Unwanted feline visitors

furtzy

Probably been asked before but does anyone know any fool proof methods of keeping cats off their property. Fed up of the local cats using the garden as a toilet and my cars as their beds/scratching posts.

So annoying people just let their cats wander into other peoples property...different story if it was dogs.

Its got to the point where I'll use anything to get rid of these vermin :mad:

rediguana

Hello!

(a) Get a cat yourself! It won't defile its own garden and other cats should avoid your own cat's space. They're territorial.

(b) Get a dog! They tend to chase cats.

By the way, this is a PETS forum! Many people will take offence at having their beloved quasi family members referred to as 'vermin'. Don't expect a lot of replies

Rediguana.

Sigma Force

If your garden is walled all around you can put brackets around it and hang some chicken wire over it to stop cats being able to get over. It's hard to describe it but it does work.

Also if you know who the owners are ask them to keep the cats indoors where they are safe from dogs, cars etc.
If you don't know who the owners are the all you can do is cat proof the garden the best you can.

I wouldn't go with the suggestion of getting a cat yourself, cats are not safe outdoors and if you got one it could also become a nuisance to other neighbours. Getting a dog only to deter cats is also not a good enough reason get a dog as a pet.

rediguana

I didn't REALLY expect her to get a cat or dog herself. She called them 'vermin', after all.

furtzy

rediguana wrote:

Hello!

(a) Get a cat yourself! It won't defile its own garden and other cats should avoid your own cat's space. They're territorial.

(b) Get a dog! They tend to chase cats.

By the way, this is a PETS forum! Many people will take offence at having their beloved quasi family members referred to as 'vermin'. Don't expect a lot of replies

Rediguana.

Last thing I want is a cat. As for the get a dog advice...:rolleyes:

Cat crap is highly dangerous especially around pregnant women and children. Don't see why I should constantly have to clean it up. Also the damage they're doing to my cars is totally unacceptable

Just thought someone on here would know of a hunane product to keep them out such as a good pet repellent product.

As for calling them vermin I might have come across a bit strong but I'm totally fed up of them. There is a duty of care to owning a pet and that includes keeping it out of other peoples property

FlutterinBantam

Lighten up a bit there.
Unless you have several cats using your garden as a toilet there should be no problems.

Dogs and cats are part of our community and if there was a majorproblem with them there would be an outcry before now.

Relax and smell the roses,a few auld cats won't do any harm.;)

furtzy

FlutterinBantam wrote:

Lighten up a bit there.
Unless you have several cats using your garden as a toilet there should be no problems.

Dogs and cats are part of our community and if there was a majorproblem with them there would be an outcry before now.

Relax and smell the roses,a few auld cats won't do any harm.;)

So one wouldn't be a problem? Just caught the culprit tonight and gave him a nose full of pepper....maybe he'll learn now

doctor evil

furtzy wrote:

Also the damage they're doing to my cars is totally unacceptable

y

What damage are they doing to your cars exactly?, if there is poo on top of it then it is a fox that is doing the dirt so to speak.

caff

have one cat in our house, and then about 5 strays that hang around outside..

and I honestly.. have never once found any of their "poo"

I have never looked either.. but lived here 20 od years... I assume they bury it..

Our man in Havana

Cats do bury there feaces.

Also as for scratching your car??? I have 11 cats & they have never scratched our car!

Mr. Presentable

Cats may bury their faeces, if they're in sand, but generally,and I'm talking about my lawn, they don't. I've tried all the "humane" ways to stop them and am at the point where it's get used to it or shoot the dirty feckers.

Jules

Obviously we of the animals/pets forum would never condone any violence towards animals and shooting the dirty feckers should never be even joked about! There are a few things you might be able to do, one i have heard is to put beach along the walls. Now i can hear the cries of poision coming already but dilute it down. Bleach contains ammonia and this is also the smell in urine so maybe the cats will think you have a cat and not go into your garden.

