# How do I stop my neighbour's cat from crapping in my yard?



## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

We're new to the neighbourhood, folks next door are super nice but I'm already finding their cat's turds all over my backyard. 

I'd like my kids to be able to play out back this summer without constantly stepping in cat shite.

Any ideas or advice besides "Deal with it" or "Kill the cat"?


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Get a dog?


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

When I had a similar problem the good folks at SPCA suggested placing some ammonia in jars to fol the cat that a huge mother of a cat lived next door, and visitors were not welcome. It worked for us.

Here is a snip of some other helpful hints I found...



> To repel cats with smell, try planting rue, lavender, geraniums, wormwood, lemon thyme or pennyroyal in their favorite places. Citrus is a strong cat repellent, so try scattering orange or lemon peels around your plants. Bloodmeal will repel some cats, as will ammonia. Fill small jars with household ammonia, then poke a few holes in the lids before sealing the jars and partially burying them in the garden, refilling as the ammonia evaporates. The smell of ammonia will make most cats think that the garden is another cat's territory and they'll tend to stay away. There are also products available that, to a cat, smell like predator urine. If a cat thinks a fox, coyote or bobcat has been visiting your garden, the cat will stay away from the area.
> 
> 
> If a cat cannot easily dig in the soil, it will go elsewhere to find an outdoor litterbox. Adding a layer of mulch to a garden can be enough to repel cats. Most cats won't dig in stones, so a layer of stones in a flower bed will usually keep them from digging. Before planting a bed, lay chicken wire over the soil, then use a wire cutters to open holes in it large enough for the plants. Cats will not be able to dig through the wire and will go elsewhere to do their business. The chicken wire will be hidden by your plants as they grow.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

ronmac said:


> When I had a similar problem the good folks at SPCA suggested placing some ammonia in jars to fol the cat that a huge mother of a cat lived next door, and visitors were not welcome. It worked for us.
> 
> Here is a snip of some other helpful hints I found...
> 
> ...


Thanks! How did you place the jars? Around the perimeter of the yard? Small holes in lids?


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I hope the ammonia or citrus tricks work. When I was in a house, we never had a problem with cats, though we did have to pick up after this guy.  He's out west with my daughter now.


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## DrHook (Oct 28, 2013)

I kinda like this idea...and it wouldn't kill the cat...but it might scare the crap outta him...so you might consider this NOT to be your solution 

[video=youtube;mSQ4lyrIF3g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSQ4lyrIF3g[/video]


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

live trap, can of tuna.

Drive the cat to the humane society.

I had to trap quite a few. I don't appreciate having my kids sand box used for a litter box.

I have three cats. They all stay indoors.


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2014)

Did a little googlin'. found this.
I had to post it because I found it funny.



First of all, I did an exhaustive search of the web to figure this problem out. Second, I spent a great deal of 
money on sprays, chemicals, and spices to stop this from occurring. Let us do a little background shall we? 

My neighbor decided about 5-6 years ago to bring home a female kitten. This kitten grew and started going 
into heat so instead of getting the cat spayed, she just kicked it out. She replaced the female with a male 
kitten that eventually grew and started spraying the house so she kicked that cat out also. Male and female 
hump, have a litter of kittens and then there was 7 cats. One of the offspring impregnated mother cat and 7 
cats became a family of 13 cats some obviously inbred. A few got hit, and a few got pregnant, but somehow 
the number stays around 12-13 cats. We live in the suburbs in a really clean and quiet community so at midnight, 
when cats start fighting, it scares the s**t out of people because we can leave our windows open without 
fear of burglars and/or rapists. Anyhow, over the past several years, the cats have inbred so much that one 
actually has an undeveloped twin stuck on it's back. That's the history of where we are at now. 

I made hundreds if not thousands of inquiries both on the net and over the phone to seek guidance on alleviating 
this problem to no avail. I see hundreds of blogs and websites that seem to promote just accepting the cat 
problem or whatever. I even see suggestions like: "Put out a litter box for them to poop in", or spend $200 on 
automated sprinklers, etc. I don't think so. 

My kids play in the back yard and every other day, one of the freak cats from next door poops under the wooden 
swingset (stones). I paid almost $6,000 to have my front and side yard landscaped professionally and the freak 
cats from next door keep pooping in the mulch. 

Here is my dilemma: They are not my cats, therefore, I will not pay anymore to buy useless chemicals that don't 
work. I will not buy wire mesh to place over my mulch, plant upside down forks, mix rose bush thorns in the mulch, 
put nasty smelling moth balls all over my yard, put eggshells where they do their business, sprinkle 3lbs of cayenne 
pepper all over every other day, buy a dog, or a BB gun. I also will not sit like a freaking sniper behind bushes for 
hours with a super-soaker to spray them. No... I found a better method. 

