Keeping cats out of your yard

[Pipanella]

I've always heard that too, but my vet says that's not true, but let's see........ we have two neutered 15-pound cats......LOL!!!!

[Nightowl69]

lol

[luvmetender]

Originally Posted by telos2000

Makes 'em fatter!

Yep, sure does! I've watched many skinny mini's get very tubby after their surgery!

[Tracir]

I don't expect owners to keep their cats indoors all the time but at the same time- there's a reason I don't have pets any more. These cats look like strays and I think they are looking for food but I know no one around us is feeding them- we are all tired of them- we talked today so why are they still hanging around here?

I'm calling Animal Control Monday. If they do belong to someone close then they obviously are not taking good care of them. I really do think they are strays.

[stking]

We have been living here for two years and were warned about the next door neighbor when we bought the house. He as at least 12 cats and has had Animal Control called on him twice before that we know of. I think by law, a person here is only supposed to have two cats at most. None of his are spayed or neutered and they are always in our backyard and using our front planters for a litter box. We have a cat that is outdoors part of the time, but he is scared of the other cats!

We recently ordered a trap from a place online. I called around some cat rescue places to find out if they would take the ones we trap. Mostly, I was told there are too many strays as it is, and they usually won't take the cat if you know it has an owner. They told me the best thing to do was take it to the animal shelter. I told them I was afraid they would then be killed if no one came to get them. (I have a feeling my neighbor wouldn't bother.) They told me something I hadn't thought of: They said sometimes that is the best solution for these type of cats. That way they are not going to get killed by running in front of a car or a female won't keep having multiple pregnancies to endure because the owner doesn't bother to fix them, or they won't have to endure what may be dirty conditions they are in now. The shelter will just put them to sleep humanely and they won't have to suffer anymore. I had never thought of it like that before.

Many places around here rent traps, but I found a place that sells them on line for about $40 so we just decided to buy one. DH says if this doesn't work, we may have to get a dog. I said "Then you'd be picking up dog poo instead of cat poo so how does that help?" He said, "At least it would belong to OUR animals!" Strange logic, but I'm thrilled because I've wanted a dog, but dh has always said we would never have more pets after our one cat.

At least it sounds like in this thread, misery has company!

[MariB]

My backyard seems to attract all the neighborhood critters whose owners ignore the leash laws. At least dog owners have heard me scream loud obscenities and dire threats at their animals enough times to realize that I don't appreciate the use of my yard as a bathroom. The cats, however, are a different story. My indoor kitties have fighting fits when "visitors" appear at the back screen door.

I've been thinking of buying a nifty invention called a Scarecrow from Amazon, who seems to have the lowest price. It's a motion activated device that's attached to a garden hose. Whatever steps in front of the motion sensor gets blasted by water. I'd have to buy two to block access to my backyard... only problem is that I can't figure out exactly where to put them so that the meter readers don't get an unexpected shower.

[stking]

Originally Posted by MariB

I've been thinking of buying a nifty invention called a Scarecrow from Amazon, who seems to have the lowest price. It's a motion activated device that's attached to a garden hose. Whatever steps in front of the motion sensor gets blasted by water. I'd have to buy two to block access to my backyard... only problem is that I can't figure out exactly where to put them so that the meter readers don't get an unexpected shower.

Wow! I've never heard of that! Too bad it's $59.99. We would need several too because our backyard is an odd shape. Maybe I shouldn't show that to DH (I'd rather get a dog.). We could get a dog for the back and this for the front!

[kells3]

Here in San Diego you only have to license a dog. You can't OWN a cat. Not to say you can't own one, but you can't controll where a cat goes. A dog can't run loose but there is no way to contain a cat. I don't think I explained it very clearly but I hope you understand what I mean. My neighbor had 3 or 4 mostly indoor cats but they would let them out sometimes and they would always come over and use my front yard grass at their bathroom. At first I thought someone was walking their dog and not cleaning up after them. Then I saw it was the cats and I could not believe it. I bought cat repellent and it did not work at all. I also bought red pepper and sprinkled it around the yard and that didn't work either. I thought about throwing it on their porch but I didn't do that either. They finally moved and left their dear cats. The new people trapped them and that was the last time I saw them. Good luck. If you do find something that works please let us know.

[bradedit]

1. There are many herbs that cats don’t like to be around, including lavender, rue, geranium, absinthe, and lemon-thyme. Also, a German professional gardener, Dieter Stegmaier of Essingen, has created a hybrid so repulsive to cats, they stay a yard away from it. It smells like schnapps to us, and is actually a pretty and hardy plant with blue flowers that bloom throughout most of the summer. Its Latin name is Coleus canin. You can order it through various mailorder services in Germany, for example here: here.

2. This mixture is easy to make and can be used anywhere you want to repel cats (or groundhogs, for that matter):

2 parts cayenne pepper
3 parts dry mustard
5 parts flour

Simply mix together and sprinkle.

3. Use large flat river stones in your garden beds to make the soil less diggable, and so less attractive to cats. Besides, river stones are pretty. You can also use them in houseplant pots to keep the furry little darlings out of those.

4. Cats don’t like tea leaves, so empty your used ones onto the garden soil.

5. You could also try using a sprinkler that is activated by a motion-sensor. All it takes is a time or two of getting dowsed with water to deter any cat. It can work for intruders, too.

[Pipanella]

The neighborhood cats (including my Jinx) around here don't have a problem with lavender or lemon thyme, because I have those in my herb garden, and I've seen them fertilize my herbs many times. LOL!