Cat loo!

[yukmui]

Hello!

Can anyone help? I have just started to renovate my front and back garden; I have been digging everything up and removing roots - hard work! Anyway before I had a chance to plant, 8 yes 8 separate poos were left for me - disgusting smell. I have now added some slate around the planting but as I have left room for everything to grow and spread that means expanses of bare freshly dug earth. This is just the first corner of my front garden, I'm still digging the rest.

Help please!

 

[htgeng]

Hello!

Can anyone help? I have just started to renovate my front and back garden; I have been digging everything up and removing roots - hard work! Anyway before I had a chance to plant, 8 yes 8 separate poos were left for me - disgusting smell. I have now added some slate around the planting but as I have left room for everything to grow and spread that means expanses of bare freshly dug earth. This is just the first corner of my front garden, I'm still digging the rest.

Help please!

B&Q sell a gadget that you connect to the hose pipe. When a cat walks in front of the sensor it lets rip with a blast of water.

I saw a ginger tom just about to squat down on the bark mulch on my garden. I just opened the window and shouted. It ran like its life depended on it, then sat on the fence trying to work out where the noise came from. Its the neighbours cat so I have to be careful otherwise they might take offence lol.

 

[westeleven]

if the pesky cats come in at a time when you see them ...

buy yourself one of those pump up water rifles fill it with skinny washing up liquid (lidl 26p) and then spray at the cat, but do try really hard not to get them in the face NO JOKE -

my neighbouring cats never come into my garden now and I don't think its too cruel but is a learning experience - they aren't stupid!

 

[xdave]

I feel for you, really I do. I have the same problem. Three neighbour cats frequent my garden and all use it as a giant toilet. It is particularly bad at this time of year because I am out in the garden more digging over the beds, etc, and cats do love freshly dug soil to poop on.

I have some cat owner friends, and none of them can understand the problem. They are adamant that cats are lovely clean animals that always burry their poop. They base this on not having any in their gardens - well most animals, given a choice, would not poop in their own gardens, and the cats near my house certainly do not bother to dig holes.

I have resorted to planting very prickly bushes at two corners of the garden they usually enter through (although it will take a year or so for them to bulk out enough to fill the gaps) and barking over the beds that I don't need to dig over yearly. The cats seem to hate the bark - when crossing the garden they now avoid walking over those areas. I think it is because it is bone dry and quite sharp to walk on, so once it it wet with rain that will probably change and they'll start using it like toilet paper.

I can't really use a water based device in my garden because the tiers would require me to site about eight of them to cover all their main routes. I have a shed at the top of the garden with power, but I am loath to use an ultrasonic device (assuming they even work) because the position would cover neihbouring gardens and a primary school, and I can hear the lawsuit already knocking on my door. I won't be sticking plastic/metal cats with marbles for eyes around the garden either after seeing them have no effect at a relatives house (indeed the other cats would happily poop right next to it, almost out of spite).

I have seen sprays that supposedly contain plant oils that repel cats. I have no idea if they work. If the bark and prickly bushes don't sort it for me I might try digging deep holes in the beds and covering them with leaves... or a 12 bore cat repellent. And I am a cat person too!

 

[yukmui]

Hey you guys, I think I've really started something here!!!

You know what is the worst thing about it all, all the hard work I put into digging and ridding all the weeds. I'm not even finished!!

Thanks for all the advice. I will keep it all in mind and keep an eye on those pesky cats.

At the moment I have chopped up orange peel and a portion covered in slate to see if either has any affect.

 

[r896neo]

Many people say they haven't worked for them but a PIR sonic repeller has worked in my very very small garden. Once you spend a few weeks discouraging them from doing it they won't come back for at least 3/4 months.

It is also good at keep teenagers from loitering outside your house.

 

[JamesA]

Sonic repellers have worked fairly well for us.
Always get rid of the poo straight away, I bury it in a deep hole.
Ideally cover the dug earth with branches/pruned twigs. This may not be practical in your case.
Consider putting something on your fences, but most people only own 1 run of fence so this can't always be effective.
Keep an eye out for cats marking their territory as well. You want to try and cover the smell or it'll attract more. This is the only case where cat repelling products have any use, in my opinion.

Pepper, lemon, orange etc etc are all unpleasant for the cats but won't solve the problem on their own.

 

[yukmui]

Just when I thought it was working, another poo has turned up! Trying the pepper next.

That's good advice about trying to mask the smell too to try and discourage the cats.

I have used cut branches to block some well trodden cat paths to try and break their routine too.

I think this is going to be a marathon!