Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
ellen_portland

Anyone have a good homemade recipe to deter cats pooping (m)

ellen_portland
17 years ago

in your plant beds?? I'm getting sick and tired of cleaning up cat poop from the neighborhood cats and was wondering if anyone has a natural recipe I can make up from spices or something to deter these guys from using my yard as their own personal toilet!!!??? I think there is something with cayenne pepper???

TIA,

Ellen

Comments (149)

  • Darmacg
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a quick note, don't use the cocoa shells as they are poisonous to cats and dogs. Good luck, I know it's annoying but making the animals sick is not the way to go.

  • gardenfairy4343
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have just read everything here, and first off I would like to say that some of you people are just sick, and really need some help from a trained professional. Second, these are my stupid cats that are pooping in my new raised veggie garden so I DO NOT want to do anything that would hurt them. My Mom told me about pepper, and I am so glad that I searched before I did that. So, I took some of your ideas, and used them. My little raised garden now has skewers laying like pick up sticks, orange peals, and holly branchs (it needed to be pruned anyway). We will see if it works, and I will let you all know. Happy gardening, and I really hope that you disturbed people get the help you need.

  • Debbie_Ramcharan_gmail_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If anyone EVER messed with my cat. I would blow their effin head OFF!
    And I am dead serious!

    Now if I wanted to build another house on my owned property wouldn't I need a permit from the City/ state I lived in? I guess I am stupid for believing paying taxes on my property means I truly own it...

    Firefighter I loved reading your posts! .....

    I am waiting for the day when someone hurts one of my animals

  • homernoy
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The sooner the better for the rational sane people. AKA the rest of us.

  • venue
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wearing gloves and washing your hands before touching your face, eating, cooking or preparing food will protect you from toxoplasmosis. You have to actually ingest infected feces to get it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.buysoilpainting.com/

  • Spotsterhino
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have been told if you pee in your own garden it will deter any cat from going near it.

    The best i have heard is a fellow worker at an oil refinery took some of the liquid that is mixed with natural gas to give it the smell. He poured this in his front garden after a night shift in the early hours of the morning and woke up to find his road being dug up by the gas company.

  • jazzcat401
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK, I started at the top reading and by the time I got to that Firefighter person, I was horrified! What IS the matter with these people? even if he writes all of that just to yank our collective chain, All that anger is still pathetic and sick. Gosh, I hope he never has to rescue any animals from a fire!Not that the posters who "live for the day someone harms one..." of his/her animals is any better! Sigh...
    Anyway, Thank you all who posted constructive posts. I have learned alot and will now stay clear of cocoa shells and never considered pepper or the like, good grief. While I like the natural organic mulch idea, I just do not have time to dig it every day andin the summer, well, you know.
    So thanks again and gain, Happy New Year and Happy gardening!

  • rainydaywoman_z8
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not a recipe, but I bought 2 ultrasonic cordless repellers made by "Garden Creations". I found them on Amazon.com, I think, and they really work, covering a large area. I used them to clear my bird feeding area from cats, and now I use them in my garden shed to keep it free from cats and mice. I read that one woman uses them to keep cats off her car (they left footprints).

  • shawndallas
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Reading this because I have been searching for three months on how to humanely stop cats from pooping in my yard and realizew that there is a lot of cat owner denial going on here! I love the "cats never..or its rare" I've had two cats poop not in the grass, but on my patio and sidewalk and shed stairs for three months! So the grass and covering it up is not the only thing cats do. Pleeeeeease cat owners, keep your cats inside, have them go inside..its not cute! I just witnessed one of the cats pooping on the pavement in my backyard...I have a small dog they hiss at..so..I'm at my wits end at the moment.-

  • boizeau
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    They don't like Cayenne pepper, but need to re apply after it rains.

