Uh oh. My cat is not a good neighbor. UPDATE post 65

[Bensmom]

My elderly neighbors are in very poor health. Several months ago, their out-of-town children made arrangements for full-time home health workers.

 

This morning I was sitting on my front porch with our latest stray cat at my feet. The neighbors health worker stepped out on their front porch to smoke and I heard/saw her open their glass front door and say loudly that she can smell it again this morning. She then stepped out onto their driveway, and closer to where I was sitting. She asked if my cat was a male. I said that he is. She informed me that he pees on the bushes by their front door every morning and it stinks. I apologized for this and told her I would try to find something to deter him. (I did not add that her smoking wasn't making the area smell any better either😒).

 

Since the neighbors have become home bound, they have regular visitors and I certainly don't want my cat's offensive odor to greet their guests. I googled and saw same products for spraying to use indoors, but nothing for outside. She said she has seen him go in the bushes. It appears this is a pee problem and not poo. We had him neutered months ago (as soon as we could catch him). Any suggestions?

 

He poos and pees regularly in the flower bed beside my front door. I haven't noticed any odor, but my flower bed has a thick layer of mulch. Maybe the mulch is making the difference? If I put mulch under their bushes, will this get rid of the smell or encourage him to starts pooing there too?

 

Would those granules that keep wild animals away keep a cat away? If so, are there any that don't smell like rotten eggs or dead animal? That would hardly be an improvement 😖

 

I don't want to be a bad neighbor. While my actual neighbors can't come outside and thus are not bothered, I don't want to offend their many guests. What should I do?

Edited May 28, 2017 by Bensmom

[SquirrellyMama]

I'm not sure I could have kept my mouth shut about the cigarette smoke smell.

 

I have no cat advice.

[Guest]

Maybe I'm a bad neighbor, but I wouldn't do anything about it.  Unless you're feeding the cat and then maybe I'd switch to a different food - I've noticed that that affects urine smell sometimes.  It's not the neighbors, it's the paid workers (who are similarly affecting your area with the smell).  But sometimes I can be really petty.

[Erica in OR]

Do they have juniper-type bushes near the front door? There is a particular type that always smells like cat pee to me, no cat required.

 

I haven't tried it, but what about a product like this? http://www.gardeners.com/buy/scat-mat-cat-deterrent-roll-78x11/8592448.html

 

Erica in OR

[Okra]

I don't have any great ideas. But, one of my neighbors had this problem with another neighbor.

She found that the cat didn't like the huge chunky mulch. She bought several bags and mulched under their bushes.

Problem solved for them.

[Supertechmom]

Orange and lemon peels sliced up and placed around can deter some cats.  I sprinkle them around the yard and it seems to do the trick.

[Guest]

Why can't it be kept indoors?

[Erica in OR]

Are they/you certain it's your cat and not some other outdoor cat?

 

Erica in OR

[Selkie]

Why can't it be kept indoors?

 

Yes, keeping it indoors is probably the best solution.

[Guest]

It's a stray cat and if it took them months to catch it to fix it, it probably wouldn't do well indoors!

[Guest]

It's a stray cat and if it took them months to catch it to fix it, it probably wouldn't do well indoors!

Well it doesn't seem to be doing so hot outdoors! I have no patience for destructive animals.

[Mergath]

Well it doesn't seem to be doing so hot outdoors! I have no patience for destructive animals.

A cat peeing isn't exactly destructive. Stinky, yes, but not destructive. I mean, it has to pee somewhere.

 

I'm more appalled by a health care worker smoking while on the job. Thirdhand smoke is a real thing.

[Guest]

A cat peeing isn't exactly destructive. Stinky, yes, but not destructive. I mean, it has to pee somewhere.

 

I'm more appalled by a health care worker smoking while on the job. Thirdhand smoke is a real thing.

We had a neighbor cat spray our back door every night. That shit stains!

[Laura Corin]

You could build a catio.

https://catiospaces.com

[Rachel]

I sprinkled cayenne pepper between my bushes and the house when we had a similar problem. The cat didn't want to pee there anymore.

[TeenagerMom]

Do they have juniper-type bushes near the front door? There is a particular type that always smells like cat pee to me, no cat required.

 

I haven't tried it, but what about a product like this? http://www.gardeners.com/buy/scat-mat-cat-deterrent-roll-78x11/8592448.html

 

Erica in OR

 

Yes this! I thought my Mom's cat was peeing out front of her house and figured out it is her Boxwoods that smell like urine to me. 

