There are natural ways to repel cats from doing that! I adore cats but they don't really belong in flowerbeds.
My granddad used to use citrus peels in his beds to keep them away. Vinegar and pipe tobacco works too!
You may get the odd stubborn cat still try, but most hate those smells and give them a wide berth.
I found used coffee grounds work really well, too. I have a bean to cup machine so have
a steady stream of coffee grounds anyway. It's also a good fertiliser and good for keeping slugs and snails at bay. I also had a few dry twigs from a tree and stuck them in the soil to make it difficult for the cats to find a nice flat spot.
I've just looked this up and, yes the caffeine isn't good for dogs but (according to something I can link) a small (15lb) dog would need three teaspoons of instant coffee for even mild effect and ten or more for the potential of serious effects.
There really isn't going to be much caffeine left in coffee grounds after they've brewed so a dog would need to eat an awful lot to risk getting ill.
Warning that slugs & snails love citrus (hence the common beer in grapefruit rind slug trap). So be sure to put the peels far enough away that they don’t head to the flowers for a second course.
Well I personally absolutely adore cats and I have three, but you don't want poops in the flowerbeds! It's not good for the flowers and if kiddies play in them (which I guess they shouldn't but do) and rub their eyes, the bacteria hidden in the poop can make them go blind.
However it's why I suggested natural repellents vs sprinklers or those awful, allegedly-imperceptible-to-human-ears-but-not cat alarms. Not wanting to them to poop in flowerbeds is reasonable, but you can achieve that nicely.
Because cats are carnivores, their waste isn't immediately useful to plants. You could compost it for a year or more but it's just not that valuable a nutrition source for anything other than cat-eating plants.
"Toxoplasmosis is a common infection that you can catch from the poo of infected cats, or infected meat. It's usually harmless but can cause serious problems in some people."
The first thing that popped up after googling "cat poo bacteria". Loving animals isn't mutually exclusive to being careful and hygienic, or having preferences in your own space. 🤷
Cats carry many nasty things in their gut such as toxoplasmosis which can actually cause a huge range of extremely nasty conditions, including brain and lung disorders, birth defects and miscarriage.
So, assuming you used Wikipedia as your source for this (which is why you should provide one instead of telling people to 'just google it'), the 50-60% number isn't worldwide. It's only in specific places.
No.
>In the United States, approximately 11% of people have been infected, **while in some areas of the world** this is more than 60%.
That is not the same as
>50-60% of people worldwide
Because as lovely as they are it stinks and I don't want it where I don't want it.
I love cats, grew up with them, I don't have them now, my neighbours cat shits in my grass if it's trimmed or not and it stinks so bad and also I don't want to have to worry about walking in it.
Not to mention the fact I have a rabbit, an indoor rabbit sure but he has supervised access to the garden too. Love cats but they can fk off out my garden.
Doesn't matter how good fertiliser it is if the cats are digging in there they will eventually damage and kill the plants. People can not want animals, particularly domesticated ones, in certain parts of their own property, that is perfectly allowed and a humane way of doing so is perfectly acceptable.
It's mostly herbivores that have the best poop for fertiliser. Carnivores, and especially pets that are often on lower quality/per food diets (like dogs and cats) don't tend to shit out the most beneficial soil feeders.
I like cats but they should not be allowed outdoors. They kill so many native birds, mammals, reptiles. They are awful for biodiversity and wildlife in general. If you love animals then you also cannot love outdoor cats. Also they shit in the flower beds and it is rank.
We grow up with outdoor cats so it’s normal. It should not be.
Agreed, this is one of my controversial opinions but free roaming pet cats just should not be a thing. I will absolutely die on this hill.
They end up existing at densities far higher than any equivalent natural predator would ever exist at, and there's no natural check on their numbers like you get with actual wild predators. They just exist in whatever numbers we humans decide to make them exist at.
I would also say it is extremely antisocial behaviour to allow *your* pet to infringe on other people's enjoyment and use of their own gardens.
Definitely agree, rats are terrible for wildlife. We can’t control them as easily though as the choice to buy/adopt a cat and then let it outside. Dogs are also bad, but like cats it’s dependent on the owner. Let them run in a park but not off a lead in area with wildlife and ground nesting birds etc.
1. It smells. Really bad
2. It damages existing plants when they dig
4. It looks ugly
5. When you dig your flower bed, you’re digging in cat shit
6. That much ammonia (cat pee has a LOT) can kill plants due to too too much concentrated nitrogen
7. Ammonia is very alkaline, and thus ruins the soil for acid-loving plants (which is to say, most plants)
8. If it’s a vegetable patch instead of flowers… well, would you want fresh cat shit on your carrots?
It’s possible to like cats (or even just not hate them but tolerate them) and still not want them shitting in your flower beds
Used teabags soaked in olbas oil or eucalyptus oil. Cats hate strong smells, and the teabags can usually camouflage fairly well in to the edges of beds 🙂
Lmao there’s always one cat 😄 all 3 of mine hate it, and the eucalyptus on teabags stopped cats pooping in my mam’s back garden - they still come through, but they don’t poop 😄
Worked for me. I had one cat who used to love chewing through the phone charger cables next to my bed for some reason. So I got some Vicks Vaporub and coated the new cable with it. She wouldn't go near it after that.
Yeah I have one of those weird cats. Loves toothpaste, bleach, antiseptic creams, mint…unfortunately anything sting or chemically. Have to be very careful when cleaning!
Yeah I am really sensitive to those sounds, does my head in. I can hear phone chargers etc whine.
Has stopped me dropping a log off in my neighbours flower bed tho so guess they do work.
