How Do I Keep Cats Out Of My Garden?

[Bredbury Blue]

How do I keep cats out of my garden?

My garden, compared to most in our mooban is quite secluded. Noticed that in recent week’s cats seem to be visitng it far more. I have no great problem with cats, I certainly like the way they might sort out any snakes in my garden, but I’m not keen on being either the ‘cats social club’ or even worse the ‘cats communal toilet’.

Any advice on (anything humane) how to keep them away?

[Jet Gorgon]

Hi, Bred.

Tutsi had this prob, too (see the catch scratch fever thread). Short of harming them, vinegar spray around pots...many suggestions in that thread. Maybe Tutsi can enlighten you.

[dutch]

It is a fact that cats never sh*t in their own places,They always like the neighbour's garden most.

They sure don't like dogs around and want come if you have one.

All other grand mother's advises want help much.

[Sheryl]

The best solution is to adopt a (singular) cat as a pet. Your cat will then mark out the garden as his/her territory and defend it as such. Your cat will also be very clean in its own territory.

Cats do something referred to as "clubbing" in which they socialize together on neutral territory. As soon as your garden ceases to be neutral, they'll move their socializing elsewhere.

Alternatively you could get a dog, which will discourage cats but won't be so clean in its bathroom habits.

But then, as a cat person, I'm biased....

[tutsiwarrior]

land mines...definitely land mines if ye got a garden...pillboxes wid .50 caliber machine guns '!!! I'll kill yuh ye defecating scum!!!' see Robert Carlyle in The Beach and the crazed negro firing wildly by the hopeless bridge in Apocalypse Now...ye get the idea?...ye can't win... Sheryl, she knows all about it...

[Bredbury Blue]

Sheryl - thanks for your comments. While i said "I have no great problem with cats" i would definately never want to own one (a dog in the UK maybe, not here though).

Is there any kind of product on sale maybe, or pepper (i will be reading later the catch scratch fever thread suggested)?

[binnsy]

Jeyes Fluid works a treat in the UK to stop em digging and crapping

[Sheryl]

Bredbury,

I'm willing to bet that nothing you try will work. Your choices are to either adopt a cat or dog, which you don't want to do, or ignore the visitors. Or move...but odds are, wherever you move, the same thing will occur. A nice garden not owned by any cat will always be viewed by the local cats as a community center.

And in any battle between a human and cats, the cats always win. Just ask Tutsi...

[quiksilva]

Get a dog.

[Bredbury Blue]

Don't want to get a dog, cat or any other animal, i'm looking for a product which might deter the moggies from my garden.

[Nignoy]

How do I keep cats out of my garden?

My garden, compared to most in our mooban is quite secluded. Noticed that in recent week’s cats seem to be visitng it far more. I have no great problem with cats, I certainly like the way they might sort out any snakes in my garden, but I’m not keen on being either the ‘cats social club’ or even worse the ‘cats communal toilet’.

Any advice on (anything humane) how to keep them away?

If you go to a herbalist and get Baldrian Tincture or Teabags, boil 3 baldrian teabags or 2 teaspoonful of tincture in a pint of water , leave to cool off,sprinkle the liquid on a piece of land 15 or 20yards away from your home, baldrian is like a magnet for cats do this every evening for a week , it should solve your cat problem Nignoy

PS, or alternately if you have a neighbour you dont like sprinkle it in their garden , works for me

[MsFigure]

Dogs are the only thing that will work if you're looking to prevent cats in your garden. The only problem now we have with cats in our garden is that sometimes they are found in the most unusual locations and positions

I apologize if some people (sorry catlovers/owners) are offended by the pictures, but I don't apologise for my dogs being dogs. Not too sure which of my two was responsible for these (or any of the others that have turned up .... ESPECIALLY one that was buried in the garden and we only found after a rainstorm and following the putrid smell coming from it's grave).

Edited March 15, 2007 by Wolfie
Removed offensive pictures

[quiksilva]

That's gross, I'd be quite satisfied if the dogs just scared them off!

[sbk]

Pity there Msfigure, looks like your dogs killed someone's cat. One of those cats most definitely has a collar.

My dogs have killed a cat or two, and yes, they are dogs, but I am also their owner and am personally responsible for their behavior. My dogs have gotten into very serious trouble for killing neighbors cats.

[kratindaeng]

555555555 just kiddin

[Bredbury Blue]

Getting a bit of topic here aren't boys and girls. Thanks for the suggestions to date though.

[sbk]

I saw a product in Home Pro (or Tesco Lotus, can't remember) that offered to repel cats and dogs from gardens. You might try checking that out.

[princealbert]

Orange/lime peel burried 2-3 inches under soil 1 foot apart stopped the same problem for me in a couple of days.

[MsFigure]

Pity there Msfigure, looks like your dogs killed someone's cat. One of those cats most definitely has a collar.

My dogs have killed a cat or two, and yes, they are dogs, but I am also their owner and am personally responsible for their behavior. My dogs have gotten into very serious trouble for killing neighbors cats.

