How Can I Keep My Neighbor's Cats Out Of My Yard?

[Mickey91]

My neighbor has several cats. They are allowed to roam free outside and have decided to use my very small front yard as their litter box. (I am convinced that the husband has been putting soiled litter around my yard as I have seen odd piles of stuff that look like litter but I have no proof) Does anyone have any ideas on how to reclaim my yard? Eventually,as money allows, we would like to fence in our yard. But, in the mean time, you can't take one step in the yard without stepping in cat poo. I love to have spring and summer flowers and last year gave up because I couldn't even get to the flower beds on tip toe without stepping in it. Plus the flower beds are laden with it as well.
Speaking with our neighbor hasn't helped and I believe it has caused the litter problem I mentioned. Any and all help would be appreciated. Inexpensive ideas would be most welcome!:mickey: Thanks!

[iDisney]

Get a dog?

Seriously, I don't know that there is much you can do about it other than fencing in your yard, which still probably won't help. Maybe you can contact the police or your local animal authorities and tell them about the problem.

Tangent: When I was young I wanted a sandbox and so my father built one. Little did he know that we had just installed the town's largest litter box. We tried to keep it covered, but it still didn't help.

[jrkcr]

Maybe your neighbors really don't know where their cats "go" when they are out. If you are comfortable with the idea, go talk (nicely) to them. But take along a friend.

If the talking doesn't work:
Scoop up the poo and fling it back into the yard it belongs in. I did this years ago. I had 2 shihtzus and my neighbors had a great dane. I KNOW my dogs didn't make a pile bigger than the size of their heads!! (they made tootsie rolls)

Scoop up the poo and use it to make a fence between your houses.

Put up a big sign facing your neighbors house that says "NO CATS ALLOWED".

Hold a plastic grocery bag in each hand, and run out of the house making hissing noises and waving your hands around, to scare off the cats. Also works on humans too!

Get or borrow a dog. But know the breed: some will just chase, some will kill. Killing is bad.

I think they make a spray that is supposed to keep animals away. Ask at a pet supply store.

Remember, it's not really the cats fault. It's the owners who need training!!!

Good Luck!

[disneyfan328]

we have a similar problem but with us its stray cats that like to whiz on my porch. My biggest issue with it is that both my son and I are highly allergic to cats and I can't stand the smell just walking out there. I notice it more now once the weather starts to warm up. I have been told to buy a couple of gallon containers of vinegar and outline around my porch and the surrounding area (in your case the yard) apparantley they don't like the smell and are supposed to stay away. I have no idea what this would do to grass, but I am going to give it a shot. I have called our local borough office and they state that we have no laws regarding stray cats and having them picked up - they will only do it for a dog. my tax dollars hard at work and because the borough won't help I have to live around these animals that can make my son and I sick. Its ridiculous.

[CanadianWDWFan]

I know that in our area cats are not allowed to roam free outside. We had problems with cats at our old house and I called the town about what I could do.

Our town has a policy that if you bring in cats that were caught roaming outside they would return it to the owner with a fine.

My brother is a by-law officer for our town and he says that it is a huge problem but one that is easily fixed. First find out what the by-law is in your area. If it like our town, then talk to your neighbour telling them about the cats and the by-law. If this doesn't stop the problem then a call from the town with a fine might.

[Princess'Mom]

As mentioned above, check out your local county/city laws regarding roaming animals. I live in VA too and cats/dogs are not allowed to roam freely in our county. While I know that sounds impossible to police - they do. Another item to check out would be the number of pets allowed in your area. Some counties restrict the number of cats/dogs you are allowed to own. You mention "several" - is your neighbor over the limit? A quick call to your local county/city council may provide you answers to your situation. Good luck!

