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Post by Bean on May 26, 2011 8:32:41 GMT
Next door's cat keeps making deposits on our gravel path. Is there anything I can do to deter him?! (I don't have access to any tiger poo - that suggestion has already been made to me.)
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erin
Bronze Member
Posts: 294
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Post by erin on May 26, 2011 11:58:53 GMT
Thats a tricky one since a fine enough gravel would mean 'instant litter box' status! Not sure if this path is public property so I'm not sure if you are trying for just around the section by your yard or if this is a larger area. If latter, I imagine your only real hope is the area adjacent or on your property.
There are many herbs that cats don’t like to be around, including lavender, rue, geranium, absinthe, and lemon-thyme, eucolyptis
This mixture is easy to make and can be used anywhere you want to repel cats and I've used this on our outdoor garbage storage as there are enough strays in my neibourhood:
2 parts cayenne pepper
3 parts dry mustard
5 parts flour
If you have the water/cash to spare you could try using a sprinkler that is activated by a motion-sensor. All it takes is a time or two of getting dowsed with water to deter any cat. They also have motion detected units that emit a noise cats find intolerable. I think they would be availible at garden centers or hardware / tool type places,
Some people use moth balls or spray ammonia but its toxic so it depends on how much of a 'hate on' you have for this cat. Although I heard that since cats tend to poo in the same areas that cleaning out the 'areas ' and spraiying bleach into the area has been effective. Posibly the cayan pepper solution could be used in place if your looking for a safe alternative. Once they coorolate (hopefully) the unpleasent taste/odor of the cayenne they would in theory stay away.
Hope any of that helps!
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Post by lonestarpiggies on May 26, 2011 13:01:04 GMT
All are good ideas, Erin! Treen, I bet one of them will work.
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erin
Bronze Member
Posts: 294
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Post by erin on May 26, 2011 14:48:13 GMT
what can I say, cats are my thing LOL
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erin
Bronze Member
Posts: 294
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Post by erin on May 26, 2011 14:52:26 GMT
All are good ideas, Erin! Treen, I bet one of them will work. LOL having cats for the past 10 yrs I've had to pick up a few Ideas for myself. Mr.Tubbs just goes bonkers and yells his head off when strays or neibours kitties come hang out in our yard and thats no fun for any of us lol. |
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Post by Bean on May 26, 2011 19:08:11 GMT
Marvellous advice thank you. I shall nip to the shops for some mustard powder and try that special mix! While I am unimpressed with finding these sticky clumps, I certainly have no wish to harm the cat in any way. He's generally a sweet and playful little chap, but I must admite I have rather gone off him since he started doing this!
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Post by newpig on May 27, 2011 8:52:06 GMT
A cheap and very effective way to stop them is to clean the poo all up first and then cut some oranges in half and just squeeze the juice out around the gravel, I tend to leave the orange skin to rot down as well. Cats hate the strong smell of fresh citrus.
Gravel is a nightmare with cats. I've been through it with my own cats. There are lots of remedies available on gardening websites in UK as well that aren't toxic but I'd try homemade remedies first.
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Post by Bean on May 29, 2011 8:16:34 GMT
Hmmm when we sort out the front garden, I may go with keeping the slate for the drive/path bit rather than the gravel then. I think we have enough of each to use either, but was going with the gravel as I like the look of it better. However the cats aren't interested in the slate and that is going to be a big bonus!
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Post by newpig on May 29, 2011 10:36:47 GMT
At our house in England we had the really small pea shingle. The cats were prevented from going round the front of the house so not a problem there but there was a patch of it at the back door leading to the garage. It was a nightmare keeping them out of it and in the end we cleared it away and concreted it. Here we have larger, stone gravel. It's not so much of an issue here as it's not litter like but Lexie has a couple of spots that she has found lighter and does use - the orange trick works but do have to keep renewing it.
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Post by Bean on Aug 17, 2011 8:11:04 GMT
I went with the citrus idea in the end and it seemed to hold him off (apart from after heavy rain) but there was one unpleasant day that I found a big poo in the raised bed I have for my veg. It was before anything had grown much so there was lots of space, and my friend said to stick loads of little twigs/ sicks in the soil so he wouldn't be able to find a good place to settle his big ginger bottom. Seemed to do the trick!
