Door glass where i live is semi rural not on a council estate and not near any restaurants or cafes, so rats are not a problem where i live.
Don't you believe it - without cats they certainly would be! Rodents are omnivorous so they can and do thrive very well in rural areas. We have a farm house and outbuildings that are several hundred yards from any other building. During the two years it was unoccupied during restoration it became totally infested with mice, voles and rats. Despite three cats and about 20 (humane) traps and a little help from the kestrels and buzzards we still have an up-hill struggle against rodents.
We simply have to face the fact that our countryside and our cities would be totally over-run by rodents in the absence of a small carnivore to keep their population down. Traditionally that role would have been filled by the stoat and the weasel but we persecuted them almost out of existence a long time ago. So, like it or not, the introduced cat has filled the niche. It didn't ask to be here - we introduced it to serve exactly this purpose. Unfortunately, the cat is nowhere near as trainable as a dog so there is a serious limit as to the control anyone can exert on a cat. Try walking a cat on a lead/harness and you will rapidly come to the same conclusion.
You can bang on all you like about the cat owner but most are helping to limit the problem of the cat (which we brought down on ourselves). Most homed cats are neutered (and so limit the population increase). Neutering is also likely to cause the cat to bury its droppings - the most likely cat to crap without burying it is an un-neutered male so perhaps you can ask your neighbour if they have had the cat neutered or not.
Is the cat in question the only cat in your neighbourhood? Because if it isn't, it's unlikely to be the only cat crapping in your garden!
I had this arguement with an old neighbour who was horrible to my cat for pooping in his garden and wouldn't believe it was any other cat doing it until I took a photo of another cat in his garden! I knew my cat couldn't produce as much crap as was in his garden as she is mostly a house-cat, is litter trained and I was still emptying her tray..
I even offered to clean his garden every other day and buy him some Silent Roar (lion poo pellets that cats hate! Also not that expensive..) but he was an utter prick about the whole thing. So not all cat owners are 'bad'
Cats are sneaky buggers and even if it's another cats 'territory' they will still push their luck.. My bet is even if you deter this particular cat, another one will be waiting in the wings!
There are some types on flowers that cats hate so might be worthwhile planting in your garden, can't think what they are, but I'm sure google will know.
P.S Rats are eveywhere!!! I live in a suburban area too and one of my neighbours had a rat nest under her shed!
Is the cat in question the only cat in your neighbourhood? Because if it isn't, it's unlikely to be the only cat crapping in your garden!
I had this arguement with an old neighbour who was horrible to my cat for pooping in his garden and wouldn't believe it was any other cat doing it until I took a photo of another cat in his garden! I knew my cat couldn't produce as much crap as was in his garden as she is mostly a house-cat, is litter trained and I was still emptying her tray..
Did your photo show the other cat actually doing a poo?
It would be too funny if it did. Would love to be there as you presented your neighbour with a photo of a cat actually doing a crap in his garden.
But then how do we know you didn't stage the whole photo thing with a borrowed cat?
You could get a light, i know its a nuisance having it come on and off everytime there is movement but it may work. Though better if you get a water pistol so that when the light comes on you know its there and can spray it which means you dont have to keep constant watch also the cat after a while will start to associate the light with the water spray and will run away for fear of being caught.
You could also ask your neighbour to put a litter tray out in his garden if it's only next door then the cat should be happy to only walk a small way. I agree with you that the neighbour should of trained it to respond to a tray yet hes not fully in control of his pet at all times.
Not all us crazy cat people are bad :) I have 3 cats and i love them very much they are all indoor cats put ive had outdoor cats and they can be trained, ive had cats who will sit, stand, roll over, paw and high five it all really depends on the owner. And please dont kick or poison the cat (i cant believe the owner gave you permission to kick him! A sure sign that he must not care that much about his pet, which would explain the lack of training.) It's not ultimately the animals fault.
