Keeping Cats out of Garden

[TopCat1]

Please help me, I have a really bad problem with cats. There are 5 of them to be precise, and they all meet in our garden (there are not strays).

We have a 2yr old girl, who would love to play in the garden, but part of our garden is gravel, and there is always cat poo hiding there,it blends in with the colour of the stones so often hard to spot and because my little girl likes picking up stones, we cant allow her out to play. We are also finding dead mice, birds and small mole like creatures in the grass, so again, not good for a child. I have went out and checked the garden, cleaned what I can, but you can never be too sure, especially with the poo hiding in places.

They also climb on to our conservatory windows and slide down them, scoring them with their claws. The lawn is ruined with their pee. We bought the house specifically because of the garden so our little girl can play there, what can I possibley do?

[redcrx]

Get a cat. That way you will only need to clear up after one cat as the others will keep away from the territory
Failing that, get rid of the stones, they are just one huge litter tray for cats.

[TopCat1]

I know Redcrx, I totally agree about lifting the stones and we are intending to put paving down, but we need to get some money behind us, so I don't think it will be before the end of the summer.

As for getting a cat, I think my liking for them has been seriously reduced lately :-)

Thank you for your reply

[~posy-jo~]

i think recrx might be on to something when she says about getting a cat! we have a cat, we kept her in for ages and got her litter trained now she goes out in the garden we've not had any other cats in the garden but she still comes in to use her litter tray!! whatever way you do it goodluck xXx

[redcrx]

Until you can afford the slabs, have you thought of just removing the gravel? There are things that you can buy to keep cats away such as figures of cats that stand in garden and i think there are certain smells that are meant to help too.
I know cats hate orange peel but youd need a lot to cover a garden and it would need to be fresh each day.

[TopCat1]

I actually read somewhere that they hate mint, so I might look into getting a few mint shrubs.

But I think I may just have to find a way of putting up with them, as one of the cats lives directly next door to me.

I might even borrow my brother in laws dog, and let him sit in the garden for a few hours, surely his smell would deter the cats? lol

[steviep165]

just put the hosepipe on whenever you see them in the garden. they cant stand it.

[redcrx]

Not sure about the mint. I grew it in my garden and yet cats still used it.

[steviep165]

and make sure you dont get catmint by mistake. then you'l really be in trouble!!.

[Rabelais]

A three pronged attack is probably best. Try investing in some coleus canina plants and placing them around the periphery or where you see them enter, cats dislike their scent. Second creep up upon the offending animal and douse it with a supersoaker water pistol. Third buy a dog dazer and zap them from the comfort of your own backdoor (if you are really plagued you can but stand along infrared activated perimeter guarding versions that will zap them away while you sleep) a concerted few weeks of this will have the local cat population stepping rather speedily through your garden. Good luck.

[China Doll]

Slingshot? Evil tho.

[campbellking]

The get a cat idea might not work. We have three cats, two of which barely move out of our garden, but we seem to have kitty parties in our garden nearly every day, and there's a couple who are fond of sneaking into the house and trying to eat our kitties' food.
Certainly water can be a deterrent, an old washing up liquid bottle might work, eventually the cats associate the noise with imminent water, and go away before you spray them.

[saxo_boi]

my nan used to fill up bottles with water and the sunlight would reflect and keep cats away, also things like cds hanging from fences etc could be good

[Dollie]

simple (or at least it worked with us in stopping next door's two cats using our garden as a toilet) we put a largish mirror - stood up against some rocks - in our garden. Theory is that the cat ventures into your garden - spies its reflection in the mirror and thinks its another cat on guard. It scarpers - never to return whilst ever the mirror is there. Sounds dead simple but have to say it worked for us. Doll xx