cocoa mulch around here. My neighbor wants some too, so between the two of us, we should be able to find it, right? :)

[redbrick]

I don't think blood meal will work for predators, since by definition they really don't mind the smell of "death". I know that dogs are sensitive to a compound in cocoa, but never heard anything about cats. Also, the levels needed are, I'm sure, much higher than the mulch could supply. If you're worried about neighbors, try shooting from a concealed window, and there's nothing to fear with a BB gun. They aren't loud, they don't kick, and you really have to be a marksman to be lethal from more than, say, 25 feet.

[sweetpea]

I used to use a BB pistol to sting the squirrels on my birdfeeder, but it only took them about a week to catch on to that. Then they scattered when the door opened, and I no longer had a target to shoot at! Smart critters, those squirrels!

[windsng225]

I agree with you "ipaintedmyhouse", my neighbor is only 25 feet away, back door to back door! I am sure she or someone else in the house would hear it (although I hope not). But I am going to use it anyway. Today, I caught the newer cat really digging in the garden (nothing is planted yet) but he/she looked like she/he was digging to China!
Which may I add, never saw a cat do that before.
I told my son about the bb gun/rifle, (I live with him) he laughed and said, he had one in his bedroom and I could use it if I wanted to try it. I resent the idea that I have to resort to this kind of treatment and I know this will bring really bad karma to me but I am really running short of ideas. And I am so sick of this.
Good luck to all of us.

[SunflowerMeg]

This thread all sounds rather "farmer-in-the-dell" -ish. The human chases the dogs, the dogs chase the cats, the cats chase the birds (and mice and chickens, or does the chickens chase the cats?), the birds chase the worms...does it end there??? Or do the worms chase the biological activity all over the compost pile?

I don't like the karma of killing critters either, so I make hubby do it. He likes karma.

Today, the younger cat earned her weight in gold...she killed one mouse and one vole. The other cats are getting older and don't bother with critters anymore....hmmmm, might be time to trade them in.

[dirtundernails]

How cute... thanks for the good laugh this morning!

dun

[zebraman]

Hey Windsng225; You do understand that the Whackjob Eastern Religion that has the Karma concept also condems harvesting Root Vegetables because of the underground insects that could be harmed.Just take a moment and consider How many insects you have Killed so far.The cat probably won't really count.

[windsng225]

Zebraman, I believe that the Eastern religion's worship the "cat". As far as the insects go, i'll take my chances, I don't plant any root veg's because of the cats.

[pineknot]

paintedhouse,

I have always found cocoa mulch at my local nursery. Yesterday, however, I was walking through the Target garden section and saw they have now started carrying it.

It was $3.00 cheaper than the nursery. :)

[genXgardener]

I, too, have been waging a cat war for months now. My father suggested using mothballs to deter cats and squirrels, but those are highly toxic so I didn't want to go that route.

After talking with my neighbor (who owns the cats), I took a bunch of wooden skewers (like for bar-b-queing) and planted them around the garden as she suggested. I call this method: Spikes of Death. It seems to have deterred the squirrels, but no luck with the cats.

Two days ago, I tried something new. Since I have tons of empty beer bottles around ( I like beer), I experimented with planting the bottles into the ground in the area that the cats think is a port-o-let. I planted them upside-down with the bottles sticking up out of the ground about 5 to 6 inches. Firm enough so that the cats can't dig or push them over. (I have left my Spikes of Death up, BTW).

The bottles seem to be working!!! There was evidence of the cat attempting to dig and deposit poo among my pole beans, but he must have given up because no real damage was done! (And no poo pellets, either!)There was a new place the cat had scratched around in, but it was mainly in the grass and didn't damage my plants. Still, I'll be planting some more bottles in strategic areas to try and train the cat that there are better places for pooping (like my neighbors yard). The cats don't seem to like leaves touching them while they go, since they avoid my more established plants and go for new beds with small seedlings. I think if I can keep the bottle thing going until all my plants are bushier, I'll have won the war, at least for now.

This is a new tactic. I'll keep you posted on any further developments, good or bad. Good luck with your feline fiasco! Much love!

