How to discourage cats from pooping under the house?

Question

I moved to the country almost 4 months ago.Since then several starved cats has adopted me(not starving no more). Alot of the houses in the area I live in is built on bricks(blocks). These cats has 3 acres of land to mess on but chooses to go under the house.We will be skirting the house sometime after the holidays.The smell is terrible.It attracts alot of flies.Is there anything that I can put under the house that will discourage the cats from pooping under the house that will not harm the cats and cost under $100.00.I just cant turn my back on a animal in need nor can I drop them off at a shelter that is over ran with unwanted cats.Im fixing all the cats starting with the females first to stop anymore unwanted cats.

jyone scotani I dont have to wait for spring.Im in Texas and it`s 81 degrees right now.It`s nothing dead.Just alot of poop that is impossible to reach with the rake to clean out.

Answer 1

Hi Darlene...Common odours that are effective deterrents for cats are:

Citronella works best for cats as well as citrus scents such as orange or lemon (primarily towards cats), cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and mustard oil.

"Havahart's Cat Repellent" uses capsaicin pepper and oil of mustard as its active ingredients. It repels by both taste and odor, has a lemon scent.

Every animal responds differently to each of these. Some will not be phased by them and others will be quite revolting.

For training purposes they are applied on items that are to encourage avoidance behaviours and not for use with a squirt bottle as they could harm the eyes or respiratory system. Test each substance and observe to see which works as a deterrent so that accidental injestion does not occur as some could then be fatal.

Coleus plants can be effective, but every cat responds differently so it is uncertain without experimenting.

Many people believe mothballs work, however they are considered toxic and should NOT be used. Here's more information on this:
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/ope/enotes/showarticle.cfm?id=89
MOTHBALLS are toxic to cats which contains the ingredient Naphthalene. Mothballs are approximately twice as toxic as paradichlorobenzene, and cats are especially sensitive to naphthalene. Signs of ingestion of naphthalene mothballs include emesis, weakness, lethargy, brown-colored mucous membranes and collapses. Paradichlorobenzene mothballs may cause GI upset, ataxia, disorientation, and depression. Elevations in liver serum biochemical values may occur within 72 hours of indigestion.

Answer 2

To stop cats from pooping in our garden last summer my sister had a great idea that worked pretty well. She got some dog hair from a dog groomer (she works in the veterinary field) and just buried some in random spots in the garden. It's not 100% effective, but there was a definite improvement and the price is right!

Good luck to you, and good on ya for getting them fixed!

Answer 3

Close off an entries to under your house as soon as possible. When you do be sure you do not trap an animal under the house by mistake, Of course the cats chose a sheltered place to go to the bathroom- anyone would, including us. Are you sure something has not died under your house? Please check this out before you fix the house- the stench will kill you in the summer- smell terrible in the winter- just wait till spring! Good luck.