 

Apparently other people think so too.

 

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/boxwood/boxwood-has-bad-odor.htm

[Stacia]

Yeah, I wonder if it isn't the plants. I would think the cat odor (esp. outside) would dissipate naturally (esp. if the cat is peeing in the bushes or on the ground rather than a 'non-natural' surface like the side of the house or porch or something).

 

I also wonder about the worker complaining because often smokers have a reduced/almost no sense of smell. Could it be that her sense of smell is off? Is there a neutral neighbor you could ask to go take a sniff? (Lol. I know that sounds weird but it may help you get to the bottom of things.)

 

I would try adding mulch & some of the other suggestions here.

[Annie G]

I love pets but they should be kept in their own yard.   Our cat is an indoor cat and is on a leash if he goes outside. My neighbor has a dog and he lets the dog run in our yard and it bugs me. It's my yard.  Sorry, I know you're being kind by caring for a stray, and it does annoy you that the health care worker is smoking near your house. 

[sassenach]

We had a neighbor cat spray our back door every night. That shit stains!

My grandparents had this problem, except it was their front door screen. They ended up trapping the cat and taking it to the humane society. After the owner had to pay bail her cat out a few times, she came up with a solution. My grandparents also got one of those high-frequency sound emitters and that seemed to help, too.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think either ignore it or keep the cat inside.  I keep mine inside because there really isn't enough room for them to roam and inevitably they'd probably end up doing something like that to neighbors.  My neighbor's cats pee on my back porch door (both males).  Probably because they see my cats in the window.  I don't complain.  I know there is nothing he can do other than keep them inside and I'm pretty sure he won't.  It stinks like heck though.  I just don't want to have neighbor issues so I ignore it.

 

 

[Lanny]

I asked my wife about this problem and will relay what she told me: If there are other Male cats near to where you live, he may be "marking territory", to tell other Male cats that he is in charge there.  However, my wife suspects that he likes the area near your neighbors house, to use as a Bathroom, for some reason. She thinks that's why he goes there...  She suggested (with the permission of the people who live in that house, if it is OK with them), to cut a bunch of Lemons in half and place them in the area where he is using for a bathroom.  Or buy a bottle of Citronela and spread that around that area. I suspect the Lemons would be longer lasting.  Good luck with this issue...

[Slartibartfast]

I think either ignore it or keep the cat inside.  I keep mine inside because there really isn't enough room for them to roam and inevitably they'd probably end up doing something like that to neighbors.  My neighbor's cats pee on my back porch door (both males).  Probably because they see my cats in the window.  I don't complain.  I know there is nothing he can do other than keep them inside and I'm pretty sure he won't.  It stinks like heck though.  I just don't want to have neighbor issues so I ignore it.

 

You could get one of those movement sensor water things.

[SparklyUnicorn]

You could get one of those movement sensor water things.

 

And how do we deal with trying to walk out the door ourselves?

 

We have looked into all sorts of various things, but we can't seem to come up with one that would be doable.

[nixpix5]

Just take them a lemon thyme or Lavender plant and some citrus scented items to place in that area. It will look lovely and the cat will stop peeing their. Cats partition out land in a neighborhood. They patrol their land multiple times per day and mark it as their scent fades to let other cats know who is patrolling it. Totally normal. A really great cat documentary to watch is "Lion in Your Livingroom" on Netflix. It is super interesting. Seriously though, we keep our male neighborhood cats off our porch (who smell our female cat inside) and used to pee. They don't even come close anymore.

[Miss Marple]

I have the same smell with my boxwoods!  I do have outdoor cats (farm) and thought they were using the area around the bushes. Thank you, previous posters, for that information.

 

 

[FriedClams]

I hate the smell of cigarette smoke, but at least it's gone soon. Cat urine smells forever. If you can't keep it out of their yard it should be an indoor cat in your house. If you can't do that I'd rehome it somewhere it can roam and urinate without making the neighbor's yard smell.

[Jennay]

Cats also don't like areas that have mesh screen over them - that might keep him away.

[Guest]

Ok, so it depends on what you mean by "stray".  I know you've used the possessive "my cat" when talking about him, but have you actually adopted him?  Even though you've had him fixed, is he actually a stray? Are you feeding him and otherwise caring for him?

If you are acting like he is indeed your outdoor cat (like any other outdoor cat), then I would consider doing one of the solutions mentioned earlier.

