Scat!

September 28, 2005 12:59 PM

My cats are fouling my neighbour's garden. How can I stop them from using her yard as their toilet?

What's unusual about them doing this is that the garden is all hard landscaping and they've been crapping on a gravel bed and not burying it. It's not as if they're short of places to go, I live next to a forest.

In the interests of staying on good terms with my neighbour, I want to try to address this problem. I've bought some of those repellent granules but, well, this is England and it rains a lot, so the effect of them will be diluted pretty quickly.

Has anyone ever used one of these? Did it work?

Any other suggestions? Having an indoor litter box is not an option.

posted by essexjan to home & garden (18 comments total)

Any other suggestions? Having an indoor litter box is not an option.

Find them another home then.

Seriously, you are effectively saying "I want them to poop somewhere else but I am unwilling to provide them an alternate place." They're cats and if you let them run around wild and risk their being run over they're going to behave in a wild manner, including crapping where they like.

If that gadget does work what do you propose to do when they move to the other neighbor's garden? The only way you're going to control their excretory location is to keep them inside.
posted by phearlez at 1:20 PM on September 28, 2005

Tell your neighbor that you're very sorry about it and that your neighbor should feel free to harass your cats if they're being Naughty Little Poopers in his/her yard. I can only imagine that several dousings from a garden hose or squirt gun will make that spot far less attractive. Harass them yourself when you see it happening, both for its direct effect and to encourage your neighor to do likewise.

Alternatively, keep them inside, or physically restrain them so they can't go over there, or follow them around when they're outside so you can control their behavior. There's no way to stop them from doing something they're physically able to do without being there to, you know, actually stop it.

Or, as phearlez notes, give them to someone else.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:26 PM on September 28, 2005

Can you make them a nice gravel bed in your yard?
posted by firstdrop at 1:29 PM on September 28, 2005

I think you may run into some culture shock, as I believe indoor cats are much more common in the US than in England. So just be aware that it's a little shocking to hear "no indoor litter box" to some folks (me included).

I don't know if the device you've linked works. I did have a neighbor who stopped the local kitties from using his yard by "marking his territory" with a bit of his own urine every few mornings. Though it might be interesting bringing that up with a neighbor.
posted by frykitty at 1:31 PM on September 28, 2005

My dad had this problem but the other way around - neighbour's cats using his garden. He bought a high-power water pistol and sprayed them several times. It worked extremely well, but then again he and the neighbour weren't on speaking terms for quite a long time after that.
posted by greycap at 1:57 PM on September 28, 2005

I think I already said I live by a forest, phearlez, and I'm at the end of a lane, so the chances of them getting run over are minimal.

They live exactly as all the other local cats do around here, with their own little kitty door to go in and out as they choose. They don't 'run around wild', they sleep a lot during the day and are mostly active during the night, as is their nature. Most English cats live like that instead of the American habit of confining them to a building with their claws removed.

I suggested the garden hose to the neighbour but she's reluctant to do that, being an animal lover herself. I know it would only take a few squirts of the hose to send them away from her yard. I can't see her yard from my house. She has my blessing to scare them off short of hurting them. They'll get over it.

And yes, ROU_Xenophobe, I know I can't stop them, and under English law, an owner is not responsible for their cat's actions, but I consider that I am accountable. Hence my desire to address my cats' problem.
posted by essexjan at 1:59 PM on September 28, 2005

They live exactly as all the other local cats do around here

Are you sure it's your cats who are doing the dooing?
posted by Sara Anne at 3:10 PM on September 28, 2005

I think you are being very neighborly. Most people's response to this problem is "it's the cat's nature. There's nothing I can do about it."

hmmm...I'd suggest the garden hose, too. but if your neighbor doesn't want to do it, what can you do? You've offered a harmless solution (assuming she's not using a pressure sprayer).

