Keeping cats out of a garden?

[wristpin]

You can get something called a Scarecrow, its connected to a garden hose and has a movement sensor on it, it also moves left and right to cover a large area.
The cats hate it! Just don't forget it and walk in front of it.....

Second that, very effective and also keeps the heron off the fish pond!

 

[richie00boy]

Probably the only thing likely to work. I have personally tried all of the "deterrents" people have listed here (yes even my own wee) and many more besides and can safely say that apart from a temporary effect with Silent Roar/lion wee, none of them work.

Thankfully I moved house and don't have a bad problem any more!

 

[rtcosic]

My springer see cats the same as rabbits and puffy fashion dogs, they all need there neck snapping and bringing back to the boss.

Would he/she like an holiday in Pembrokeshire?

 

[SmartWerks]

Would he/she like an holiday in Pembrokeshire?

He would luv a nice holiday in Wales. His only requirements are fresh chicken breast and liver with vegetables for lunch and tea and a tin of sardines for his breakfast

 

[julianf]

I deleted my earlier post on this thread, as i feared there was a real chance of me starting to rant...

Ill give it another (calm) go -

I would consider the following -

Trapping said animal in humane trap. Tag collar pointing out to owner that its not up to society at large to look after their pet.

or
Trap animal, and use human hair dye. Release with further warning.

or
Trap animal. Keep for a couple of days. Release in the hopes that owners will finally get message.



I would never want to halm someone else's pet. I also dont want it in my garden. Its not the cats that irritate me, its the madness that it seems acceptable to get a 'pet' and think society at large should suffer / look after / clean up after / etc/etc/ it for you.


We have dogs. They never leave our land without us. And the amount of dog poo that ive picked up from them is unthinkable. Its not like i like picking up dog sh't either. But i like having the dogs about, so its a price *I* pay for their company.

 

[colnerov]

Hi, that's all very true but you can't control cats like you can dogs.

Colin

 

[dunk]

you just beat me with that answer

 

[Kayos]

The thing with these cats is they are definitely looked after pets, they get food and water and presumably whatever else they need, so why can't they be trained to not hunt?

I do feel responsible as I've put the feeders in a relatively vulnerable position, when the tree gets leaves they will be covered from the top so safe(r) from the birds of prey, I didn't allow for the cats.

I'm going to order one of them scarecrow things and put it close tho where the cats coming in

 

[julianf]

Hi, that's all very true but you can't control cats like you can dogs.

Colin

Its difficult to control crocodiles. Which is why its unacceptable to keep them as pets, and let them roam about other people's gardens.

 

[SmartWerks]

The thing with these cats is they are definitely looked after pets, they get food and water and presumably whatever else they need, so why can't they be trained to not hunt?

I do feel responsible as I've put the feeders in a relatively vulnerable position, when the tree gets leaves they will be covered from the top so safe(r) from the birds of prey, I didn't allow for the cats.

I'm going to order one of them scarecrow things and put it close tho where the cats coming in

As hunting is a natural instinct, my springer is a very well looked after pet but as soon as he's of his leash he reverts back to what he is meant to do. I never had to teach him to work a field or spring pheasant, that's his natural instinct. Is a bit heartbreaking when he catches something, especially when a mallard died in my hands. But that's nature and I a veggie

 

[daleyd]

Unfortunately cats are pretty much still quite close to their wild roots, it's difficult to get them to do what you want them to do at the best of times.

If you get one with a strong hunting instinct there's not so much you can do. We had a farm cat kitten (he's 14 now) and he was just plain brutal in his younger days, and would fetch half a dozen mice/rats/voles/moles etc a day no problem, though almost never caught birds.(maybe 3 in 14 years)

 

[SmartWerks]

Remember a scarecrow does what it says on the tin, scares crows. You might also scare away the very creatures you are feeding and photographing

 

[Kayos]

Remember a scarecrow does what it says on the tin, scares crows. You might also scare away the very creatures you are feeding and photographing

I'm hoping to place it pretty much under a hedge I've seen the cat entering through, that should get the cats and not the birds

 

[SmartWerks]

Lemon plant/bush, suppose to work and if not they smell nice

 

[julianf]

Everyone on this forum is an engineer of some sort or other.
As a group, engineers are less likely to understand "can't" than most. They (we) are solution based.

