How do I stop neighborhood cats from using my front yard as a litter box?

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by flipper35

I don't understand how she will help unless she has some sort of weapon hidden.

^^^this

[john70t]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

They are feral cats for sure; no visible collar.

Feral cats in quantity are NG(no good) unless mice are abundant, and their range is are checked by coyotes/etc.
They will wreck bird populations quick.

However, I know a guy who is trying to domesticate and spay a group of 20+ strays.
Money and time and effort.
Do the right thing.

It's a complicated subject.

[J P Stein]

A Daisy Red Rider BB gun is cheep & very quiet.....non lethal to four legged critters...but it will get their attention and keep it. The noise made by the BBs rolling back & forth in the magazine becomes etched in their pea brains after very few "introductions" to it.
Some critters made a wide circle around my house after given the treatment.

I believe that the "Kitty Roca" in my bark dust is all from my own cats.

[stogie25]

I am thinking a couple of timely shots with the sprinkler system or a hose. You probably wouldn't have to have a hard stream.

[mreid]

If it's you operating the hose, they will only be afraid when you are operating the hose. The motion detection system is perfect. It's how I kept Canada geese out of my pond when I lived in PA.

[group911@aol.co]

Look at the bright side

[Hawkeye's-911T]

By derek murray: Alternatively, a good sling shot using jujubes (aka DIY rubber bullets) works well, too.

Good idea. I went out and bought some ju-jubes for ammunition - it'll be interesting to see if this works out as I've always had concerns about using the normal shot supplied at the sporting goods store.

Cheers
JB

[aigel]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

started trapping the cats. Take them to the pound. Problem solved.

+1 - check with your animal control before you go ahead. Most cities encourage you to trap and bring it in but some may not allow it. The Haveaheart brand trap works well.

Also, if you have skunks in the area, raise the trap a couple feet off the ground to keep them out. Good luck if you catch a skunk.

Be careful to not to hurt the cat. Animal cruelty is a felony in many states now and has been in CA since 1988. Shooting it with a pellet gun or poisoning it with antifreeze would likely get you in big trouble in CA if you are caught. Shooting a pellet gun in most city limits is also illegal.

If trapping is not an option, I would get the motion sensor sprinkler.

G

[SCcaretaker]

This worked for me. Got some Cougar **** from a big cat owner, ( are you close to a zoo?) dropped it around the yard, and no more domestic visitors! Also entertaining to watch the puzzled look on the little darling's faces...

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by SCcaretaker

This worked for me. Got some Cougar **** from a big cat owner, ( are you close to a zoo?) dropped it around the yard, and no more domestic visitors! Also entertaining to watch the puzzled look on the little darling's faces...

Sooooo...

Instead of little chunks of cat schitt around the yard, you have big piles of cat schitt around the yard.

I'm not thinking that's an upgrade.

[Bill Douglas]

These cats are someone else's most prized little buddies. More loved than anything, anyone. Maybe a child crying every day for weeks because someone was cruel to their cat.

Some teens caught and had fun torturing my sisters cat. It was a nervous wreck for the rest of it's life. I offered to beat the sh it out of one of the teens but my sister said no. But I did have a talk with him and made him realise how close he came to getting a broken bones type beating.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

These cats are someone else's most prized little buddies. More loved than anything, anyone. Maybe a child crying every day for weeks because someone was cruel to their cat.

Some teens caught and had fun torturing my sisters cat. It was a nervous wreck for the rest of it's life. I offered to beat the sh it out of one of the teens but my sister said no. But I did have a talk with him and made him realise how close he came to getting a broken bones type beating.

That's a terrible thing to do to any animal. And it was nice of your sister not to give you the green light to do that.

But here's where I'm gonna be all contrary.

If a child prizes a pet, then why let that pet outside to get attacked by other animals, run over by cars or abused by other humans? It's a big, scary world out there, and even though the cat might want to be outside, the owners should know how dangerous it can be for a small animal out there. And that's just part of being a responsible pet owner. The other part is not infringing on your neighbors' rights to enjoy their own property. And to not have your predator kill native songbirds, which reproduce at a FAR lower rate than cats (which breed like rabbits.) When I lived in Idaho, it was legal to poison animals that came onto your property. I don't know if it's still legal, but at the time, I was appalled by that. When I moved to a neighboring state, and started having trouble in my garden and at my bird feeder, I set traps (the humane kind), and transported the felines to a shelter. It was only three cats making all the trouble. And two of them were feral (by their worn appearance and general demeanor). No need to kill the critters, but also pet owners need to take responsibili8ty for their pets.

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Antifreeze in a dish.