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Wow, interesting posts...I'll check Target for the mulch, thanks! Also, that bottle thing is fascinating. How far apart did you put them, and how many per square foot, would you say? I've been lining the whole yard with urine (ew, I know) and soliciting hair from friends and family, but bottles seem almost...decorative. Unlike urine.

[Ohiogal]

I've read with interest and some humor this post on cats. I can understand your issues with cats in the yard. From what I've heard, cats pick one yard in a general area, and use it as the communal litterbox. I do not know why this is, but its a pretty good chance that if one cat is defecating in your flowerbeds, there are others...unseen at night.

I have two housecats, who do go outside and hunt. They do a great job of eliminating voles, shrews, mice and rats. They also eliminate OTHER cats by keeping their "territory" to themselves. The females seem to be quite aggressive about protecting "their" territory. My cats are well behaved and do a lot of patrolling. I live in a suburban neighborhood and have a lot of dogs and other animals come by, so I keep the gate closed for the most part. My cats either squeeze under it or jump over, depending on their desire. I depend on my cats to keep the yard free of squirrels and other pests.

Its all about balance.

The idea of a sandpit is a good one. Since I have mostly mulched flowerbeds, my cats - and possums and coons - use them for relieving themselves. I do not have a problem with the garden since I have provided other places for them to go. Perhaps those of you who are having a problem, can put aside a place as was suggested. If it seems like too much work, since the cat isn't yours, consider that other animals are defecating in your yard and are most probably a lot more destructive than a common housecat.

I've tried the hardware cloth, chickenwire, etc. in pots above the ground. The best thing is having another cat, honest!

[Cliff Timmons]

I understand what you are sayin. I too love cats. But by the same token, I've shot cats as well.

It is a balance. and the scales are more easily tipped if the animal isn't your own pet.

Like I've said, I've concidered getting a paintball gun and popping the offending ainmal to warn the owner that their pet is offending others. Let the owner take care of their own pets. I know I do.

[genXgardener]

Wow, interesting posts...I'll check Target for the mulch, thanks! Also, that bottle thing is fascinating. How far apart did you put them, and how many per square foot, would you say? I've been lining the whole yard with urine (ew, I know) and soliciting hair from friends and family, but bottles seem almost...decorative. Unlike urine.

I've planted those bottles about three to four inches apart, and JUST in the areas that the cats frequent. They are STILL working great! Now I do my best to save green glass bottle (drink Moosehead!) because I think those are prettier. I have some beautiful old cobalt, but I'm not willing to plant it in the yard. ;) Now, the cats did give up on their old spot, but they headed to a new bed. I found some old squares of tile, tho, and laid it over the new preferred area. FOILED AGAIN! HAHAHA! If you don't have something like tile, just repeat the bottle maneuver. They hate that they can't dig into that loose, soft soil. BTW, I've tried the urine thing and used kitty litter - YUCK! I found that if it worked at all, it was only for a few days. i think things dry out and the scent dissippated for the most part. Besides, I love to sit in my garden and smell all the fresh scents. I'd rather not sit ina litter box soaked with cat urine, but that's just me... :p

I think I'm finally winning the cat war with this bottle thing! With no chemicals or extra cost to boot! (Well, I do pay for the beer housed in those bottles, but HECK, I was doing that anyways!) GOOD LUCK! :D

[Ohiogal]

In my neighborhood, and again, this is because of where I live, maurauding dogs do more damage than the occassional cat. I'd never dream of shooting someone's dog. :eek:

[Cliff Timmons]

It's not a cat thing with me. I've shot dogs too when they were killin' my chickens.

If I had my druthers, I'd duther shoot the owner for not keeping his dog up. It's not the animal's fault.

This is a grim subject, but my laying hens mean a lot to me.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Ohiogal, I have actually considered getting an animal for the reasons you say, that a cat (or a dog, I thought) would make it clear to the others that my yard is *his/her* spot. My husband is staunchly against the idea, and feels very strongly about it...we just don't have money or energy to add something else right now. The main reasons I am so upset about the cat is (1) I have tiny children and they play in the dirt and end up with handfulls of poop and (2) I am growing root vegetables and other foodstuff, only a few flowers, and I am concerned about the safety of the food.