  • Thetroublewithcats
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The best and most humane way, in my opinion, is to trap them in a humane trap provided by the animal control dept. of your city.
    My personal experience is, after trying $30.00 of cayenne pepper which is only a temporary fix, and may be harmful to the cat, trapping them will make the owners aware their is a problem. There is a $100.00 dollar fine. for the first offense.
    Here is the thing about trapping. There are self righteous idiots out there who take it personal and may try to take retribution on you, for what is their responsibility.
    My personal experience is to do it, with as few as possible, people knowing. Don't broadcast it. Don't give warning. Don't try to do it in a nice way. You will still be the bad guy! They, no matter what, feel it is their right to let their cats out even though their are leash laws.
    If I had it to do over again, that's what I might try. If I wasn't an animal lover, they may not have gotten a second chance at being obstinate owners of their pets and would always be wondering and worrying what happen to their pet that they refuse to take care of properly. But now I have the worry of some idiot escalating things to "get even".

  • rainydaywoman_z8
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    From what I've read and experienced, there is nothing to deter cats. So I found, on Overstock.com, a portable sonic repeller that covers a larger area than the ones that plug in. It runs on batteries and works for me. I use it in my bird feeder area and it works. I also have one in my storage shed to keep mice and cats out.

  • Paulene
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Like a sledgehammer to hit a pin? Like a moron that kills people's pets??? For a garden? Really? That important ???
    Anyone that would talk so blithely about killing a living thing, someone's pet, for doing what is in the nature of a cat to do, may have intelligence but zero wisdom, sense of proportion or compassion. Chilling to think they walk amongst us.

  • bluewillow09
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, this is quite the thread...

    I searched this topic out because the neighbor cats have a habit of pooping right under my bedroom window and the smell is ungodly, I can't even open my bedroom window without gagging. Whoever said to use it like manure, I'm sorry, but no, no, no!

    I added a good rough mulch of wood chips over the dirt and it had no effect at all. Wetting it down had no effect, either. I finally put river rock all along the house about 18" out from the foundation. It works but they just moved their pooping activity to the edge of it and I still smell it when I open the window. And I don't want to use rock over the whole planting area.

    It is frustrating, but I like and enjoy cats and would never do anything to harm one. If it were feral cats, it might be one thing, but I would never trap and remove an animal that may be some child's dearest friend. I don't have one now, but I've owned cats in my life and I know you cannot train a cat or teach it to stay in your own yard. The owners of the cats mean no harm, this is how cats are and have been since the dawn of time, don't take it so personal. For those of you who have neighbors with many cats, most areas do have restrictions on how many pets a household can have, check into it and file a complaint if you have that option. Too many of any kind of animal in too small a space is unpleasant and unhealthy.

    Cats also serve a good purpose, they prowl my yard at night catching rodents and keeping the moles at bay. I just don't want the poop where I can smell it or where I'm going to be digging in the dirt.

    I had an ultrasonic repeller that worked incredibly well but it finally broke, they don't make that brand anymore, and the new one I bought off of amazon was a piece of junk that has one issue after another- $50 for something useless. So forget that.

    The idea I'm trying out now is, I bought a bag of builder's sand and made a sand area back in a far corner where it won't bother me. If they use it, great, problem solved. If not I'll move on to the chicken wire under the mulch or an electric wire along the edge of the bed, I think. I like that idea of using copper pipe.

    Thanks for all the good ideas. As for the horrible ideas, if I ever get another cat I will keep in mind that some people are freakish wackos.

  • david_74012
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I put a layer of pine cones in my beds. Cats hate walking on them. Works for snakes here too. Looks good as well.

    David

  • ellen_portland
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL, we have since got a dog, so no cat poop in the backyard ;-) but every so often I still encounter it on the side of the house from time to time.

    I can't believe how many times this thread still surfaces!

  • gardengirl1977
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am also frustrated with cat poop in my yard. Each spring, I clean out enough poop that would probably fill 2 1-gallon milk jugs. It's just so gross. I talked with my neighbors, and they have no intention of bringing their cats indoors ( and yes, their cats are always in my yard). I'm all about using animal friendly methods to rid my yard of cats, but honestly, I've tried everything over the past 6 years. I know that there are cat lovers on this page, and I just wanted to express my frustration, because I have literally no where else to complain. Cat owners in my neighborhood just do not care to do anything about "my" problem. To make matters worse, I have 2 pet chickens who frequently are let out in my backyard. Last weekend I was working in my yard & heard one of my chickens screaming. I ran over to the area, and a cat was attacking one of my chickens. Luckily, it ran off when it saw me running at him, and my chicken was only slightly scratched up. My blood was boiling at this point. This occurred in MY yard, at the home that I OWN. I am sick of the cat people defending their free roaming cats!!! At this point, it is becoming dangerous for my pets, so at this point I have no other choice than to trap them and take them to the pound. It is my responsibility to protect my pets, and it is sad that cat owners in my neighborhood cannot say the same.