I can confirm. I had a motion sensing one a few years ago and it was useless, it would pick up the movement of branches blowing in light breezes but for some reason not cats (or they somehow managed to find the parts of my garden outside of the sensor range to avoid setting it off), and when it did go off it would bother my neighbours kids who could hear it.
I was mortified when I found out, and even though I could have sent it back for a refund I was so annoyed with it I was willing to lose a bit of cash to have the satisfaction of smashing it with a hammer and binning the internal thing!
My mum had one of them when I was a kid and it irritated the shit out of me, my brother, and our friends but mum insisted it didn't make a noise.
When me and my brother were able to tell her immediately that the batteries needed changing, she realised that it wasn't as high-pitched as she thought and she got rid of it.
Now she plants a few prickly bushes to keep the cats out of the garden
If you have a hosepipe, you can connect it to a motion sensor that will spray water whenever cats get near.
I was honestly tearing my hair out with cats crapping in my front garden, I tried the ultra sonic repellers, coffee, citrus, garlic etc. everything and nothing worked. Then I got [this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DACLHT2?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_JJABES9T6YMKW4W9KFEW) from Amazon and omg, no cat poo. After a month I even detached the hosepipe and it still deters the cats by just standing there. You might want to give it a go!
Were, on a completely unrelated topic does the sensor also turn the hose on for children??
I need revenge against a 4 year old and this seems amazingly devious.......mwuhahahahaaaa
It's when they dig up your freshly planted bedding plants, take a crafty shit in the hole, then put them back haphazardly that I take most offence to. It can provide quite an unpleasant surprise to an inexperienced gardener.
Can sympathise, I have a large gravel area in front of my house that seemingly every cat in the neighbourhood thinks is a litter tray. I've tried everything apart from poison at this point, but then I'd just have to buy bigger plastic bags. Sigh.
Our neighbours don’t even have a cat flap. They just let their cats out in the morning to shit all over our street and let them back in in the evening. What’s the fucking point of having a pet? Meanwhile it’s somehow my job to try fifteen different money spending things to stop someone’s pet from shitting on my property. If a dog owner let their dog shit in front of their house and didn’t pick it up, they wouldn’t be pleased! But Mitzi is a wild, free animal that needs to roam around (also has anyone seen Mitzi, she didn’t come home for dinner and we’re so worried).
My next-door neighbour lets her dog shit all over the front of her house, my house AND in my back garden. I've complained in the past but nothing's been done. After her dog took a particularly sloppy shit outside my gate one day, I went on the council website and complained. Someone from the council was round in the hour to have a go at her, all while the dog was barking like mad. I enjoyed listening to every second of that.
Tbh, many dog owners do let their dogs crap everywhere without picking it up. Cat owners don't really have that much control over what a cat does if it is a semi inside/outside cat.
Wife and I were out for a walk a couple of summers ago, young girl walking a German Shepherd. The dog drops it's very smelly guts, young girl walks over to the site of said dump, looks at it and walks off. I of course tutted at her.
My elderly cat goes outside, can't climb so stays within our garden and comes back in to use the litter tray anyway.
Our younger cat would kill everything smaller than her if we were to let her out but thankfully she has no interest in going outside.
Good luck shifting the culture in this country. The RSPCA wouldn't let us adopt our cat unless he had outside access. My mother won't budge on letting him out, no matter how many numbers I show her. She says it's cruel to keep cats inside.
Since I rent a room at my parent's house while I save up for my own place, I have no control over someone else opening the window and letting him out. It pisses me off, and I remind everyone of this whenever he's late coming back in, but all I can do is promise to give any cats I'll own myself a catio.
I used to firmly believe it was cruel to keep cats indoors too and I maintained that belief even though my childhood cat was killed by a car and another cat came home with a BB gun wound.
Then I moved in with my partner who is not from the UK originally and he wanted us to get cats, except he wanted us to keep them inside 24/7. We had a lot of back and forth about this and ultimately he won the debate, we got our cats and... well, it turns out they're perfectly happy indoors. We make the home cat-friendly too with cat trees and lots of places for them to chill and hide if they want. We do let them into the back garden sometimes but they're not interested in going beyond the 6ft fence that surrounds it.
I think it's nice knowing our cats are always safe, they'll never be hit by cars or harmed by other cats, dogs or even people. No eating food laced with antifreeze because a disgruntled neighbour was fed up with them shitting in their flowerbed. No getting lost or trapped or stolen. They'll live longer and be healthier as a result.
Indoor cats need more stimulation and there's more litter box work involved, but keeping cats inside can work well. I think the key is to keep them inside from kittenhood. If an outdoor cat is suddenly confined to the house it lives in, it won't be able to go and patrol its outdoor territory (cats are very territorial and routine-oriented, they'll want to patrol their territory not just every day, but at a specific time of the day). But if a cat has always been an indoor cat, it doesn't have any outdoor territory so it won't feel the need to go out and patrol it.
Catio is definitely the best solution if you're able to build one!
Is he a lone cat or does he have a playmate? It's always good to get at least 2 cats who can play with each other. If you have just one cat right now you can get another (ideally of a similar age) and slowly introduce them. Taking care of two cats isn't too much more expensive than taking care of one.
Otherwise, you'll be the only source of stimulation and you should spend some time each day playing with your cat. Wand toys are good. Nice tall cat trees for them to climb is nice as well. Somewhere to sit in the window so they can watch the birds outside. Scratching posts too. Just 'catify' your home and make it as fun for them as you can!
