So here is a question for everyone.....

Does you have a miracle cure to keep the neighborhood cats from using my flowerbed as a litter box? My dogs are gracious enough to leave the flowers alone, however they are always looking for yummy cat treats in the dirt or mulch in certain areas that the cats frequent.

I'm pretty sure that the dogs would leave the lanscaping to me if I could just figure out a way to keep the cats from thinking that is their litterbox. Will anything deter them?? My sweet neighbors rescue cats, get them fixed, then let them live in their back yard....which means they climb the fence and live in my yard, too!

Help!!!

I have heard that moth balls work but I think they would be toxic if the dogs picked them up.

liquid fence

I can tell you the deer product works since I have sold gallons and gallons to local land associations and golf courses.

The dog product...worked for all but one of my dogs but it did help. Don't have a cat issue but it may help you. The company is GREAT and will stand behind their product.

A BB in the butt works well to. Non toxic just Makes a small stinging welt if you just happen to hit the tail. No worse then microchipping your puppy. I would think the BB would be less painful.That cat won't be back. Especially after you sting it & yell at it.Depending on how many cats you have. Over time you will have no cats visiting your yard.Its long lasting. They will tell there feline buddys that Annie Oakley is packing her BB gun.

I'm sure I will get a flame . Oh Well.

But now I have attack cats that don't allow strange cats in the yard.

And what happens when you miss and hit a cat in the eye?

There has got to be a better way! :(

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000978.tip.html

Well hard to hit the cat in the eye when his butt is pointed at you. every time i look at my cats butt i don't see eyes. maybe i'm missing something. better go look, Nope no eyes. I'm better shot then that.,

Silence! What is all this insolence? You will find yourself in gladiator school vewy quickly with wotten behaviour like that.

Well, eyes in their butts or no eyes in their butts, I don't think that the BB idea would work for us either way. Almost of the criminal kitty activity is happening while we are at work or at night while we sleep. The cats are terrified of us and the dogs, so they only come over to borrow the flowerbed/litterbox while we aren't around. Then, when we try to enjoy the yard in the evenings, the dogs find all of the great things that the kitties have left behind.

That's why I was thinking that maybe there's something that we can put there to deter them from visiting (or at least deter them from leaving their yummy tootsie rolls behind). We might be able to try the moth balls. My dogs would most likely leave them alone since they only dig when there are tootsie rolls to be found! Plus, we are ususally out there with them. (you can imiagine that right now I spend most of my time telling them No and Leave It while they hunt for tootsie rolls.....I'm ready to have my peaceful spring evenings back!)

Thanks for the ideas, and keep them coming if you have more!

I was having the same problem with neighborhood cats (and our own cat) using my flower bed as a litter box until I put a thick layer of barkmulch down (about 8 inches). I guess the cats don't like to dig in that as much and have pretty much stopped using the flower bed now.

I didn't put the barkmulch down for that reason but was very pleased when I noticed the dogs weren't looking for treats there and the cats were not using it for a litterbox anymore.

It might work for you too? Good luck.

Actually being surrounded by 100's of acres of land. my cats don't use my flower beds.And because this is there territory they don't allow strange cats to come over. so least i don't have that problem.

I have several cats. They don't like to dig in gravel--pea gravel or larger 1-inch gravel is not appealing for them.

Looks nice and doesn't need to be replaced as often as mulch.

MK

Your lucky your territorial cats don't wander into others neighbors yards that might shoot them with a BB. Get real.

Moth balls: to keep your dogs from getting them try putting them in the foot of a stocking and tie it to a stake in the garden.

Won't be very attractive but dogs may leave them alone. Just a thought.

"I have several cats. They don't like to dig in gravel--pea gravel or larger 1-inch gravel is not appealing for them. Looks nice and doesn't need to be replaced as often as mulch."

Oooh... good idea. I'll bet any landscape rock would work the same way and it would look very nice in a flower bed. Thanks for the good idea!

just a quick note , while gardening becareful using mulch , many of woods , bark and mulch are extremly toxic to dogs, wouldn't want any of your Lab babies getting sick or worse.

