How to keep cats out of yard

I know this has been discussed before with no real answers, but I'm hoping someone has suddenly found a magical solution to keep cats out of the yard.

They used to poop in the roses. Annoying and gross. Then they decided the raised garden beds were a great place, annoying and disgusting. One day the boys forgot to cover the sand box. No need to tell you what happened with that, but I'm leaning more towards that being the boy's fault rather than the cats. Now they're pooping in the dirt where the boys play with their toy construction trucks. My yard is very small and this is the only area the boys are allowed to dig in, so telling them to play in a different part isn't really doable.

In the past I've tried sprays. They smell horrible but don't stop the cats. I've tried lemon juice, lemon rinds, neither worked. I know that playing in the dirt isn't "clean" play, and I do clean up the poop, but having them play where I know cats are pooping is just gross. I don't want to force them to play indoors. I'm at a loss of what to do.


I think you need a motion activated sprinkler. Or maybe a noise maker.


Ooh, this video shows it to be effective!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-2WFy9OFqY


My mom believed in sprinkling red pepper. But I like tom's suggestions better. smile


Since trying this product, I've noticed much less of a cat urine smell in our yard and haven't seen the neighborhood cats lurking in our yard...

http://www.shake-away.com/DomesticCats.php?page=DomesticCat


That is actually pretty cool, I'll just have to remember to turn it off before the boys play. What is the power source though? My yard is full shade so solar won't work. Battery powered is fine. It is also the back yard so I don't have to worry about accidentally hitting pedestrians or mail carriers.


Super-annoying. Neighbor's boyfriend decided he didn't want her cats in the house anymore, so he chucked them outside. They're in our front and back yard pooping and spraying constantly, and recently started killing songbirds. We used several feet of bird netting around our raised beds, which they used to use as litter boxes. People are gross - it's not the cats' fault. I'm just wondering what to do when the boyfriend decides that her kids aren't behaving in the house. oh oh


"remember to turn it off before the boys play"

Although honestly, the boys would probably love it. : )

(My great-grandmother was known to sit on her porch with a slingshot (which they did not call a slingshot in those benighted days) to ward off the neighborhood dogs. However, it might not be an efficient use of your time, and I can only imagine the neighborhood commentary.)

Good luck fending off the cats - sounds really gross. I hope either Tom's idea or the netting, or *something* will work for you.


My son wanted usto put up a fence. I told him a fence wouldn't keep the cats out, they can jump/climb over them. He then asked if a 100 foot tall fence would keep them out. Yeah, it would, but I doubt the town would grant a variance for that.


This is what we used to wrap around our raised beds. It doesn't (unfortunately) keep the neighbors' cats off our front lawn, porch, or out of the back yard (because we obviously can't net off the entire lot), but it DOES keep them out of the raised beds where we grow vegetables, herbs, etc. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bird-X-100-ft-x-14-ft-Standard-Bird-Netting-NET-STD-100-14/204101324


I just bought a box of moth balls because I heard it will keep them away. But I can stand the smell myself and don't quite understand what they are. But our neighbors cat walks across the street to our house to use it as a bathroom then walks back to lounge on their porch. Maybe they have them in their yard


please don't use pepper or anything toxic. the pepper can harm the cat.

supposedly vinegar works, but I use vinegar to kill poison ivy and the cat still lays in that spot with the poison ivy!


it is possible to securely fence an area so cats can't get it (just make sure you don't lock them in!) I think it was a wire type fence with a wire coil (resembling barbed wire coil) that worked...the fence was 4 foot plus another foot of the rolled/coil fencing


feed them treats in the area...but that can create more of a problem!

generally cats won't poop where they eat.


http://www.homedepot.com/p/YARDGARD-5-ft-x-50-ft-14-Gauge-Vinyl-Galvanized-Welded-Wire-308354B/202024094


i think this is the type of fencing..it was actually used to keep the cat in the yard....and it always worked..unless someone left the gate open


Tons of cyanne pepper, especially around my bird feeder and a garden hose when I see them. I had no opinion about cats before I moved to S. O. but now I put them in the same category as other nuisance animals. They are at the top of my list actually. Cats, raccoons, squirrels, mice, bugs...........



