Topic: Sick of bl** dy CATS

[Dandytown]

So much sympathy for the cats and their owners.....says it all about the way our country is heading.. what about those of us who have to put up with the constant damage and destruction of our plants?... how would they feel if we came along and s**t all over their gardens?

Whilst I hate the cats digging up my plants while crapping in my garden I do appreciate that they are just doing what is normal for cats to behave.  If we had to crap outside we wouldnt do it in our back gardens either.

A infra red sensor on the boarders would be good.  One that triggered an audible noise like a lion roar to scare them off
.

[Emagggie]

.The paraffin thing was just a joke with a bit of venting - if we are talking stereotypes, you cat lovers don't even have a sense of humour about your pets.

How odd that you think the paraffin remark funny  :o

[Squash64]

I am sorry to be so blunt but I would be much more scared having someone who would do this to an animal as a neighbour than all the cats in the world.

Exactly my thoughts too Jeannine. 

I think there is something deeply disturbing about people who are cruel to animals.

Now that I have four feral cats living on my plot I am having to protect crops with netting, something I might not have done before.  The cats give me so much pleasure, the little extra work is well worth it.

[sunloving]

I am a dog owner and i would never allow my dog to wander into other peoples gardens and crap everywhere, chase and eat ground nesting birds and taunt their chickens , I think it is a mark of deep disrespect for cat owners to allow there non native predators to do the same to ther peoples gardens .

It is unacceptable to say that its just cat behaviour and shrug shoulders. This is a non native species causing havock to our coutryside and gardens and its irresponsible owners who are the source of the problem. If you have a pet be responsible for it otherwise you shouldnt have it.
and stop being so huffy about a joke.
they werent seriously suggesting anything,

[Dandytown]

As a cat owner (of which I am not) how would you control where your cat goes?

I am on the fence with this one.  Dont like cat pooh in my garden but wonder what can actually be done by owners.  I sense an influx of answers coming though

[Melbourne12]

Every human/animal relationship is exploitative.  We need to keep animals on farms, for food and to work for us.  And even there they deserve respect.  And there are a few other good reasons for keeping animals other than on farms, like guide dogs, or police dogs.

But I deeply disapprove of domestic animals, especially in towns and suburbs.  They are kept purely for the entertainment of their owners, and I suggest that entertainment isn't a good enough reason to impose human constraints on a wild creature.  Cruelty to animals isn't just crazy people putting cats in dustbins.  It's silly sentimental people with dogs that they don't exercise, or cats that they don't care for, or birds in cages, or rabbits in hutches, or fish in tanks.

If you so admire wildlife, go out into the country with a camera or binoculars, and be soppy about the real thing.

[Alimo]

I have a cat -  he is a rescue (I had him 3 years ago when he was eight) and have had to 'train' him to use the litter tray.  

We live in a very rural area - but I know by experience that cats will poo in recently dug / weeded / sown soil, especially the neighbour's or the veg patch!

He now comes in from outside to use the tray, and not the garden / neighbours garden, and I don't mind having to deal with the litter mess - rather that than find his poo where I'm about to plant my pea seedlings !

Having said that - we do have neighbours cats to deal with, and I find throwing a bucket of water over them, chasing them is deterrent enough.  We have enclosed our veg patch with waist high chicken wire fence (bluddy rabbits), but even this has been jumped over on occasion - in the flower beds I use gorse clippings to stop any unwanted cat / rabbit attention.

Alison

[BarriedaleNick]

Ahhhh - the annual cat poo debate - a little early this year but still as entertaining and diversive as it always is.

Just one point - I am a cat lover and have two cats - both rescue.  We are luck to have some spare ground out the back where all the cats tend to go but i try to do this...

I have a little area at the back of the garden which i leave for the cats.  Keep it freshly dug as much as I can - add sand or some compost from time to time and the cats tend to poo there.

I disagree with Melbourne - I am perfectly at liberty to keep a non wild animal in and around my home if I chose to do so responsibly - I dont do so for the pure entertainment although it is of course a factor.  These are not wild animals - they are born and bred domestically and would die in the wild.

Also I am not sure what point Sunloving is trying to make with the whole non domestic thing.  Most dogs are the producy of human selective breeding and as such are not "natively" from anywhere.  Dogs also cause huge problems in the country side with sheep and chickens and other farmed animals.  Mind you of course most farmed animals are not truly domestic anyway.

[sunloving]

The point is that responsible dog owners wouldnt let their dogs wreak havoc in the countryside, keep dogs on leads dont allow then to crap in other people gardens , most cat owners couldnt care less once the cat leaves their property.