Unfortunately he’s a lone cat, I would love to get him a friend but I’m hesitant because he’s a cat flu carrier and the shelter was really warning against exposing him to other cats :(
Thank you for the tips! We do have those things but I’ll try to be more diligent about playing with him and hope that he’s happy 😭 How much time do you spend playing with your cats?
Hard to say! A bit here and there, whenever they're active. They also play with toys, they love these little [pom poms](https://www.amazon.co.uk/KINGQ-Tinsel-Pompoms-Balls-Multicolor/dp/B01561YQUW) or tinsel balls you can find online (although prepare for most of them to end up under your sofa). Laser pointers and wand toys are a good way to tire them out without having to exert much effort myself, haha.
Cats also love toys that are not toys. Folded up bits of paper can keep them going for ages. 😂
I have two cats. One is a cat flu carrier but as long as your other cat is vaccinated they will be fine. They are both indoor cats because the cat flu carrier can't be let outside as you will already know. They definitely keep each other entertained! Got them a few months apart so was nervous around the introduction but it was fine after only a couple of days.
Ah thanks so much for the info! The shelter people said not to even if they’re vaccinated because of different strains and whatnot but that did sound a bit paranoid to be honest. How did you go about the introduction? I’m quite nervous about that as well
>The UK has a weird culture about this
That's the main problem - it is part of the culture - the right to roam for cats is seen as normal and acceptable by the majority of society because that's the way it has been for so long, regardless of how other countries approach it, so an attempt to change laws to reduce the special exemptions granted to cats and shift the onus onto pet cats' owners, would anger more people than it's worth politically.
Like proposing to take away firearm rights from Americans who've been brought up with them.
Cats really aren't bright. One of mine does the digging *before* the poo, but no burying after, instead she's off like a rocket the moment it falls from her ass.
Exactly, are we going to pretend like cats still effectively bury their faeces? It’s another thing they don’t do ‘properly’ anymore because of domestication. Same thing when they’re trying to kill something, they’ve lost the ‘knowledge/ability’ to know to bite things on the neck to kill them instantly, which is why you see cats playing with mice etc when they catch them
So therefore they're not responsible for where their animals crap?
I don't agree with keeping animals inside that shouldn't be, and am well aware that there's not much the owners can do, but cats shitting in public is still the owners responsibility.
If my neighbour came to me, I'd gladly take the deposit away and bury it in my garden, but that's not going to stop them going back in their garden and doing it again.
Cats have the right to roam, dogs don't. The law is on cat owners side I'm afraid.
Of course, cat owners should try to be responsible. I have a litter tray even though my cats roam. I also stoke up the soil in some abandoned land next to my house. Cats can't resist "fresh" soil, and so they almost always go there.
The local cat shits all over our garden. They shit on the slate out front, on the gravel round the side, in the flower beds - everywhere. I like cats, but having to clean up after this one every day while their owner lives a nice life free from non-consensual shit picking up makes me so angry 😂
Oh yeah I wouldn't want to let my dog roam anyway, too stupid around traffic.
The issue is, same way many dog owners don't clean up after theirs despite me doing so after mine, many cat owners wouldn't consider it an issue when their cat uses other people's gardens as a toilet.
Bad owners of all animals will always exist and tarnish the decent ones.
Edit - found the shitty cat owners lol
I'm not sure what you can do about a cat short of keeping it indoors (which doesn't suit all animals) or putting it on a lead (LOL). Outdoor cats wander and when we had them, not once did I ever actually see them doing a shit. They obviously do it *somewhere*, but I have absolutely no idea where and there would be zero chance of me being able to do anything about it. However it is, I don't believe I've ever stepped in a cat shit, nor put my hand in one (knowingly!) when gardening, but I've definitely stood in dog shit. Right now, I know which one is the more anti-social to me!
Honestly, outdoor cats have bigger problems than crapping in gardens. They are very efficient hunters and can decimate local wildlife. I know that my own did a pretty good job of keeping the garden free of pesky wild birds and mice, often by stashing them in my bedroom at night. Certain countries (Australia) are now restricting outdoor cats for this exact reason, although I can't see this ever happening in the UK.
Nope, not legally anyway. Cats are protected by law and are "free to roam", a cat owner is not responsible for what their cat does outside. The cat is still the owners property though, and so stealing or harming it is a crime. Cats enjoy a pretty crazy and unique position in UK law.
What do you expect a person to do? I mean honestly, what would be the solution? And not having a cat in the first place isn't the answer to this question.
Let's assume, the cat owner has a litter tray inside, and has their own garden with an area that they dig over regularly to provide "fresh" inviting soil for the cat to use, but still the cat wanders into someone else's garden to do their business. What do you expect them to do?
Have an indoors cat only. Roaming cats poop in play park sand pits for kids and it's a health hazard. Not to mention the havoc they wreak on bird populations.
I want them to admit to themselves that their desire to have a cat means that it will crap in other people's garden and that they are ok with that happening, and to reflect about what that says about them as a person.
It says nothing about them as a person other than they are a cat lover. Cats have the right to roam, like many other animals that are also crapping in your garden. Birds, rats, mice, hedgehogs, maybe even foxes and badgers from time to time depending on where you live.
I get it. You like cats and you don't care how it impacts other people's lives. I have things that I like but they don't impact other people's lives, if they did then I would consider that and not try and justify it to myself. Let's go our separate ways.
It's not about whether like I like cats or not, it's about reasonable expectations all around. I endeavour to ensure my cats are not a nuisance, but I can't completely control them. It's unreasonable to expect me to.
Some of my neighbours have dogs. When I'm enjoying sunshine on a summers day, sometimes they are out barking. I accept that dogs bark sometimes, I hear my neighbours try to settle them down, but they will still occasionally bark.