If he's actually just a stray that pops by every now and then, then I say you give a list of possible solutions to the neighbor and call it good.

[Tanaqui]

Yeah, I wonder if it isn't the plants. I would think the cat odor (esp. outside) would dissipate naturally (esp. if the cat is peeing in the bushes or on the ground rather than a 'non-natural' surface like the side of the house or porch or something).

 

The smell of our pee dissipates. Cats - especially males - use their pee to mark their territory. It's a long lasting stench. As the man said, “A man has to work so hard so that something of his personality stays alive. A tomcat has it so easy, he has only to spray and his presence is there for years on rainy days.â€

 

 

 

[Farrar]

I live in an area with a decent number of feral cats and I have to say... there are not a lot of great solutions for them.

 

From what the OP is saying, this is almost certainly a feral cat. You cannot keep this cat indoors. It is not properly socialized like a normal pet. Nor will it stay in boundaries like yards. Over time, it may become "friendly" but not like your indoor cat.

 

When cats like this are rounded up, they are pretty much inevitably put down. They are not adoptable animals. So in order to try and deal with them another way, some groups started having people take care of them and get them spayed and neutered - and encouraging people to do so, which is, I'm guessing, what the OP is doing. This is definitely more humane for the cats. However, the original hope with these sorts of approaches on a large scale was to curb the population of feral cats in general and it has more recently been shown not to work. And then when you put that with new information that outdoor cats are really hurting the bird population, then that's not great either.

 

I know it's an indoor product, but if the mulch doesn't work, I'd try the spray stuff. FYI - It *also* has an odor. But the idea would be to retrain the cat to choose other spots.

[Bensmom]

Do they have juniper-type bushes near the front door? There is a particular type that always smells like cat pee to me, no cat required.

 

I haven't tried it, but what about a product like this? http://www.gardeners.com/buy/scat-mat-cat-deterrent-roll-78x11/8592448.html

 

Erica in OR

Yes! It is about 8 feet of bushes right in front of the door. I am going to go over tomorrow and sniff around. Could they smell like pee to some people and not others or does it smell like that to everyone?

[Guest]

I live in an area with a decent number of feral cats and I have to say... there are not a lot of great solutions for them.

 

From what the OP is saying, this is almost certainly a feral cat. You cannot keep this cat indoors. It is not properly socialized like a normal pet. Nor will it stay in boundaries like yards. Over time, it may become "friendly" but not like your indoor cat.

 

When cats like this are rounded up, they are pretty much inevitably put down. They are not adoptable animals. So in order to try and deal with them another way, some groups started having people take care of them and get them spayed and neutered - and encouraging people to do so, which is, I'm guessing, what the OP is doing. This is definitely more humane for the cats. However, the original hope with these sorts of approaches on a large scale was to curb the population of feral cats in general and it has more recently been shown not to work. And then when you put that with new information that outdoor cats are really hurting the bird population, then that's not great either.

 

I know it's an indoor product, but if the mulch doesn't work, I'd try the spray stuff. FYI - It *also* has an odor. But the idea would be to retrain the cat to choose other spots.

My unpopular opinion--how is a feral cat any different than any other pest? If an area had rats, they would be killed, which I'm sure bothers some people. Why must we tolerate feral cats just because some people have cats as pets?

[Selkie]

I live in an area with a decent number of feral cats and I have to say... there are not a lot of great solutions for them.

 

From what the OP is saying, this is almost certainly a feral cat. You cannot keep this cat indoors. It is not properly socialized like a normal pet. Nor will it stay in boundaries like yards. Over time, it may become "friendly" but not like your indoor cat.

 

When cats like this are rounded up, they are pretty much inevitably put down. They are not adoptable animals. So in order to try and deal with them another way, some groups started having people take care of them and get them spayed and neutered - and encouraging people to do so, which is, I'm guessing, what the OP is doing. This is definitely more humane for the cats. However, the original hope with these sorts of approaches on a large scale was to curb the population of feral cats in general and it has more recently been shown not to work. And then when you put that with new information that outdoor cats are really hurting the bird population, then that's not great either.

 

I know it's an indoor product, but if the mulch doesn't work, I'd try the spray stuff. FYI - It *also* has an odor. But the idea would be to retrain the cat to choose other spots.

 

Given the OP's description, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it's a feral cat. It may just be a stray, which is how the OP described him. Over the years, we've had three stray males that all became very happy indoor cats. 

[Bensmom]

Why can't it be kept indoors?