I am still considering the sandpit, as for right now, I'm still using the urine and hair, and have a trap out (which hasn't been successful yet). Also, I've been spending as much time as possible outside, at random times coming out and walking around, and sitting. I think the cat knows I am defending my territory. I saw it the other day from all the way down the street, and it looked at me and ran away.

So far these defenses haven't put me out too much, and making the effort to be outside more has really lifted my spirits. I'm going to keep the bottle thing in my arsenal, though.

What do you all know about the safety of food that has been near the cat poo? I heard Mike McGrath talk about this last year, but I don't remember the details (I never thought I'd have this problem).

[Ohiogal]

I'd be concerned about uncooked root crops. Cooking will kill the ecoli.

Have you tried growing them in half barrels? I plan to do that and have been told that it works well. I've been told to use a chicken wire covering if there are problems with digging. My biggest deal is squirrels in my property they root through anything and do a lot of digging/destroying. Drives me crazy. The half barrels allow you to customize the soil and its far easier to hand weed them and harvest from.

I'd teach the kid to ID what is nasty and get on with it. Then again, I'm pretty straight forward about things. I figure the sooner they learn the better. Of course, a toddler is not going to be able to grasp that yet and will probably have to be watched. I'm sure you are doing that. :)

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Maybe I will go ahead and plant some of the roots in containers. I was considering this already since a book I am reading said that this can be a defense against the carrot root fly because it cruises at ground level and supposedly wouldn't find carrots/parsley/parsnips (is that right) that were planted higher up, or at least not find them as easily. It hadn't occurred to me that it'd keep them safe from poo, too. I guess I'll get things together to do that, it'll ease my mind.

Thank you :)

[bluesky]

Oh Lordy, I know how you feel!! :mad: I have got three or four and sometimes more here that dig and crap everywhere! I know who they belong to, but I have never said anything because I don't want to make them angry at me. I got so fed up I even thought about the worst thing to do to them.

I know its not the cat's fault, its the owners for turning them loose. But I get tired of having all my mulch dug from around a new bush I just set out. I'm concerned it will die since they dig almost into the root system.

I take a clove of garlic and cut each clove into smaller pieces and put that all around my yard and garden. That will keep them away for about 3-4 days. When the garlic starts to loose some of its scent or it rains on it, you have to replace it or the cats come back. It works, but for such a short time. Moth balls will work for a few days also. But I think garlic works the best. ;)

Another thing you might want to try is get a catnip plant and put it in the back as far from the house as possible and the cats will go to it instead of other areas in your yard. I'm told this will work, I've never tried it.

I do know what you are going through. It is the same here if I don't keep the garlic out. I had one get into my garage and wouldn't leave! It stayed in there all night. I think it was a stray tho.

Good luck.

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi i cut pieces of chickenwire i press part of the wire and put it in the ground. the cats do not like it when they scratch. it works great on the squarells to. ;). i found a letter from them they sent a deaththreat. :D :p

[aberration]

My mom swears by dog hair.

Preferably from the soft inner coat, which is closer to the dog's skin and smells more strongly of dog. Conveniently, this is about the time of year most dogs are shedding that fur (in my dog's case, huge CLUMPS of that fur all over my apartment). Just take a brush to your dog if you have one, or ask a neighbor with a dog to save you some shed fur, and sprinkle it around in your garden.

[dirtundernails]

I found the dog hair works real well, if it is left attached to the original owner. :D


HOD

[aberration]

I found the dog hair works real well, if it is left attached to the original owner. :D


HOD


Haha!

In my case, the dog hair works better for repelling cats than the dog. The dog totally ignores cats, so unless she's actually standing in the garden, they ignore her right back and continue their digging.

She's good at keeping other dogs and coyotes away, though.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Thanks for the new ideas...I thought I'd mention something I found at one of the local nurseries...it's Liquid Fence especially for dogs and cats...I haven't seen it in any of the catalogues I leaf through normally. I bought some and it REEKS of garlic and citronella (which is what's in it). Anyway, something's working, I've been poo-free for a good bit of time now, what with the urine, the hairballs, and the Liquid Fence. Also I ran after two cats that came near the yard , hissing. I think they think I'm a vicious animal. lol.