Also there are jelly crystal type things you can buy in the shops think its called "get off" or "keep off" or something they are green i think and you can sprinkle them on your flower beds/grass and this will help, my mum used it and says it works.

hope it helps!

SMK

Please don't use pepper. Imagine what it would be like for you to get pepper in your eyes. I know you said you threw it at the mouth but the eyes are very nearby! If you are going to throw something at them, squirt water at them. They won't like it one bit but at least it won't harm them.

FlutterinBantam

Cats usually won't dump on areas which cannot be used to cover their poo.

Cannot see cats dumping regularly in the middle of lawns.... dogs maybe,but not cats.

furtzy

doctor evil wrote:

What damage are they doing to your cars exactly?, if there is poo on top of it then it is a fox that is doing the dirt so to speak.

They sit up on the bonnet or the roof and then slide down when they get down. result is a car covered in dirty paw prints and scratches where they slide off. Crapping in the garden is one thing but messing with a mans car is another.

Hopefully the face full of pepper from last night has the effect. I'm sure he's smart enough to learn from that

ferdi

Guineapigrescue wrote:

cats are not safe outdoors

wtf?
they appear to have managed a few million years outdoors.

city girl

Furtzy, you have a horrible attitude towards animals- only hope this wont affect your karma making you come back as a mouse.

FranknFurter

ferdi wrote:

wtf?
they appear to have managed a few million years outdoors.

The world is changing and it is no longer safe for outdoor cats -> worth reading


And I wont be saying a second time, anyone talking about harming an animal or suggesting ways to do same, will get an immediate and permanent ban.

B

Sleipnir

FlutterinBantam wrote:

Lighten up a bit there.
Unless you have several cats using your garden as a toilet there should be no problems.

Dogs and cats are part of our community and if there was a majorproblem with them there would be an outcry before now.

Relax and smell the roses,a few auld cats won't do any harm.;)

There are currently 9 cat turds outside my back door.
Cat **** ended up on the hands of my 6 month old son a few months ago (ever hear of toxoplasmosis? Blindness caused by same?) and I'm constantly hosing down my shoes (and my other sons) everytime I go into the garden.

They are pets when their owners are responsible people. When the owners are not, they are vermin.

rediguana wrote:

Get a cat yourself! It won't defile its own garden

Here is one of the biggest problems I see with irresponsible cat owners. They don't see a problem because their cat isn't ****ting in their own garden, they're too busy in their their neighbours! I shouldn't have to buy a cat because my neighbours can't look after theirs.

I've tried everything from odour repellents to sonic repellants to bottles of water, hoses etc etc etc. There is nothing you can do but make your garden look like Auswitz. The pound will not capture them but you can hire traps from some vets to have the cats neutered but that doesn't do anything for the **** problem.
We started with two cats and, two years later, there are now six. Again, need I mention irresponsible pet ownership?

Sleipnir

SMK wrote:

Please don't use pepper. Imagine what it would be like for you to get pepper in your eyes. I know you said you threw it at the mouth but the eyes are very nearby! If you are going to throw something at them, squirt water at them. They won't like it one bit but at least it won't harm them.

You don't bloody throw the stuff at them! They are repelled when they sniff at it. I have an image now of some chap chasing after cats fecking pepper all over the place! Wah ha ha ha ha!

Anyway, it's a waste of time because everytime there's a spot of rain you have to wait till it drys and then put it out again. And again, and again....

furtzy

city girl wrote:

Furtzy, you have a horrible attitude towards animals- only hope this wont affect your karma making you come back as a mouse.

I resent that. My family have had dogs all our lives and they are treated and loved like children. My problem is with the irresponsible attitude of cat owners who see fit to let their pets do whatever they like.

furtzy

Sleipnir wrote:

There are currently 9 cat turds outside my back door.
Cat **** ended up on the hands of my 6 month old son a few months ago (ever hear of toxoplasmosis? Blindness caused by same?) and I'm constantly hosing down my shoes (and my other sons) everytime I go into the garden.

