Any Way Of Keeping Neighbour's Cat Out Of My Yard?

[WreckitWhippet]

What's CPS ?

[cavmad]

I am having the same problem with cats next door and I cannot and do not want to talk to my neighbours about it as the woman is a complete psycho...screaming her head off all the time, driving like a maniac in a small suburban street, on christmas eve the police paid them a visit. They have two cats and a dog and now have another (3rd!) litter of kittens. I have a garden bed out the front which has trees in it, in the vain attempt that I can grow a hedge. All of the cats use it as a kitty litter tray. I went out to check on the trees yesterday and over half of them are dying and covered in a mould type substance and the flies were just incredible. I am thinking of going to the nursery on the weekend and buying bigger already established trees and planting them and then putting chicken wire or something similar over the top of the garden bed. I have tried the repellants and the white pepper and nothing works. They also all get under our bedroom window at night and fight and carry on. I feel like going over there and just saying, Hmmm maybe my dogs can come and trash your garden and poo all over your lawn as thats what you cats are doing', but the psycho chick is totally unpredicatable!

try setting rat traps in the garden bed, no bait and under your bedroom window, they won't come back if they tread on one

Ooh that's a good idea! I'd feel like crap if one of the kittens got one though....but it IS driving me mental!

if they have small kittens wondering they need a good kick up the ar@# but try mouse traps then as they wont damage a kitten. as you may have gathered I believe cats should have the same rules as dogs and be kept at home unless on lead.

I agree with you. I don't let my dogs roam the streets crapping in everyones yard so I don't get why they think its ok for their cats to do it.

[jata]

What's CPS ?

Cat Protection Society

[oakeydoak1]

I was going to suggest ringing hte council and putting in a complaint - some councils are good - some dont give a hoot

[smooch]

I made a cheap and effective cat trap when we had a Ferrel cat problem. It got locked into our shed where my birds where, at 11pm that night I heard a noise in the shed went out to investigate it and here was this ferrel cat on top of the bird cage. Set up the cage and caught the cat within ten min.

1 bird cage with a large door, a piece of string, a nice smoked piece of ham, a small piece of styrofoam (S). Lift the door up, prop it up with the foam, attached to string, which is attached to piece of ham. Cat goes into cage to eat ham, pulls on it and pulls the foam from the door and door shuts.

[sandgrubber]

If you don't want to be accused of kidnapping but want to send a message, how about trapping the cat (in a humane trap) and putting a note around its neck saying that next time it gets caught you're sending it to the pound. Or simply taking the trapped cat next door and telling the neighbor to their face that the next time won't be so nice.

[FranVT]

To the OP, just wondering, have you actually spoken to the neighbours about the problem at all? I also really like pers' idea about removing the bell Doesn't solve the problem of the cat being out at night and harming wildlife But does solve the barking dog / noise problem!

[curlygirl]

My family and I all have indoor cats. My dad had a problem with the cats in his street and his flower beds, he now swears by the fertilizer dynamic lifter spread on the flower beds. This is on the front flower beds where his dogs have no acsess.

The other thing you could do is set a cat trap (humane one ), trap the cat and then give it a good hosing with water . Hopefully it will not return to your property.

[Candycane]

Where I used to live, we had a male cat come and spray all over our outdoor furniture....so I got a water squirty bottle and filled it with vinegar and I squirted the cat everytime I saw it. It only took 2 days and the cat was NEVER in my yard again

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

Cat trap and take it to the pound. It's what we do here, with councils blessing

ETA: No one should have to go out of their way , spend their money or invest in gadgets to keep roaming cats off their property.

Cat traps are easy and effective

hiring traps and driving to and from pounds is going out of your way and not so easy if the cat outsmarts it.

Set properly and baited with a can of sardines, you will catch the majority of cats within two days.

I managed to get all of the one's that were coming onto our property in the space of a couple of days and none of them have been seen since.

agreed. i have just gone through this process and have caught (with the council supplied cat trap) the three cats that have been causing havoc and have deposited the stratys at the pound.

the cats have no collars and were in my yard at night. in my opinion if the owners of those cats (that is if they have owners) cared about the cats they would not be roaming at night.

why did i do this? because i got sick of picking up dead birds and lizards from my yard.

[Rebanne]

in the state of Victoria cats are treated the same as dogs. If it strays onto your property, whether it is wearing a collar or not, you are entitled to remove said animal to the pound. Cats and dogs are not allowed to wander outside their own property.

