How to...Keep Cats out of the Garden

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by kat08

I seen a acticle in the paper for a product called silemt roar, it pellets soaked in real lions dung. Anyway I bought some from silent roar online and and put some down. It tooks a few days to work but touch wood up to now no cats have been back.

Pelleted chicken manure from garden centres works just as well..You just have to put more out when it has been raining..

[pineapple]

Yes cats are loved for their 'independent natures'. Ergo - they are also loved because they are 'easy'. Ie you can you can keep one in a small flat, kick them out to roam and oeoeoeoe in your neighbours garden and give them a cuddle when they come home. Plus - unlike a dog - you don't have to walk them. Well I'm sick of being on the receiving end of their little piles of dug up earth in my garden. I'm sick of them doing what comes naturally and stalking and killing the wildlife in my garden. Or aren't cat owners aware that their little furry friends are responsible for the biggest decimation of UK wildlife ever? Do they even care?
All cat (and dog) owners should be licensed. It should be law that cats wear warning bells to give some protection to wildlife. It should be law that you can take action against both dog and cat owners who allow their pets to foul your garden. And yes, actually, you can train cats to use litter trays. But hey, it's easier for you to let your little friend foul my garden - right?
Wrong. I've had enough and I will do what it takes to keep these creatures out of my garden. They are a pest and should be treated as such.

[pineapple]

Yes cats are loved for their 'independent natures'. Ergo - they are also loved because they are 'easy'. Ie you can you can keep one in a small flat, kick them out to roam and poo in your neighbours garden and give them a cuddle when they come home. Plus - unlike a dog - you don't have to walk them. Well I'm sick of being on the receiving end of their little piles of dug up earth in my garden. I'm sick of them doing what comes naturally and stalking and killing the wildlife in my garden. Or aren't cat owners aware that their little furry friends are responsible for the biggest decimation of UK wildlife ever? Do they even care?
All cat (and dog) owners should be licensed. It should be law that cats wear warning bells to give some protection to wildlife. It should be law that you can take action against both dog and cat owners who allow their pets to foul your garden. And yes, actually, you can train cats to use litter trays. But hey, it's easier for you to let your little friend foul my garden - right?
Wrong. I've had enough and I will do what it takes to keep these creatures out of my garden. They are a pest and should be treated as such.

[wilddawn]

A few years back I had a cat that loved my neighbours well turned flower bed, we bought her a box of cat deterrent, green gel crystals and that stopped our cat using her borders as a loo.

I'm guessing the people on this thread that think cat owners are lazy have never had a cat? Like all pets they demand a great deal of care and are expensive to keep, they are also intelligent and affectionate creatures. I had a cat for 18 years and he was very much part of the family, when he passed last year we had him cremated and his ashes sit on the shelf with a plaque on the box, try and remember that quite often a cat is someones baby!

I do agree though that it would be a good thing if cat owners had to neuter their cats by law and put a collar with a bell on them, though the latter would be hard to police, I now have 2 cats and one looses a collar every other month.

[Dalesman]

Originally Posted by wilddawn

A few years back I had a cat that loved my neighbours well turned flower bed, we bought her a box of cat deterrent, green gel crystals and that stopped our cat using her borders as a loo.

I'm guessing the people on this thread that think cat owners are lazy have never had a cat? Like all pets they demand a great deal of care and are expensive to keep, they are also intelligent and affectionate creatures. I had a cat for 18 years and he was very much part of the family, when he passed last year we had him cremated and his ashes sit on the shelf with a plaque on the box, try and remember that quite often a cat is someones baby!

I do agree though that it would be a good thing if cat owners had to neuter their cats by law and put a collar with a bell on them, though the latter would be hard to police, I now have 2 cats and one looses a collar every other month.

Last year I put a broken slate border around my front garden which is open plan and soon as I turned my back a cat had dug its way through and left a mess.
Them crystals worked wonders, It never happened again.

Only problem is, there's another one coming into the rear garden so I have to start all over again.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Greyhoundgirl

We are being terrorised by a small kitten. As you can see from my username we have 2 retired greyhounds that wouldn't hurt anything - except cats.

