Speaking of Cats - teach them to poop in their own yards!

BaronsMom · #1 12/20/06, 05:08 PM

I posted this on the pet forum but thought I should put it here too...I'm so darn irritated tonight.

I have a wonderful woodchip path from the drive where I park my car to the front of my home. It winds past two large perennial beds, one with shade plants and a goldfish pond, wicker bench and the other a sunny bed full of beautiful roses and some native perennials - the woodchip path ends up at a handmade cobblestone path to the front of the house. I noticed it had been disturbed a bit the last week or so, but thought it was squirrels digging around - heck no!!! CATS!

I am so tired of picking, wiping more cat poo (poo is too nice a word) from the neighbor's cat out of my shoes AGAIN tonight! HORRIBLE, ICKY, STINKY MESS. Came home the other night to a neighbor's cat spraying the front of my house - had his little rearend backed right up to my door.

PLEASE teach your cats to go in their own yard - put a little sandpile in a corner of the yard and plant some catnip around it. Make it their cat poop spot! Have as many as you want - just keep them out of my yard!!!

In fact, I'm going to try it myself - I have bags of sand and will make a sandpile between our drives - on their property. My next tool will be a livetrap and the humane society. I don't have the heart or I'd let my dog out - he would kill a cat if he could (he has 3 notches on his belt already!)

dagwood · #2 12/20/06, 05:14 PM

Stray cats pooping in your yard= aggravation.

Stray cats getting popped with a .22= priceless.

**Terri** · #3 12/20/06, 06:03 PM

As aggrivating as the cats are, you DO have to live in that neighborhood!

Giving them a sandbox is a LOVELY idea: we always had trouble keeping cats out of ours! They really LIKE sand!

MaineFarmMom · #4 12/20/06, 06:41 PM

Motion sensitive sprinklers work wonders on cats.

Hip_Shot_Hanna · #5 12/20/06, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaineFarmMom

Motion sensitive sprinklers work wonders on cats.

That sounds like a GREAT idea.. just have to keep remembering to turn them off before you walk up the drive yourself.

I've read that mothballs will keep cats out of the flower beds, but you do have to contend with the odor then. Personally, I'd rather catch a whiff of mothball now and then instead of cat poop. However, napthalene is pretty toxic stuff and needs to be used carefully.

MWG · #6 12/20/06, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaineFarmMom

Motion sensitive sprinklers work wonders on cats.

Great idea!

How about little landmines of scotch tape sticky side up all over the yard? Now that would win you $10,000 if you had it on video!

Alice In TX/MO · #7 12/20/06, 07:33 PM

Black pepper. Sam's size. Sprinkle thoroughly over paths.

tinknal · #8 12/20/06, 07:35 PM

"teach".............."cats"....................... .Two words that can never appear in the same sentence...........

Windy in Kansas · #9 12/20/06, 07:49 PM

The messes are bad enough---but I'll also add that they catch and kill birds, attempt to catch and kill squirrels so that squirrels sometimes just give up and quit coming around. They jump on vehicles with muddy paws and leave hair almost everywhere.

Since I still live in town I do have the option of calling animal control. They will set a trap to remove them from an area since they are required to be leashed the same as dogs.

A neighbor I liked and tolerated moved in November----and took his 11 cats with him. WHEW! Another neighbor had called animal control but was asked to hold off until he moved.

Actually I can stand the messes cats make and the other ills better than I can one next door neighbor. Any ideas on what to do with her? I can't SSS. lol.

DenverGirlie · #10 12/20/06, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

attempt to catch and kill squirrels so that squirrels sometimes just give up and quit coming around.

That is a good thing, not a bad thing. I wish my cats would go after the squirrles. We have a THRIVING community of them on our tiny property, they are so dirty, dropping the food they take from the dumpsters into the back yard... back yard is littered with trash from the dumpsters around. They live in the attic and can hear them when we lay down at night. I'm always worried they will nibby on wire and burn the house down.

donsgal · #11 12/20/06, 10:32 PM

Responsible cat owners keep their cats indoors so things like this don't happen.

donsgal
responsible cat owner

straight shot · #12 12/20/06, 10:33 PM

AS in anything else CATS happen when one lives outside of the city limits! So sorry your are going though this but it happens.

I would love you to go to the neighbors to complain, they will most likely tell you that
#1 they don't own them some good Samaritan just dumped them off at the end of the drive, thought you had a nice barn for them to CATCH mice in. and #2 if you don't like it just shoot them!

Not picking just pointing.

Wayne02 · #13 12/20/06, 11:11 PM

I just go down to the shelter and borrow one of their traps. Set the trap out at night, trap the cat, and take the trap w/cat in it down to the shelter the next morning. Yes, I've inquired as to the cats owners, but they are strays, no tags, no ID, and no one claims them so off they go.

MaineFarmMom · #14 12/21/06, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donsgal

Responsible cat owners keep their cats indoors so things like this don't happen.

donsgal
responsible cat owner

They also have outdoor cats to help keep the pest population under control. Mice running up my husband's arm when he reaches into a grain bag causes hysterically funny results (well...he didn't think so but..) but it's really not a good thing. Squirrels in the grain and eaves isn't such a good idea either. Little in life is ever so cut and dried as that kind of blanket statement.