if someone kicked my cat i would rip them apart, i think the owners prob meant you can shoo the cat away, dont get me started on posion,
in a garden its wildlife, so do you clean all the grass from bird shit, hedgehogs, other cats, flies, mice the list is endless, to me seems as tho you have a downer on the cat not just for crapping in your garden
also i sugges Lovehoney that this thread be closed as you can see from the replies that its made people very edgy
if someone kicked my cat i would rip them apart, i think the owners prob meant you can shoo the cat away, dont get me started on posion,
in a garden its wildlife, so do you clean all the grass from bird shit, hedgehogs, other cats, flies, mice the list is endless, to me seems as tho you have a downer on the cat not just for crapping in your garden
also i sugges Lovehoney that this thread be closed as you can see from the replies that its made people very edgy
I don't think anyone is condoning harming the cats in question. They are innocent creatures following their instincts. It's the ignorant owners who are at fault.
Concensus seems to be that some owners think its ok to release a wild animal into the neighbourhood and if it chooses to shit in your garden so be it.
Silly to compare a cat that has been intentionally released into an area by its "owner" to naturally occuring birds or hedgehogs. Very silly. Besides, a cat turd is a lot bigger than a birds or hedgehogs.
And why ask for this thread to be closed? Feel free to leave the debate at any time you choose.
As adults we can all decide for ourselves whether its getting too edgy for us. I don't think anything has been said that warrants intervention or cenorship.
We are all members of society and as such bear a degree of responsibility for the environment we live in. So we are all to a degree responsible for the problems caused by cats, rodents, dogs etc. The fact that you don't own a cat means you are having your rodent problem kept at bay at the expense of someone who does keep a cat. If the cats were kept in 24/7 then you would soon find out what rats look like. And if you think the natural small carnivores would be better than the cat then think again - weasel shit and fox shit make cat shit seem utterly benign - and bird-lovers would find out that weasels are far more effective bird-killers than cats as they can get places cats can't and they take eggs which generally cats don't.
And there is the whole thing about live and let live. Some people get great comfort from their pets. Why should we deny them that? If you want to live in a totally sterile, sanitised environment can I suggest planet Earth was a bad place to pick to live.
I don't own a dog but because I have a few hundred yards of foot-paths on my land I move loads of dog-shit all the time. However, I appreciate that open fields without livestock are one of the few places that a dog can run free for a while and I would not want to deny them that freedom.
We would all do a lot better if we accepted that things other people/animals want/need to do have an impact on us and we would all be a hell of a lot better off if we had higher degrees of tolerance to them.
if someone kicked my cat i would rip them apart, i think the owners prob meant you can shoo the cat away, dont get me started on posion,
in a garden its wildlife, so do you clean all the grass from bird shit, hedgehogs, other cats, flies, mice the list is endless, to me seems as tho you have a downer on the cat not just for crapping in your garden
also i sugges Lovehoney that this thread be closed as you can see from the replies that its made people very edgy
I don't think anyone is condoning harming the cats in question. They are innocent creatures following their instincts. It's the ignorant owners who are at fault.
Concensus seems to be that some owners think its ok to release a wild animal into the neighbourhood and if it chooses to shit in your garden so be it.
Silly to compare a cat that has been intentionally released into an area by its "owner" to naturally occuring birds or hedgehogs. Very silly. Besides, a cat turd is a lot bigger than a birds or hedgehogs.
And why ask for this thread to be closed? Feel free to leave the debate at any time you choose.
As adults we can all decide for ourselves whether its getting too edgy for us. I don't think anything has been said that warrants intervention or cenorship.
DO NOT start telling me what to do, other people ask to have previous threads closed so dont start on me, im an animal lover and would never harm anything
lets go to the exteme that i cant stand my nieghbours grandkids when they come over as they scream and yell in the garden all day long, yes i would love to shut them up as the irresponsible parents letting them run riot cant seem to hear them
if people want to harm animals then they will be reported the same as if someone harmed kids
if someone kicked my cat i would rip them apart, i think the owners prob meant you can shoo the cat away, dont get me started on posion,
in a garden its wildlife, so do you clean all the grass from bird shit, hedgehogs, other cats, flies, mice the list is endless, to me seems as tho you have a downer on the cat not just for crapping in your garden
also i sugges Lovehoney that this thread be closed as you can see from the replies that its made people very edgy
I don't think anyone is condoning harming the cats in question. They are innocent creatures following their instincts. It's the ignorant owners who are at fault.