Yes I am real. Deer away repellant is garlic. I haven't tried it .But they say it's works really good.
I have a problem with rabbits. since they are eating my pine trees at night. hard to do anything with them. up to the coyotes. But they aren't doing a good job with rabbit control either.

we stopped using mulch and got pretty lava rock and the cats don't even to in the beds anymore. The dogs don't dig for a cool spots in the beds either.

Organic Milorganite fetilizer works to keep rabbits away because it is human freeze dried feces.

Gross but works and won't harm dogs. Although I wouldn't let them wolf it down.

runs$10. for a 40 lb bag around here.

Try running aluminum foil across the top of the fence, *if* that's how they're getting in.

Cats can't stand to walk on aluminum foil, and will probably make themselves fall back off the fence if they get surprised when landing on it.

I went rounds with the neighbors about their outdoor cats pooping in my yard. They didn't seem to mind that there was a "no pets off leash" ordinance that applied to cats in the city because they knew no one would enforce it. My dog was on an allergy trial and every time she at cat poo from the yard we had to start over again as Day One. I was ticked at the owner for not caring & I bought a cat trap, which only netted me one cat, and not even one of the ones the jerk owned. Finally, I used this product called Boundary Dog & Cat Repellent Granules. I got it from Petedge cheaper than Petco sells it. I used it for the 8 weeks & sprinkled it around the perimeter, and the cats stayed out of the yard. I used it outside the fence, though, because the container says that it can be harmful if swallowed. So, that may not be a good choice for you. Animal control told me to bury chicken wire or plastic forks (tines up) just under the surface of flower beds because they hate to run into that when they are scratching. Unfortunately, these cats were pooping in the grass! I also found a product online that you hook to your hose, and it is motion-activated to spray maybe 100 feet. That might really be the best option for you, unless your beds are small enough to do the chicken wire.

Thanks so much for all of the ideas!

We'll try some and see if anything will keep the kitties away!

I have a kitty problem, but a bit different. A feral mama brought her two kittens to take up residence under my lawn shed last Summer. They've become quite used to the dogs. Recent months, as I've leash walked my girl who had nursing pups, the male kitty would seek us out on our walks and rub up against my girl. This is the same bitch who allowed our 17 year old house cat to lay at her head while she nursed puppies.
Problem is now male kitty jumps over the fence into the dog yards to spend time with the bitch, now that that girl has weaned puppies and is back to playing in the yard with "canine" buddies. I even caught him the other day kneading his paws up the back of my old yellow gal as she sat sunning in the yard. I always retrieve him from the yard and put him back over the fence. My fear is some of the other dogs, while they know my 17 year old house cat, aren't going to be so tolerant of the fence hopping kitty.... I know, generally Labradors love other animals, but I know when one in a group gives chase to an invading bunny or stalking a bird, they all join in... so worried the kitty is going to fence hop at the wrong time. Local rescue is up to their ears with kitties; SPCA is always overrun with kitties and is not a no-kill... kitty needs a home, but my taking in another one for a house cat isn't an option right now. I'd never use BBs as the solution, so I have to go about finding him a home preferrably with a Labrador he can love on.

How sweet Val. I bet if you posted photo and story on Laura's forum someone would find him a home fast! :) Save the kitty for Easter! :)

We don't rescue cats per se, but we do have a few ferals that we've trapped, taken to be neutered/spayed so they'd quit populating the neighborhood, and who now hang around for the good food. They did their business in our lawn and the courtyard succulent beds (which is topdressing rock the size of my thumb--so much for cats not liking to dig in larger gravel!), and I'm sure our neighbors found thier scat all over as well.

They always have access to the garage, but when the weather got cold this last winter, we started shutting them in the garage at night with a catbox--and wowie! You'd thought they discovered indoor plumbing!

Now I scoop the indoor AND garage catboxes. And I bet our neighbors like us much better. :)

Ahhh, thanks Donna, and that's a good idea... I will have to keep the digital handy and try to catch him in the act. Most of the time he sits or lays and paws at the dogs through the fence. What fun it is trying to get dogs in when they are so distracted... actually, the older dogs don't get to excited about him outside the fence, but he sure keeps the 2 younger ones entertained with the pawing.