STi-Frenchie

A cracking day here with temperatures in the high 20's if not early 30's so we got out in the garden and fired up the barbeque as I'd prepared the garden yesterday. The neighbourhood has a few cats and our garden seems to be a dumping ground for their waste We've cleaned it up again and I've now put down some pine bark which I bought yesterday to see if that will stop them from their activities -- maybe the odour will put them off. I was thinking that maybe I should put some powder down as well. Having talked to a few people it seems most of the off the shelf products which are supposed to work just don't and someone suggested laying down some sulphur. We have a small dog so I don't want to risk putting something down which could harm the dog (Mrs STi-Frenchie would do her nut) so it's time to turn to Scoobynet to see what other people have used, are using, and can recommend to keep the cats from crapping in our garden.

I'm expecting the usual jokers to weigh in with solutions like shotguns but hopefully a few somewhat more reasonable suggestions will be offered Thanks in advance.

SiDHEaD

Soak the *****'s with a water pistol or hose - pressure washer if possible - they soon learn

Ours aren't allowed out of the garden, shame most owners don't give a shyte (pardon the pun).

STi-Frenchie

Hmm..usually we don't see them in the garden when they are dumping the contents of their bellies -- they seem to prefer nighttime

SiDHEaD

Shame, would have been fun too

OllieC

Get a cat of your own. Ours only ever seems to crap next door, and keeps the other ones in the neighbourhood away from our garden.

Depending on the size of your garden, you could put twigs on the ground where they go - this works on my vegetable patch (I don't think they like the sensation of twigs sticking up their tea-towel holder) but might not look so good on the whole lawn...

STi-Frenchie

Thanks Ollie - yeah, that's what I did with the bags of pine bark that I put down. They always go under the trees which line the edges of the garden so I need to buy another 6 bags (300 litres) to get the whole area covered.

Lee247

They don't like Ginger or Pepper. Sprinkle where they are doing their business, plenty of it mind, and they usually keep away.

spireite

buy a rotwieler

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

you can buy those cat things with shiny eyes that scare them off.
i keep getting woken up with cats fighting all night

Alas

This works

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../ossiesnow.jpg

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

i know i had one

STi-Frenchie

lol@alas, was looking for a safer alternative!

ajm

Right, first off... sulphur as a cat deterrent? I have to admit that is a new one on me! It is relatively harmless and odourless in solid form and I can't see it deterring cats. In fact when ingested it acts as a laxative.... so I wouldn't imagine it would have many positive effects in the crapping department!

In my experience, and from what I have read, the "smelly" solutions are completely ineffectual, be it the commercial products sold in garden centres, citrus fruits, various plants etc. Cats are more than willing to smell something disagreeable in order to lay a cable.

Effective means are those which scare the cat such that it decides going into your garden is not worth the risk. These include dogs, repeated water attacks or any other event that it associates with being bad whenever it ventures into your garden.

I have yet to try sonic devices or lion excrement, so unless anyone can add their experiences here the jury must remain out...

With regards to the "get your own cat" suggestion.... if you want to be a selfish alpha-hole and offload the problem onto some other poor person then may I suggest flinging the turds into someone elses garden and saving yourself the cost of cat food and the local wildlife the burden of yet another uncontrolled predator in their midst?

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I follow the cat home and **** in its basket.

Adrian F

Get a Chesapeake Bay Retriever they keep the cats at bay. not only do the 3 local cats not leave presents in my garden they now walk round the fence rather than thru it. even when she isnt out there.

the other thing i found worked before i got this breed was a PIR unit which sprays water. it is on a little stick which you push in the ground where you think the cat will walk and connect to the garden hose. every time it detects movement it releases a jet of water via a moving head which sprays an area up to about 2 metres away. Just remember to turn the tap off before you or your dog goes in the garden or you get wet

lucky enough my dog loves the water so in fact i cant stop her setting it off unless i turn the tap off. then she examines it trying to work out how to turn the water back on

Angry

They also hate citrus fruit, mainly lime and lemon.

Danbo

I know it's a childish comment but it made me laugh!

Jerome

Make me chuckle too. The thought of a grown man curling one out in a cat basket.