  • david_74012
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Free roaming cats run the risk of getting feline lukemia, which infects any cats they come in contact with. I lost mine because of this.

    Trapping free roaming cats is the only thing I can think of to avoid the risk to your animals since most cat owners who think their cats should be free to roam never get their cats the vaccines to protect them and other cats.

  • Padriac
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the great idess folks. I am trying the diced citrus peels today to deter neighborhood cats from digging in my new garden. The surface of the garden is a fine to medium, dark brown to black composted municipal yard waste with a medium natural Nitrogen content. Every day I find new dug up areas and cat feces.

    As for humane treatment of loose pets: Any cat, dog, cow, goat, boa constrictor, etc., left to roam free from an owner's boundary is at risk of harm of getting into toxic materials or being trapped or shot by people who feel trespssed upon. If you care for your pet, keep it under your control at ALL times by leash, fence, wall, cage, or sedation.
    Cars are major cause of death to cats, some cause of death to dogs. Pet cats and feral cats are the cause of a 50% decline in neotropical songbirds (The songbirds that return each spring) Feed your pets, do not allow them to predate on native wildlife. The idea that cats are good to let roam because they catch mice is a poor and ignoraant excuse for all the harm they do. Have mice problem? The you deal with it! Ground nesting warblers and other native ground nesting species are especially affected by cat predation, with some species virtually wiped out in many areas.

    I have two cats, I love cats. They stay indoors. If they go out they are leashed or caged.
    I have also trapped, removed and/or exterminated numerous wild, feral or loose, cats and dogs.
    If you love your pet, and the environment, don't let your pets roam.

  • baxter24
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For those of you living in the Portland Oregon area there is help out there. I have tried everything imaginable thats humane to keep cats out of my yard and planting beds....nothing really works, they may go away for awhile but do come back. After extensive research I have found that, specifically in Multnomah county, a cat owner is ultimately responsible for what their cat does. They are allowed to roam free on public land but it becomes an issue of trespassing on private property. Animal Control here tells me directly that an owner of a cat is suppose to keep that pet in their yard by a leash or other means. You should attempt to talk to the owner but we all know that does not work out well. You are also allowed to trap them and it is encouraged to turn them in to animal control so they can check them for vaccinations and license information. This can be a huge deterrent as they will vaccinate and license the animal and under some circumstances sterilize the animal at the cost to the owner. Don't get flustered over what doesnt work, get empowered with what the law actually is and force it upon the owner and make them responsible and or liable for what their cat does. Oh a cheap camera that is set off by motion really helps for liability reasons too.

  • bluewillow09
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is one thread that has continual interest. I noticed that I had posted on it almost a year ago and thought I would add an update- the builder's sand idea worked great, and it's still working. I put a pile of it in an out-of-the-way spot under some trees and the cats prefer it to my shrub borders. If you don't have too many cats (we have 4 neighborhood cats that come through our yard daily) it works great.

  • Mel707
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have two cats who would rather dig the loose soil in my garden than anywhere else...For the past two years I have used the sticks, twigs and branches with much success.They have managed to squeeze in a couple piles if I missed a space but no real damage from digging has occured. My garden is located in a large, sunny front yard we share with our neighbors. This year is their first attempt at gardening and while they don't have cats I recommended the sticks to deter my furry friends. So far so good.

    From the few posts I read of this thread it appears many people think of cats as garden pests, but living in a wooded area they are an essential part of our environment, controlling and warding off pests that could do far more damage. My neighbors seem to appreciate their role as well :)

  • laurell
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was listening to the gardening with Ciscoe podcast over the weekend and he recommended stakes every 4 inches or less.