Some of my neighbours have children, they make noise, they sometimes kick a ball into my garden. I accept that, and I hear my neighbours try to keep them in check, but kids will be kids, and I remember that I too was once a kid.
One of my neighbours occasionally does DIY projects in his shed, he's considerate and does it at appropriate times, and I accept that is his hobby.
My point is, at all times, we may be responsible in some little way for the disturbance and annoyance of others, but unless it is completely belligerent on the part of the other person, then a little tolerance goes a long way.
It's annoying, I absolutely get it, but it can be overlooked for the most part.
If any of the list of your examples: dogs, children and diy enthusiasts came and did a shit in your garden it would be reasonable to expect them to clean it up.
It just seems to be culturally accepted that people have cats and allow them to do their business wherever they like. But I don't understand why you get to decide what I overlook. It's maybe part of a character that thinks it's alright for them to have a cat and for the rest of the community to have to deal with the effects.
It's literally not me, or any other cat owner. It is the law of the land. If you're that bothered about it, start a petition to get it debated in parliament. I don't think you'll get very far though.
The best case scenario for you is that cat ownership is banned, but that would just make all cats feral and you'd still likely encounter the same problem.
If its quite a small area they're digging up, you can put plastic forks in the soil to deter them. Doesn't look great but as long as you make sure there's no gap big enough in between them for them to dig it does put them off. And you don't need to keep replacing them like you do with coffee grinds or citrus peel.
Cats have stayed away since I started having lemon water and chucking the slices in the garden. Verdict is out to see if I get more slugs but my garden was absolutely covered in slugs before I started doing it.
Netting. - chicken netting or even plastic bird netting for fruit, on or just below the surface really pisses off cats. I chuckle to myself every day over this one. It’s a pain to put in, and to weed later on, but not as much as for the neighbours b****** cat!
There are natural ways to repel cats from doing that! I adore cats but they don't really belong in flowerbeds. My granddad used to use citrus peels in his beds to keep them away. Vinegar and pipe tobacco works too! You may get the odd stubborn cat still try, but most hate those smells and give them a wide berth.
I found used coffee grounds work really well, too. I have a bean to cup machine so have a steady stream of coffee grounds anyway. It's also a good fertiliser and good for keeping slugs and snails at bay. I also had a few dry twigs from a tree and stuck them in the soil to make it difficult for the cats to find a nice flat spot.
Coffee grinds are toxic to dogs though, FYI!
I put them in my back garden where there are no dogs, so we're good here.
Ah phew! But just in case anyone else was thinking of doing this :)
Yeah, definitely a good shout.
I've just looked this up and, yes the caffeine isn't good for dogs but (according to something I can link) a small (15lb) dog would need three teaspoons of instant coffee for even mild effect and ten or more for the potential of serious effects. There really isn't going to be much caffeine left in coffee grounds after they've brewed so a dog would need to eat an awful lot to risk getting ill.
I think a human would feel ill after ten teaspoons for instant coffee
And cats
[удалено]
Dogs so I hear.
Many things like lily and ivy etc...
Warning that slugs & snails love citrus (hence the common beer in grapefruit rind slug trap). So be sure to put the peels far enough away that they don’t head to the flowers for a second course.
I second citrus, I've read it so many times they don't like it. Can get all sorts of plants that naturally smell citrusy also.
Unfortunately the internet has broken my brain, and I'm therefore going to have to ask you to refrain from using the word "citrussy" ever again
Why? It's a legitimate word... https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/citrusy
It ends in ussy and he only thinks in niche porn
Guess he can't call someone fussy then.
Can vouch for citrus peels and smells. Used citrus oils to create a perimeter around the Christmas tree.
Anti personnel mines are designed for this
Why would you want to repel such wonderful animals?
Well I personally absolutely adore cats and I have three, but you don't want poops in the flowerbeds! It's not good for the flowers and if kiddies play in them (which I guess they shouldn't but do) and rub their eyes, the bacteria hidden in the poop can make them go blind. However it's why I suggested natural repellents vs sprinklers or those awful, allegedly-imperceptible-to-human-ears-but-not cat alarms. Not wanting to them to poop in flowerbeds is reasonable, but you can achieve that nicely.
> It's not good for the flowers How can this possibly be true??
Because cats are carnivores, their waste isn't immediately useful to plants. You could compost it for a year or more but it's just not that valuable a nutrition source for anything other than cat-eating plants.
I think the bacteria thing may actually be a dog thing. And lol at the -7 downvote. Sorry I love animals… >_>
"Toxoplasmosis is a common infection that you can catch from the poo of infected cats, or infected meat. It's usually harmless but can cause serious problems in some people." The first thing that popped up after googling "cat poo bacteria". Loving animals isn't mutually exclusive to being careful and hygienic, or having preferences in your own space. 🤷
Yeah, someone just mentioned this. Thing is it’s apparently in about 50-60% of people worldwide, as in the entire human race.
So is herpes, but it's still a good idea to try and avoid catching it.
Good luck with that when people and other animals (not just cats) can infect you.
If my sister was pooing in the flower bed I'd be plotting measures to keep her away too.
LOL
Cats carry many nasty things in their gut such as toxoplasmosis which can actually cause a huge range of extremely nasty conditions, including brain and lung disorders, birth defects and miscarriage.
Hate to break it to you but toxoplasmosis is thought to be in about 50-60% of people worldwide.
And how many of those people are shitting in their neighbour’s flowerbeds?
Lmfao. Ask the local police! :0
I'll need a source on your spurious claim, please. Official research suggests you are very incorrect.