They are pets when their owners are responsible people. When the owners are not, they are vermin.



Here is one of the biggest problems I see with irresponsible cat owners. They don't see a problem because their cat isn't ****ting in their own garden, they're too busy in their their neighbours! I shouldn't have to buy a cat because my neighbours can't look after theirs.

I've tried everything from odour repellents to sonic repellants to bottles of water, hoses etc etc etc. There is nothing you can do but make your garden look like Auswitz. The pound will not capture them but you can hire traps from some vets to have the cats neutered but that doesn't do anything for the **** problem.
We started with two cats and, two years later, there are now six. Again, need I mention irresponsible pet ownership?

Couldn't agree more. Simple message to the cat owners on this forum...show consideration for others and do not let your car cause nuisance to others..that is the responsibility of pet ownership.

KTRIC

furtzy wrote:

Couldn't agree more. Simple message to the cat owners on this forum...show consideration for others and do not let your car cause nuisance to others..that is the responsibility of pet ownership.

And how would you suggest we do that ?, put it on a lead ? give it a good talking to and tell it not to go into the Jones's garden ?

furtzy

KTRIC wrote:

And how would you suggest we do that ?, put it on a lead ? give it a good talking to and tell it not to go into the Jones's garden ?

Thats your problem as the pet owner but I'll certainly consider all methods of ending the problem.

KTRIC

furtzy wrote:

Thats your problem as the pet owner but I'll certainly consider all methods of ending the problem.

Cats are free roaming animals, end of the story.

FlutterinBantam

furtzy wrote:

Thats your problem as the pet owner but I'll certainly consider all methods of ending the problem.

Glad I'm not living beside you.

furtzy

KTRIC wrote:

Cats are free roaming animals, end of the story.

What a stupid attitude. So you don't care what damage they do when they're "free roaming". As I said earlier all methods of getting rid of this persistent problem will be used. All I asked originally was for advice on how to keep them out but all I got was the let the cats do what they want attitude....what a stupid and arrogant attitude. Not everyone shares your love of cats and shouldn't have to put up with claning up after them

KTRIC

furtzy wrote:

What a stupid attitude. So you don't care what damage they do when they're "free roaming". As I said earlier all methods of getting rid of this persistent problem will be used. All I asked originally was for advice on how to keep them out but all I got was the let the cats do what they want attitude....what a stupid and arrogant attitude. Not everyone shares your love of cats and shouldn't have to put up with cleaning up after them

What about speaking to the owners and asking them to suggest something if the cat is causing trouble.
The attitude of attacking the cat for doing what comes naturally to it is completely wrong.

FranknFurter

KTRIC wrote:

Cats are free roaming animals, end of the story.

No, its not the end of story.
Outdoor cats are at huge risk these days. All it can take is one single scratch from another cat and your pet can end up with horrific terminal ilnesses.
RTA's are extremely common as cats have no "Majick senses" that tell them how to cross a road, and even if the cat didnt get hit, the driver could easilly crash swerving to miss the cat.
The average outdoor cat has half the lifespan an indoor cat has.
There are plenty of "human beings" out there who take great pleasure in poisening, shooting, catching and hurting cats. Unfortunate but very true.
And as is obvious from this thread they also cause some people problems.
Read some of the stories on www.kittenadoption.ie if you dont believe me.

Im sorry, but to me, a owner who lets his or her cat roam free is an irresponsble pet owner. That is purely my own opinion.

B

skye

Furtzy, I am with you on this one. My neighbour has 2 cats who sh*t and piss all over my garden and I am sick to death of it. And whoever said that they bury it is wrong....My flower beds are rampant with it. I am not a cat hater but it is beyond a joke at this stage - I wouldn't dream of harming them but it does make me very angry when I see them doing their business all over the garden. Short of making the place look like a fortress what can you do??