Yes I am responsible and do take responsibilty for my dogs actions, which is why when out in public my dogs are on leads, they don't roam wild on the streets or find a way from getting of our property, we even had special gates installed to keep them enclosed in the back yard when we have visitors over (never had reason to worry about visitors safety, but just taking necessary precautions because they are big strong dogs and I don't want there to be a first time).

What I don't take responsibilty for is if they happen to kill any animals that are on our property. That is their domain, and as far as I'm concerned - anything that gets in there is fair game. If by some chance someones pet is killed on my property, there is nothing I can do. It should've been their owners responsibilty to ensure their cats safety by either keeping them indoors (especially at night) or having a cat run installed if they prefer their cats to remain outdoors.

Just my 2 cents on this subjuect.

[elfe]

Pity there Msfigure, looks like your dogs killed someone's cat. One of those cats most definitely has a collar.

My dogs have killed a cat or two, and yes, they are dogs, but I am also their owner and am personally responsible for their behavior. My dogs have gotten into very serious trouble for killing neighbors cats.

Yes I am responsible and do take responsibilty for my dogs actions, which is why when out in public my dogs are on leads, they don't roam wild on the streets or find a way from getting of our property, we even had special gates installed to keep them enclosed in the back yard when we have visitors over (never had reason to worry about visitors safety, but just taking necessary precautions because they are big strong dogs and I don't want there to be a first time).

What I don't take responsibilty for is if they happen to kill any animals that are on our property. That is their domain, and as far as I'm concerned - anything that gets in there is fair game. If by some chance someones pet is killed on my property, there is nothing I can do. It should've been their owners responsibilty to ensure their cats safety by either keeping them indoors (especially at night) or having a cat run installed if they prefer their cats to remain outdoors.

Just my 2 cents on this subjuect.

i completely second that, this is why i keep my cats in a cat run fenced all over. also i keep my dogs in a walled in garden. i love my animals too much to put them in any danger. unfortunately i could not prevent my dogs killing three cats in the past 6 years which had dared to jump over the 2m wall inside the garden where they are lost hopefully never again any cat will make her way in here...

[Sheryl]

What I don't take responsibilty for is if they happen to kill any animals that are on our property. That is their domain, and as far as I'm concerned - anything that gets in there is fair game. If by some chance someones pet is killed on my property, there is nothing I can do. It should've been their owners responsibilty to ensure their cats safety by either keeping them indoors (especially at night) or having a cat run installed if they prefer their cats to remain outdoors.

Just my 2 cents on this subjuect.

Well that's as may be, but it doesn't excuse your insensitivity in posting such gruesome photos on a pet lovers forum, and worse yet, your apparent glee at the carnage and lack of compassion for either the cats or their owners.

We can't always help an animal being killed, but we can have the decency to regret it.

Imagine the feelings of a pet owner who not only lost a beloved cat but then had the ghastly pictures of its mangled corpse displayed online.

Your post was appalling. I hope the moderators will delete the photos.

[elfe]

Your post was appalling. I hope the moderators will delete the photos.

i hope so too... in the shock i had each time i could never have thought of taking a photo of the unfortunate cats which had to die because of my dogs

[pumpuiman]

Why would anyone post pictures like that.

Disgusting.

Mods......please remove the photos.....the point can be made without them.

[MsFigure]

If anyone asked me to remove those pics, I would've gladly removed them myself. My aim wasn't to upset people but to illustrate what can and does happen when cats come into our yard, and I'm sure many others who own dogs.

I only hope that some of the cat owners now realise the importance of keeping their much loved cats in at home either indoors or having a cat-run. Not only will it keep their cats safe, it will also stop them being a nuisance to neighbours and contributing to the stray cat problems.

Apologies again to those those pics offended.

Di

[sbk]

What I don't take responsibilty for is if they happen to kill any animals that are on our property. That is their domain, and as far as I'm concerned - anything that gets in there is fair game. If by some chance someones pet is killed on my property, there is nothing I can do. It should've been their owners responsibilty to ensure their cats safety by either keeping them indoors (especially at night) or having a cat run installed if they prefer their cats to remain outdoors.

Just my 2 cents on this subjuect.

Well that's as may be, but it doesn't excuse your insensitivity in posting such gruesome photos on a pet lovers forum, and worse yet, your apparent glee at the carnage and lack of compassion for either the cats or their owners.

We can't always help an animal being killed, but we can have the decency to regret it.

Imagine the feelings of a pet owner who not only lost a beloved cat but then had the ghastly pictures of its mangled corpse displayed online.

Your post was appalling. I hope the moderators will delete the photos.

Sheryl, you beat me to it, you have posted exactly what I was thinking. A poor internet connection (or none at all) has kept me from responding to this. Thanks to Wolfie for deleting the photos.

Somehow, msfigure, your post has managed to completely hijack this thread in an appalling and insensitive manner. Instead of posting photos of carnage in the idea that it will repel cat owners, why didn't you try answering the OP's question in the first place?

Which is, if we can remember, how to keep cats out of the garden.