[dirtundernails]

Well, that was smart. I believe in talking to the animals, and territorial cats respond well to a threat in their own language. I'm glad your pooroblem has been solved!

dun

P. S. I discovered another benefit to my dogs... they EAT the cat poop! I knew there was a good reason to be so anal about dogs not licking us.

[Mary]

I have a cold frame and a raised bed , some cat was using my cold frame so I covered
it so it can't, and my raised bed I put a part of a fence over it so .There is a lot of cats around, my neighbor next door has several .

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

DUN, LOL....ugh. yuck. I know, I feel so badly when I don't let the puppies go to town on me, but I can't stop thinking about all the "self-cleaning" and the rather resourceful diet.

[windsng225]

Ipainted, well, I think that I might have found a solution to my problem with the two cats. Sunday, my son and I (with the two grandchildren 12 + 14) enlarged my herb garden to a whopping 5X8 ft. We then fenced the whole thing in with plastic fencing and bamboo stakes. Although it hasen't been that long, it seems that the cat's are just walking by the fencing and my herb garden. I planted most of my herbs on Tuesday and so far, so good, lets just wait and see.
I will be enlarging my regular garden quite a bit, but am now going to put the plastic fencing on the ground, then plant my larger plants (tomatoes, peppers and all the rest of them) I am sure that they will be just fine growing through the webbing.
I am so excited now, maybe a solution to the problem.
Thank you to everyone who put their time and energy to this problem, for me it's been a big help.
Also, my son did go out and bought me a bb gun. I have used it, my son insisted on me using the target for practice in the house, which I did not want to do. I shot this bb at the target and it bounced off and hit my grandaughter above the eyebrow. She screamed in pain, I looked in horror at my skinny granddaughter crying and holding her eye. Panic set in as well as horror that I actually did this to her. Needless to say I will not pick up that thing again. As I said before, I hate guns or rifles, I firmly believe that the only people that should have them are the police.
He also bought a air horn. This is so loud and have used it twice on the cats, and so far it has worked on one of them. The other one is so bold, it just sits there while I blow this horn and watches me. It must think that I am some sort of nut that would really bother with something that loud!
Thanks to all.
Joyce

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Oh, I'm sorry about what happened with your granddaughter, that's scary. I had to run at a cat again today. I flew across the yard at him, hissing and my robe flapping. Ha ha ha. It's very gratifying. I haven't found poo lately, and I haven't caught a cat in my yard. I run at them even if they are in my neighbors' yard. I am that serious. lol.
I found out that the end of our street is a dump site for cats. There are train tracks down there. So. I guess I will need to sort of be a vicious cat for...ever.

Congratulations on the fencing. I will keep that in mind as I figure out what will work here.

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi windsng225 i do not now if anyone wrote this,but try making od buying pepper spray. put it right on the ground were the cat sits all the time and have fun watching the cat :) :)

[mrtomatoexpres]

oh forgot how is the granddaughter :)

[windsng225]

mrtom. I have tried many, many things. Including the dryed cayenne pepper, then I mixed it with hot water and sprayed it all over the garden site. (someone said that it would work), it did not. I am so sick and tired of this mess, but it seems that the plastic fence is working, so we will see.
Ipainted, you are so funny! You have made my day today, thanks! I believe you are so much like me, running after the cat, with the robe flapping in the wind (sounds like somethig I would do). If someone saw the things that I did to protect some of my plants, they would think that a crazy person lived inside of me. It's got to be funny to outsiders seeing what we would do to keep our plants growing and healthy! lol.
Especially me, I usually don't go out of my front door (let alone the back door) without my make up and hair done (God, am I vain or what) or dressed, running after a cat with the **** air horn screaming at the cat to leave, hair looking like a rag doll, boobs bouncing all over the place (God, help me, getting old is not fun anymore!) I don't even care what I look like. My poor neighboors, if anyone spotted me, what must they think (ah, who the he__ cares!) LOL
By the way, my grandaughter is just fine. She came downstairs later that evening, and hugged me saying "Grandma, I'm OK, I promise" She must have seen the horror in my face when I saw what I did. She is OK, I looked this weekend and she is just fine. The BB gun, I have no idea where it is and don't care.
Thanks all.
Joyce

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi windsng iam on my way to help you chase the cats away lol :D :p :) :rolleyes:

[Gardenurse]

Don't know if this works, but read it in "Plants for free: How to create a great garden for next-to-nothing" by Sharon Amos. On page 15 she writes, "If cats are a problem in your garden, scratching up newly sown seed or small plants, many gardeners swear by this modern cat deterrent. Half-fill an empty clear plastic bottle with water and lay it on its side in the area you want to keep cat-free. Cats appear to dislike the changing reflections it makes. Once plants are well established and covering bare earth, the deterrents can be rermoved."