Before I speak of that method, I have a few things to say to the backwoods cat lovers that say "they were here first" 
or "cats are people too" - B.S. These cats were kittens well over two years after I bought this house. The rotten 
little things don't pay my mortgage, clean up after themselves, cook me dinner, pay my taxes, or add any aesthetic 
value to my property. Cats are not people or remotely close to it. How would you "cat Lovers" like it if my kids and 
I walked over to your yard and started dropping loaves all over your landscaping and near your swingset? 

So here's what I did to alleviate the stray cat problem- I went to the local (about 60 miles away) farm supply 
store and bought 2 of those live animal traps. I stopped at my local grocery store and purchased a half dozen 
cans of cat food and cheap plastic bowls. Six nights in a row, I placed the trap inside my garage with a cheap 
bowl full of Purina and watched Netflix. Every night, no fail, I would hear the traps spring shut and a lot of hissing. 
Around 1am every night, I packed the little s**t factories into my trunk and drove about 8 miles to the local 
trailer park. I dropped off said s**t factories and cheap plastic bowl full of food at every trailer I could find that 
had a Taurus with 18-20 inch rims on it. Suffice to say, I have not had to pick up a cat turd from my yard in 
over 6 months now and have yet to see a single cat in our neighborhood running around freely. 

Cost: $60 for two traps, $3 for 24 plastic bowls, $2.50 for a few cans of cat food, and $2 for gas. 

Peace of mind knowing my yard has no poop and the trailer park is in worse shape: priceless


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Many hardware and home reno stores sell this netting for warding off the wee beasties. It is intended to put over things like tomatoes or strawberries, and is light enough not to weigh down the plants. The thing is that the netting is the sort of stuff that is just irritating as hell if you get your paws or wings stuck in it, so it provides a harmless but repellent experience for the animal in question, that they do not wish to repeat. Imagine a restaurant where every step you took sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard; you would not likely be a regular there.

I haven't bought any in a bit so I am fuzzy on cost and size, but I seem to recall that a rather large piece (yards by yards, though obviously not an acre on a roll) was $12 or something like that. I have no idea how big of a yard you're dealing with, so this may well not be cost effective. In the summer it would be easy to identify the more diggable areas (since cats will want to at least go through the motions of burying their stools) and cover them with minimal netting, but in winter,with a snow-covered yard, _everywhere_ is diggable.


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## doriangrey (Mar 29, 2011)

Milkman said:


> live trap, can of tuna.
> 
> Drive the cat to the humane society.


Seriously?! bait and trap the neighbour's cat and then take it to the SPCA...seriously?! My neighbour's cat craps in my garden too - and it bugs me - but I would never do that...


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Do you often see the cat around the yard? Perhaps a water gun might help. A few squirts and it may learn to avoid your yard. Doesn't hurt the cat, may get the message across, supersoakers are fun!

Good lord, do NOT trap somebody's cat!!!!!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

doriangrey said:


> Seriously?! bait and trap the neighbour's cat and then take it to the SPCA...seriously?! My neighbour's cat craps in my garden too - and it bugs me - but I would never do that...



Yes, seriously.

I took five down to the SPCA last year. I also adopt cats there.

My cats are spayed / neutered and micro chipped. They have all their shots and are fed and cared for.

Taking a cat to the SPCA is more humane than the A holes who turn them loose to be run over or injured by other feral cats.

I have zero reservation in doing this.


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

doriangrey said:


> Seriously?! bait and trap the neighbour's cat and then take it to the SPCA...seriously?! My neighbour's cat craps in my garden too - and it bugs me - but I would never do that...


You know the humane society would just call the owner to come claim the cat, right? The owner might have to pay a small fee or fine. Why is that so horrifying? It's a small inconvenience to make them aware of the inconvenience their pet is causing.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

kat_ said:


> You know the humane society would just call the owner to come claim the cat, right? The owner might have to pay a small fee or fine. Why is that so horrifying? It's a small inconvenience to make them aware of the inconvenience their pet is causing.



Exactly. If it's a responsible pet owner who's cat just snuck out (it happens) they'll either get a call (if the cat is chipped) or they will go there to check.

I support the SPCA. I don't support irresponsible pet owners.


