Neighbor's cat pooping in our garden.

[loraxc]

Title says it all. Ugh! Our yard is fully fenced, but there are some weak spots where it must be getting in. Has anyone figured out a way to deal with this? SO GROSS.

Neighbors are weird/sort of unstable/not good caretakers of their children and 3 dogs, btw, so talking to them would likely be pointless.

[AnnieNimIty]

Cats can climb some pretty impossible looking fences, so even if you had it all fixed I wouldn't think it would stop.
That said, me and my extremeness would put out a cat catching cage, and turn the cat over to animal control... But that might not be neighborly.

[Encinalien]

here, I just googled this:

http://www.yardlover.com/scarecrow-m...FRUeDQod9XFs8g

I saw this in a recent catalogue. It's a motion sensor sprinkler. I don't know if you want to go there or not, but the catalogue I saw it in was a upscale natural living (wishbook). I remember it only because it was unique.

[dogretro]

Don't usually chime in here, but I have two cats There are lots and lots of sprays to repel cats and dogs, some of which are oil-based. I searched "cat garden repellent" and got a whole listing. I would try one of those first. Otherwise, I KNOW that sprinkler thing would scare my cats away! And, yes, they can get over v high fences.

Our cats have collars and tags. I would be v upset if someone trapped them. That is too bad that your neighbors are not the sort you could talk to. Our pastor lives next door and is an avid gardener. I would pitch in and help pay for a repellent device for his garden if it was our cats causing him grief.

[mattemma04]

You can get a trap usually from animal control with a deposit,which you get back when you return the cage.Harbor freight sells them for $30. I would trap and have animal control take them,or drop them off at a pound.Probably take the animal myself so neighbors do not see.I would not contact the neighbors as this will probably create more problems.

You can put pepper or animal waste at the entry points to deter the cats.In the long run it will cost a lot of money to TRY and keep the cats out.Trap and relocate is the best option if the owners will not stop free-roam with a cat enclosure.Plus there will always be stray cats.A trap is a good investment.

I have cats,dogs,and chickens and do not allow them to roam the neighborhood and destroy other peoples property.I give a free pass for an escape or 2,but after a while you can tell if they are responsible pet owners or not.

Make your decision based on your neighbors actions, and how much time and money you can put into this problem.

Chicken wire over the litter box garden will also help deter them from atleast not going in that spot.

[loraxc]

Has anyone actually tried any of the repelling products? I would hate to waste my money.

I have a real bee in my bonnet about freeroaming cats (note: I have an indoor cat...I don't dislike cats, per se) but I would dare not trap this cat. It's legal to let cats roam where we live, unfortunately. And it's not the cat's fault.

The prob with the motion sensor sprinkler is that WE are in the yard a lot...I don't think my kids and I want to get sprayed every 10 minutes! Judging from where I see him, the cat is lurking in and around our yard all day long, too, so it's not like I could just set it at night.

[Pepper44]

Have you tried just squirting the cat with a squirt bottle, spray bottle, squirt gun, anything filled with water, every time you see it out there? Since you're out a lot...That might help the cat get the hint.

I have a cat that insists on living outside. She stalks the door and can shoot through it over your foot. I'm always asking the neighbors if she's bothering them because I feel bad, but it is impossible to keep her in! We adopted her from the shelter as an adult cat. There are a lot of roaming cats in our neighborhood though, so at least she's not the only one. I always squirt her if I see her in my garden areas and she no longer bothers them!

[loraxc]

It's sneaky. I see it a lot (we have huge windows) but it won't actually come in the garden while we're out there. If I see it anywhere near the yard, I yell at it and chase it off, but usually that's from a distance.

[oregonbound]

we have the same problem! I am pretty sure it's my next door neighbor's cat because I see it hanging out in my yard a lot, but I haven't brought myself to say anything because we are not that close and I don't want to alienate them. We try to chase the cat away every time we see it, maybe I should try the spray bottle... it's so gross, I hate outdoor cats that roam the neighborhood, I feel like if you have a pet it should stay on your property, so leash it or keep it indoors. And we have a fence, but that's no problem for cats, the cat likes to climb up along the fence.

[ASusan]

Would liberal amounts of cayenne pepper sprinkled on the soil help?

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I have used the motion detector sprinkler. It worked very well. We turned it off when we were out in the yard. It was pretty easy to see the cat and shoo it away when we were out there.

Another thing that works well is to cover any bare earth so they don't have any where to dig. I lay rose bush prunings or other prickly branches over newly turned beds until the plants have had a chance to grow big enough. Chicken wire works too. Cats don't like to walk on it and the plants will grow right up through the holes.

You might also try planting Plectranthus also sometimes called the "piss off plant". It's smell is repellent to cats and dogs. I've never grown it but I've heard it works well and isn't particularly stinky to humans. The nice thing about the plant over sprays is you don't have to keep re applying it.

[iheartsofia]

We have the same problem. Last spring we built a large raised bed, like 30x20. It is the neighborhood litter box. It enrages me. I am a pet owner, a responsible pet owner and I have such a hard time with my neighbors who think nothing of all their cats roaming the street. I don't know what the solution is, there must be about 5-8 cats on my little dead end street with the majority of them belonging to one family. I plan on talking to them but I really have a hard time imagining that there will be a solution. I mean what can they do to keep their outside cats out of my yard. Deff bummer.

[Annie Mac]

To keep her OWN cats out of her garden, my mom poked wooden skewers into the ground, pointy side up. She used the type of skewer you would put veggies or meat on and cook as a shish-kebab. it was cheap and worked well.

[WorldsBestMom]

Black Pepper

Black pepper its readily available in your kitchen you can try sprinkling some on your garden. I have used it when a pesky stray cat may come wondering around. I dont know if the black pepper may affect your plants in your garden. Its a good home remedy though for dealing with unwelcome cats. Before I forget the effect it may have on the cat is it may affect there nose. Therefore they will keep out of the area where you sprinkled the black pepper.

[pragmaticme]

The skewers work, and another similar solution is egg shells. Kitty's don't like anything sharp on the pads of their feet. The shells compost eventually. I've also heard stinky bone meal works - but I'm skeptical on that one.