Anyway the perfect (and zero effort) solution has now been found! The owner of the cats has moved out (it was in a rental property) so now no more cat poo!
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Post by Jeannine on Aug 19, 2011 12:46:14 GMT
When my cats go out to play they come back inside to use the litter box - kinda weird in a good way - they will meow at the door, use the box then go back out. I'm so thankful that I don't find surprises in my garden!
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Post by Bean on Nov 25, 2011 11:41:39 GMT
Another cat has taken to using my veg bed (almost empty now) as a loo - I have covered most of it and stuck little sticks up in the soil, but he/she still seems to find a spot!
I think it's this one as it spends a lot of time in our garden, especially if the kids are out. It's a playful little thing and rather stunning to look at, but I wish it'd plop elsewhere!
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 25, 2011 19:32:26 GMT
One thing that came to me in this discussion is that the citrus lasts a long time, and can be put just about anywhere. Maybe putting pieces of citrus on sticks throughout the garden would keep the cats out of it completely. You would have to replace them probably weekly, but you would get a citrus smell you like and the cats hate.
You might also find where they enter the garden most often and put some on stakes there, too. Maybe hand some off bushes, etc. If it rains, the citrus will wash into the soil, so don't put it near plants that hate acid.
Erin's idea would work very well over large areas, as you could make up a batch and use use a broadcast spreader to get it all over the walkway.
I do agree with removing the offending poos, though, as once they establish a poo place, any reminder is an instant Okay to do it again.
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Post by piggylove on Nov 25, 2011 21:24:50 GMT
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Post by Bean on Nov 27, 2011 10:10:00 GMT
Haha, but no doubt I'd forget about it and keep getting drenched every time I put the bins out!
The gravel is remaining poo-free now, it's only the veg bed being used and I don't want to use much there given I'll be growing veg in it next year. I'm just going to make sure I cover all visible soil with something solid (and put some cut oranges on top?)! I'm always all talk though, it takes me weeks to actually do what I mean to...!
Cute cat though, right?!
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Post by weesilvie on Nov 29, 2011 10:22:19 GMT
Definitely, she's very pretty!
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Post by Bean on May 22, 2012 8:54:15 GMT
Out to buy some oranges I think... I'd dug over my veg bed at the weekend, and with the cat in mind, I netted it all to remove temptation. Didn't work - the cat just did its poo on top of the netting nnnnnnnngggggghhhh!
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Post by beckee on May 22, 2012 9:49:32 GMT
Haha!
Although I don't know why I'm laughing as one of our cats has pooed in the veg patch a couple of times! I can see it happening from the kitchen window so I find running outside waving my marigold clad hands about shouting 'Ooooarrrgghhhh gerrroffff ya buggerrrrr!' does the trick and gets her off it pretty sharpish. I always end with a merry wave to my worried looking neighbours too.
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Post by 3piggles on May 22, 2012 13:43:16 GMT
You've tilled and cleared that soil and created a perfect, no-work-involved cat potty. Then you get upset when the cat uses it. I tell you!!!  Only thing that might work is to create an even better space for the cat elsewhere. If you create a well-tilled area in a more protected place, the cat is likely to choose that over using an exposed area. Just don't put it near where the cat lies in shady dirt. Or, just take a cue from Beckee. That works, too!!!! |
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Post by Bean on May 24, 2012 19:22:02 GMT
You've tilled and cleared that soil and created a perfect, no-work-involved cat potty. Then you get upset when the cat uses it. I tell you!!! Haha that's not the way I was viewing what I was doing! We had a dog for the day today who pooed three times (my kids were providing an excellent narrative on what she did - she also did lots of wees, ate some grass and was sick, destroyed 3 tennis balls and a plastic ball and rolled on her back a lot.....). Anyway the cat came along afterwards and was very interested in the dog smells - not sure if that might see it off for a bit or if it'll take it as a challenge? |
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