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## doriangrey (Mar 29, 2011)

kat_ said:


> You know the humane society would just call the owner to come claim the cat, right? The owner might have to pay a small fee or fine. Why is that so horrifying? It's a small inconvenience to make them aware of the inconvenience their pet is causing.


just doesn't seem like a good way to make friends with the neighbours... It bugs me too that people let their cats wander loose and crap in people's gardens and whatnot - I'm just thinking that there are probably lots of people who would get pretty upset if they found out that you baited and trapped their cat and then took it to the SPCA... pretty sure I would become very unpopular in the neighbourhood pretty quickly if my neighbours found out that I was doing that...


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

doriangrey said:


> just doesn't seem like a good way to make friends with the neighbours... It bugs me too that people let their cats wander loose and crap in people's gardens and whatnot - I'm just thinking that there are probably lots of people who would get pretty upset if they found out that you baited and trapped their cat and then took it to the SPCA... pretty sure I would become very unpopular in the neighbourhood pretty quickly if my neighbours found out that I was doing that...


When infact it should be the stupid cat owners that are unpopular. They let their cats roam without consideration I sure would not have any sympathy for whatever happens.


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## doriangrey (Mar 29, 2011)

guitarman2 said:


> When infact it should be the stupid cat owners that are unpopular. They let their cats roam without consideration I sure would not have any sympathy for whatever happens.


I understand your perspective...but I think it's pretty safe to say that it's more socially acceptable to let your cat wander the neighborhood than it is to bait and trap the neighbourhood's wandering domestic pets and then cart them off to the SPCA...


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

I don't think it actually is. It probably is in rural areas, but I don't think that has been the case in cities for quite a while. I don't know anyone in a city who lets any of their pets run loose, and I rarely ever see cats running loose around here.



doriangrey said:


> I understand your perspective...but I think it's pretty safe to say that it's more socially acceptable to let your cat wander the neighborhood than it is to bait and trap the neighbourhood's wandering domestic pets and then cart them off to the SPCA...


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

doriangrey said:


> just doesn't seem like a good way to make friends with the neighbours... It bugs me too that people let their cats wander loose and crap in people's gardens and whatnot - I'm just thinking that there are probably lots of people who would get pretty upset if they found out that you baited and trapped their cat and then took it to the SPCA... pretty sure I would become very unpopular in the neighbourhood pretty quickly if my neighbours found out that I was doing that...



I have no desire to become friends with my neighbors.

I'm an excellent neighbor. I shovel the sidewalk well beyond my property and don't make noise or cause any disturbances.

The folks who are letting their cats crap all over the place are the bad neighbors, not to mention being lousy pet owners.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Wow, cats are not allowed to walk around anymore? Just wow. I don't see this as in any way being a bad neighbour. It's a cat! It's not like an unleashed aggressive dog charging at your kids while they play.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Ok...so, now that we are polarizing our positions here...


HAAAAAAAA!!!!

I have gone through this scenario at my house. When I moved in, I couldn't figure out why the back yard smelled like sh!t. There was a huge planter box filled with gravel...you wouldn't think that a cat would go in gravel, but they will. That planter box was loaded...I had rubber gloves on and a shovel and I couldn't tell you how much crap was in there. When it is partly dry it almost looks like gravel. Anyway, I am straying (no pun intended). 

So, not wanting to poison or trap but wanting the behavior to stop, I did my research. I heard of the moth balls and the chemicals and the stuff here and there and the chicken wire. It all seemed too troublesome and not 100% effective.

Here is the solution:

Scarecrow sprinkler.
http://www.amazon.ca/Contech-Scarecrow-Motion-Activated-Sprinkler/dp/B000071NUS

The thing is motion activated so there is no water use until kitty comes into the triggered area....just like those irrigators *TIK-TIK-TIK-TIK* with a blast of water. I don't know if they ever come back after the first time it happens to them but if they do, they definitely don't after the second time. I used it the first year but haven't used it in the past 5 years and no stray cats using the yard for a potty.


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

traynor_garnet said:


> Wow, cats are not allowed to walk around anymore?


It depends where you are. In Calgary it hasn't been allowed for the last 20 years. I believe Toronto added it to their bylaws about 15 years ago. They're not allowed to roam free in Vancouver either but I don't know how long that has been the case, probably a similar length of time.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Same in Edmonton. You can actually get free traps from the city if there is a problem. The idea is that they breed and multiply to an unmanageable point and starve or freeze to death or meet unpleasant ends in other ways, not to mention being a threat to wandering domestic kitties.


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## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

doriangrey said:


> just doesn't seem like a good way to make friends with the neighbours... It bugs me too that people let their cats wander loose and crap in people's gardens and whatnot - I'm just thinking that there are probably lots of people who would get pretty upset if they found out that you baited and trapped their cat and then took it to the SPCA... pretty sure I would become very unpopular in the neighbourhood pretty quickly if my neighbours found out that I was doing that...


