cats! Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!

I have always had cats as well as dogs and never had a problem until I lost my cats and now.... all the neighbourhood ones come and deposit their pooh in my garden, usually where my daughter parks and gets out of her car or one of the GC and it isn't nice having them step in it!! So could I borrow the lion after you BlueBelle please!! I love all animals and would never be cruel to any, but, last night one of these cats decided to get trapped(without us knowing)in our garage and so my dogs must have known and barked and barked and at 3.30am it doesn't really go down well.

I`d been wondering how your cats were faring after their long journey Absent, sounds like they`ve coped just fine. Mia goes outside, but uses the litter tray as soon as she comes in, so I presume, hopefully, that she`s leaving folks`s gardens alone. That said, there aren`t an awful lot of gardens around here anyway, most of us only have yards.

I don't have a problem. As my houses in London and then in Darlington had only patios, my cats always used litter trays. They have a garden now but you can't teach an old cat to change its spots, so they still use the litter trays. (They're not lovely things but we keep the clean and well scooped and they are nowhere near the vegetable patch.) However, they have gained an entirely new lease of life – they will be 17 in just over a week – and absolutely refuse to share their garden with the neighbourhood cats. The two girls particularly use some shocking feline language and gang up together to chase any interlopers through the hedge.

I live on a main road and never seen a squirrel but have seen my neighbours cats and tis a fight of minds they must be putting their little middle claw up at me every time I go out

Long ago, in my cat days, I noticed that holes had been dug in my very large half barrel in which I had lots of bulbs. Naturally I blamed the cats. However, I happened to look out of the window and caught the real culprit at it. A b****y squirrel was digging up my daffs. I hope they poisoned it!

bluebelle

I bought a new plant yesterday put it in and as I went out today it s been dug up and used as a bl**dy toilet AGAIN,---- GRRRRRRR I'm not bothered with lion poo give me the lion

Lion poo didn't work!

I have stopped cats entering my rear garden. Two years ago we replaced all our wooden fencing with Colourfence ( Australian Grans will know what I mean ) this is powder coated metal that does not give any grip to paws. Cats only jump down into garden once and realise they can not exit so have to wait until someone opens the gate, only one cat tried and then must have told his mates

cat deterrents

I've solved this problem to my own satisfaction. In all the spaces between my taller plants, especially on bare soil, I leave my rose prunings. I discovered this by accident when I forgot to clear up after myself one weekend and left them lying where they fell.

Next weekend I noticed no stinky cat poo in that area. I cut them to about 4-6" and spread them around. Cats don't appear to want thorns in their bottoms.

late husband used to keep racing pigeons and was inundated with cats so he bought the following and it worked....

Scaredy Cat Plant
The scaredy cat plant was bred by a German gardener to repel cats from gardens. Of all the plants that cats dislike, not surprisingly the scaredy cat is the most repulsive to them. Humans find its appearance and scent appealing, though. It has blue flowers and smells of peppermint schnapps. You may find the scaredy cat plant at your local garden center, but most likely, you'll have to order it online or from a catalog.

I think the water pistol idea is probably best BUT it means you have to sit by your window all day waiting nah cant be bothered with that one but I am extremely fed up with not seeing the stuff on my pebble paths and coming into the house covered in the stinky stuff

There is an easy solution for cat owners but it will never happen when they are kittens before they go out you teach them to use a litter tray which goes nearer and nearer the back door until it goes just outside the back door and the cat will hopefully still use it as they are actually clean animals and creatures of habit wouldn't that be lovely

Well, thanks for all your ideas and suggestion, Gransnetters. Made a very interesting read,and made me smile and although I still have the problem, I now know that I am not alone!
I cant go out to get holly branches today as the weather is absolutely foul,and, reading your comments, I have gone off that idea anyway.
I have heard of the Lion poo idea, but there is enough poo already on the garden, so Ile give that one a miss.Have scattered citrus peelings about, and coffee grounds, and will plant the pungent smelling plant, though.
Finally, Ime going to get a huge water pistol!
Thanks once more ladies-(oh, and gents).

We did have a problem when our 4 cats started using the patch of grass right next to the patio, which began to get very smelly in the hot weather. I spread trimmings from the Mahonia (sp?) which were nice and prickly and worked very well. Obviously you wouldn't want it spread over the whole garden though.

Well-rotted horse manure is a splendid soil fertilizer and would almost certainly put cats off.

Although I don't have a cat, I would argue that they DO make very good household pets [millions of people would agree.]They keep themselves clean, are quiet, and can be left on their own when owners are at work, without biting the postman or barking their heads off.True, some of them have a few anti-social habits [killing birds and bringing mice into the house] but if you put a jingly bell on their collar, that seems to help.They bring happiness to a lot of households.

Someone said an old washing up liquid bottle shoots water quite a long way. My expensive JL water pistol didn't work! Otherwise keep the hose connected? Or get a dog? It is disgusting, isn't it!

I agree cats are not suitable household pets but then are dogs much better?

Or parrots or those little pigs?

When you think about it, it's odd that we voluntarily share our homes with animals.

I love doing it though!

There is NOTHING that works [keeping cats off your garden] so don't even bother to buy anything that says it is effective, because it isn't. Cats don't cover up if they feel threatened by lots of other cats about the place, and they are marking their own territory [then all the other cats do the same.]

Has anyone had a really jealous cat? When I was staying with my DS1
his cat kept nipping my ankles and giving me dirty looks. Watching television
I had to sit with a magazine in front of my legs and she sat a foot in front
of it glaring at me. I was scared to move. He just told her to 'be nice' -
lot of good that did. A former girl friend had left it with him as she said
it would be a shame to take the cat away from where she was settled,
but I think the cat nipped her too.

I'm going to make a shocking statement here

I really don't think that cats are suitable household pets!

There! I've said it now and I shall beat a hasty retreat

petallus same here!! since decorating I now have to close the bedroom doors as don't want cat hairs on my cream bed! they are little devils though, they try every which way to sneak in! and yes If I so much as leave a sock or small item anywhere they are on it!! it is weird! they have blankets etc next to radiators..but ohh no!! they wait until I have hovered all the cushions and decide to try each one! tut. unfortuantly our house is open plan so can't shut then in one room..I must say thought they never ever stay in the kitchen they know their only allowed in to eat there food then straight back out, I think cats are trainable to some extent. They have ruined my suit plucking it grrrrrrrr..I will miss them when they depart this world but won't miss the mess they make. A water pstol I would say is the best soloution if your prepared to sit there for house on end! and there are some great water pistols out as my GS has a few lol they can shoot over 50feet!! and you are not harming the cats just shocking them, they hate water.

I can assure you that having a male dog does not deter cats. A spay with the hose in summer helps a bit. Opening the door or window and shouting sends them off. But , of course you have to see them first. I have often thought of following the cats home and taking the two dogs to leave a gift for their owners .

Smart cats do, Grannyknot