missmoe Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 My neighbor just visited to tell me that my cat is using his yard and fence as a litterbox. :001_huh: I can't keep the cat in all the time. His wife is pregant and they also have a toddler. Right now they feel like they can't use the yard because of all the cat poop! I need to figure something out. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 My neighbor just visited to tell me that my cat is using his yard and fence as a litterbox. :001_huh: I can't keep the cat in all the time. His wife is pregant and they also have a toddler. Right now they feel like they can't use the yard because of all the cat poop! I need to figure something out. Any suggestions? If it's impossible for you to keep your cat inside (which would be my preference, because I hate when neighborhood cats poop in my yard), I'd put a litterbox or something similar in your yard, somewhere that your cat might prefer to go. If you make it easier for your cat to use your yard, maybe it won't be visiting next door, but it's no guarantee. I've tried numerous things to try to keep the cats from using my yard, and nothing's very successful, unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 How friendly are you and the neighbor? Would he be willing to put a safe trap in his yard and let you know when to come get it (and your cat)? Why can't you keep the cat inside all the time? Maybe we can help you find a way to do that if the safe trap idea isn't good, or if we can't think of something else. Also, do they do electric fences for cats (or just dogs)? That might be an option. Not my first choice at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 All four of our cats are indoor cats. They share a litter box. True - it is gross out have to clean it out twice a day...but since we are the ones who want the cats, we get to deal with the poop. Not the neighbors. PS growing up all our cats were indoor/outdoor. Three were hit by cars, one disappeared, several had bad fights, all had fleas..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in TN Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 If the cat can't stay in the house, you could build a cat enclosure. Google "cat enclosure" for lots of pictures of them. Some are really neat and don't look that hard to build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Can you build a cattery for when the cat has to go outside? Personally I dislike cats, we live in a remote area with neighbours that also dislike cats. There are many feral cats around. We trap them hand have them disposed of. Feral cats are a massive problem in Australia as many native marsupials only had dingos and a few Qualls as predators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Honestly, I can't think of a single way to keep your cat in your yard except either keeping it indoors or building an enclosure outside. I do understand your neighbor....we have some cats that love to poop in our yard and then our dogs think it is treat time. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2J112903 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 There isn't a way to keep a cat in your own yard, unless you enclose them in a cat enclosure such as was previously mentioned. We recently brought our once indoor/outdoor cat inside full time because he is an old grump and wouldn't leave the other male cat (a stray) alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I don't know if it works, but I heard that coyote pee keeps cats away. Apparently this is something they sell in gardening catalogs. Sounds gross to me, but maybe your neighbors would prefer coyote pee over cat poop. A small sandbox in your yard might work too. I know all the neighborhood cats like to crap in ours when it isn't covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I do understand your neighbor....we have some cats that love to poop in our yard and then our dogs think it is treat time. :ack2: We had to jerry-rig a closet door and hide the litterbox in there... dog also ate poopy diapers and used sanitary napkins.:svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 We had to jerry-rig a closet door and hide the litterbox in there... dog also ate poopy diapers and used sanitary napkins.:svengo: :ack2::svengo: oh my word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I think cats should be contained. Cats kill birds and poop in gardens. I don't know why dogs should be contained and not cats. I would rather live near the most annoying yappy dog in earth than worry about cat poop in my garden. Yeah...I have on a flame proof suit. I DO NOT LKE THE KITTEH POO! Get away from the birds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wow, I didn't know people felt such passion about cat poop. I'm sorry you all have such problems with neighbors' cats. Coyote pee was mentioned in the discussion with neighbor. I also found this http://www.homedepot.com/buy/outdoors/garden-center/contech-electronics/scarecrow-automatic-outdoor-animal-deterrent-69633.html which is a motion sensor sprinkler attatchment. A spray bottle works in the house, so I think this would mostly work in their yard. To be clear, I'm not trying to keep her in my yard. (I know, I know--don't throw tomatoes) I want to keep her out of that yard. She hangs out in the alley for a couple hours a day. Other then that she is inside. She does have a litterbox inside that she uses. I think she first started going in this yard because the house was vacant and because it is the only yard with grass. And to be honest I'm not sure my cat is the only one that goes in that yard. There are about 6 cats in the neighborhood that I know of. It could be any of those cats, but I do have a cat that is outside, so I am trying to be a good neighbor and work something out. Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't thought of an outdoor cat hutch. Didn't know such a thing existed. I'll have to look around and see what they look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msk Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Is the pooped-upon area sand or loose dirt? I've heard some people say they've discouraged cats from using those areas as litterboxes by burying chicken wire just under the surface, making it uncomfortable for the cats to scratch loose dirt over their poop. Maybe you could offer to install some for your neighbor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 We had a cat that used to sneak into our barn and use the basement as her litter box. We got rid of her by smearing Tanglefoot on all of the cracks big enough for her to squeeze through. Kitty got sticky and spent hours licking the gooey stuff off of her fur a couple of times, but she figured it out quickly and and then avoided our entire yard like the plague.:D I swear that the cat glared at me every time we crossed paths after that. Who knew that an animal could send you a dirty look?:lol: If your neighbor's yard is completely fenced in, you could smear it on the bottom of the fence posts and along any cracks big enough for kitty to squeeze through. It is a mess to apply, but it works like a charm! PS - I have to admit that I simply don't understand wandering pets in residential areas. Thanks for trying to keep kitty out of your neighbor's yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Girl Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Yes, cats should be kept indoors. They kill wildlife and pollute others' gardens with their medically hazardous waste. It was nice of your neighbor to come and talk to you about his problem. Plenty of people would just leave out poisoned cat food or bring out a BB gun. If is wife is pregnant and is trying to avoid toxoplasmosis, the least you can do is keep your cat inside. If you want to let it outdoors, put it on a long leash and tie it to your porch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 MSK I wish she was using a sandy place. She is actually using the ledge on the fence.:glare: Liberty H---the Tanglefoot sounds perfect---the cat goes over the fence and hangs out on the ledge on the inside of their fence. I think the Tanglefoot on that ledge is a viable option. Does it need to be reapplied after rain? MissKitty has been staying inside for now, but I can not gaurentee that she won't get out at some point with 5 kids going in and out. She likes her jaunts out to see whats up in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndie Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Oo I used to have a cat named Miss Kittie too. :) My neighbors cat was using my veggie garden as a litter box. :glare: I put cayenne pepper and blood meal in it and he stopped. Apparently the smell was too much for him. My neighbor (the owner of the cat) is going through some major trauma and it's not in me to tell her to keep the thing out of my yard. But when we first moved in, she noticed he was always in our yard and told me to plant a catnip somewhere far away from where I wanted him. Now I didn't b/c I don't want to spend money on a cat I don't own which is why I did the garden stuff instead. :D But perhaps you could make a little catnip garden in your yard so kitty will stay over with you instead. Of course you may end up with other neighborhood cats too so I'm not sure you want to do that. Anyway, thanks for trying to keep your cat out of their yard. I wish more outdoor cat owners would do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 You may also want to keep in mind, that if your cat enters into the wrong yard, you may end up with a dead cat. We live in the country, and have barn cats for obvious reasons. While my dogs have never bothered any of our cats, I believe they may have taken out one of our neighbor's cats that kept trying to steal cat food off my deck. Krista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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