To say that its impossible for a cat owner to stop their cat ******* in my garden is, as we all know, a lie.

Its not a matter of impossibility at all. Its not a matter of "you can't train cats like you can dogs" or any such nonsense. Its a simple case that the average cat owner can not be bothered to engineer their immediate environment so as their cat stays within their land. It really is that simple.

If youre a cat owner in a town, which is where the issues occur, then its possible for you to fence your garden so as your cat stays in YOUR garden.
The only reason why it leaves your plot is that you cant be bothered to engineer a solution, and / or think its ok for me to clear up after YOUR pet.

In my mind, its a simple issue of responsibility, not one of how well you can, or cant train your average cat.

 

[Kayos]

Random update:

The cat was ON the bird table, however I have for the first time put mealworms on it (pound stretcher, bogof deal) and it was eating them

I think I will get a mealworm feeder and hang it with others

 

[Kayos]

Everyone on this forum is an engineer of some sort or other.
As a group, engineers are less likely to understand "can't" than most. They (we) are solution based.

To say that its impossible for a cat owner to stop their cat ******** in my garden is, as we all know, a lie.

Its not a matter of impossibility at all. Its not a matter of "you can't train cats like you can dogs" or any such nonsense. Its a simple case that the average cat owner can not be bothered to engineer their immediate environment so as their cat stays within their land. It really is that simple.

If youre a cat owner in a town, which is where the issues occur, then its possible for you to fence your garden so as your cat stays in YOUR garden.
The only reason why it leaves your plot is that you cant be bothered to engineer a solution, and / or think its ok for me to clear up after YOUR pet.

In my mind, its a simple issue of responsibility, not one of how well you can, or cant train your average cat.

That is spot on, and well put

 

[Robotstar5]

A couple of things we found when putting out lots of bird feeders/tables in the garden is excess food goes on the floor and we ended up with a slugfest every evening and started getting visits from Ratty.

Now only got one bird feeding station at home and the rest have been put up at the stables where the 2 resident semi-feral cats keep the rat population in check

 

[colnerov]

Cats and dogs are territorial but in different ways. Dogs will in the main protect where they are now, once the enemy is outside that area they will watch but not necessarily respond. Cats will assign themselves a territory mark it and patrol, defend, sleep, hunt and mess in it. It might be your garden, it might be half the housing estate, it's down to the individual cat. My garden "belongs" to a local cat and he usually enters in the bottom corner, up the garden an out under the side gate, nearly always at the same time of day. Whenever there is some thing stopping with this routine like if he can't go under the gate he will go over the 7' fence it is part of and I end up with footprints on the car the other side. So no a fence is not going to stop a cat.

Colin

 

[Gerry450]

I deleted my earlier post on this thread, as i feared there was a real chance of me starting to rant...

Ill give it another (calm) go -

I would consider the following -

Trapping said animal in humane trap. Tag collar pointing out to owner that its not up to society at large to look after their pet.

or
Trap animal, and use human hair dye. Release with further warning.

or
Trap animal. Keep for a couple of days. Release in the hopes that owners will finally get message.



I would never want to halm someone else's pet. I also dont want it in my garden. Its not the cats that irritate me, its the madness that it seems acceptable to get a 'pet' and think society at large should suffer / look after / clean up after / etc/etc/ it for you.

I'm quite sure what you're suggesting is against the law.
The law aside, if you put dye on a cat I owned, I wouldn't be very happy. To put it mildly.

As it's already been said, you can't train a cat like you can a dog per se. But you can throw a cup of water over them every time they enter your garden. They WILL get the message soon enough.