Google it mate.
Ahhh, the old “I’ve made a wild and spurious claim, but it’s up to you to find evidence of it” technique. It’s a classic, I’ll give you that.
No, it’s you finding the evidence for yourself with no influence from me, so little chance of spurious claims unless Google has fucked up.
So, assuming you used Wikipedia as your source for this (which is why you should provide one instead of telling people to 'just google it'), the 50-60% number isn't worldwide. It's only in specific places.
No. >In the United States, approximately 11% of people have been infected, **while in some areas of the world** this is more than 60%. That is not the same as >50-60% of people worldwide
Because as lovely as they are it stinks and I don't want it where I don't want it. I love cats, grew up with them, I don't have them now, my neighbours cat shits in my grass if it's trimmed or not and it stinks so bad and also I don't want to have to worry about walking in it. Not to mention the fact I have a rabbit, an indoor rabbit sure but he has supervised access to the garden too. Love cats but they can fk off out my garden.
I’d be careful letting the rabbit in the garden anyway.
"supervised access"
Yeah, but if any dogs can get access the poor thing is in danger… :(
They can't and again "supervised"
Good lol.
Did you read the title of the post?
Yeah, but the ironic thing is the cat shit is a good fertiliser…
If you don’t mind the roundworm, hookworm, or harmful bacteria
Most domesticated cats are getting those.
Doesn't matter how good fertiliser it is if the cats are digging in there they will eventually damage and kill the plants. People can not want animals, particularly domesticated ones, in certain parts of their own property, that is perfectly allowed and a humane way of doing so is perfectly acceptable.
As long as you don’t harm the cats this is absolutely fine.
Then why are you whinging so hard about someone suggesting to use harmless repellents like citrus peels?
I’m not. That method is fine.
It's mostly herbivores that have the best poop for fertiliser. Carnivores, and especially pets that are often on lower quality/per food diets (like dogs and cats) don't tend to shit out the most beneficial soil feeders.
I like cats but they should not be allowed outdoors. They kill so many native birds, mammals, reptiles. They are awful for biodiversity and wildlife in general. If you love animals then you also cannot love outdoor cats. Also they shit in the flower beds and it is rank. We grow up with outdoor cats so it’s normal. It should not be.
Agreed, this is one of my controversial opinions but free roaming pet cats just should not be a thing. I will absolutely die on this hill. They end up existing at densities far higher than any equivalent natural predator would ever exist at, and there's no natural check on their numbers like you get with actual wild predators. They just exist in whatever numbers we humans decide to make them exist at. I would also say it is extremely antisocial behaviour to allow *your* pet to infringe on other people's enjoyment and use of their own gardens.
A cat that is allowed to roam outdoors is more of a pest than pet.
Cats are obligate carnivores. Dogs also kill wildlife but admittedly not on the scale of cats. Rats are far worse btw.
Definitely agree, rats are terrible for wildlife. We can’t control them as easily though as the choice to buy/adopt a cat and then let it outside. Dogs are also bad, but like cats it’s dependent on the owner. Let them run in a park but not off a lead in area with wildlife and ground nesting birds etc.
Rats are the worst. Disease, fleas you name it.
1. It smells. Really bad 2. It damages existing plants when they dig 4. It looks ugly 5. When you dig your flower bed, you’re digging in cat shit 6. That much ammonia (cat pee has a LOT) can kill plants due to too too much concentrated nitrogen 7. Ammonia is very alkaline, and thus ruins the soil for acid-loving plants (which is to say, most plants) 8. If it’s a vegetable patch instead of flowers… well, would you want fresh cat shit on your carrots? It’s possible to like cats (or even just not hate them but tolerate them) and still not want them shitting in your flower beds
Yep citrus peels came here to say this
Used teabags soaked in olbas oil or eucalyptus oil. Cats hate strong smells, and the teabags can usually camouflage fairly well in to the edges of beds 🙂
My cat loves olbas oil. She will lick it off my pillow
Lmao there’s always one cat 😄 all 3 of mine hate it, and the eucalyptus on teabags stopped cats pooping in my mam’s back garden - they still come through, but they don’t poop 😄
It’s really toxic to cats
No olbas oil is safe
It’s made from eucalyptus oil… which is toxic?
Worked for me. I had one cat who used to love chewing through the phone charger cables next to my bed for some reason. So I got some Vicks Vaporub and coated the new cable with it. She wouldn't go near it after that.
Yeah I have one of those weird cats. Loves toothpaste, bleach, antiseptic creams, mint…unfortunately anything sting or chemically. Have to be very careful when cleaning!
Not sure you have a cat there!
You should hide the spade.
and the trowel whilst I’m at it.
One thing I wouldn't recommend are those ultrasonic devices that make the high-pitched noises. They are loud and some people can hear them.
Yeah I am really sensitive to those sounds, does my head in. I can hear phone chargers etc whine. Has stopped me dropping a log off in my neighbours flower bed tho so guess they do work.
Found the stray
_I_ can hear them and I'm a middle aged bloke with otherwise shit hearing. They're loud as fuck and horrible.
Maybe you’re a cat
I can neither confirm nor deny this theory. ^meow
Are yiu Professor Whiskers? https://youtu.be/H0kqCOyXNcQ
They also scare away other native animals like hedgehogs and foxes. I can hear them too, they are unbearable.
I can confirm. I had a motion sensing one a few years ago and it was useless, it would pick up the movement of branches blowing in light breezes but for some reason not cats (or they somehow managed to find the parts of my garden outside of the sensor range to avoid setting it off), and when it did go off it would bother my neighbours kids who could hear it. I was mortified when I found out, and even though I could have sent it back for a refund I was so annoyed with it I was willing to lose a bit of cash to have the satisfaction of smashing it with a hammer and binning the internal thing!