KTRIC

FranknFurter wrote:

No, its not the end of story.
Outdoor cats are at huge risk these days. All it can take is one single scratch from another cat and your pet can end up with horrific terminal ilnesses.
RTA's are extremely common as cats have no "Majick senses" that tell them how to cross a road, and even if the cat didnt get hit, the driver could easilly crash swerving to miss the cat.
The average outdoor cat has half the lifespan an indoor cat has.
There are plenty of "human beings" out there who take great pleasure in poisening, shooting, catching and hurting cats. Unfortunate but very true.
And as is obvious from this thread they also cause some people problems.
Read some of the stories on www.kittenadoption.ie if you dont believe me.

Im sorry, but to me, a owner who lets his or her cat roam free is an irresponsble pet owner. That is purely my own opinion.

B

You don't need to preach to me about the dangers of letting a cat roam. I lost one of my cats recently. She was only one and a half years old and she was hit by a car when she was out playing with her brother.

I still let her brother out but he stays close to the house and he doesn't like to be kept locked up all day.

Every day I worry about him being outside when I am in work. I even have a small kennel outside for him with a cat flap on it just encase he wants to sleep during the day.

FranknFurter

KTRIC wrote:

You don't need to preach to me about the dangers of letting a cat roam. I lost one of my cats recently. She was only one and a half years old and she was hit by a car when she was out playing with her brother.

Im not preaching, but Im not going to pretend that it doesnt sound silly to have somthing like that happen and *still* let your other cat roam.

KTRIC wrote:

I still let her brother out but he stays close to the house and he doesn't like to be kept locked up all day.

House-cats are perfectly fine once they have enough toys and maybe another cat for company, they adjust quickly and live longer, and are generally healthier (less trips to vet).

Very unlikely he doesnt leave your garden all day, very unlikely he doesnt come in contact with other cats.

I suggest you bring him to the vet and get his blood tested. All outdoor cats should have this done regularly.

My aunts tiny placid dog would love to roam about the neighbours gardens all day every day, as a responsible pet owner, should she let him?

KTRIC wrote:

Every day I worry about him being outside when I am in work. I even have a small kennel outside for him with a cat flap on it just encase he wants to sleep during the day.

If you worry every day, then you must acknowledge it is dangerous for him?
Then why would you expose him to that danger?
Small kennel, ok, so if it rains he has another shelter, but other than that its irrelevant to his roaming.

B

Jumpy

My ball of fluff is a house cat.
He was orginally a kitten stray so he didnt like being kept in at the start but they eventually get used to it.

Dudess

Re cat pooh: all of my cats (and I'm talkin' LOTS) have instinctively buried their faeces from when they were tiny kittens. They look for soil/clay/earth, dig a hole, do their business and then cover over the hole. As well as being extremely clean and neat, it's SO cute!

As for the indoor versus outdoor argument, well, what we do in my parents' house is give them a bit of both worlds. They can come in whenever they want, so they never stray far or for long. I understand those who believe that cats should be kept exclusively indoors, but I just wouldn't be able to do it. I'd feel cruel never letting my cat outside.

Sleipnir

KTRIC wrote:

Cats are free roaming animals, end of the story.

Maybe I should "roam free" and take a **** in your garden every night.
Or would that bother you? Someone ****ting in your garden?

iguana

KTRIC wrote:

And how would you suggest we do that ?, put it on a lead ? give it a good talking to and tell it not to go into the Jones's garden ?

Whoa! If I let my two dogs sh1t where they like I will get a huge fine. I think nearly everyone here will agree that dog owners need to clean up their dogs poo, or else teach it to only poo in one spot. How are cats different? Cat owners should be penalised every bit as much as dog owners for being irresponsible about their pets defecating in public, or even worse, on somebody elses property.

It would also be unacceptable for me to send my dogs into someone elses garden to play and exercise. If people can't work out how to keep cats as while still respecting their neighbours then they should not own them.

To the OP have you tried Silent Roar I haven't needed to use it myself, but I've heard it works very well.

Garth

This is interesting. My wife and I will be building a "safe enclosure" this spring for our cats. We're hoping to create a garden area that we can share with our cats without them being at risk.