GGartrell said:
Tons of cyanne pepper, especially around my bird feeder and a garden hose when I see them. I had no opinion about cats before I moved to S. O. but now I put them in the same category as other nuisance animals. They are at the top of my list actually. Cats, raccoons, squirrels, mice, bugs...........

sniff some cayenne pepper yourself and then risk the cats sniffing it..no matter how much you dislike an animal for being a nuisance or what they are doing in your yard, harming them in animal cruelty.


http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Pepper-is-a-cruel-deterrent-for-unneighborly-2742009.php

also, it can burn the nose/mouth



jmitw said:



GGartrell said:
Tons of cyanne pepper, especially around my bird feeder and a garden hose when I see them. I had no opinion about cats before I moved to S. O. but now I put them in the same category as other nuisance animals. They are at the top of my list actually. Cats, raccoons, squirrels, mice, bugs...........
sniff some cayenne pepper yourself and then risk the cats sniffing it..no matter how much you dislike an animal for being a nuisance or what they are doing in your yard, harming them in animal cruelty.


http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Pepper-is-a-cruel-deterrent-for-unneighborly-2742009.php
also, it can burn the nose/mouth



jmitw said:


GGartrell said:
Tons of cyanne pepper, especially around my bird feeder and a garden hose when I see them. I had no opinion about cats before I moved to S. O. but now I put them in the same category as other nuisance animals. They are at the top of my list actually. Cats, raccoons, squirrels, mice, bugs...........
sniff some cayenne pepper yourself and then risk the cats sniffing it..no matter how much you dislike an animal for being a nuisance or what they are doing in your yard, harming them in animal cruelty.


http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Pepper-is-a-cruel-deterrent-for-unneighborly-2742009.php
also, it can burn the nose/mouth

I'll put the article in my yard for the cats to read.



GGartrell said:

I'll put the article in my yard for the cats to read.

GG,

Send me a copy too. I'll let the cats, and the groundhogs, read it.

TBH, since the groundhogs moved in, the cats have been basically absent. Maybe a red-tailed hawk rental is in order.


Some of the spray deterrents seem to be battery-operated, although some are solar. Some can use either power source. I saw one that had a 30-foot extension cord for power!

Do the cats come during the day at all, or only at night? I'm wondering whether it's worth turning it into a game for the boys and arming them with water pistols for any invaders when they are playing outside. But that could create a whole other monster you don't want to have to deal with.


We had a red-tailed hawk trying to take down a squirrel in our driveway a month or so ago. Unfortunately, the squirrel got away.


I just cleaned up a ton of cat poop, and the ground was still wet from urine when I went outside. And this is right in the area my boys play in. The cats have chosen that spot as their new outdoor litter box. I found a battery powered motion sensor sprayer, we are going to order it. Rembering to turn it off and on again it going to be a pain in the rear



Sir_Dave said:


GGartrell said:

I'll put the article in my yard for the cats to read.
GG,
Send me a copy too. I'll let the cats, and the groundhogs, read it.
TBH, since the groundhogs moved in, the cats have been basically absent. Maybe a red-tailed hawk rental is in order.

We had a whistle pig living under our neighbors garage. The entrance to her burrow was in our yard. The prior tenant of the hole was "taken care of" by my gardener but a new one moved in shortly after. Soaked four tennis balls in ammonia and drooped them in the hole, haven't seen her since.


There's a suggestion on another forum* to use coffee grounds liberally sprinkled around the area to deter the cats.

* http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1851480/cat-repellent


I heard motion sensor water sprinklers usually work well. It doesn't harm them, just scare them. You can find them on amazon


It sounds to me like you have some competing un-neutered Toms competing for that space, and they are marking it regularly to try to claim the territory. I hope the motion-sensor sprinkler works for you.

I know it's a PITA, but could you move the boys' play area?? I know, that's asking a lot, and you shouldn't have to do that, but it might be worth considering.



PeggyC said:
It sounds to me like you have some competing un-neutered Toms competing for that space, and they are marking it regularly to try to claim the territory. I hope the motion-sensor sprinkler works for you.
I know it's a PITA, but could you move the boys' play area?? I know, that's asking a lot, and you shouldn't have to do that, but it might be worth considering.

I actually know all the cats, and even pet a few of them. They are all spayed and neutered, there are just too many and as outdoor cats they go where they want. The other day I walked out my back door to see five cats sitting in my yard.

Moving the play area isn't really feasible for a few reasons. Our yard is only 25'x25' so there isn't a ton of room to begin with. The area that the boys play in is underneath a large pergola which is not movable. As we haven't used the pergola for anything in all these years it has now become their default play area. It is right underneath the pergola, the one area that we allow them to dig in since they've already killed all the grass there, that the cats have taken to using as their litter box. We're going to get the motion sensor sprayer and just hope I don't get sprayed myself too many times before I remember to turn it off before going into the yard.


Yes, I can certainly understand that it's very difficult to move the play area. Thatwas just an idea, but I had a feeling it wouldn't work or you would've tried it already. Good luck with the motion sensor sprayer.


Not yet, I've been researching them since the price varies so wildly on motion sensor sprayers and while I don't want a cheap one I also don't want to pay more if a less expensive one works just as well.


How about getting a dog?



marksierra said:
How about getting a dog?

Please. She has her hands full with 3 young boys!



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