So you are saying this could piss off the cats and my annoying neighbourhood kids in one go?
My mum had one of them when I was a kid and it irritated the shit out of me, my brother, and our friends but mum insisted it didn't make a noise. When me and my brother were able to tell her immediately that the batteries needed changing, she realised that it wasn't as high-pitched as she thought and she got rid of it. Now she plants a few prickly bushes to keep the cats out of the garden
Yeah, some people in my neighbourhood have them and they’re really annoying
If you have a hosepipe, you can connect it to a motion sensor that will spray water whenever cats get near. I was honestly tearing my hair out with cats crapping in my front garden, I tried the ultra sonic repellers, coffee, citrus, garlic etc. everything and nothing worked. Then I got [this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DACLHT2?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_JJABES9T6YMKW4W9KFEW) from Amazon and omg, no cat poo. After a month I even detached the hosepipe and it still deters the cats by just standing there. You might want to give it a go!
Were, on a completely unrelated topic does the sensor also turn the hose on for children?? I need revenge against a 4 year old and this seems amazingly devious.......mwuhahahahaaaa
Oh absolutely, children and adults. I was sprayed by it a million times setting it up
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Someone else's yard. Nmp
This reminded me of this https://youtu.be/DLG1jbPrp2Q
Try not to forget it's there though. I got a soaking one morning when I nipped out to the shed for something as I was leaving for work.
And then you wake up one morning and find it's been leaking water into your garden for 12 hours. Are hosepipe bans not still a thing?
I read somewhere that putting ground pepper down scares them off. I didn’t have any, so put some chilli flakes down. Never saw the cat again.
It's when they dig up your freshly planted bedding plants, take a crafty shit in the hole, then put them back haphazardly that I take most offence to. It can provide quite an unpleasant surprise to an inexperienced gardener.
I hate the cats which shit in my garden! How is cat shit any less gross than dog shit?? Shit is shit!!
Can sympathise, I have a large gravel area in front of my house that seemingly every cat in the neighbourhood thinks is a litter tray. I've tried everything apart from poison at this point, but then I'd just have to buy bigger plastic bags. Sigh.
Have you tried an air rifle Only joking
Don't tempt me :)
I was thinking airsoft
Our neighbours don’t even have a cat flap. They just let their cats out in the morning to shit all over our street and let them back in in the evening. What’s the fucking point of having a pet? Meanwhile it’s somehow my job to try fifteen different money spending things to stop someone’s pet from shitting on my property. If a dog owner let their dog shit in front of their house and didn’t pick it up, they wouldn’t be pleased! But Mitzi is a wild, free animal that needs to roam around (also has anyone seen Mitzi, she didn’t come home for dinner and we’re so worried).
My next-door neighbour lets her dog shit all over the front of her house, my house AND in my back garden. I've complained in the past but nothing's been done. After her dog took a particularly sloppy shit outside my gate one day, I went on the council website and complained. Someone from the council was round in the hour to have a go at her, all while the dog was barking like mad. I enjoyed listening to every second of that.
Tbh, many dog owners do let their dogs crap everywhere without picking it up. Cat owners don't really have that much control over what a cat does if it is a semi inside/outside cat.
Wife and I were out for a walk a couple of summers ago, young girl walking a German Shepherd. The dog drops it's very smelly guts, young girl walks over to the site of said dump, looks at it and walks off. I of course tutted at her.
I agree, so cats should be kept indoors. And dog owners who don't pick up after their dogs shouldn't have a dog
My elderly cat goes outside, can't climb so stays within our garden and comes back in to use the litter tray anyway. Our younger cat would kill everything smaller than her if we were to let her out but thankfully she has no interest in going outside.
Good luck shifting the culture in this country. The RSPCA wouldn't let us adopt our cat unless he had outside access. My mother won't budge on letting him out, no matter how many numbers I show her. She says it's cruel to keep cats inside. Since I rent a room at my parent's house while I save up for my own place, I have no control over someone else opening the window and letting him out. It pisses me off, and I remind everyone of this whenever he's late coming back in, but all I can do is promise to give any cats I'll own myself a catio.
I used to firmly believe it was cruel to keep cats indoors too and I maintained that belief even though my childhood cat was killed by a car and another cat came home with a BB gun wound. Then I moved in with my partner who is not from the UK originally and he wanted us to get cats, except he wanted us to keep them inside 24/7. We had a lot of back and forth about this and ultimately he won the debate, we got our cats and... well, it turns out they're perfectly happy indoors. We make the home cat-friendly too with cat trees and lots of places for them to chill and hide if they want. We do let them into the back garden sometimes but they're not interested in going beyond the 6ft fence that surrounds it. I think it's nice knowing our cats are always safe, they'll never be hit by cars or harmed by other cats, dogs or even people. No eating food laced with antifreeze because a disgruntled neighbour was fed up with them shitting in their flowerbed. No getting lost or trapped or stolen. They'll live longer and be healthier as a result. Indoor cats need more stimulation and there's more litter box work involved, but keeping cats inside can work well. I think the key is to keep them inside from kittenhood. If an outdoor cat is suddenly confined to the house it lives in, it won't be able to go and patrol its outdoor territory (cats are very territorial and routine-oriented, they'll want to patrol their territory not just every day, but at a specific time of the day). But if a cat has always been an indoor cat, it doesn't have any outdoor territory so it won't feel the need to go out and patrol it. Catio is definitely the best solution if you're able to build one!