We have three indoor cats already. This new guy is super sweet, but I can't handle one more inside. (He does sleep in the garage every night.)

[Bensmom]

I asked my wife about this problem and will relay what she told me: If there are other Male cats near to where you live, he may be "marking territory", to tell other Male cats that he is in charge there. However, my wife suspects that he likes the area near your neighbors house, to use as a Bathroom, for some reason. She thinks that's why he goes there... She suggested (with the permission of the people who live in that house, if it is OK with them), to cut a bunch of Lemons in half and place them in the area where he is using for a bathroom. Or buy a bottle of Citronela and spread that around that area. I suspect the Lemons would be longer lasting. Good luck with this issue...

How long would the lemon last? Would it need to be refreshed often?

[Farrar]

My unpopular opinion--how is a feral cat any different than any other pest? If an area had rats, they would be killed, which I'm sure bothers some people. Why must we tolerate feral cats just because some people have cats as pets?

 

Yeah, I don't have strong opinions... I'd be okay if they rounded ours up. I'm not attached.

 

The OP seems to be saying it's not a feral cat... IME, most strays *are* feral. But if this is a cat that was socialized as a kitten and then released (honestly, people are so horrible) and could be made to live indoors but just can't be done in your home because of limitations, I'd say finding it another home would be the best thing you could do.

[Mergath]

My unpopular opinion--how is a feral cat any different than any other pest? If an area had rats, they would be killed, which I'm sure bothers some people. Why must we tolerate feral cats just because some people have cats as pets?

 

Because killing an animal because its pee annoys us is a pretty awful thing to do. Killing an animal for food, yes; killing an animal that presents an actual danger, sure; but killing an animal because it pees in the bushes? I don't think too many people would be on board with that.

[Guest]

Because killing an animal because its pee annoys us is a pretty awful thing to do. Killing an animal for food, yes; killing an animal that presents an actual danger, sure; but killing an animal because it pees in the bushes? I don't think too many people would be on board with that.

Very few people would object if you trapped and killed a rat and one could argue that the rat was happy and hurting no one. A feral cat seems very unhappy and unhealthy and is causing damage peeing where it shouldn't.

[Bensmom]

Ok, so it depends on what you mean by "stray". I know you've used the possessive "my cat" when talking about him, but have you actually adopted him? Even though you've had him fixed, is he actually a stray? Are you feeding him and otherwise caring for him?

If you are acting like he is indeed your outdoor cat (like any other outdoor cat), then I would consider doing one of the solutions mentioned earlier.

If he's actually just a stray that pops by every now and then, then I say you give a list of possible solutions to the neighbor and call it good.

He appeared just over a year ago and roamed several yards. Ironically, it is our elderly neighbors who started putting out food for him. They enjoyed sitting in their chairs watching the cat out the window as he would eat and sun himself in their yard. They both had some serious issues (he fell, she had surgery) which took away much of their mobility (they are in their 90s). When they were no longer able to safely step outside and feed him on their patio, I started feeding him. When I built up enough trust and could touch him, I took him to the vet. He arrived as a neighborhood stray, but he is very much my responsibility now. I don't think my neighbors actually care because they can't go outside, but I don't want there to be a stinky cat odor to greet every guest who comes to their home. (Their church has a different person stop by every day for a brief little visit.)

 

The Hive has had some excellent suggestions. I will probably try several, but I am now wondering if the bushes themselves have an odor. I will investigate tomorrow!

Edited May 27, 2017 by Bensmom

[Bensmom]

Very few people would object if you trapped and killed a rat and one could argue that the rat was happy and hurting no one. A feral cat seems very unhappy and unhealthy and is causing damage peeing where it shouldn't.

He is not feral. I don't know anything about where he came from but I suspect there were humans involved. It took a long while to earn his trust, but he is a super sweet boy now. Unfortunately, our community has a lot of cats and it is really hard to find homes. (My three indoor kitties are all strays that appeared the same way over the years). I have spent a ton of money over the years spaying and neutering strays. Our community has no laws about cats roaming outdoors, and while Animal Control picks up dogs, they just leave the cats alone. It is a sad problem.

[Tanaqui]

If your community has "a lot of cats", many of which are strays or "backyard cats", then really, nothing is going to get rid of the smell. Your neighbors' carer is just going to have to suck it up, because there's always going to be another tom spraying somewhere.