I also read (but don't remember where) to lay chicken wire on top of the ground around the perimeter of your garden since they don't like the way it feels underneath their paws. Once cats stay away, you can remove the chicken wire.

I suppose you could also plant cat grass and catnip down by their main "hang out" to keep them blissfully happy and out of your garden!

[Cliff Timmons]

Shootin' still an option. <grin>

[mrtomatoexpres]

mmm gardenurse how about using old dvd's and cd's for reflection. :)

[Gardenurse]

Interesting idea on the old DVD's and CD's...if they don't keep away the cats, they should keep away the birds! I do not know if any of these suggestions work since I do not have IPW's cat problem, but when I read something that I think might be relevent to a fellow gardener's lament, then I try to pass it along.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Windsng, I know what you mean, I'm vain too. However I will not think twice about running out the door to chase the cats. It's worth it just to see the look on their face. Darned cats. I love ruining their trip to the bathroom. Love.

[werecat]

the link for the liquid fence is: http://www.liquidfence.com/index.htm I think for the garden I am planning I will be using that. My mum has lots of cats both inside and outside. As long as they are spayed or neutered, she will take care of them and feed them. Them and the local coons, opposums and the local fox and vixen. If the liquid fence doesnt work I will just deal. It's not the animals fault they are doing what their nature indicates they do.

[windsng225]

Werecat, as far as I am concerned, a person that takes care of their cats is the one that keeps them in the house and not letting them go outside into the crewl world. There are cars, crewl people, dogs, foxes and a lot of other things out there that will either kill them torture them or permanetly damage them. I used to have 2 beautiful cats that went to the vet twice a year for their shots, never left the house except to go to the vets.
The whole idea, werecat, is why should I have to pay to protect my garden that is on my land, while he/she let's their cats roam on to my land to use my garden as a bathroom. Yes this is a natural thing, so you put out the litterbox on your property so they can poo in your litterbox, no in my garden.
By the way, that is the purpose of the litterbox, so the cats can do what is natural and go in their so the owners can take care of the cats by cleaning out the litter box! That's their job not mine.
There are worse things I guess than letting your not so precious cats roam the neighborhood and poo-ing in other people's gardens and annoying them to the point of shooting them, like a car hitting them, a dog shaking them to death, a teen abusing them to the point of death, or how about a fox eating them for breakfast.
I guess you didn't read this right from the beginning, otherwise you would see how many people are so annoyed at people that just don't care enough about their cats.
But I guess that would be too much to ask that people actually care about their cats and not want them to die a horrible death. But then there are people that do care and do what is expected of them as pet owners, by taking proper care of them.
joyce

[werecat]

Now look! I made no attack on you or insulted you. I simply stated that my mum has a lot of indoor outdoor cats on her property where I will be planting. I didn't suggest everyone do as I am planning on doing and just deal with it. Believe it or not, I did read every post in this thread thank you very much. I know people are annoyed that cats get into gardens and people shoot or poison them. You know nothing about me or my situation other than as I stated, my mum has a lot of cats and that I personally would just deal with the issue if the liquid fence doesnt work because I don't personaly think the animal should suffer because humans screwed up and left the animal to it's nature. And yet you seem to be sitting back in judgement of me. Actually, I should probably thank you for turning my posting of the link for liquid fence and my personal opinion as a reason to be a rude and nasty shrew. Up till you and now, I was thinking that all these lovely green type people were going to be open, pleasant friendly and nice. Thank you for reminding me that people are people wherever you go and there will always be people like you in the mix.

[dirtundernails]

Cliff Timmons, how many dogs make 330 pounds? More than the two brayers in your avatar I hope? Aren't they as skinny as can be from running all the time like the hounds in my neighborhood?

