How do I discourage stray cats from "living" in my yard? My neighbor feeds them...and then they come over!

Question

I have two indoor cats, but there are at least 6 strays using my yard as their bedroom, litter box and playground because my neighbor started putting out food for them. Is there anything non-chemical (natural method?) that will make my yard undesirable? I read that cats don't like coffee grounds but haven't been able to acquire enough to see if it works.

Answer 1

Here are some suggestions from Animal Alliance. I hope they help!

* Cats dislike the smell of citrus: Try putting citrus peels around the garden beds or using Citrus smelled sprays. There is also citrus-scented pet bedding (Citrafresh) available.

* Spray cat repellent (sold at pet stores) around the edges of your yard & on top of your fences.

* Sprinkle Cayenne Pepper in the areas you want them to stay out.

* Cats are also said to dislike the odor of coffee grounds and pipe tobacco. Sprinkle freely in your flower beds. (You might ask the local coffee shop to save their used grounds for the day, you will have MORE than enough).

* Grow the herb 'rue'. Cats dislike the smell.

* For extreme cases there is also a motion-activated sprinkler device that sprays areas with water made by Contech. Phone
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Answer 2

Hi there...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 (coffee shops such as Starbucks will give away grounds or sell them for a small fee), 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 3

It might cost a bit, but you can use bitter apple spray and spray down their favourite spots. The scent and taste will drive them off. You can get it at the local pet store. Make sure to spray parts of the area they use as a litterbox the most, maybe a favourite tree or sunny spot, etc. If not, call the animal services and they will capture the animals for a small cost.

Answer 4

tell ur neighbor to cool on the feeding and as they stop craving for food from them then theyll start to cry but ignore them and get on with life and make sure no one else feeds them either then theyll just go when they kno that theres no more food for them ps keep ur cats out of the way of the strays coz they might be attracted to them

<3 hope this helped it works coz i had the same kind of problem

Answer 5

this is to smelslik...sounds like you have a problem with women..i have a neighbour she has a huge problem with cats as well..you see her neighbour 2 doors down has about 7 cats of his own and takes in any cat that looks alone (stray ),not all cats that are alone are stray..so you see it's not just a women thing ..one day i was leaving her place around 5 p.m. i stopped and counted 13 cats on his front steps...


i'm going to tell her the one about the moth balls ...we have tried almost everything else


thx

Answer 6

Any strong scent is supposed to deter them, but I haven't seen it actually work.
What I suggest is just yelling and throwing things at them (not actually hitting them, but as close as your aim can allow). They will learn that it is not a fun place and will start to avoid it.

Another thing you can do is help get rid of the stray population- call your humane society to remove them. Your neighbor feeding the strays is only helping increase their population.

Answer 7

For the raccoons, you could surely purchase a humane seize at maximum hardware shops or freight grant shops for roughly $20. merely positioned some cat nutrients interior the seize, set it, and shop doing so till the raccoons are trapped. hide the seize with a trash bag or blanket so it doesnt' appear like a seize. Raccoons are extremely clever in this style and could become conscious of that seize promptly till you're ensuring it is coated. As for the cats, there are some issues you're able to do. If the cats are feral, there are classes to a minimum of get them neutered/spayed and microchipped. touch your close by animal administration/animal shield and spot in the event that they have, or understand of, the variety of application. we've one on the shield I paintings at in California. this could a minimum of shop the inhabitants stable. additionally, there may well be a would desire to decrease the numbers even after the inhabitants is curbed. you're able to desire to seize the cats, yet keep in mind, in the event that they're feral (untame) they could probable be euthanized. it form of feels so merciless to do this, yet surely, they are in a position to on no account stay a classic existence. in the event that they're tame, nonetheless, then you definately can see in the event that they may well be observed out to a sparkling homestead. regrettably, because of the fact she would have had those cats for over 30 days, they could probable be seen no longer strays, yet components of the female. Trapping them may well be your in uncomplicated terms option. Animal administration officers (a minimum of our animal administration officers) won't frequently respond to a call till the animal(s) in question are already restricted. in the event that they're feral and run away, the officer will inform you to seize them or carry them in. this relies upon on county and state, nonetheless. the biggest factor is to work out approximately getting the cats that are there spayed/netuered ASAP so the inhabitants boost would not bypass on. you're able to would desire to seize them just to do this, till they permit you seize them. stable success. =)

Answer 8

Call your local animal control center and tell them about your neighbor. Most likely they will give her a warning. If they continue to feed the cats then contact the control center again and they will take legal action: fines, etc. No food equals no cats.

Answer 9

Try using moth balls. I use them to keep stray anythings out of my yard and garden. They smell really bad up close but you won't even notice them.

Answer 10

get a hose or a water bottle and spray them it may take a few times at first but they will get the hint