[Mickey91]

Thanks for the ideas! I have been putting off calling the local authorities as I hate to be a bad neighbor. But, it is beginning to lower our enjoyment of our property and in the summer it smells bad. Maybe we can get that fence up soon:mickey:. In the mean time I will try some of the remedies and if they don't work I guess I'll have to call the authorities. Keep the ideas coming! At this point I'll try just about anything! Thanks!!:mickey:

[bwk99]

bow and arrow?? That has worked in the past for some people I know.. ;)

[Mickey91]

bow and arrow?? That has worked in the past for some people I know.. ;)
Don't think I haven't thought about it!:D

[Dragongirlx]

My Grandma had this problem with cats going in her garden - she is a keen gardner so hated to find the little deposists when she was out there. She found that cats hate citrus so she put lemon and orange peel around the garden and the cats stopped coming in.
We also bought her a water pistol so when she saw one she sprayed it - she's a great shot for an 83 year old. This also helped and gave her hours of fun

[TheDuckRocks]

I don't think a fence is going to keep them out. I personally had an indoor cat that jumped over a 7 foot cement block wall fence. It was not a pretty sight when I had to go after him and then climb back with a hissing furball with claws. That is not something I do not want to do again. I have heard that generous amounts of dried chili peppers in the soil will keep them from digging in your garden.

[Disney Doll]

I have 4 cats myself (indoor only) and I will be the first to say that it would be hard to keep an outdoor cat confined to one particular yard. I'm not sure there's really anything you can do and if your neighbor is not taking responsibility you might be out of luck. I had a similar problem with a neighborhood cat that in addition to doing its business in my flower beds was tearing up my window screens trying to fight with my cats through the windows. Ever been woke up in the night from a bunch of yowling cats? It's pretty startling. I addressed the problem with my neighbor who insisted that it could not be her cat. After it happened several more times I decided that the next time I was woke up in the middle of the night by a screeching cat I would address it with the neighbor immediately. She was not happy when I rung her doorbell at 3:00am and again insisted it wasn't her cat. Since apparently I was dealing with a stray ;) I captured the guilty cat who was very friendly and easy to catch. I took him to a local no kill shelter and explained that he had been wandering my neighborhood for some time and no one would claim him. I know it sounds kind of mean, but I don't think the neighbor took very good care of him anyway.

[crazypoohbear]

The Coleus-Canina plant, a weed originating in Europe, is known as the "Scardy-Cat" or "Pee-off" plant because it emits an odor offensive to cats (but not to humans) and deters their presence. Recommendation is to plant them three feet apart around the area to be protected. You may need to order cuttings or seeds from a nursery or dealer.

set out a sprinker and turn it on whenever you see the cat/or the owner nearby!
You can buy fox urine and spray that along the property border.
Line the property border with pepper plants.

as a last resort you could start pooping in the neighbors yard ;):D

[vorpalswrd]

"Quote:
Originally Posted by bwk99
bow and arrow?? That has worked in the past for some people I know..

QUOTE:
Don't think I haven't thought about it!"
:(:(:(:(
I was hoping someone wouldn't joke about this. This is how I lost my beloved cat. He was a stry I picked up and he demanded to be outside at least one per day. Well, I guess he was using someone's yard to do his business and the guy never spoke to me about it, although he did threaten my neighbor. He killed my cat and I miss him everyday. I'm sorry but I call bad taste. I hope this ends well for you. I would have gladly cleaned up after him if I had been informed.

[DixieBelle]

We had a neighborhood cats that went in our front garden. My DH put some mothballs
around and the cats never came back.
Hope this helps....:cat:

[stitchaholic]

put chili powder in the garden,or get a good spray bottle..

[Mickey91]

"Quote:
Originally Posted by bwk99
bow and arrow?? That has worked in the past for some people I know..

