How can I keep the neighbors' cats off my front porch?

[ElizK]

I know this thread will irritate the cat people in this crowd. Sorry 'bout that.

Our home owner's association requires ALL pets be on a leash if not in the back yard, yet we still have neighbors that let their cats wander. Why do these silly cats love my front garden so much??? Really, I think they like hearing my dogs go NUTS!!! Well it's driving ME nuts!!! Is there anything humane I can put out there to keep them away????

Thanks!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wish I can help you. I can't really think of anything. I do know that kitties hate sticky stuff on their paws--so if there was any way you could put something sticky that wouldn't harm your garden ...like honey maybe?

As far as the porch--cannot think of anything other than enclosing it and I'm sure you don't want to do that. Cats are pretty agile and smart and they will figure out a way to get to where they want to go.

Good luck!

 

[luvwinnie]

This SHOULD NOT irritate cat lovers...I have 2 cats and I do NOT allow them to wander around outside for their OWN SAFETY. I'd report them to the board, honestly.

 

[SetzKitten]

I know this thread will irritate the cat people in this crowd. Sorry 'bout that.

Well, I'm a cat person and I'm definitely not irritated. Nobody should have to put up with other people's pets on their property. That said, do you have a small patch near the edge of your lot that you can plant some catnip? They may just like that better than hanging at your door. Otherwise, a good squirt with a garden hose works pretty well, too.

 

[Servants of Evan]

Okay, this is a bit gross but it works. Pee in a jar. Mix it with water 25% urine to 75% water. Sprinkle around your flower beds. We don't really smell it because it's watered down but it's enough to annoy the cats. It's also good for keeping them out of your garbage.

 

[clarabelle]

Orange peel is supposed to help

I would report them though -or hose them. It is your yard

 

[ericamanda01]

I too have cats that I love and spoil, however I hate when the local feral cats get on my porch and rev up our dog. There is a non toxic spray that you can put on plants they animals hate. I think we got it at petsmart. It worked great for our christmas tree.

 

[cinmell]

I'd love to hear some answers too. There is a black cat in the neighborhood who likes to sit at the top of the railings of my front stairs and scratch at my screen (there are windows above where the railings on each side of the stairs) and there are holes in the screens from the cat scratching it.

Problem is the cat doesn't seem to have an owner and various neighbors take it in at times and feed it, etc. The people who lived in my house before us 2 years ago also used to allow the cat in the house. I'm not a cat person at all and I don't want it hanging around scratching holes in my screens! Sometimes it tries to get in my house when we open the door.

So I've been wondering if there is anything I can put on my stairs/railings/window sills that will deter the cat from coming around, but of course, nothing that would be harmful to it. I guess I'll check out the spray at petsmart but I hate going in that store. Is it only sold at pet stores or will some place like target have it too?

 

[ElizK]

Okay, this is a bit gross but it works. Pee in a jar. Mix it with water 25% urine to 75% water. Sprinkle around your flower beds. We don't really smell it because it's watered down but it's enough to annoy the cats. It's also good for keeping them out of your garbage.

EEWWWW!!! But an interesting idea!

I would report to the HOA, but just got in a good-size argument with one of the neighbors who lets her cat roam a couple of weeks ago, and she's a very very good friend of mine. That finally blew over, but she'd know exactly who it was. It's not worth losing the friendship over. Don't know who the other cat that I see all the time belongs to, though.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

Maybe you could try tobasco sauce. Dogs and cats don't like the smell or taste of it. I have to put it on some plants in my house and yard because my animals chew on them. Once they get a sniff or taste of it they stay clear.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Okay, this is a bit gross but it works. Pee in a jar. Mix it with water 25% urine to 75% water. Sprinkle around your flower beds. We don't really smell it because it's watered down but it's enough to annoy the cats. It's also good for keeping them out of your garbage.

Or you could just go and pee outside on a rainy day!


Seriously, though, I don't have any good answers other than spray repellent that you can get at Petsmart. I'm a cat lover and keep my cats inside, but we do have a neighbor cat that hangs around sometimes and my dogs go nuts! And a neighbor dog that poops on our lawn sometimes.

 

[jbdreamer]

This SHOULD NOT irritate cat lovers...I have 2 cats and I do NOT allow them to wander around outside for their OWN SAFETY. I'd report them to the board, honestly.

I agree. And as you can see I am a cat lover. Definitely report them. Or you could just spray them with the hose.

 

[ElizK]

I've actually gone out there with a cup of water that I dump where he likes to sit, but he always takes off before I can dump it on his cute little head. But at least he won't come back while it's wet!

 

[Cass]

Cayenne pepper in the bushes/soil porch will keep them away.

 

[Rhonda922]

This SHOULD NOT irritate cat lovers...I have 2 cats and I do NOT allow them to wander around outside for their OWN SAFETY. I'd report them to the board, honestly.

I agree. I don't understand why people let their cats go outside. Every now and then I go out onto my balcony with one of my cats but I do that so that he doesn't get down onto the grass and end up wandering off. Or worse yet, what if there's a dog on the lose -- I would die if something happened to one of my kitties. For the most part, I just open a window and they sit there. Its much safer that way.

 

[lilostitch]

If you don't have a hose readily available, try a squirt with a water bottle.

 

[Planogirl]

Squirt them when they come around. They should learn quickly to avoid your house.

I've heard too that cayenne pepper is effective. You might sprinkle some of that around.

 

[Figment22]

Cayenne pepper did NOT work for us. I've positively had it with the cats in our neighborhood and our HOA has the same regulations about pets on leashes. I am tired of stepping in cat poop all around my house. The urine thing sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[Independent]

This happened to a friend of mine. She is a master gardener and had an absolutely beautiful perennial garden in front. New neighbors moved in with a travelling circus of animals. Wonderful people - would give you the shirt of their backs, but they had never lived in a development before. They had always lived on large acreages and farms in the midwest. So, they had no clue on how to be a good neighbor in tight quarters.

They had five cats that they let roam night and day. Three were promptly eaten by the coyotes that live on the outskirts of the neighborhood. The HOA did a study and found that about 50% of the free ranging cats in the neighborhood eventually are dinner for the numerous wild animals - coyotes, eagles, owls, hawks, mountain lions, etc. So, animal loving residents are always concerned when seeing cats run loose.

The remaining two cats decided that the nicely tilled bed of rare and expensive perennials was the ultimate kitty litter box.

My friend approached the new neighbors several times, reminding them of the dangers of leaving the cats loose and letting them know that she would not tolerate any more cat poop in her gardens.

One day, she opens her front door to the most horrific smell. The neighbors, in good faith, had emptied 20+ boxes of moth balls into her garden - saying it was a known deterrent for cats. Well, it did deter the cats, but it also deterred humans wanting to walk up the sidewalk to the front door.

Sadly, after several warnings to the owners, my friend ended up taking the cats to the local no-kill shelter because of her concern that they would also become food for the local wildlife and the mess they were making of her garden.

After having to bail the kitties out of kitty jail, the neighbors never let them run loose again.

 

[Talking Hands]

Another cat person here and my cats do not wander to mess in others gardens. They are strictly indoor cats and will stay that way for their safety.