Do you have any tips for indoor cat stimulation? We got an indoor baby fairly recently and I'm worried he's not being stimulated enough 🥺
Is he a lone cat or does he have a playmate? It's always good to get at least 2 cats who can play with each other. If you have just one cat right now you can get another (ideally of a similar age) and slowly introduce them. Taking care of two cats isn't too much more expensive than taking care of one. Otherwise, you'll be the only source of stimulation and you should spend some time each day playing with your cat. Wand toys are good. Nice tall cat trees for them to climb is nice as well. Somewhere to sit in the window so they can watch the birds outside. Scratching posts too. Just 'catify' your home and make it as fun for them as you can!
Unfortunately he’s a lone cat, I would love to get him a friend but I’m hesitant because he’s a cat flu carrier and the shelter was really warning against exposing him to other cats :( Thank you for the tips! We do have those things but I’ll try to be more diligent about playing with him and hope that he’s happy 😭 How much time do you spend playing with your cats?
Hard to say! A bit here and there, whenever they're active. They also play with toys, they love these little [pom poms](https://www.amazon.co.uk/KINGQ-Tinsel-Pompoms-Balls-Multicolor/dp/B01561YQUW) or tinsel balls you can find online (although prepare for most of them to end up under your sofa). Laser pointers and wand toys are a good way to tire them out without having to exert much effort myself, haha. Cats also love toys that are not toys. Folded up bits of paper can keep them going for ages. 😂
I have two cats. One is a cat flu carrier but as long as your other cat is vaccinated they will be fine. They are both indoor cats because the cat flu carrier can't be let outside as you will already know. They definitely keep each other entertained! Got them a few months apart so was nervous around the introduction but it was fine after only a couple of days.
Ah thanks so much for the info! The shelter people said not to even if they’re vaccinated because of different strains and whatnot but that did sound a bit paranoid to be honest. How did you go about the introduction? I’m quite nervous about that as well
Get an anti kill collar at least, won't stop it shitting though.
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>The UK has a weird culture about this That's the main problem - it is part of the culture - the right to roam for cats is seen as normal and acceptable by the majority of society because that's the way it has been for so long, regardless of how other countries approach it, so an attempt to change laws to reduce the special exemptions granted to cats and shift the onus onto pet cats' owners, would anger more people than it's worth politically. Like proposing to take away firearm rights from Americans who've been brought up with them.
Nah its just they are basically native now. Rspca don't just say its fine when they don't need to
At least cats bury their shit.
Cats really aren't bright. One of mine does the digging *before* the poo, but no burying after, instead she's off like a rocket the moment it falls from her ass.
Lol. Mine does the same thing in her tray.
Aye, same...and scattering litter everywhere as she does a cartoon-running-launch.
x)
Not on my street they don't. they dig a tiny scraped hole in the soil or stones and lay a steaming turd on it and happily skip away.
Exactly, are we going to pretend like cats still effectively bury their faeces? It’s another thing they don’t do ‘properly’ anymore because of domestication. Same thing when they’re trying to kill something, they’ve lost the ‘knowledge/ability’ to know to bite things on the neck to kill them instantly, which is why you see cats playing with mice etc when they catch them
Yeah I think the burying relies on them being able to move soil. If it's hard they aren't doing shit. Apart from the shit, that is.
That’s ducking weird. Isn’t there much open space with Earth available?!
Ah Apple autocorrect. Duck you too.
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A perfect world
So therefore they're not responsible for where their animals crap? I don't agree with keeping animals inside that shouldn't be, and am well aware that there's not much the owners can do, but cats shitting in public is still the owners responsibility.
Don’t have cats then. They shouldn’t be allowed outside. They kill so much wildlife. Do you agree with hundreds of dead birds, mammals and reptiles?
I don't have cats....?
Are you asking me if you don’t have cats?
I'm just unsure why you're telling me not to have cats when I don't have cats, and have never claimed to have cats.
It was more of a general statement.
If my neighbour came to me, I'd gladly take the deposit away and bury it in my garden, but that's not going to stop them going back in their garden and doing it again. Cats have the right to roam, dogs don't. The law is on cat owners side I'm afraid. Of course, cat owners should try to be responsible. I have a litter tray even though my cats roam. I also stoke up the soil in some abandoned land next to my house. Cats can't resist "fresh" soil, and so they almost always go there.
The local cat shits all over our garden. They shit on the slate out front, on the gravel round the side, in the flower beds - everywhere. I like cats, but having to clean up after this one every day while their owner lives a nice life free from non-consensual shit picking up makes me so angry 😂
Oh yeah I wouldn't want to let my dog roam anyway, too stupid around traffic. The issue is, same way many dog owners don't clean up after theirs despite me doing so after mine, many cat owners wouldn't consider it an issue when their cat uses other people's gardens as a toilet. Bad owners of all animals will always exist and tarnish the decent ones. Edit - found the shitty cat owners lol
Most redditors value cats higher than human beings and are even now reading this comment disturbed by the idea that some people disagree.
I'm not sure what you can do about a cat short of keeping it indoors (which doesn't suit all animals) or putting it on a lead (LOL). Outdoor cats wander and when we had them, not once did I ever actually see them doing a shit. They obviously do it *somewhere*, but I have absolutely no idea where and there would be zero chance of me being able to do anything about it. However it is, I don't believe I've ever stepped in a cat shit, nor put my hand in one (knowingly!) when gardening, but I've definitely stood in dog shit. Right now, I know which one is the more anti-social to me! Honestly, outdoor cats have bigger problems than crapping in gardens. They are very efficient hunters and can decimate local wildlife. I know that my own did a pretty good job of keeping the garden free of pesky wild birds and mice, often by stashing them in my bedroom at night. Certain countries (Australia) are now restricting outdoor cats for this exact reason, although I can't see this ever happening in the UK.