I sincerely hope you meant to type that in Green...
Leaving antifreeze in a bowl on your front lawn is a very cruel undiscriminating act. It causes a slow painful death. Additionally, there may be collateral damage in the form of a neighbors dog, other pet cats, feral critters like raccoon's and squirrels or possibly (yet remotely) even a child. In a perfect world our pets would know and understand the boundaries of our property, but they are animals and cats like to roam. The cat on your property is only there because he's looking for a small rodent to kill. That's all he's doing, that's what cats do. They are portable mouse traps.

[NY65912]

I had a similar problem, cat urine stink. I will not resort to harming an animal. I was told to spread ammonia around the perimeter of my yard. It does work but you do have to reapply. This only occurs in the spring when they are mating.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Rodsrsr

In a perfect world our pets would know and understand the boundaries of our property, but they are animals and cats like to roam. The cat on your property is only there because he's looking for a small rodent to kill. That's all he's doing, that's what cats do. They are portable mouse traps.

Again, your pet doesn't have the right to roam on other people's property. Respect your neighbors, keep them inside.

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Again, your pet doesn't have the right to roam on other people's property. Respect your neighbors, keep them inside.

I agree that your correct from a legal standpoint, I also think only a pretty sick individual would intentionally leave antifreeze on their front lawn as poison bait, because of a roaming cat. Its just not something most normal people would do.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Rodsrsr

I agree that your correct from a legal standpoint, I also think only a pretty sick individual would intentionally leave antifreeze on their front lawn as poison bait, because of a roaming cat. Its just not something most normal people would do.

No, it's not from a legal standpoint. It's from a respect for your fellow man standpoint. I don't want someone else's pet in my yard, walking on my cars, etc. Your cat has no more right to be in my yard than I do in yours. Sorry, but stating that it's ok because "cats like to roam" is a cop out. Responsible pet owners keep their pets on their property by whatever means necessary.

When we decided to get a dog, I spent thousands to install a back yard fence BEFORE we purchased the dog because I didn't want her roaming the neighborhood. Had we been able to afford the fence, we would not have bought a dog.

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

No, it's not from a legal standpoint. It's from a respect for your fellow man standpoint. I don't want someone else's pet in my yard, walking on my cars, etc. Your cat has no more right to be in my yard than I do in yours. Sorry, but stating that it's ok because "cats like to roam" is a cop out. Responsible pet owners keep their pets on their property by whatever means necessary.

When we decided to get a dog, I spent thousands to install a back yard fence BEFORE we purchased the dog because I didn't want her roaming the neighborhood. Had we been able to afford the fence, we would not have bought a dog.

Respect your fellow man? lol. We just disagree on this issue thats all. I'll just say that the method used is a bit extreme, borderlining on sadistic, and as I mentioned before, poison does not discriminate and in a city environment the owner also has a responsibility to keep hazardous substances in a controlled container, environment, whatever. The OP did say "Front" lawn, so if poison was set out in an area accessible to neighborhood kids and pets there would be liability issues. The "its my property" doesnt give you cart Blanche to leave dangerous substances on your front lawn in a city dwelling. If someone actually did something like this there would be ramifications for sure. Just look at this thread, you along with the person who mentioned it are clearly in the minority. You would have a neighborhood against you. Pick and choose your battles my friend.

[cantdrv55]

Some good methods here.

3 Ways to Make Homemade Cat Repellent - wikiHow

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Rodsrsr

Respect your fellow man? lol. We just disagree on this issue thats all. I'll just say that the method used is a bit extreme, borderlining on sadistic, and as I mentioned before, poison does not discriminate and in a city environment the owner also has a responsibility to keep hazardous substances in a controlled container, environment, whatever. The OP did say "Front" lawn, so if poison was set out in an area accessible to neighborhood kids and pets there would be liability issues. The "its my property" doesnt give you cart Blanche to leave dangerous substances on your front lawn in a city dwelling. If someone actually did something like this there would be ramifications for sure. Just look at this thread, you along with the person who mentioned it are clearly in the minority. You would have a neighborhood against you. Pick and choose your battles my friend.

I never advocated killing the cat. I would probably be in the camp of trapping it and dropping it off with animal control. You paying a hefty fine to retrieve it might make you rethink your cat's "rights".

If you let your pets run wild, you take the chance of never seeing them again. Pretty simple. By the way, the law is 100% on my side both here and in most cities. All pets are required to either be on a leash or otherwise contained (fence, pen, tied out, etc) when outside. Your pet is not allowed to leave your property unless leashed.

If you think that letting your pets run wild makes you either a responsible pet owner or respectful of your neighbors, you are sorely mistaken. I do not own a cat, therefore I should not have to deal with a cat. Remember that just because you love your pet, doesn't mean everybody loves your pet. Many pet owners forget that simple fact.