Cats seem to be pretty particular about what kind of "substrate" they like, and it seems your cat likes gravel. Is there a way you can put a box of gravel in your yard?
posted by luneray at 4:48 PM on September 28, 2005

Oh, bah! I have always had "outdoor" cats. Aside from the occasional flea and occasionally being run over, it's perfectly normal and healthy.

But that is not the question here. This is all about where the cats poop. Why are they not going in the woods? I don't know, but gravel doesn't seem to be a place that cats would like very much.

As essexjan mentioned, using products or ground hot peppers won't work outside.

The next best solution would be to give them and outdoor litter or sandbox, preferably very near your neighbor's gravel. I'm sure they would much prefer the sand to the gravel. Their little paws don't like that rough stuff.

Good luck and I'm sure the cats will appreciate your effort!
posted by snsranch at 5:00 PM on September 28, 2005

What about another type of deterrent, if your neighbor doesn't want to hit them with the hose? Would a loud noise work to scare them off? A horn, bell, buzzer of some type?

(If your neighbor is an animal lover, suggest she get a dog to chase cats out of garden? On second thought would not solve poo issue...)
posted by sarahmelah at 5:52 PM on September 28, 2005

The argument isn't about whether the cat should be inside or not!

Perhaps similar to other suggestions, and if you didn't want a permanent outside structure, could you dig up a lot of the dirt on the border of your forest? I've found freshly dug dirt is very attractive to a cat, so don't remove it, just turn it over.
posted by artifarce at 6:13 PM on September 28, 2005

You may want to build a large cage for them outdoors and get them used to a specific space for a litter box. Potty train them in effect. I'm sure they may not like it, but it is doubtful you can get the message through their thin little skulls in any other way. Ideally, even in the country (especially IMO) they should be kept indoors or at least yard trained. Maybe you can get the Invisible fence collars?
posted by JJ86 at 1:54 AM on September 29, 2005

One solution that has worked well in our neighbourhood is black nylon mesh laid on the surface of the soil. The mesh is sized in about half-inch/1 cm squares and made out of a fine nylon filament. It's very cheap at most home improvement stores or gardening centres.

Cats can't dig in the mesh, so they don't use that bed to poop on. Plants can easily grow through the mesh, with the occasional hole. If you put it down in spring, the whole procedure takes about ten minutes. You can get fancy and stake it down, but just raking a bit of dirt over it seems to work just as well.

Still, you really should have an indoor box.
posted by bonehead at 6:12 AM on September 29, 2005

Perhaps you could pick up your neighbour's yard a bit? Offer home baked cookies periodically, with apologies? If your neighbour is an animal lover, picking up after your cats, or at least offering to, should go far.
posted by QIbHom at 8:32 AM on September 29, 2005

Yes, I realize that I am contributing to the derail, but when you see obvious untruths posted you feel obligated to say something.

Outdoor cats are "perfectly normal and healthy." Nope. They have shorter life spans. I guess that is ok with you. So you probably shouldn't have pets.

Also, in the US, for the most part, we do not consider it ok to declaw.
posted by free pie at 9:27 AM on September 29, 2005

Outdoor cats are "perfectly normal and healthy." Nope. They have shorter life spans. I guess that is ok with you. So you probably shouldn't have pets.

The cats are not 'outdoor' cats. They are pet cats that have access to the outdoors whenever they choose to go out. They live on Hill's Science Food and sleep on the sofa.

My previous three cats lived to 16, 17 and 20, having access to outdoor space through their kitty door at times of their own choosing.

Funny how this has morphed from a query about a sonic device into criticism from people who think imprisoning cats is a good idea ...
posted by essexjan at 10:17 AM on September 29, 2005

Moth balls.
posted by togdon at 10:37 AM on September 29, 2005

We had every cat in the neighborhood doing it's business in the bushes beside our front door. We bought a bottle of bobcat urine at the hardware store and put some out. A single dose and we didn't even see any cats in our yard for months.

You may have to reapply given your weather but that's my suggestion.

legupenterprises.com
posted by deanj at 5:39 PM on September 29, 2005