Cat mess

could she get a water sprinkler like the ones you use for lawns and put it on a low setting in the evenings whe the cats are likely to visit.We have a cat who was trained to use a tray but as he's got older ,he's just over a year he wont use it and prefers to go out.We're semi rural and as far as I know he doesn't use the gardens but heads for the fields.The poster above is correct though,cat owners cant be held responsible by law for their cats using other peoples gardens or even for digging up gardens

I too use mothballs with great success. next door have 5 cats and no litter tray because he thinks that's 'dirty' !! I'll show him dirty !! His cats use our small front border as their own personal toilet and the number of times they have not buried their poo but flicked it onto the drive where our small grandchildren have trodden in it !!

I am close to collecting the next lot and going and dropping it on his front border( which he has covered in pebbles so the cats wont use it and see how he likes it !

I wouldn't dream of letting our dog foul his drive . I'm sorry - I'm sure there are cat owners a plenty who do their best to keep their cats from fouling others gardens- but our neighbour is not one .

Recently noticed fox poo on our lawn. (Very dark, almost black. Quite blobby). Instant panic as we were going away and the cats were not going to be shut in overnight as usual). Barricaded off the only place a fox could have got in and warned the neighbours as they also have a cat. Anyone know how high a fence is needed to keep a fox out?
Leemaria, we have found the best way to keep unwanted cats out of the garden is to use a water pistol. Doesn't harm them and they get the message.

Are foxes a danger to cats? The two mix quite happily in my garden along with badgers.

When we first moved here to the bungalow Oliver had been a house cat for his first 9mths,he now goes out into the garden and gardens either side but always comes back in to use his tray,I would try and speak to the neighbours about your concerns and get them dealt with asap,speak to the lady of the house she may be more understanding regarding the risks make sure you buy a cat net for babies pram you can never be too sure if pram is put in garden.

Yes, foxes can kill cats, a neighbour's cat lost a leg due to a fox.
I would not ask the neighbours to clean up the garden, they may say, rightly or wrongly, it could be other cats and not theirs doing it.Not a good start with a new neighbour anyway.
Is your DD sure it isn't hedgehogs that are the culprits?
Cats will usually use a bed where there is soil.

Where a cat does its business depends on whether it is the dominant animal or not. A dominant cat or one trying to "take over" a neighbourhood will leave its poo in a prominent place to mark its territory If the cat is not dominant it will bury it. (at least that is what I was told!)

Thanks everyone. Got some really good ideas to try out.

To people who say cats always use soil and bury their business ....wrong ....when they come in my garden it's left everywhere on the surface flower beds grass or pebbles
Don't waste your money on the electric cat scarers I sent mine back with a photo of a cat pooing by the base of the cat scarer ...I got my money back
It's all very fine to say use water pistols but cats seem to know when you're not looking or not around and it seems rare that I ever ' catch' them
I ve tried curry powder, pepper, the bought stuff, the electric cat scarer, bottles of water, prickly cut brachlettes around the edge of the flower beds and nothing seemed to work so I m useless to give you any answers however I wouldn't fall out with new neighbours ...neighbour fall outs are worse even than cat poo

Years ago we had this problem and went to a 'warehouse' type store where you could buy (very cheaply) large pots of garlic chips which kept them away but also get washed away in the rain and need replacing from time to time. Of course, they do smell to humans too...

My son's neighbours kept chickens. The chickens wandered all over my son's garden and driveway and s**t everywhere. He couldn't allow his little children to play outside. Eventually he complained and the neighbours were very annoyed. They put their house up for sale and within a few months they'd gone. Since then my grandchildren have been able to play outdoors again. These neighbours were so-called Christians. To me they were selfish, nasty people.

Why do cat owners always say 'the cats bury it' - THEY DON'T. How would they feel if I let my dog do it in their garden?

Not sure why you are scared of upsetting the neighbours as inknowly they are upsetting your daughter very much. You say they seen a nice couple so I think an honest talk with them about the problem is very reasonable and would give them the chance to try and find a remedy I suggest you take a leaflet or printout explaining the dangers as they are most likely not aware or that your daughter isn't pregnant.

This will be an on going problem as from a young age your GD will be playing in the garden so best to make them aware now.

A vet once told me that if a cat is disturbed while using its favourite "toilet" place it will put them off using it. So maybe the water pistol idea would work.

I've also heard that lengths of hose pipe keep cats away apparently cats are scared of snakes if the neighbours seem approachable she could always drop it in to conversation

Neighbours cats do it all the time in my garden. I use a large washing up bottle filled with water to scare them off. I have toyed with the idea of letting my 4 Labradors do the same on his lawn but that would just be a bit childish I think. My mum has a battery operated cat blaster. Looks a bit like a gun, point at cat and it lets out a high pitched siren. This works IF you can catch the cat in the act.

I was just going to say about Dettol, valeriej43, very good point.

Shysal---yes, foxes can attack cats. My cat crept indoors badly ripped up and the vet said it had been attacked by a fox, identifiable by the pattern of the claw marks. She had treated a similarly injured cat the previous week which died of its injuries. We were lucky--except for having to pay a huge bill.

Isn't there some kind of equipment that lets out a high pitched noise only discernible to an animal not human when the animal comes in range?
It could be switched on when daughters dog is in doors
or last thing at night if this is when the cats are likely to be out ? Always someone else's garden preferable to cats
than their own.

From everything I have read, legally a cat's owner is not responsible for anything a cat does (unlike a dog). The flip side of that is that a cat owner also has no right to know if their cat is run over etc, again unlike a dog owner.

I know this will sound really weird but a friend of mine uses clear plastic bottles half filled with water and stuck where the cats are pooing. I copied her and have to say that it does work but don't know why! I have a dog who chases visiting cats out when he is out but they still come back because we have lots of birds. But at least if they no longer poo in our garden then our dog can't eat it - which he does if he gets the opportunity!

I suppose buying a dog is out of the question? Maybe she could borrow one for a bit.
Mind you, I did once look out my window to see my dog surrounded by a circle of cats. He was staring at the sky pretending that he couldn't see them. he used to like chasing cats so they were obviously getting their own back.
I'm not sure what speaking to your neighbours would achieve. They are not likely to be prepared to get rid of the cats and you can't just lock cats indoors once they are used to going out.
If they are going in one place regularly, maybe you could put some kind of gravel down that they don't want to walk on it. Gardening sites are probably the best place to look for a solution but I fear that it would mostly be people complaining about the problem.

Valerie - I can assure you cats definitely DO poo on grass. Shall I send you the evidence from our front garden? Cats are disgusting and owners should be made to lift the poo if they let their cat outside (and if they can't check where their cat goes, then it should be kept permanently indoors and crap in their house instead!).

Dog owners can be fined for their dog fouling on or off lead so, IMHO so should cat owners.

Friends of ours had visiting foxes in their garden. They bought a fox scarer (advertised in Ga....... W.... magazine) to great effect. Quite pricey I believe, but it works. I think you can get the same sort of thing for cats. Good luck!

When pregnant, keep well away for cat mess.