I wouldn't dream of letting our cats out to wander in our estate. They're quite happy and healthy indoors too, but they do get a lot of attention and they do have a big placid dog to pick on too. :-) I would like them to get some fresh air though.

I find it interesting someone said they lost a cat to a road accident still feels their other cat deserves the very same fate. Very sad.

furtzy

iguana wrote:

Whoa! If I let my two dogs sh1t where they like I will get a huge fine. I think nearly everyone here will agree that dog owners need to clean up their dogs poo, or else teach it to only poo in one spot. How are cats different? Cat owners should be penalised every bit as much as dog owners for being irresponsible about their pets defecating in public, or even worse, on somebody elses property.

It would also be unacceptable for me to send my dogs into someone elses garden to play and exercise. If people can't work out how to keep cats as while still respecting their neighbours then they should not own them.

To the OP have you tried Silent Roar I haven't needed to use it myself, but I've heard it works very well.

Good to see I've started a debate on this one. The attitudes of some of the cat owners here has been appalling. The comparison with dog ownership and their responsibilities is spot on. Why should it be different for cats?

The onus is on the cat owner not on everyone else.

I've put down some "Get off" pet repellent so I'll see how that works. Otherwise all options are on the table

stovelid

I hope that is not true mate.

If it is, that's just sad, abusing a small animal like that and boasting about it on a public forum.

I'd be livid if somebody did that to my cats.

If you chase them or even give them a little soaking, they'll get the message eventually.

furtzy wrote:

So one wouldn't be a problem? Just caught the culprit tonight and gave him a nose full of pepper....maybe he'll learn now

furtzy

stovelid wrote:

I hope that is not true mate.

If it is, that's just sad, abusing a small animal like that and boasting about it on a public forum.

I'd be livid if somebody did that to my cats.

If you chase them or even give them a little soaking, they'll get the message eventually.

What abusing. All I did was put some pepper on him and I'm not boasting.

Fed up chasing them as they just come straight back again

Dudess

The people who are comparing dogs crapping with cats crapping don't seem to realise that they are not comparing like with like. As I said, my cats always buried their poop instinctively from when they were kittens. They actually look for a suitable place in which to bury it. It's quite amazing since they don't need training for this.

iguana

Years ago people used to just let their dogs roam around estates crapping at will too. And it stopped because it wasn't on. It wasn't safe for the dogs or fair to the other people and animals living around. If cat owners can't take responsibility for their cats crap then they have no right owning a cat in the same way that I have no right owning a dog if I refuse to take responsibility for it's crap.

Duddess - You say that your cat's bury their poo but I don't remember if you said whether you let them roam or not? I for one would appreciate my lawn/veg/flowerbeds being dug up by cats burying their crap to just the same extent as I would appreciate the crap itself. But y'know my dogs never crap on pavement so next time we're in the park and they go on the grass can I just leave it there? Because sh!t on the grass is ever so slightly better than sh!t on the pavement right? Right?.........................

It isn't always easy cleaning up after my dogs either. If we are in the park after dark and I see them stop for a poo I have to give them space to finish doing it or they get self consciouss and won't finish. Then I have to throw a stick far enough for them to be distracted but not too far that they lose interest. And then I have to head in the directon of the crap and crouch down and literally sniff it out because it is dark and it's hard to see where it is. (I need to buy a flashlight:( ) But that's what I do because other people use the park and it wouldn't be fair to just leave it there. Just because it isn't always easy to be responsible for your pet doesn't make it ok to not be. And if you can't be fully responsible then you need to not have one. Plenty of people of people have cats which aren't allowed roam the streets crapping willy-nilly, there is no excuse.

Dudess

iguana wrote:

Duddess - You say that your cat's bury their poo but I don't remember if you said whether you let them roam or not? I for one would appreciate my lawn/veg/flowerbeds being dug up by cats burying their crap to just the same extent as I would appreciate the crap itself. But y'know my dogs never crap on pavement so next time we're in the park and they go on the grass can I just leave it there? Because sh!t on the grass is ever so slightly better than sh!t on the pavement right? Right?