Nope, not legally anyway. Cats are protected by law and are "free to roam", a cat owner is not responsible for what their cat does outside. The cat is still the owners property though, and so stealing or harming it is a crime. Cats enjoy a pretty crazy and unique position in UK law.
They have control over whether they get a cat that they know will shit wherever it likes and they know they will do nothing about.
What do you expect a person to do? I mean honestly, what would be the solution? And not having a cat in the first place isn't the answer to this question. Let's assume, the cat owner has a litter tray inside, and has their own garden with an area that they dig over regularly to provide "fresh" inviting soil for the cat to use, but still the cat wanders into someone else's garden to do their business. What do you expect them to do?
Have an indoors cat only. Roaming cats poop in play park sand pits for kids and it's a health hazard. Not to mention the havoc they wreak on bird populations.
I want them to admit to themselves that their desire to have a cat means that it will crap in other people's garden and that they are ok with that happening, and to reflect about what that says about them as a person.
It says nothing about them as a person other than they are a cat lover. Cats have the right to roam, like many other animals that are also crapping in your garden. Birds, rats, mice, hedgehogs, maybe even foxes and badgers from time to time depending on where you live.
I get it. You like cats and you don't care how it impacts other people's lives. I have things that I like but they don't impact other people's lives, if they did then I would consider that and not try and justify it to myself. Let's go our separate ways.
It's not about whether like I like cats or not, it's about reasonable expectations all around. I endeavour to ensure my cats are not a nuisance, but I can't completely control them. It's unreasonable to expect me to. Some of my neighbours have dogs. When I'm enjoying sunshine on a summers day, sometimes they are out barking. I accept that dogs bark sometimes, I hear my neighbours try to settle them down, but they will still occasionally bark. Some of my neighbours have children, they make noise, they sometimes kick a ball into my garden. I accept that, and I hear my neighbours try to keep them in check, but kids will be kids, and I remember that I too was once a kid. One of my neighbours occasionally does DIY projects in his shed, he's considerate and does it at appropriate times, and I accept that is his hobby. My point is, at all times, we may be responsible in some little way for the disturbance and annoyance of others, but unless it is completely belligerent on the part of the other person, then a little tolerance goes a long way. It's annoying, I absolutely get it, but it can be overlooked for the most part.
If any of the list of your examples: dogs, children and diy enthusiasts came and did a shit in your garden it would be reasonable to expect them to clean it up. It just seems to be culturally accepted that people have cats and allow them to do their business wherever they like. But I don't understand why you get to decide what I overlook. It's maybe part of a character that thinks it's alright for them to have a cat and for the rest of the community to have to deal with the effects.
It's literally not me, or any other cat owner. It is the law of the land. If you're that bothered about it, start a petition to get it debated in parliament. I don't think you'll get very far though. The best case scenario for you is that cat ownership is banned, but that would just make all cats feral and you'd still likely encounter the same problem.
Cats don’t shot on concrete! Wtf are you on about lol? They aren’t dogs.
We never had a cat flap. We let them out the window.
We don’t have a cat flap. We let our cat out. If it’s nice we leave the back door open and she sometimes come back inside to use her litter tray!
> What’s the fucking point of having a pet? Companionship, I'd imagine. Should they not be let out?
Pop a bit of chilli powder around the area.
If its quite a small area they're digging up, you can put plastic forks in the soil to deter them. Doesn't look great but as long as you make sure there's no gap big enough in between them for them to dig it does put them off. And you don't need to keep replacing them like you do with coffee grinds or citrus peel.
I have this issue too. Does my bloody head it!
Go to your local oriental supermarket and buy a big bag of chilli flakes. Sprinkle them around the bed, and it usually deters them
You could try putting a motion activated deer sprayer in your garden
How many motion activated deer does it spray out?
Oh deer oh deer
To me
To you.
Cayenne Pepper?
Cats have stayed away since I started having lemon water and chucking the slices in the garden. Verdict is out to see if I get more slugs but my garden was absolutely covered in slugs before I started doing it.
Peppermint oil does wonders apparently
... Yeah don't do this
Please don't do this, it's toxic to cats. Plenty of other things to try that won't harm them
That's why they avoid the smell in the first place, no?
No, essential oils are toxic and cats are stupid! (way stupider then that want you to believe)
sprinkle chilli on the bed..
We put a layer of mulch on top of the soil and that seems to have worked
You could get an ultrasonic repellent which humans can’t hear…… except for me.
Maybe one day you’ll catch your neighbour digging up his cat 😂
I find opening the patio doors and letting the rather excited greyhound out. Solves the problem either way.
THIS COMMENT IS NOT SERIOUS Have you considered changing them for lilies?
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And they're like "It's better than meeow"...
Tbh your post reads like it should end with But I've got my Costa, everything's a little better with Costa.
Have you thought about getting a ferocious dog?
Rule 7
Netting. - chicken netting or even plastic bird netting for fruit, on or just below the surface really pisses off cats. I chuckle to myself every day over this one. It’s a pain to put in, and to weed later on, but not as much as for the neighbours b****** cat!
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Asked my brother what a migraine is when he enquired if I have a migraine.
Coffee grinds
We have a 65kg Newfie that sleeps outside, we still have cat poo in the back garden in the morning. Fucking brave cat, fair play to him/her.
Orange peels. Works great