Neighbour's unwelcomed cat?

Question

Our next door neighbour's cat has discovered that we do not have a dog in our yard (previous owners did) and is pooing outside our laundry door. Any suggestions for making our home less inviting for the cat's toiletry habits. We have only been here for 1 month and trying to cultivate the garden back to life. Slowly slowly. Too much work to be done but enjoying.

Answer 1

Do you have access to rabbit traps??, if so place a handfull of beef mince containing rat poision on the plate, if the furry pooing terror is not trapped he might eat enough of the beef to bleed to death,

Answer 2

Thankfully there is no law to prevent cats from going where they please so don't bother phoning animal control. (We don't have such a thing in London!) Common sense prevails here as there is no way to stop a cat from wandering freely-that would be ridiculous as they can easily jump over fences etc. It is not the owner's responsibility as there is little they can do apart from keeping the cat in which if it has been used to going outside would be cruel.

You can however make your garden less inviting without resorting to any cruelty. A good method which is harmless is to give the cat a quick squirt with a water pistol, no need to go over the top, just a quick spray and they will soon get the message!

Also, are you absolutely sure that the cat is owned? It could be a stray although it sounds like you know it belongs to your neighbour.

The cat sounds like he is marking his territory a bit after being scared of the dog before. This behaviour might stop anyway as he feels more secure

One final thing, and the most important, it is never worth falling out with your neighbour about-there needs to be tolerance on both sides and people become very defensive about their pets. If you do have a word with your neighbour, be pleasant, explain the problem and ask if they mind you giving a little water squirt as a deterrent. It is always best to stay on good terms otherwise the problem escalates. They may even have some ideas of their own. But remember, it can be a very emotional issue-it can be like insulting someone's child!!!

Best of luck.

Answer 3

There is a product that is called SHake Away. It is a powder that you can sprinkle to stop the cat from visiting your yard. The problem with the cat visiting now it has started, is that they are creatures of habit. Once they have started to use your garden they will keep doing so.

Answer 4

Hi there...if speaking to your neighbour fails to keep the cat restrained. Consider the following:

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 5

Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and see it they have anything that repels cats. My aunt found something that repels rabbits by smell. She applies the spray around the boarder of her yard and rabbits will not cross over where she sprayed. Maybe there is a product that does the same for cats.

Answer 6

If it was me, I'd tell the neighbor about it and ask them to keep their cat inside where it belongs. But if you're scared of making waves, go to a pet store and buy cat repelent. It comes in a spray bottle and it really does work. Cats hate the smell of it and will likely not go back to the place where the smelled it.

Answer 7

Start investing in ceyenne pepper and sprinkle a good amount wherever the cat goes in your yard. It won't hurt your plants or the cat. Cats just don't like it.

Also wanted to add, that where I live there is no law regarding wandering felines.

Answer 8

Get a roll of cheap chicken wire at the garden supply store. Lay it out flat on the garden soil and cover it with 1/2 to 1 inch of dirt. The cat will hit the wire when it tries to dig and go away. That really works. We tried everything until someone told us about that.

Answer 9

A squirt gun or garden hose works good. Also firecrackers.

They make stuff you can sprinkle or spray on to keep cats and dogs away.

Answer 10

go to the local humane society and get a cage to catch it in.. then when you catch it.. take it to the humane society. If they don't care enought about their cat ( or their neighbor) to keep it tied or inside the house, why should you have to deal with it. A cat is no better than a dog, and you have to keep your dog contained.