  • Darrenjan1983
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm having the same problem with my own cats, (I have 3 in total but only 1 is using my garden) to give you an idea of my situation, firstly all my other neighbours have cats so i'm not just moving my problem to the neighbours garden before anyone says so. Also my cats have been indoor cats for most of their lives, i couldn't bare the smell in my house anymore (even when changing the litter box every other day) so I have started to let them outside now. My garden which I only have pots in, I think the main problem is my garden pebbles look a lot like the woodchips I use for the cat litter box. I've tried mothballs the cat doesn't bother with them at all.
    I'm going to try Helichrysum Italicum/ Angustifolium plant apparently they don't like this plant at all. I will let you know the outcome of this fingers crossed.
    Also i think a few people on this forum are forgetting that cats are 'free animals' and cannot tresspass on someones land well in the UK anyway. So owners cannot be legally responsible for what their cat does outside of their property. It is a criminal offence to cruelly beat, kick, ill-treat, torture, infuriate or terrify any animal.

    Rant over

    Happy Gardening :)

  • opossums5
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! Incredible thread, showcasing the best and worst of humanity. The long post by Violet_z6 from 2007 has some great info.
    I'm the one with the cats! My neighbor likes cats too, but I did offer to buy him a supersoaker squirt gun one time.
    I have some tomato cages that have 4 sides and fold up, and these are wonderful to lay on top of a seed bed to keep the cats out. I've also used hardware cloth, and various fencing scraps, even the grills from discarded grills and ovens. This is simple, cheap and works great. I remove them as the seedlings grow, sooner for say, beans and later for carrots. The only other place cat poop bothers me is in the bark mulch around the blueberries, and I'm going right now to put some bamboo skewers around there.
    For any cat people interested in protecting wildlife, there is a product called CatBib that you put on your cat to prevent it from catching most wildlife. www.catgoods.com

  • MzMolly65
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Chiming in here to share my personal experience.

    Years ago I had a cat that I desperately tried to keep indoors. If you opened the door a fraction he would bolt out passed your legs and run so fast you could not catch him.

    I don't feel I was irresponsible, I was trying my best. I was desperate to keep him indoors and safe. I tried electric collars, he ran through the shock. I tried fencing, he jumped up or crawled under. I tried anything and everything possible to keep him home.

    He pulled his Houdini act during a week when my SIL was housesitting and a neighbour trapped him and sent him to the pound. SIL wasn't cat smart enough to check the pound. I got home and when he told me the cat had been missing for 4 days I raced to the pound. He was scheduled to be euthanized that afternoon. When I got to the pound I was taken to the cages to identify him. His open wire cage was sitting side by side to other cages AND perched on top of the dog cages. His nose was broken from the "humane" trap they used to catch him. He was covered in urine from other cats spraying him. He was in shock from sitting on top of an attacking dog for 4 days. He was utterly limp when I picked him up and he wouldn't open his eyes or move.

    It took 3 days of veterinary care for him to come around and begin to lift his head and want to eat or drink.

    This is what happens to some pets when people trap them and send them to the pound.

    Did it help? No, the minute he was healthy he was back to making mad dashes for the outdoors. Our only saving grace was a job opportunity that allowed us to move to a country property where the nearest neighbours were a mile away. He continued to bolt out that door for 16 years.

    Our friends from that same neighbourhood were not so lucky. For weeks their 5 year old daughter cried herself to sleep, laying on the floor with her head in the cat's basket.

    As a fellow gardener I understand your frustration at cats in your gardens but please think about all of this before you choose to trap someone's cat. There are many other methods that will keep a cat out of your yard.

    As a non-dog person I live with the neighbour's dog attacking me through the fence every time I try to enjoy my garden. It drives me crazy and I have tried talking with them politely but they don't care and don't think their dog is a problem. I find safe ways of dealing with the problem without harming their dog because it's not the dog's fault. He's just being a dog.

  • naejakire
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had a cat problem in two of my raised beds. It was very upsetting because 1. I don't like cats to begin with and 2. I think the darn thing killed my cucumbers.

    I decided to try the stake idea as was suggested here. I placed foot-long twigs about 8-inches apart in the two areas (3' x 2') and, a week later, it seems to be working. Best of luck to everyone else!

  • plantslayer
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello everyone,

    I think I found the ultimate cat solution for anyone with say, 500 square feet or less of raised beds.