Recently we built a big fence round the garden so we could let them off the lead safely and then the neighbours got a kitten. It's not scared of dogs and won't run off but will hide and jump out paws outstretched trying to attack them. I've told the neighbours but they laughed and said "he's a silly boy, he's not scared of anything". Don't think they understand how serious the situation is. I found him in my kitchen yesterday heading for the dog gate and again in the front garden which I'd been taking the dogs into to avoid the back garden.

So the reality is that I can't open the back door and let the sunshine in, I can't let the dogs off the lead in my own garden unless I go to their house and check if he's inside and it will probably be my own fault (to them) if they kill him despite the fact it's on my property and my dogs are fenced in. As for talking to the neighbours, forget it.

When I take them outside to toilet on the lead I now go armed with a water spray spraying it into all the bushes in case he's there.

And, since he's been allowed outside there has been a distinct lack of birds which I used to pride myself on the fact that we had so many.

I love cats but this has started to affect my life so much that yesterday I seriously started to consider selling the house and moving.

Sorry for the rant and the long post!

Wait until the kitten has just enough time to escape and let the grey hounds loose. It will hopefully put the kitten off coming back, especially if you repeat it a few times. Mind you if the kitten and its 'owners' re that bad I wouldn't blame you if you were tempted to just let you greyhound off the lead...

[twosoups]

Originally Posted by honeybee

why can't they poop in their own garden.

They do! It's nonsense that they don't use their own garden. My two do all the time, as have all the cats I've ever owned.

I must also say that the idea of getting your own cat in order to stop others hunting in your garden - yes, that may well work BUT you may need to be prepared to pick up mice and birds (or parts of) from around your back door on a regular basis. One of my cats in particular is truly a serial killer and removing corpses is a daily job in this house.

Those of you who have had lazy, non-hunting cats have been very lucky. This wouldn't apply to a single one of the many cats I've had. One of them even continued hunting right up till the day he died at 21. There's no stopping them.

[pineapple]

I accept that people love their cats but the domestic cat population is rising. Why? Because in our busier lives, with smaller spaces, they are the easier option. Then there are those with several cats. Sorry but that's irresponsible to the rest of us and the wildlife which is being decimated.
I want birds in my garden again. I am sick of tripping over the bodies of voles and similar. And I don't want cats using the garden as a cat loo. Is that too much to ask? And now we have a new neighbour. She has a cat which is terrorising all the other cats and yes - the dogs and people even! My placid border collie has been chased and bitten and is terrified of walking past the house. I now have to go armed with an arsenal - a long garden cane and a water pistol at the least.
And how about this for a lovely paradox? Some other neighbours make great efforts to feed the birds. In fact they have to hang over a steep drop with a pole to hook up bird feeders onto a tree. Then their cat comes and sits under the spot stalking the the birds which come to feed. Wonderful.
Chrissy

[djackso]

I've had success with the Jet Spray Water Repeller, it's only drawback so far is that it self-triggers on sunny days when there is a breeze. So I usually turn it off in the day.

I use it to guard the wildlife area and pond at the back of the garden. This area is clearly demarcated by an informal mixed hedge. My cat has quickly learnt not to go anywhere near now. So maybe this year some froglets and newts will survive. At the moment, peace and harmony seem to have finally settled on my combined wildlife- and pet-friendly plot.

[wilddawn]

Originally Posted by pineapple

I accept that people love their cats but the domestic cat population is rising. Why? Because in our busier lives, with smaller spaces, they are the easier option. Then there are those with several cats. Sorry but that's irresponsible to the rest of us and the wildlife which is being decimated.
I want birds in my garden again. I am sick of tripping over the bodies of voles and similar. And I don't want cats using the garden as a cat loo. Is that too much to ask? And now we have a new neighbour. She has a cat which is terrorising all the other cats and yes - the dogs and people even! My placid border collie has been chased and bitten and is terrified of walking past the house. I now have to go armed with an arsenal - a long garden cane and a water pistol at the least.
And how about this for a lovely paradox? Some other neighbours make great efforts to feed the birds. In fact they have to hang over a steep drop with a pole to hook up bird feeders onto a tree. Then their cat comes and sits under the spot stalking the the birds which come to feed. Wonderful.
Chrissy

Are you sure it's cats leaving bodies around your garden? Cats take their kill home as a gift to their owner, it's more likely the bodies you find are victim to poison or maybe another wild animal?