[BC4ME]

Set up a sprinkler, super soaker, water gun or soaker hose to a sensor or wait up until it comes past turn on the water and wham cat scoots away remember cats don't like water.

It will take patience but it's worth it and nobody really gets hurt.

Cats are creature of habit so it will probaly return you will have to do this for a few nights until it gets the idea to bugger off.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

whilst i appreciate all the ideas to get rid of the cats i resent the fact that cat owners take no responsibility for their pets.

if my dog roamed at night, dug up neighbours plants and pooped on their lawn i think they would be very upset. it is not fair that i as a dog owner need to take more responsibility than a catowner.

and i don't like cats because i am allergic to them so the cat fur that is around the place is a real bother for me.

[Pepper and Jax]

This link might help you:

http://www.cathaven.com.au/faqs/#target-faq-1

Talk to the neighbours again - I know you said you have done so, but tell them that you are going to take measures to stop the cat being in your yard, and maybe they'll take it seriously. Though I appreciate you don't want a bad relationship with them, as retaliation through your dog would be awful :D

ETA: http://www.oscillot.com.au/

No idea on cost, but it would keep the cat off your fence.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Pepper and Jax

[FranVT]

Set up a sprinkler, super soaker, water gun or soaker hose to a sensor or wait up until it comes past turn on the water and wham cat scoots away remember cats don't like water.

It will take patience but it's worth it and nobody really gets hurt.

Cats are creature of habit so it will probaly return you will have to do this for a few nights until it gets the idea to bugger off.

I used to do this (the hose) with the high school students that sat on the front doorstep of a house we lived in a few years ago. Just because my doorstep is not far from the footpath and across from your school does not mean you can sit there talking trash, eating and leaving wrappers and cans etc you little germs, *ssssprrrrayyyyy*! Was amazing. Surely would also work for cats?

whilst i appreciate all the ideas to get rid of the cats i resent the fact that cat owners take no responsibility for their pets.

if my dog roamed at night, dug up neighbours plants and pooped on their lawn i think they would be very upset. it is not fair that i as a dog owner need to take more responsibility than a catowner.

and i don't like cats because i am allergic to them so the cat fur that is around the place is a real bother for me.

Yep our neighbours let us know if Atlas puts a toe out of line but their cat actually enters our house sometimes, not just the yard, OH said to them "if Atlas one day manages to catch it when it is teasing him like it does every day, don't blame us if he kills it" they just laughed. I'm not a huge fan of cats but no problem at all with them being inside, lying in sunny patches on windowsills like they're meant to do :D

[persephone]

I used to do this (the hose) with the high school students that sat on the front doorstep of a house we lived in a few years ago. Just because my doorstep is not far from the footpath and across from your school does not mean you can sit there talking trash, eating and leaving wrappers and cans etc you little germs, *ssssprrrrayyyyy*! Was amazing. Surely would also work for cats?

Should be more of it!! :D

[FranVT]

We tried to be polite and ask them nicely to move on or not leave rubbish but one day they bent up the copper pipe for the air con moisture outlet, it was really humid and this air con dripped a LOT, we all got home from work the next day and about 3 square metres of the carpet was soaked so it was GAME ON from there.

Anyway - cats!

[tara taylor]

I would be absolutely livid if I found out that our neighbours trapped our cat and took it to the pound without talking to us first. And setting mouse or rat traps, just downright cruel. It's all well and good to whinge about neighbours annoying animals, but they aren't going to know about it if you don't talk to them about it. We're all meant to be animal lovers right?

[blissirritated]

I would be absolutely livid if I found out that our neighbours trapped our cat and took it to the pound without talking to us first.

And I'd be thrilled - because it would mean that my cat had escaped and instead of being alone and at risk of serious injury or death, it was safe and I would know where to go to collect it.

[/high horse]

Edited January 18, 2010 by blissirritated

[The Ark]

I would be absolutely livid if I found out that our neighbours trapped our cat and took it to the pound without talking to us first. And setting mouse or rat traps, just downright cruel. It's all well and good to whinge about neighbours annoying animals, but they aren't going to know about it if you don't talk to them about it. We're all meant to be animal lovers right?

The OP DID talk to the neighbours, but they have done nothing! No-one is saying string the cat up by its hind legs and leave it swinging on their front door or anything! It can be humanely (and legally) caught and taken to the pound. That is certainly what I would be doing if, having spoken with my neighbours, they decided to let their cats continue to roam at night. And that would be if my Maremma didn't find it first.