It's those kind of irresponsible neighbors you don't need anyway.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

[video=youtube;7jHYV6nJksw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jHYV6nJksw[/video]


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I unleash the hounds. It's wicked to see dogs chase something down.

Dont get upset - if they ever caught a cat, it.would just beat the shit out of them. They're wimps.

We only had one cat visit. The wolves, and wolf/coyote crosses (i like to call them chupacobras) keep everything in check. We don't even see squirrels.


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

adcandour said:


> I unleash the hounds. It's wicked to see dogs chase something down.
> 
> Dont get upset - if they ever caught a cat, it.would just beat the shit out of them. They're wimps.
> 
> We only had one cat visit. The wolves, and wolf/coyote crosses (i like to call them chupacobras) keep everything in check. We don't even see squirrels.


Hawks keep the squirrels in check in Waterdown. Coywolfs eat the cats. No mercy here the cats kill the chipmunks and birds. I just blast the cats with a pail of water when they are patroling along the top of my fence trying to kill one of my chipmunks. Good fun.


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## TheRumRunner (Sep 29, 2011)

Your neighbor will not be happy with many of the suggestions


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I hope that's true. Maybe they'll smarten up and keep their cats indoors.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> Wow, cats are not allowed to walk around anymore? Just wow. I don't see this as in any way being a bad neighbour. It's a cat! It's not like an unleashed aggressive dog charging at your kids while they play.



I guess you're proof that people are inconsiderate to think that its ok for cats to wander over to my property and crap where they may for my grandchildren to step in while playing in my backyard. 
Well maybe its my right to leave bowls of anti-freeze around my backyard just cause its my property and I can do what I like on it.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I hope that's true. Maybe they'll smarten up and keep their cats indoors.


As someone who had an outdoor cat in high school, they are exactly that: outdoor cats. We have a litterbox, but if they're either outside or asleep inside (the whole summer), then guess where they go. 

My cats pooped in our neighbours garden - he's free to hose them. Everyone also knows who's cats are whose, and we live in a small town. You know who's door to knock on if need be. 

Theres definitely alternatives to trapping.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Yeah, because poisoning an animal is equivalent to _maybe _washing a kid's foot.



guitarman2 said:


> I guess you're proof that people are inconsiderate to think that its ok for cats to wander over to my property and crap where they may for my grandchildren to step in while playing in my backyard.
> Well maybe its my right to leave bowls of anti-freeze around my backyard just cause its my property and I can do what I like on it.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Budda said:


> As someone who had an outdoor cat in high school, they are exactly that: outdoor cats. We have a litterbox, but if they're either outside or asleep inside (the whole summer), then guess where they go.
> 
> My cats pooped in our neighbours garden - he's free to hose them. Everyone also knows who's cats are whose, and we live in a small town. You know who's door to knock on if need be.
> 
> Theres definitely alternatives to trapping.


High school?

Well, that wasn't as long ago for you as it was for me, but here are some other things that society used to think was normal acceptable behaviour.

1. No seat belts in cars.
2.Driving around with a beer between the drivers legs (spare me the "that was never acceptable nonesense", we all know it was common)
3. Wives being physically abused by their husbands. (still happens but almost NOBODY is dumb enough to encourage it now).
4. Dogs running loose in the neighborhood.
5. smoking.

Hell, I could go on and on.

Yes, people used to let their cats loose to shit all over the neighborhood, tear up our garbage and kill anything they could catch.

Most people know better now.


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## TA462 (Oct 30, 2012)

I had the very same problem years ago and went to the owner to voice my concern. He actually went out and bought me some repellent to spray around my gardens. He brought it over and said sorry, try this stuff, it works for me, lol.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

TA462 said:


> I had the very same problem years ago and went to the owner to voice my concern. He actually went out and bought me some repellent to spray around my gardens. He brought it over and said sorry, try this stuff, it works for me, lol.


THIS is how good neighbours act.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> THIS is how good neighbours act.


Pfft. It's akin to saying F$&k you. If you don't like it YOU deal with it.

That's not the kind of neighbor I want.

Sorry my kid spray bombed your car. Try a good scolding. That usually works for me.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Pfft. It's akin to saying F$&k you. If you don't like it YOU deal with it.
> 
> That's not the kind of neighbor I want.
> 
> Sorry my kid spray bombed your car. Try a good scolding. That usually works for me.