Concensus seems to be that some owners think its ok to release a wild animal into the neighbourhood and if it chooses to shit in your garden so be it.
Silly to compare a cat that has been intentionally released into an area by its "owner" to naturally occuring birds or hedgehogs. Very silly. Besides, a cat turd is a lot bigger than a birds or hedgehogs.
And why ask for this thread to be closed? Feel free to leave the debate at any time you choose.
As adults we can all decide for ourselves whether its getting too edgy for us. I don't think anything has been said that warrants intervention or cenorship.
DO NOT start telling me what to do, other people ask to have previous threads closed so dont start on me, im an animal lover and would never harm anything
lets go to the exteme that i cant stand my nieghbours grandkids when they come over as they scream and yell in the garden all day long, yes i would love to shut them up as the irresponsible parents letting them run riot cant seem to hear them
if people want to harm animals then they will be reported the same as if someone harmed kids
Whoa - take a deep breath Rach - none of my comment was telling you to do anything at all. Honestly. Have a look over it.
You could try the super soaker on your neighbours grandkids?!
As far as the law is concerned there is no statute requireing cat owners to clean up after their pets, unlike the laws concerning dogs. This is because it is recognised thats cats cannot be trained to poop in one place. Yes house cats will use a litter tray but given the wide expance of outside a cat will crap where ever they like. There is nothing an owner can do about it.
The suggestions given re water pistols, orange peel, garlic and zoo poo are all humane and have been known to work. You can also try clear plastic bottles full of water around the garden or hanging old CDs around. Cats are nervous of the reflected light.
Using poison of anykind would be an offense as would kicking the animal, should you cause any injury.
Rach has a point about foxes, the poo will look similar. We are plauged with them dispite having the dog and a cat.
If you can find the exact spots it lands, possibly planting a curry plant in those places and perhaps protect the plant with some dry teasel stems and seed heads Not the most comfortable landing place You could even staple the teasel stems to the top of the fence so he can't land
I completely understand where ur coming from! Its annoying when you spend time and money on your garden and then someone elses pet shits all over it! And I know you enough to know you wouldnt kill a cat (one of those heat of the moment comments) I always say I'm going to kill my OH but alas it hasnt happened.... yet lol Infact I'm sure most women swear their going to kill their partners at some point.
Your thread has defo sparked some debate and rather heated comments - who knew cats could be so thought provoking? Anyways its seems the pepper and garlic things are good ideas - I also know that plastic bottles with water in helps to keep cats away, so might be worth a try.
I understand your concerns regarding the poo with your granddaughter coming around as their poo contains something that be very harmful to children... Little ones do tend to pick everything up and sick it in their mouths. Just be viligant and make it clear to your neighbours your concerns.
Hope the pesky little minx soon learns not to use your garden as his litter tray!
I understand your concerns regarding the poo with your granddaughter coming around as their poo contains something that be very harmful to children... Little ones do tend to pick everything up and sick it in their mouths.
Better get a 12-bore as well - check out all the human diseases for which wild birds are vectors. 8-)=
I knew my comments would spark a debate and can i say - NEVER DID I SAY I WOULD KILL A CAT - I DID SAY I HAD CONSIDERED SOMETHING TO GIVE IT A DODGY STOMACH.. repeat CONSIDERED!!!
Sexy Get - I Just realised the cat can get under the fence or on top of it. So the spikes wouldnt prevent them getting in.
We cant plant anything else as its a lawn and where it shits is right in the middle rear of the garden.
Rach = No its not foxes as i have seen the cat in question several times about to shit or shit and i saw it just 2 days ago guarding its territory whilst another cat dared to try and jump into our garden. Ive never seen a fox anywhere near our house.
I think unless you have had cat shit in your nice tidy garden on a regular basis you really have no idea what it is like. Like i say, why should we have to clear cat shit when its not our cat?
Gyrator, i dont have a problem with birds/pigeons, they dont cause any problems for us.