QUOTE:
Don't think I haven't thought about it!"
:(:(:(:(
I was hoping someone wouldn't joke about this. This is how I lost my beloved cat. He was a stry I picked up and he demanded to be outside at least one per day. Well, I guess he was using someone's yard to do his business and the guy never spoke to me about it, although he did threaten my neighbor. He killed my cat and I miss him everyday. I'm sorry but I call bad taste. I hope this ends well for you. I would have gladly cleaned up after him if I had been informed.
Sorry. I meant no offense. But, the man next door is extremely mean. He even has his dog tied up in the back yard so that he can "go" in my yard. When asked nicely about it he claims no responsibility and passes it off to his wife who just thinks they have the right to roam. I'm not kidding about the probable kitty litter in yard thing either. He has even wired a gate so we couldn't use it also (long story). He has done everything possible to make our lives miserable!!! I actually love cats and have one (declawed and in the house) of my own. You literally cannot tiptoe through my very small front lawn and not step in the poo. They practically live on my front porch and ruin the plants there and the furniture. Talking has gotten us nowhere and I guess the authorities will be next if some of these remedies don't do the trick. So, being at my wits' end, an early kitty demise sounds appealing, though I would never do such a thing.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!! I will try them right away! Warm weather is just around the corner and with it comes a more frequent use of my "facilities" and the aweful smell that goes with it.:ack:

[Mickey91]

as a last resort you could start pooping in the neighbors yard ;):D

:funny: Thanks! I needed that one! :rotfl:

[magicofdisney]

We had a neighbor's cat hanging around our front porch constantly and my husband is terribly allergic. Someone told me to sprinkle pepper (regular, everyday, black pepper) in the area. As soon as I did, the cat stayed away. And it's completely harmless to the cat.

BTW, I had to do it again eventually, but it's a cheap, easy, effective way to deter the cat. GL.

[cindchan]

Border your yard with a sprinkler system?

Or else pay the neighbor kids to use those Super Soaker guns whenever the cat roams into your yard. :thedolls:

[DizneyRox]

I had some luck in the past with good old ground black pepper. Go to your local warehouse store and get the biggest container and splinke it everywhere. You need to refresh it often though.

If you don't have pets, putting some D-Con down to keep the mice out of your house might help as well.

[Advnt05]

I never understood why cat owners let their cats wander. The usual comment is "my cat hates being kept indoors". Well so do my three dogs but I don't let them wander the neighborhood. Not only do they poop in your yard but I find that they kill birds at the feeders we set out in the yard. They also prowl by our house which set my dogs off during the middle of the night. I would worry that a car or something would kill my pet. I would not hesitate to take the cat to the shelter if the owner would not do what was responsible.

[Mickey91]

I had some luck in the past with good old ground black pepper. Go to your local warehouse store and get the biggest container and splinke it everywhere. You need to refresh it often though.

If you don't have pets, putting some D-Con down to keep the mice out of your house might help as well.
This might help. I hate mice.

Today our son observed the neighbor's dog helping himself to my dog's(17 years old and very docile)water. When my husband and I looked out to see if we needed to catch him and take him back next door, we saw the neighbor was actully outside watching the dog and doing nothing. I am really losing my patience and willingness to be a good neighbor. It is too one sided and I only have two cheeks.

[RenDuran]

If you can't afford a full fence right away, is there any way, at the very least, to put one between the you and the neighbor you're having problems with? I've seen a lot of people in our area do that.

[MickeyMousse]

We used Shake Away, it's a granule that you spread where the cat has been doing its business. We had strays that took up residence under our bay window and the smell..:sick:...we grabbed a can of this (any local hardware store should have it), applied as directed and they left our house and went next door.....:secret:

[Cinderelley]

I don't think a fence will help. Random cats crawl on our fence and drive our dogs nuts.

[Mickey91]

If you can't afford a full fence right away, is there any way, at the very least, to put one between the you and the neighbor you're having problems with? I've seen a lot of people in our area do that.
We are talking about this. At least it would keep his dog out. But the cats run all over and would just come around. I bought some mothsballs and am going to give those a try. I don't like the thought of my yard smelling like moth balss, but it is better than what the cats leave behind.:sick: Hopefully this will work, if not I will try the next idea...

[thrillme]

Water your yard well and keep it watered well for a while. A lot of cats HATE wet grass.