My cats are both indoor and outdoor so they do roam, but not for long each time - probably because they know they'll be allowed in whenever they want. When cats bury their faeces, they dig a tiny hole which you wouldn't even be aware of unless you saw them actually doing it. They don't have the strength to do damage - I mean you won't have piles of earth all over the place caused by their digging. And they push whatever earth they've dug up back on top of the hole.
I don't get your point about sh*t being left on the grass considering I've been harping on non-stop about the fact that cats bury their sh*t. That to me is not the same as crapping on the grass and moving on. The difference between cats and dogs in this regard is that cats instinctively bury and clean up, dogs don't - they have to be toilet-trained.

iguana

Dudess wrote:

They don't have the strength to do damage -

You're obviously not a keen gardener then. Both my mother and my grandmother have had problems with cats destroying their seedlings or uprooting/over-turning shallow buried bulbs by digging in their borders.

Dudess wrote:

I don't get your point about sh*t being left on the grass considering I've been harping on non-stop about the fact that cats bury their sh*t. That to me is not the same as crapping on the grass and moving on.

The point is that what one person may see as being the lesser of two evils can in fact be every bit as bad to someone else.

My dogs don't sh!t on the path, they do it on the grass, so I could argue that that is okay as people are more likely to walk on the path, yet kids are more likely to roll in the grass so it is just as bad if not worse.

Your cats bury their sh!t, which you are arguing is ok as they don't leave it lying out on the ground. Yet that can be just as bad as their digging could uproot a young plant which is important to somebody.

I'm lucky not to have a cat problem as it would be a pretty daring cat that would jump into the garden of two young dogs and stop for a crap. But I would be more than a little annoyed if a neighbours cat was using my garden as a litterbox. Especially if the neighbours attitude was, there's nothing I can do about it, that's what cats do.

Mr. Presentable

Dudess wrote:

I don't get your point about sh*t being left on the grass considering I've been harping on non-stop about the fact that cats bury their sh*t.

I'm sorry, Dudess, but your experience of your cats is not mine. I can go into my back garden any day and find from 2-8 new deposits on my lawn. This makes it very difficult for us to allow our small child to have friends in the garden on the spur of the moment.

Previous posters are correct insofar as cat owners, like owners of any animal, have to take responsibility for their pets. Remarks like "cats are free roaming" and the like are irrelevant - dogs are "free roaming" if let, and I've seen horses "free roaming" across West Dublin.

I do not advocate cruelty to animals - in spite of what has by some been taken from my earlier tongue-in-cheek remark - but I strongly empathise with the OP. Sadly, because cat-owners take no responsibility for the pets, there's feck all he can do that will be "acceptable".

stovelid

Look on the bright side nipplenuts; you're getting phased, spread out manure deposits in your garden. Your lawn will look great

nipplenuts wrote:

I can go into my back garden any day and find from 2-8 new deposits on my lawn.

Dudess

That's not a nice experience, nipplenuts - must be a nightmare when you've a small child and there's all the danger attached to animal faeces. Sorry to hear that. In my experience (having cats since the early eighties) and that of others I know, cats don't seem to require toilet-training. But these are well-looked after, supervised cats, with boundaries in place for them. When it comes to feral, unsupervised cats, I suppose it's an entirely different story. It does seem to me that they do bury their waste instinctively from a very young age but maybe when the wild ones leave their mother and grow up, such an instinct "leaves" them or something since their main concern is simply day-to-day survival? I don't know. Most probably talking out of my arse. But I most certainly do not advocate cats being allowed to get to that point. That's why I'm constantly on a "neuter neuter neuter" rant.

Mr. Presentable

stovelid wrote:

Look on the bright side nipplenuts; you're getting phased, spread out manure deposits in your garden. Your lawn will look great

Well, the dandelions are certainly thriving!