HELP the cats are taking over

[MinnyGranny62]

The cats seem to like my yard as a litter box. Am over run
with cat poop. I don't have cats but they seem to take over. Has
anyone out there have any ideas to keep them away.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Yuck! Hopefully you'll get some good ideas. I haven't had to deal with the cat poop, but the next door neighbor has been known to let his dog poop in our yard (and everywhere else) and I have been know to fling it violently towards his yard (please let the tag fairy NOT be reading this! ). I have dogs of my own (who don't poop out front where the neighbor has let his dog go) and indoor cats and deal with enough poop of my own--I don't need any extra!

 

[ducklite]

I've heard that if you shoot the cat with cold water from a Super Soaker every time it walks on your yard it will quickly learn to find another place to hang out, and it's not hurting the animal.

Anne

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Well, I googled "Natural Cat Deterrent" and came up with some interesting options.

Safe Pets products for deterring cats

PetSmart's "CAT STOP" A natural cat repellant..Critter Spray

You could also toss some ammonia-soaked corncobs under your shubbery, which would help as well as sprinkling cayenne powder on the grass. When they sniff the grass to find someplace to poop, they'll inhale the pepper and run away.

I've heard that liquified manure works..it's also good for your lawn.

TOV

 

[DLBDS]

My advice...buy yourself a live trap and relocate the suckers. Preferably to an animal shelter but if they won't accept them then just let them loose somewhere (to possibley become someone else's problem). This is what I had to resort to. My local SPCA won't accept animals outside the city limits anymore and the animal shelter is located approx. 30 minutes away. These rural cats just aren't worth the trouble. Cats are very independant and great hunters. They can survive quite well on their own. Dogs are another story. NEVER do this with a dog. OK, I'm sure I've ruffled some feathers with my 'catch and release' suggestion so...let the flames begin!....but I won't change my mind. This is one topic I feel strongly about. Keep your cats inside and away from my house where they fight on my front porch (leaving bloody smears) and spray urine/defecate in my landscaping! Do I even need to mention they drop fleas everywhere they go, spread disease and reproduce? Heck, they're fornicating in my yard!

 

[MinnyGranny62]

Thanks alot for all of the suggestions. I could shoot them
with a water gun if I could find them. Get the DGS's to do that and as
for the trapping I am afraid to get some smelly ones with the trap.

I sure will try the suggestions from TheOtherVillainess. DLBDS will you
come over to my house and get rid of them for me?

 

[DLBDS]

Thanks alot for all of the suggestions. I could shoot them
with a water gun if I could find them. Get the DGS's to do that and as
for the trapping I am afraid to get some smelly ones with the trap.

I sure will try the suggestions from TheOtherVillainess. DLBDS will you
come over to my house and get rid of them for me?

Cats are pretty quick. I doubt they could get close enough to shoot them with the water gun before they run off. The trap is the ONLY way. Call your local animal control office and they will come out and set the traps for you and return when they have been caught to take them away. They don't smell. However, if you transport them in your vehicle, you need to cover the trap with towels on ALL sides in case they "spray" (if it's a male) and place the trap on newspapers in case they poopy/urinate. Transportation can be stressful for some of them. Good luck with your feline problem!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I don't know--super soakers shoot from far away. And if the cats know what's going to happen they will avoid the yard all together. My kittens know when they see my water mister that they'd better get off the counter before they get a water squirt. I don't even have to squirt them.

 

[Taylor]

I have a solution to your cat problem: Brutus.

He thinks cats are tasty...

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I have a solution to your cat problem: Brutus.

He thinks cats are tasty...

Yeah, but then there's that annoying dog poop problem! And cat poop is much smaller and less smelly. Trust me, I know, I have to deal with both....

 

[Taylor]

We use a dump truck to bring his food in, and a bulldoxer to clean up after.

He is only 17 weeks and is already 80 pounds,

 

[tevagirl]

I have a solution to your cat problem: Brutus.

He thinks cats are tasty...

 

[DLBDS]

I don't know--super soakers shoot from far away. And if the cats know what's going to happen they will avoid the yard all together. My kittens know when they see my water mister that they'd better get off the counter before they get a water squirt. I don't even have to squirt them.

If the cats in question are pets and you can walk up on them then, yeah, the super-soaker will scare them away. If these are rural cats they will run as soon as you hit the door. You don't even NEED the super-soaker. I don't think that spraying them is going to prevent them from coming back. (Tigger&Belle even said they STILL get on her counter until they see the mister.) In fact, I pretty much know it won't. Cats don't care about you and your water gun. They are gonna do as they please and to heck with the rest of the world....They have it made. It's a cat fact. You can't train someone else's cat to stay off your property. Relocation is the only solution. However, maybe those cat deterrents WILL work. If you go this route, MinnyGranny62, let us know how it goes and what you used. Good luck!!

 

[tiggersmom2]

I have a solution to your cat problem: Brutus.

He thinks cats are tasty...

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Tigger&Belle even said they STILL get on her counter until they see the mister

Funny cat story with my own cat...the kittens are not getting onto the counters nearly as much, thankfully. But the male has been a true devil and we've started calling him diablo. Last night we went to someones house and came home with some desserts on a paper plate, covered with another paper plate and the whole thing saran wrapped well. The little devil didn't touch it while we were awake, even when we were in another part of the house, but within a minute of us going into our room to go to bed we heard a loud noise--the plate hitting the floor. He's smart, I'll give him that. Another night he got half a loaf of bread of the counter and the dog was happy that night. We keep our bread in the fridge now....

Neighborhood cats are a pain, though. Dogs, too, for that matter.

 

[Taylor]

Just so you all don't think poorly of Brutus, he gets along well with our two cats Earl & Suzie.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Just so you all don't think poorly of Brutus, he gets along well with our two cats Earl & Suzie.

That's ok--our neighbors know that if their cat were to get into our backyard all bets are off as to what our dog, Sheena, would do to him. Sheena loves our cats, though.

 

[Taylor]

I think you are correct, strange cats are fair game. Especially if flavored with a pinch of garlic and served with some red skin potatoes,

 

[MinnyGranny62]

I would really like to have Brutus as a house pet for a couple
of days. Maybe get rid of the cats and keep DH out of my hair too.

I have talked to the SPCA and they won't come and get the cats any more.
And if we catch something else that is against the law to trap wild animals.
Go figure. We do have an ordiance here that cats are to be on a leash or
kept in your yard just like the dogs. Going to try and get some
spray and see if that works or maybe some amonia and go from there.
Thanks again guys and TiggerandBelle thank for the stories.

 

[agnes!]

I am interested in the replies as I have a similar problem. There's this one neighborhood cat that insists on pooping in my front flower box. When I'm going out/coming in the front door, well, especially today? It really smells like a litterbox...ugh. We do have a supersoaker, but haven't used it lately. All bets are off now, though! I am going to find some corn cobs & soak in ammonia and try some of the other remedies. (Especially like the cayenne pepper idea...I think that there is a squirrel-repellant product you can use to treat bird seed...)

agnes!