[zebraman]

Hey Werecat;Most of the people here are really nice and Helpful.You are right about people and human nature.I personally think someone who keeps a cat indoors 24/7 should not be keeping Cats.Just remember if she is this snooty with strangers then she probably doesn't have a happy life.She also sounds like she hasn't taken any of the suggestions here and is still letting this Cat run her life.Of course she's Ticked Off.-

[Cliff Timmons]

Cliff Timmons, how many dogs make 330 pounds? More than the two brayers in your avatar I hope? Aren't they as skinny as can be from running all the time like the hounds in my neighborhood?
We're down to 220 pounds of dogs now. We had to put Molly the wonder bloodhound down. It about broke my wife's heart. Anyone who's owned a bloodhound will tell you they are just a little differant then other dogs.

So we're down to Beau and Oliver. <grin>

[werecat]

Hey Werecat;Most of the people here are really nice and Helpful.You are right about people and human nature.I personally think someone who keeps a cat indoors 24/7 should not be keeping Cats.Just remember if she is this snooty with strangers then she probably doesn't have a happy life.She also sounds like she hasn't taken any of the suggestions here and is still letting this Cat run her life.Of course she's Ticked Off.-
Thanks ZebraMan, I appreciate your kind words. :)

[windsng225]

werecat: I made no attack on you, nor did I insult you! I made a comment on people that just let their cats run wild. You have the right to believe whatever you want, but before you make up your mind on whether they are pests or not, besides what some people ar saying here; call the dog warden's office and ask them. Ask them how many calls they get about stray cats. That is all I am saying. There is nothing new here that I have not said before in previous posts (including a lot of other people).I do hope the Liquid fence does work for you. The other suggestions that people have made "other than shooting them" I have tried and did not work.
What did work was fencing in my herb garden.
Zebraman, good luck on finding people that take cats for a nightly walk! I haven't seen any of them, but then maybe I'm living in the wrong neighborhood! LOL Every person that I know that are cat lovers (including myself) very seldome take their cats outside (we are protecting them). By the way, Zebraman, I happen to be a very happy woman who has lots of friends and family around, I enjoy life to the fullest everyday. LOL If you knew me, you would see; I love life. It's annoying situations that really get me going: can you tell! LOL

[flowerpower]

Cliff, I am really sorry to hear about your dog. I can totally empathize with your wife.

Why is it ok for people to let their cats outside if they don't confine them to their own property? Are there different laws for cats? Dogs can't roam around like that. It violates the leash laws. I bet most people would not be happy to see my 100 lb dog in their yard. It really wouldn't matter that he is a big goofball who loves everyone.

There are these big metal things called dog runs. If you fence off the top, you could put cats in it. Then they are not bothering anyone else. There are collars and leashes too. So there is really no reason a cat has to roam the neighborhood. It's dangerous for the cat and annoying to others.

[werecat]

werecat: I made no attack on you, nor did I insult you! I made a comment on people that just let their cats run wild. You have the right to believe whatever you want, but before you make up your mind on whether they are pests or not, besides what some people ar saying here; call the dog warden's office and ask them. Ask them how many calls they get about stray cats. That is all I am saying. There is nothing new here that I have not said before in previous posts (including a lot of other people).I do hope the Liquid fence does work for you. The other suggestions that people have made "other than shooting them" I have tried and did not work.
What did work was fencing in my herb garden.
Zebraman, good luck on finding people that take cats for a nightly walk! I haven't seen any of them, but then maybe I'm living in the wrong neighborhood! LOL Every person that I know that are cat lovers (including myself) very seldome take their cats outside (we are protecting them). By the way, Zebraman, I happen to be a very happy woman who has lots of friends and family around, I enjoy life to the fullest everyday. LOL If you knew me, you would see; I love life. It's annoying situations that really get me going: can you tell! LOL

In this case, I appologize for jumping to the defencive. The impression I was left with was that of how dare my mum have so many cats and I was a little low on the IQ scale for not seeing this which really irked my cookies since Mum has as many cats as she does because she has saved them from being put down. My sister works for a local vet that will ring up mum asking if she has room for just one more outside if she makes sure it's fixed and has all it's shots. Its a good kitty but no one wants them and she would hate to have to put it down. Mum is a soft heart and of course adds one more mouth to feed outside. She has a stable as one neighbor who are quite happy when the cats come to visit and a house for sale next door that is empty and the realtor loves mums cats cause it helps keep mice down there as well. Mums cats may be eating machines, but they are hardly pests.

