Big CAT POO problem!

[crockshard]

Our local small primary school had an adventure playground since 1995, but have been able to use it very little due to the six cats resident in the house next door and the condition the children return back into school/home, despite regular collection of excrement. The area is close-wicket fenced and covered with the usual deep-litter of bark-chippings, with two access gates. The garden belonging to the cats has very little surface soil, so it is all-too-convenient to use the adventure-playgound as a large cat-litter tray. The area needs to be kept visibly 'open' for the supervision of the children.
We have tried replacing the bark-chippings with very large bark-chippings on the surface. We have put netting along the fence and boarded the bottom. But cats climb, and gates inadvertantly get left open between lessons.
Next we are planning to offer the neighbours who own the cats (and who are aware of the ongoing problem but unable to think of a solution) a large trough of bark-chippings for their garden, but fear that the cats are so in the habit of their usual playground litter-tray that they will ignore it. We are also planning to put something flimsy on top of the fence and gates to deter climbing cats, but we are not sure of the best materials. Or find a spray that works?
Any suggestions that succeed would make about a hundred children and adults so happy!

[sarah81]

Short of relaying the surface with that springy asphalt you sometimes find in playgrounds. I can only think of trying a citrus based product, cats hate it and it is used in things like "Get Off Spray" for cats and dogs.

[craft1948]

a 12 bore....................

[Tallulah!]

I'd suggest a high wire fence like the public tennis courts have and a tall gate that automatically clicks shut.
Can hedgehogs get in? They do horrible poohs.

[annie0000]

Lion Dung?

http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/silent-roar- cat-deterant.html?gclid=CPnq0JmQvJkCFYITzAodXx ys8A

[crockshard]

One of the school Governors is a policeman and he says it is a criminal offence to shoot somebody's cat with a 12-bore (though he would like to do it himself!).
.
We have done springy asphalt on top of bark-chippings and removed it with remains of cat-poos still on it.
High wire tennis fence?- good idea, but not attractive in a village, and agile cats will find it no problem.
Definitely 'the cats', not hedgehogs.
Thankyou all so much who have responded so far!

[LottieAnne]

One can buy small machines which emit high pitched whistling sounds which are supposed to deter animals. I have never used one so am not sure how effective they are. Perhaps someone else may have tried one?
Cats particularly like freshly dug earth. Could you find an area between their house and your play area where you could dig a long narrow 'flower bed' shape which could be regularly dug over and perhaps some cat mint planted. It might help to reduce the problem even if it does not cure it.

[oldhamfan]

Spray a trail of catnip spray away from the area, for several miles, culminating in a large puddle on a railway line or busy motorway.

And I'm a cat person! ;)

Good luck

[wildwood]

You say the neighbour is aware of the problem, and they haven't done anything about it? Another case of the cats getting the blame for a useless owner. A simple frequently cleaned sandpit at the owners place would most certainly keep the moggies at their own place for toilet facilities. All these sprays and ultrasonic devices are useless in your situation.

It is not the school's responsibility to keep those cats from depositing their filthy excrement in the kid's zone. If the neighbour will not remedy the situation you may need to resort to beg/steal/borrow a cat trap and take the cat(s) to the RSPCA. Once your neighbour realises that it is going to cost money to get the cats back maybe they'll get their A into G and do something about it.

[crockshard]

Many thanks for all your answers. We will keep trying!

[DrFilth]

how big is the sand pit ?

my old local small primary school had thin metal covers that use to be locked at night . this was so the local yobs could not throw bottles at the wall and cover the sand with glass .



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[crockshard]

Charming! But this is an adventure playground, not a sand pit.

[mccfluff]

speak to the owners again, i provide a litter tray for murph so she does her business 'in house' and just goes out to wind up the neighbours dogs, i cna't believe they won't do anything about it!

i've alsoheard that plastic pop bottles filled with water work, but i don't know for sure

[Kazal]

We have the same problem in our garden as there are more cats than people around here and we have to cover any available bare patches of dug earth with large stones, long rose bush branches and netting but they still find the tiniest bit of earth to dig and drop.Dogs are not allowed to go just anywhere or the owners are in trouble so why it seems its ok for cats to use other peoples gardens I don't know.If I wanted a cat along with its problems I would have one, but I don't and I can well see where the shot gun comes into the equation.Cat owners should be treated the same as dog owners and fined if their cat deposits in other peoples gardens/play areas. They should be made to train their pet to go in a cat litter by their back door so that other people do not have to deal with this filthy matter. I could go on for ever I get so incensed about it.