ScoobyDriverWannabe

As i have mentions previously on similar threads, we have one of those sonic devices that gives of a soudn that only cats can hear. They dont like this and wont come any where near your garden. Me dad tried allkinds to stop cats from digging his garden up this is the only one that seemed to work.

STi-Frenchie

Thanks everyone. I'm tempted to try following the cats home method as it is (a) the least expensive (b) the most fun. If I can catch the cat I'll use it as a wipe when I'm done fouling it's basket

I'll give the ginger/pepper and citrus methods a try and if they don't work I'll look into a sonic device -- there's a joke to be made about a woofer but it's too early on a Monday morning for my brain to think of it!

Cheers!

andypugh2000

My cat still dumps in our garden as its too lazy to go next door

I get the Mrs to clear it up as its her cat not mine

vader

Is that a Bull mastiff???

Please keep me inform on any methods that work as my granddad is having the same problem His put the sticks down, but then they crap where he aint put them LOL

He getting upset about it though i think

Alas

He's a French Mastiff - same as the Turner & Hooch dog. Sadly he's a bit mentally challenged & a thug as he was a rescue but still great fun and hilarious to watch

This is him sleeping
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../Photo0013.jpg
& waiting for the postie.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...8/IMG_0010.jpg

Poor postie

Scoobydick

Find out where the ******* are getting in - over fence, under gate, through some bushes etc. Then soak some rags in petrol, creosote, bleach etc and leave them lying around. Their sense of smell is a few thousand times more sensitive than ours so I'd imagine this would put them off.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

The sonic devices do not work, the guys who live opposite us have one and I can hear it's stupid chirping noise and I see the cats on their garden all the time.

I just washed my car the other day, it's white and now has frigging paw prints all over the bonnet and windscreen.

It's next doors cat so I just fling the $hit back over the fence.

Leslie

One old remedy was to sprinkle some moth ***** around the garden. Cats cant stand the smell any more than moths can.

Les

STi-Frenchie

Been doing a bit of digging on Google and mothballs, pine bark chips, citrus (orange peel) and black pepper (to gently burn their paws) are the non-technology solutions so everyone seems to be on the right track -- thanks again!

Of the ultrasonic devices I've looked at, Cat Stop seems to be the one to go for...

Maybe a combination of everything, that way the garden may be liberated from kitty and company but then we'll smell like a rubbish tip!

RLE

iTrader: (2)

I have the same problem mate. Got so depressing I even phoned the council to see if they could do anything. In fairness they sent someone down who agreed it was a mess and promptly visted the offending owners. Problem still persists...................

As summer approaches I know I'm going to get more stressed about it. Tried all the off the shelf smellies to no avail and have now got one of these sonic things to see if this works. I'm even going to the expense of erecting a fence in the place of the hedge to see if this stops them getting in.

Not having pets makes this problem far worse. If I had kids I'd be even angrier. I simply bag it up now and throw it in the owners garden. If I manage to get hold of one I'll smear its bloody face in it and we'll see if this has any effect.

Funny thing happened last month though. Bathroom was getting torn out and with no plumbing had to retreat to the back garden for a moment. Located the usual "litter spot" and had a quick wee. I kid you not they never went back to that same spot again. Yes they have gone elsewhere in the garden but perhaps you and the mrs could take turns to ensure all corners are covered!!!

Hope you get sorted mate.

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

I get this problem too. Lamping a roll of sellotape off one of them seem to sort it out. (No, it is'nt dead, I've seen it about, just not in MY garden anymore) I still get about two or three different cats coming and 'dumping' on my back lawn. Those ultra-sonic type devices don't seem to work. Well, my neighbour has one on the front lawn (between our houses) and one in the back garden. I found a right big dump right in front of the device out the front. Think the cat left it there to take the pi$$. Ive now LEFT the cat **** there, and covered it in pepper. Apparently I have heard that if they come back, and there cack smells wrong, or different, or maybe they think it's not theirs? then it will stop them. My next mission is to follow the cat home and either a) push the cack through the owners letterbox, or b) throw it all over their garden and see how they like it. I will keep my eyes peeled on this thread, as I need to sort this problem out!

Proby.

***scoobybabe***

get yourself a big nasty looking woofer, they (cats) wont be so keen when it tries to eat it for tea!