I don't know if I'd go as far as saying thats like a "F$&K You". Its a better response than I would expect. One better is that the neighbour would buy it and also spray it himself. 
I honestly don't know what I would do if I had this problem with the neighbor on the one side of me. He's an excellent guy. Always very friendly and snow plows the sidewalk in front of my house after every snow fall. In his case I guess I'd have to suck it up. 
The neighbour on the other side of me, I do have this problem. He, also, is a very nice guy and he's very old. His cat doesn't seem to go in my backyard from what I can tell but I'll see it in my front garden out the window of my rec room. Lately I've noticed another cat out there but I don't know where that one comes from.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

What? The owner went out and bought the product for the neighbour! I cannot see how on earth this is evenly remotely close to saying "FU." And your comparison to a kid spray bombing a car is pure hyperbole. 

FWIW, I don't own a cat. My neighbours cats are around our place and I find the odd 'present' every now (they do keep the mouse population in check though).

At the end of the day, for me this type of "problem" just is not that big of deal in the grand scheme of things; certainly not enough to start problems with people I live around. We obviously see the world in very different ways.




Milkman said:


> Pfft. It's akin to saying F$&k you. If you don't like it YOU deal with it.
> 
> That's not the kind of neighbor I want.
> 
> Sorry my kid spray bombed your car. Try a good scolding. That usually works for me.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> Yeah, because poisoning an animal is equivalent to _maybe _washing a kid's foot.


I guess I'm just making an extreme point. If neighbours think they have a right to let their cats roam knowing full well that they're shitting in my yard or other neighbours yards then I guess I have a right to do whatever I want in my own yard.
Its more than just having to wash shit off a kids foot. Its dealing with neighbours that feel entitled to allow their cats to roam anywhere that really can frustrate others. Thats not being a good neighbour. So although I've never done it my self or actually plan to, I would not judge others that poison a cat that comes in to their yard or traps them and takes them to the spca.
Yes, I'm sure that will horrify pet lovers that I think like that.


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## DrHook (Oct 28, 2013)

If there's a particular spot they defecate in, something that worked for me was using pine cones sprinkled in the area...something my dad suggested years ago.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i had to deal with this old lady across the street who fed all the feral cats and gave them shelter in her shed. the spca trapped about 2 dozen of them, right off of my front step in a matter of a few days. they were pissin all over my motorcycle and all over my windows. you couldn't open the windows. they went inside the ladies house and it was floor to ceiling garbage. they took her away to some home, the spca took the carts away, and after a shit ton of cleaning and bleaching the smell began to fade. by next summer, it was a nice place to live. i got no sympathy for outside cats, or their owners. wtf is the point of that? if you want an animal to feed without all the other hassles of ownership, just leave the lid off your garbage can everynight, you can have *****.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

guitarman2 said:


> I guess I'm just making an extreme point. If neighbours think they have a right to let their cats roam knowing full well that they're shitting in my yard or other neighbours yards then I guess I have a right to do whatever I want in my own yard.
> Its more than just having to wash shit off a kids foot. Its dealing with neighbours that feel entitled to allow their cats to roam anywhere that really can frustrate others. Thats not being a good neighbour. So although I've never done it my self or actually plan to, I would not judge others that poison a cat that comes in to their yard or traps them and takes them to the spca.
> Yes, I'm sure that will horrify pet lovers that I think like that.


I own a cat, but I get where you're coming from. 

Some people don't care, cause their lifestyle dictates the importance of having crap in their yard. My dad loves to garden - he's in it a lot (fruit trees, splicing things, blah, blah). So, constantly having to worry about standing in a cat's shit when you don't own a cat is more than frustrating.

For a lot of people it's out of sight, out of mind. 

If there was some way to have a doppleganger shit show up in the cat owner's favourite hang out, then they probably stop putting their cat out.

...unless of course the doppleganger shit saw the other shit and they x'd each other out. Then every one would be happy.

They don't call me Captain Solution for nothing...


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> What? The owner went out and bought the product for the neighbour! I cannot see how on earth this is evenly remotely close to saying "FU." And your comparison to a kid spray bombing a car is pure hyperbole.
> 
> FWIW, I don't own a cat. My neighbours cats are around our place and I find the odd 'present' every now (they do keep the mouse population in check though).
> 
> At the end of the day, for me this type of "problem" just is not that big of deal in the grand scheme of things; certainly not enough to start problems with people I live around. We obviously see the world in very different ways.


 I've managed to live in relative peace in the same house since 95.

As for my analogy, he handed YOU the countermeasure and suggested you do it. Loosely translated that says "you deal with it" or in other words F U.

I do own cats and mine don't crap anywhere but in the litter box.

THAT's a good neighbor.

Quite frankly I've spent more time and effort in this thread than I ever did worrying about cats.

But, if I clean up cat shit a few times, out comes the trap.


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