[MercyA]

It took a long while to earn his trust, but he is a super sweet boy now. Unfortunately, our community has a lot of cats and it is really hard to find homes. (My three indoor kitties are all strays that appeared the same way over the years). I have spent a ton of money over the years spaying and neutering strays. 

 

You are awesome.  :thumbup1:

[MercyA]

Very few people would object if you trapped and killed a rat and one could argue that the rat was happy and hurting no one. A feral cat seems very unhappy and unhealthy and is causing damage peeing where it shouldn't.

 

Where did you get the idea that feral cats are all unhappy and unhealthy? I'd say they're usually just as happy and healthy as any other wild animal. [ETA: I'm talking about actual feral cats here--not strays.] And, thankfully, many communities are helping them by providing them with vaccinations, neutering, food, and shelter. 

 

I'd rather not see rats or feral cats killed. They are living beings, too. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by MercyA

[kitten18]

My unpopular opinion--how is a feral cat any different than any other pest? If an area had rats, they would be killed, which I'm sure bothers some people. Why must we tolerate feral cats just because some people have cats as pets?

In my suburban neighborhood I regularly have rats, rabbits, possums, racoons, bobcats, and coyotes peeing and pooping inside and just outside my yard. How would one go about rounding up all these "pests"?

They're just a part of nature.

 

 

Not to mention the snakes and lizards.

Edited May 27, 2017 by kitten18

[ealp2009]

Nm

Edited May 27, 2017 by ealp2009

[Carrie12345]

Because killing an animal because its pee annoys us is a pretty awful thing to do. Killing an animal for food, yes; killing an animal that presents an actual danger, sure; but killing an animal because it pees in the bushes? I don't think too many people would be on board with that.

 

They're not just annoying.  Their reproduction rates are mind boggling, and they mess with the whole ecosystem.  As does any large imbalance of the other animals mentioned by another poster.  (Or humans, for that matter.)

 

http://wildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Feral-Cats.pdf

 

I have a soft spot for dumped (vs. born-feral) cats, but there's no way I'm housing them all, and they go on to produce ferals. My development rejected my proposal to participate in a local spay and neuter trap program and it still chaps my hide. 

 

ETA: They didn't reject it on any sound grounds.  They just didn't "feel" right about it. @@

Edited May 27, 2017 by Carrie12345

[Laura Corin]

The UK in general has a 'well that's what cats do' feeling about cats peeing and pooping in other people's gardens.  Having lived in a city and tried to garden, I am not that charitable any longer.  Partly for this reason and partly because I don't want to be responsible for extra song-bird death, I wouldn't have a cat unless I could provide it with a secure catio space.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My unpopular opinion--how is a feral cat any different than any other pest? If an area had rats, they would be killed, which I'm sure bothers some people. Why must we tolerate feral cats just because some people have cats as pets?

 

As a cat lover, I agree with you.  I'm talking feral cats though, not house pets that roam outside.  We had a feral cat infestation.  Yes, an actual infestation because a neighbor decided our shed was a good place for them to live.  Grrrr.  They made a mess, peeing all over the place.  We'd find dead cats in the shed.  Frankly, it was more cruel in my mind to help them and prolong their life than to let them be to die naturally or euthanize them (it was the dead of winter for one thing).  If rats were doing the same thing I'd have no qualms about poisoning them.  It was that bad.

 

I think if one can let their cat out and their cat isn't bothering people, it's not a problem.  But if someone is bothered, I think that's a legitimate concern and they aren't being too sensitive.  I would be very mad about a dog pooping and peeing in my yard.  How is this different?  People say it is, but it's not.

 

And again, I am a cat lover.  I adore cats. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Where did you get the idea that feral cats are all unhappy and unhealthy? I'd say they're usually just as happy and healthy as any other wild animal. And, thankfully, many communities are helping them by providing them with vaccinations, neutering, food, and shelter. 

 

I'd rather not see rats or feral cats killed. They are living beings, too. 

 

I think this really depends on where one lives.  We have almost no yard.  So to have cats pissing all over one's tiny yard and causing other issues feels very annoying.  If we had a very large yard, no problem.  And this is no different with other animals.  Currently we are dealing with groundhogs.  They are very destructive.

 

I wouldn't go out of my way to  kill any of these animals, but I'm not going to make my tiny property attractive to them either. 

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I remember when some cats a couple houses down from my mom's house would pee in her bushes.  The smell was HORRIBLE all the time.  It's nice that you're willing to try and do something to fix that for them.  I'll never forget how awful it smelled walking up my mom's front steps.  DISGUSTING!