Cats are the number one predator of several endnagered british species such as pipestrelle and whiskered bats, many ground nesting birds and are allowed by thier "owners " to do this behaviour.
Dogs are not and there is a great difference between the level of nusiance caused by each,in both cases the nusiance/ harm to wildlife being down to the irresponsibility of their owners.
x sunloving

[cornykev]

1.  It was just a joke whether u find it funny or not
2.  Dog owners let their dogs off their leads and they chase birds and kids on bikes, my 6 year old clings to me as we walk across the park, god forbid any dog that went for my child
3.  Cats are a pain in the arse but they are not kids and owners can't stop them cacking
4.  My kid has a fish in a bowl, when she comes back from her holiday I will have to tell her how cruel it is to keep fish, but I didn't realise they were so entertaining, well if off with a can of pop and a box of popcorn to watch them, bye for now.
   :P :P :P

[Borlotti]

I hate dogs.

[BarriedaleNick]

Ah sunloving I see you are just being  one sided.  Dog owners are responsible and cat owners are not.  Of course that is complete and utter tripe.  
How many humans are mauled/killed by cats, how much cat poo is left in gutters in streets, why is their no dangerous cat law, how many sheep and cows are injured by cats.

The real truth is that the animals are all innocent and that both dog and cat owners can be irresponsible.  I completely take your point about birds being killed by cats.
I agree that there is a huge difference between the level of nuisance - dogs kill people and injure people and other animals - a far great "nuisance" im sure you will agree.

[Garden Manager]

Totally sympathise with the OP's problem. I also do not have cats but my garden is regularly visited by them, with my veg beds in particular being used as feline loos. I have ornamental borders as well but as these are permanently planted with shrubs and perennials, the cats don't seem to use them as much.

On the veg plot i have to routinely cover my beds to keep them off with mixed success. When the beds are fallow i use sheets or old compost bags to cover the soil bit keeping the cats off when things are planted or sown with a crop is a bit more tricky. Using fleece or enviromesh  to cover seed beds or newly planted onion sets is effective and benefits the crop.  I have to use netting with things like leeks and module raised garlic, not pretty and it can harm the crop physically but its better than being dug up or buried! I grow a lot of veg plants in modules and plant as semi mature plants, which the mere presence of should deter the kitties, but even that isn't totally fool proof and doesn't actually keep them off the bed, just make it more difficult to use.

Worst thing is i actually like (most) cats themselves (used to have one), just don't like what they do in the garden!

Also agree with the idea to get your own cat or better still a cat hating dog. I know one 'Westie' that cant stand them but then again even he cant keep them out of his owners garden completely. Theres even one cat that sits on the other side of the fence out if reach and teases him!

PS on the subject of nuisance visitors, anyone got any tips on how to deter seagulls? We are 8 -10 miles inland yet a load of them have taken up residence in our neighbourhood. Becoming right pests.

[Emagggie]

Sunloving, what about the crap left by rats and foxes etc. How should we stop that? I'm sure there is more of that in our gardens than we realise.

[Two Choices]

Of course the parafin comment was a joke, which some of you have highlighted. My serious contribution was the point about the wire coat hangars - harmless. But it generated debate, so here's another idea

Not wishing to take anything away from the cat loving community, how about the next time the neighbours cat leaves it's calling card, you scoop it up into a paper bag and return it to the cats owner by posting it through the letterbox. Maybe addresses 'Return to Sender'   ;)

[OllieC]

OP question was about cats. Why are we talking about dogs? They don't even look the same - can't see how someone would mix them up.

[cornykev]

Scoop in a bag
Pop on next doors step
Set light
Ring the door bell
And hide
 ;D ;D ;D

[Borlotti]

U R so sad.  Knife crime and wars, and u r worried about cats, that have do a poo somewhere.
Get a life.  It doesn't take too long to dig a hole and bury it, but dog poo is it  OK.  Leave the poor cats alone, or give them a toilet.  If you are really upset by it get a water pistol is good.  Cats are very clean and bury it, but don't like them shitting in childrens sand pits which they seem to love. If you sprayed my cats you would be 'dead meat'. I do agree that cats love soil that have been dug for planting seeds, but my cat and dog used to dig the seeds up and the dog that could pee for England could kill any plant in the garden that I had planted.  Perhaps it is better to have dogs, cats, foxes etc in rural areas than in the surbaran gardens.

[Angel]

I dont think there really is an answer to this problem..... Cats are cats and are gonna use everyones gardens as toilets whether we like it or not.

We just gotta try to deter them as much as poss ... in a kind way... and accept its just something we gardeners are gonna have to put up with.

I have a cat but she doesnt leave our garden and uses a litter tray. I have caught another cat using my garden and spray water to chase it away but realistically its always gonna be a problem. Life is too short to stress about a bit of cat poo.

[macmac]

I've resisted joining this thread as I'm an animal lover but while I would never harm a cat it doesn't stop me thinking about it  ;)
Seriously we have a large garden, 2 veg plots and 2 raised beds for veg and I'm sure the local moggies hold parties in them  >:(
Sorry Borlotti but they don't always bury it I've got some dwarf irises which they seem to like to squat on,and the raised bed despite being netted now has random seedlings of carrots,radishes .salad leaves scattered about even though sown in rows.I'm not sure I fancy eating them now  :o
We bought one of those electronic scarers which while the grandchildren could hear it did nothing to deter the mogs in fact they deposited right in front of the flippin' thing !