    I basically covered everything with burlap. I got the sacking from a coffee roaster for free (that's a place that imports raw beans and sells coffee), split the sacks at the seams, and paved over every square inch of my beds, which total to around 360 sq ft I think. Then I just cut X's where I wanted to plant stuff and folded the flaps under to make a planting hole.

    The sacks are food-grade jute, so they should be fine for planting. It might be a bit of work to set it up, but once it is going it seems to work fine, and is also a good mulch. I am not sure how soon they will rot, but for the time being they are solid- it's been about 2 months.

    Right now I have a very big crop of kale and lettuce surrounded by the burlap, and it seems totally impervious to the cats.

    I had to go to extreme measures, because my wife is pregnant, and I can't take chances with toxoplasmosis!

    Reccommended for anyone who lives in a place with lots of coffee roasters (such as Seattle). I think oyster bars also have burlap sacks, but you'll need to investigate to find out if the burlap is safe to use for this.

  • GreenThumbofAZ
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello All,
    I, too, am having the same problem with a cat coming into my yard. It is a neighbor's cat, who comes into my yard, all the time, when we aren't looking. I asked the owner to do something about it, but she just laughed. Once more, since moving in, I can't allow my porch kitty to go and lie under my honeysuckle and enjoy my fenced in yard, because her three cats attack my kitty!
    The cat that jumps my fence, comes up to my porch, where my kitty lives, in the screened in porch, and picks fights with it. Plus, it has marked all over my front porch, making it smell horrible. It also had killed my plants, plus, the other two kitties, come right up to my fence and poops and pees there, also making my plants sick and smell.
    I'm at a wit's end, because I am low income, disabled and am trying to care for my animals, (one kitty, two dogs, who are afraid of cats), and a blind & destitute ex-husband. I don't have any extra money to buy things to repel the cats.
    It is frustrating, because this woman will scream, down the street, for people who walk their dogs on her side of the street, and she also has built a cat litter box, right up against my fence, which really stinks, during our monsoon season. I don't know what to do. Plus, I also asked her nicely, to stop making noise, in her yard, at 11:30 p.m., 4:30 a.m., and 2:35 a.m.! She has stopped talking to me and has done so many little things to bother us, keeping us up, all the wee hours of the morning, by slamming doors, talking out loud, etc. when my bedroom window, is right there, across from her yard. I don't sleep well, at night, due to chronic pain, which I explained to her, but she keeps on doing things to bother us. Plus, she watches who comes and goes, in my driveway and announces it, loudly to the rest of the neighborhood. One is my pharmacy, delivering my medications to me. She has spread horrible rumors against me, no one bothers with us now. So, talking to her, about her cats, is out of the question. Does anyone have a suggestion, that won't cost money, that will cover my large, front yard?
    Thank you, for reading this...

  • chickenschwarma
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Been following this thread for a little bit. Just got back into the house from getting my $70 contech motion controlled sprinkler working again. Now the hose to the contech has a hole that needs mending or replacement. Duct tape didn't cut it. I've spent a lot of time and money trying to get cats to stop using my backyard as a litter box.

    They don't even take care of the gophers and I can't put poison for the gophers because it might kill the neighbor's lazy ass cats.

    Seeing the cat apologists in this thread makes my blood boil. So inconsiderate, you chose to have a pet not everyone around you. Sorry it is not a natural part of the environment or a child. Your cat may be your precious little baby but you have no right to expect others to treat them as such. If you let them become a problem for others don't be surprised if they choose the easiest and cheapest methods for dealing with the nuisance animal. The craziest person on here is the poster saying they would physically assault someone for handling a problem animal that was thrust upon them.

    I like my neighbor an old lady that's been there forever. So out of respect for her I have to deal with it. Most of the cats are her's. But it's so frustrating. I shouldn't have to be spending time, money, and blood pressure points on this problem.

    There'd be an uproar if dog folks decided to let their precious ones loose upon the world to crap and prowl freely....

  • karen_pagayon
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi,, I have the same problem in my garden stray cats and my neighbors cats pooping and peeing each and every rose bushes in my garden. Im so frustrated because Im working hard to take care of my roses, and these darn cats just pee and poop on them (i hope they dont die on me),, I love animals and I have a dog, if i can put my dog indoors why cant other people?