[windsng225]

Thank you so much flower-power, you said it better than I did!

[windsng225]

Cliff, so sorry about the dog, my heart aches for you and your wife. I know the feeling.
Joyce

[leelanau_ferg]

I have been thinking that it's not such a big deal for cats to run loose, in the country, but I've never had trouble with them in the garden. But what struck me is what Flowerpower said. Why IS it that it's more accepted for cats but not for dogs? That's an interesting point. Maybe because dogs can potentially inflict more bodily harm?

[gulfcoastguy]

Also think about the large numbers of songbirds killed by stray cats usually at night on the roost. Cats can climb

[werecat]

Also think about the large numbers of songbirds killed by stray cats usually at night on the roost. Cats can climb

LOL no joke about cats climbing. Mum is forever having to put up a board to the roof cause some idoit cat has climbed up there and can't get down.

[flowerpower]

Also think about the large numbers of songbirds killed by stray cats usually at night on the roost. Cats can climb

I like to feed the birds during the winter. I did not like the cat who was crouching under the Pine watching the feeder. That is unacceptable to me. And it was bold too. It didn't want to leave.

Last summer I did find one cat that I think escaped from some house. He was less than a yr old. He kept trying to go in my house. Tried to find his owner but, no one seemed to be around. I didn't want him to get hit by a car. He took off a few hrs later.

Werecat, I do think your mom has a kind heart. I have taken in alot of strays myself. But any cat in my yard is considered a pest. Cats don't belong here and I don't want them here. If I wanted a cat around, I would get one. We have enough wild predators to keep down the rodents.

[Ohiogal]

Where I live, we have a rat problem. I see them in broad daylight and I'll be honest, I never see a dog kill a rat. I do however, see cats kill them, including my own cats. The trade off is that unless the dog is for protection, they are considered just as MUCH a menance and nuisance as a cat is. Ever hear a cat bark in the middle of the night, for hours? No, I guess you haven't. So think about what the trade off is.
Pet lovers all think the same thing about their animals. That they are cute and cuddly and everyone loves them. That is not the case. There are inherent risks with owning pets in city limits and one of them is that even in the best of circumstances, they do get loose - get hit by cars and whatnot.
Thats part of pet ownership - dealing with the gains and the losses.
My county fines dog owners because by and large, the dog owners are the biggest problem. They let their dogs crap on peoples lawns, dig holes, menace the wildlife and other people, and bark. I know, I have had several dogs living by me and have had to call the warden a few times for people not feeding or watering or curbing their dogs.
So the argument goes both ways. I have a beautiful backyard, which is frequented not only by my own cats which go out ONLY when I'm home and can watch for them, but by other cats in the neighborhood. They sit on the side of the pond, drink from it, socialize and just generally get along pretty well. I love the peacefulness of it and my cats appreciate the protection of the yard.
So, no, not all cat owners, just like not all dog owners, are uncaring about their animals.
This whole thread just illustrates how polarized people are and in some cases, how much ignorance there is about animal husbandry- IMHO.

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;I live in the Canals in Venice.Everyones cats are on the loose and Our's is too.My Cat uses the Vacant lot 2 doors down.We also feed an orange Tabby that has been living under our house for three years.It gets 2 cans of Food every day.It still refuses to be petted and won't come in the House.Dogs on the other hand knock over trash cans and don't bury their "Brown Babies".They also become aggressive and Bite when Naturalized in the urban setting.Also God designed them to be preditorrial.That is why small birds have so many babies.-

[gulfcoastguy]

Zebraman, I thought the coyotes were putting a hurting on stray cats around there.Ohiogal, I haven't heard a cat bark but I have heard them have yowling intercourse under my bedroom window. Our town has a strict leash law for dogs. They have to be inside, behind a fence which few of them can climb, or on a leash period. Dogs seldom bark at night if they are allowed in the house with their owners. They also seldom engage in predatory behavior unless they are feral or allowed to roam free in packs. If people don't take care of them they shouldn't own dogs, that of course includes spaying and neutering them.