Jillis · #15 12/21/06, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaineFarmMom

They also have outdoor cats to help keep the pest population under control. Mice running up my husband's arm when he reaches into a grain bag causes hysterically funny results (well...he didn't think so but..) but it's really not a good thing. Squirrels in the grain and eaves isn't such a good idea either. Little in life is ever so cut and dried as that kind of blanket statement.

I agree. We have 2 cats that live in our barn. We feed them twice a day, provide a litter box, fresh water, they have their shots and have been neutered.

I have owned cats for years. I have to say that these 2 fellows are the absolute picture of health. They are the healthiest, strongest cats I've ever known. And for the first time in years, I didn't get a winter invasion of mice!

YAY!

By the way---instead of scotch tape, put a few glue traps down in the usual places.

If I saw someone's male cat backed up to my door spraying I would have had some choice words for the owners! THAT STINKS!!!

BaronsMom · #16 12/21/06, 08:19 AM

AAAARRRGGGGHHHHH

My 15-year old daughter stepped in fresh cat poop this morning on the way to get in the car!!! It's not even like we can see it in the morning because it is dark when we head out the door.

A line has been drawn in the woodchips!

Took the kids to school, got home - got my pruners - pruned my huge rose bushes and covered my path with their nasty thorny branches.

I picked up the poo and walked it over near my neighbor's drive and tossed it there.

anniew · #17 12/21/06, 02:59 PM

Have you TALKED with your neighbor?

Trixie · #18 12/21/06, 03:33 PM

A situation like this is sad - and I don't really have any solutions.

While we feed countless cats, from time to time, and have found homes for 2 batches of babies and their mommies, I haven't been bothered by them. They don't poop in the yard that I know of - and only my cats try to poop in the kid's sandbox. Right now I am feeding a mommy and 3 kittens that are almost grown, and some neighbors freeloaders (I suspect) - and a possum from time to time.

We now have new neighbors on both sides. One has 3 dogs, 2 bark all night long, one just barks at me when I go out. They don't clean up the poop in their yards, and I can smell it when I am outside. These people are in their yards, have fences, and probably don't realize how offensive the smell is. So just doing everything legal doesn't always keep the animals from being offensive.

I have thought of emptying the litter boxes right next to their fences - but no, it may work itself out and we aren't here all that much.

Now we do have neighbors in EAst Texas that runs a kennel of sorts. She used to let her large dogs run out a while at feeding time. We didn't mind until she began letting 3 pit bulls out. They were scary - but even then when they were only barking at us, we said nothing. They then began chasing our grandkids. My husband talked with them - they kept saying they were only playing with the kids, but said they would stop letting them out. We noticed any time both our vehicles were gone, the dogs got out. We finally had to get the Sheriff involved. It has created bad feelings and I am sorry for that.

Just rambling -

BaronsMom · #19 12/21/06, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anniew

Have you TALKED with your neighbor?

Yes - we've talked to the neighbor and the situation is - "pass the buck". Family moved away across the road - even when they lived there, they rarely cared for their cats. So cats moved to our side of the road and over to my neighbor who has a big heart and feeds them all. So even though not official neighbor's cats - they are their cats.

Now, other cats are coming because of the unspayed cats at the neighbor's place. Our drives are near each other, so it is very easy for the cats to waltz onto my place.

We've had some trauma this fall where my dog has gone out into the back fenced area, has found cats in there - which he promptly killed. Neighbor said they don't care if my dog kills their cats, just not certain ones (like my dog is supposed to know the difference - and really, I'd rather not have my dog killing cats - it is gross) So we've gone to a lot of trouble to keep them out of the area where my dog runs.

I may have to get myself a livetrap for Christmas - I know of a farmer who says he will take any cats - has a vacant farmstead with outbuildings and needs mousers.

DixyDoodle · #20 12/21/06, 07:18 PM

Well, if your dog hates cats and he is in his own yard, why would it be your fault if their cat was killed by your dog? It's up to the owner to control his cats or risk losing them. If they have a 'favourite' cat, they should keep it in the house.

I have both kinds: indoor and outdoor cats. One cat is strictly indoor, as she is a pet. The other two are barn cats and are there for a purpose: to kill vermin. You would not believe the amount of mice that were in our barn before we got them. The mice would actually come out right in front of your boots and sit there and eat grain! Well, not anymore, they don't. They learned there's a new boss in town and he's hungry.

But if I had a cat that I had brought in for use as a mouser and it was wandering off the property, he's not much good to me. There are ways to help ensure your cats stick around, but the problem is to teach everyone else! And of course this wouldn't work with close neighbours; ours are a good 1/4 mile away maybe?

They used to sell these little pellet things that had a twist tie on them. They were to repel cats and dogs. You can tie them to things like bushes or garbage cans. I've also seen some powders (like "Scat" and "Critter Ridder") in Wally World that you can sprinkle on the ground. I don't know if any of these things really work, though. You could ask a garden center, they might have some ideas.

DD