  • dbrivera59
    8 years ago

    Hello , I too am tired of my yard being used as the neighborhood community cat toilet not to mention the fly attraction! I love animals, especially dogs and indoor cats; consequently, I would not harm any animal including the cats that continually deposit in my yard! I was very frustrated until I read a post on this site. The writer stated cats like somewhat soft surfaces (dirt) our gardens. The writer suggested using coarse, large mulch such as broken branches, twigs, dried leaves (cats don't like to be startled) sap works good (don't like sticky). The writer further suggested the use of pine cones. A perfect solution for me as a huge pine tree sits between my neighbor ( who has 3 outdoor cats) and my property. I gathered a large pile of the fallen , dried needles. Picked up pine cones and smashed about 20 pine cones with a hammer. My neighbors must have thought I lost my mind! The next morning I checked the area and to my surprise no deposits were made. It's been a week and no issues no regrets, Happy Garden!

  • lloyd7143
    8 years ago

    I too are having problems with one particular cat, yet I do not know whose cat it is, it craps on my blocked patio driveway during the night so I have no way of catching it, if it was normal cat poo I wouldnt mind so much but it is runny beige diarrhea every time, stinks of fish so I am assuming cans of tuna is his/her (I prefer it) dinner, I am at my wits end as all suggestions on web I have found seem to be for soil / planting areas / gardens and not driveways. I find it unusual for a cat to want to do it on a solid floor but it still does, I have tried orange scented pellets & powder, myself & my son have been peeing into a bottle for weeks and emptying that onto my driveway, I have a sonic cat alarm right next to where it goes, no effect (waste of money) I live in the UK so as soon as it rains I feel any foul scent I have put down is washed away and I am back to square one. I used to be a dog owner & never had this problem when she was alive, but getting another dog is not a viable option, please help...

    I am thinking of getting some ammonia and placing this is containers dotted around the area, but the smell will not be pleasant for my family and I have small children, hence I do not really want to try this method, the fouled area is literally one or two feet away from where I pull my motor vehicle onto after a days work, go to work in morning and have to dodge this!!! Sorry for the rant, but I am so fed up with my inconsiderate neighbours cat whoever it is!!!

  • lisianthus
    8 years ago

    It seems like this post makes it back to page 1 on a regular basis. I thought I would share how I solved my cat problem. I have an area of my yard that is a bird sanctuary, with feeders & birdbath. The neighborhood cats all figured out this was a great place to catch birds and I had to find a solution. I had this little pet size fence charger so I set up a wire just around this section of my yard. I used plastic insulators on short wooden stakes that I painted black because I wanted them to blend into the background. This was 2 years ago and I have not had one cat come in that area since. It also keeps raccoons and possums out but squirrels have figured out how to hop over it. I think this could be used around a garden area real easily. The whole thing is inside my yard so no one would come in contact with it who isn't already inside my yard. You'd have to teach kids not to touch. Pets touch it once and leave it alone.




    Here's a few photos.

  • superasianmansam
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    left over coffee and grinds works! it's humane and not harmful to your plants

  • JoAnna Becvar
    8 years ago

    Yo Vic....who wants to kill cats. My neighbors had this battle about cats. The one neighbor did kill her cat and warned the lady about it. He is now spending 5 years in prison for it. I'll have to find the story and put the link in here soon. A man who was in the military should have way better solutions as far as all the training and no how you have learned in the military. My father retired of 60yrs being a hard ass in the military(marines 40yrs army 20yrs.. I read to him what you said and he thinks ur a coward to resort to such low standards as a military man to deal with the problem. You sir are a bad example of a noble soldier for this country. Bad enough you have to kill people at time of war to protect are country...but animals....come on....if you soooo desperately NEED TO KILL AN ANIMAL....then get your ass over seas and do something worthy than kill a defenseless ANIMAL. COWARD...Military training teaches you also how to DEAL with problems as they come at you. I will not thank a military man for serving our country who enjoys more THRILLS on how to kill animals in OUR home land instead of using that knowledge on the REAL THREATS IN OUR HOMELAND. Anyone who knows this guy should report this article to the guys neighbor for evidence and report it to the cops so it's on record like my neigbor did. I wonder what would happen if the kitty he feeds poison to could go home to a toddler and the toddler happens to run his hands on kitty's face and some poison gets into that toddlers mouth from his hands...or any child for that matter as a baby could eat what a cat throws up with a parent not looking for a min. Cuz we all know babies put EVERYTHING IN THERE MOUTHS. I guess this military guy doesn't think about those dangers. I wonder if he would have any sorrow of killing a baby or toddler that could happen. He probably would think....we'll I killed the cat at least with no regrets or sorrow for the child he could kill.

  • Moo Dang
    8 years ago

    If the parents gave a hoot they wouldn't be letting the cat out to pick up god knows what to bring home to the toddler

  • Nick Cooper
    7 years ago

    Call your local animal control, explain the situation, and ask them what your options are. From there you can make a decision within the local law and standards.

    My animal control will send a formal letter from their department (allowing you to remain anonymous) to the offending cat owner. This non-confrontational is low risk and gives the cat owner an opportunity to address the issue.


    If that still doesn't work, then consider some of the stronger options animal control gives you - which in my city, includes trapping. Keep if legal, and remember you have to live with your neighbors, and your conscious.

  • Moo Dang
    7 years ago

    just stepped in cat crap while I was weeding and bbq'ing mightn't tracked some into the house because I didn't' realize I stepped in it. F outdoor cats

  • Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Drives me crazy too. I have neighbours whose cats use my raised beds and kids' sandbox as their personal litter box and the neighbours just say "Oh sorry!" But God forbid my dog ever gets out and craps on their lawn...major big deal! LOL. I partially solved it with a motion detector sprinkler and keeping a bucket of water handy to throw at them every time I see them. I also let my dog chase them.

    Neighbours even said they don't keep a litter box at home anymore because it's "too gross" and much "more natural" for them to go outside. ARGH! My husband has threatened to go poop on their lawn and see how natural they think that is. LOL. However, we actually like our neighbours except for their cat blindness.

  • PRO
    Dontbeadouche
    7 years ago

    First of all...Dedkatz, You are a poor little man...LOL! I would just jump at the chance to have this "discussion" with you face-to-face! Anyway, douchbags aside, I highly recommend a layer of thin chicken wire just below the surface of your bark or mulch, also consider using large bark nuggets 3-5" that they are unable to dig in.

  • j_patrick3269
    7 years ago

    Move to Texas wheat animals are still treated like animals and not humans, then poison them all u want.

  • lisianthus
    7 years ago

    Still no cats come anywhere near my back yard :-) Even if I forget to plug my fence in, they all avoid the place out of habit now. Well worth it!

  • Cathy Sharp
    6 years ago

    The question is how to deter them, not kill them.

  • doglife4
    3 years ago

    I read all the comments still didn't want to go buy stuff to remedy. So I looked around and realized I had old cement borders and rocks and spread them about 4 inches apart. Here is picture. I'll let you know how it goes. ~ Meanwhile......Any updates?👀🙏🏼💡


  • D M PNW
    3 years ago

    My next door neighbor put out the expanding snakes from the dollar store to keep the cats off her cars. She says it works and they avoid the area now.

  • HU-490103998
    3 years ago

    There are those who can't seem to understand why others threaten to "rid" those problem cats. Usually some owners of pets. Yet those who have to deal with other's pets, which is what cats are, who continue over and over to destroy and leave filth on other's own private property is a nuisance. There are some that should not own pets, that do not care what is done to neighbors. Those same people are the ones who have no say in what can or can't be done to remove those problems. What happens with these pets come down to the owner. Control them or don't. Would you let your children run free to trash and urinate on other people's property? If so, maybe others will return the favor to you and your home. Since it is apparently no problem there.

  • HU-379573398
    3 years ago

    De icer works a treat 😂😂😂

  • HU-379573398
    3 years ago

    I am joking before anyone jumps on 😂 it was being down in my area a few years ago

  • tazz nagu
    2 years ago

    I used oilbased baygon insect repelant, orange peels, citronella, and veranda have prickly plants they still like to poop at the cemented veranda.... cat pooping only started when i went away for 4 days to pay my respect for my recently passed away granny, my room window is just outside tge veranda.... i've always used lavender for the rooms scent too. I get 2-3 poops a day help T.T