My Garden Has Become A Litter Box

[ChipTam]

We have a neighbor who lives two doors away that has been feeding a dozen feral cats for the the last couple of years. There is a foundation which will neuter feral cats and then drop them back into a neighborhood if one resident agrees to feed them. Unfortunately, this foundation doesn't ask the permission of adjoining neighbors, many of whom have had quite enough of these stray felines. Now, we all grumble to ourselves but don't complain loudly because the neighbor who feeds them is getting on in years and has been a good neighbor in other respects. Anyway, here's my question. Is there a product out there which can be sprinkled in my gardens which will deter the cats from using them as a litter box?
ChipTam

 

[tiber]

We had that problem when I was living in Philadelphia.

22LR subsonics will motivate cats into the next world no problems.

 

[semipro]

Sprinkle a few big dogs in there!

Seriously, I'm not sure what will repel them. I've heard of using mothballs for this but they are pretty toxic and not something you want in your garden.

Feral cats are problem for local wildlife. I doubt the ones near your house stop killing the local birds etc. just because the old woman feeds them. I think there's a valid hunting season for feral cats in some states to address this issue.

 

[Lucky Phil]

If your garden is small, try throwing sticker bush clippings on the ground. They don't like walking on thorns.

 

[Highbeam]

They now sell motion activated sprinklers which will shoot the cats with a hose when they come to your garden.

Lawst year I surrounded my garden, about 1000SF, with chicken wire to keep my crazy chickens out of it. Not too expensive and would keep other vermin out too. This year I decided to coup the hens and leave the garden open.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I had that problem with a neighbor. Things I've found that somewhat work are moth balls and cayenne pepper sprinkled around. Good luck, now I'd probably try to trap them and convince the neighbor they must have moved on. I don't think I'd break out the .22 within town limits.

Matt

 

[woodsman23]

sprinkle some #4 birdshot around they will magically disappear.......

 

[BrotherBart]

Spend twenty bucks at Harbor Freight for a knock-off copy of a Hav-A-Heart trap and tote them to the animal shelter.

 

[BrotherBart]

As far as repelling them cats hate anything that smells like citrus fruit.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'll keep the citrus in mind.

Matt

 

[daveswoodhauler]

We have the same problem...neighbors cat shits in my kids prized sandbox, and pisses on our car. (Sorry for the profan)
mothballs and citrus do not work....I like the .22 idea

 

[JustWood]

Ferrals literaLEE don't give a chit. Nothing is gonna repel them 'cept lead,feedbags & rocks or havahart. That FUNK in the gardenj is gonna attract ferrals with reproductive capabilities and then you got a problem.
Best to deal with a few now than many latter. I've trapped 37 out of my shop in the last 18 months. Them bastages were tearin the chit out of my insulation and eye'd had enough!

 

[leaddog]

Wait until the coyotes move in and then you won't have a problem.
I'm sure that foundation gave those cats rabies shots so they don't spread it around. They are so worried about dogs and rabies but cats eat bats and those cat lovers don't think cats should get shots. Just why would any thinking person want to let feral cats run around passing on diseases, getting ate, hit by cars, and killing off the bird population. They claim they LOVE cats?????????????
leaddog

 

[ChipTam]

Thanks guys for all the good suggestions. I've considered the 22 calibre solution but, with our home only a few blocks from the downtown of a middle-size city, I doubt the town fathers would approve.
I'll try the moth balls/cayenne pepper/citrus solution. If it doesn't work I'm not out much time or money. I love the idea of a motion activated sprinkler. I think it might be great for a large garden out in the open. However, we have a number of small gardens several of which are right up against the house or shop.
We have another neighbor who says she's going to put out a couple of Have-A-Heart traps for the cats. We'll see if that works. My only concern with those is that any bait you put in them will probably also attract skunks, raccoons, and other critters.
I agree with several of you who mentioned the affect these cats are having on other wildlife. As a long-time bird watcher I cringe when I see these cats going after birds around my feeder. Yes, big dogs would help. I miss our golden retriever, Oskar. He was a very gentle dog but turned into a pit bull around cats. Ahhh, where's a coyote when you really need one.
ChipTam

 

[StackedLumber]

I'd also offer another solution to prevent it in the future, go to those town fathers that would frown on the .22 usage and complain about this "foundation" dumping the cats w/ out neighbor consent. When a zoning change for a given property is going to happen, a county notifies neighboring properties and allows them to have a voice if they have a problem with it or not because often times, zoning changes effect a whole neighborhood . . .to me this is no different. If someone is going to dump animals into a town or area, they need to have greater consent than one bleeding heart in a town. Find out when your next town,village, or township board meeting is and raise cane there.

Beyond that, if a .22 is a problem, take up archery, and arrow those buggers. Another option is slingshots w/ steel balls . . . . both are options I have turned to b/c of stray animals in my garden or on my porch.

 

[Elderthewelder]

I have the same problem with my neighborhood cats, I have tried the cayanne pepper thing and also coffee grounds both with no result.
I have often thought about mixing up a few cans of tuna with some antifreeze and crushed light bulb glass, if the antifreeze dont kill them the glass will rip apart their intestine track on the way out,
My wife did not like that idea when I mentioned it to her, looked at me real strange?

 

[leaddog]

Even though the 22 , poison etc sounds like a good idea think twice and maybe three times. Here in Michigan it is a 4 year felony to shoot a dog or cat. A farmer can shoot them if they are doing harm to here livestock. Legally you can't even shoot wild dogs chasing deer. Only a law officer. And how do you get one to do that when it is happening. If you call animal control they tell you to catch it and then they will pick it up. Some times you just have to do the three "S" shoot, shovel, shutup. But it is a problem. Sometimes cars, disease, predators are our friends.
leaddog

 

[firefighterjake]

Cat lover here . . . I would skip the shooting . . . could lead to more problematic solutions than finding a cat bomb in the garden.

However, I would start trapping these pesks and drop them off at the shelter . . . and perhaps contact this feral cat agency and tell them what you are experiencing in the hope that they will stop dropping them off in your neighborhood.

 

[semipro]

I have the same problem with my neighborhood cats, I have tried the cayanne pepper thing and also coffee grounds both with no result.
I have often thought about mixing up a few cans of tuna with some antifreeze and crushed light bulb glass, if the antifreeze dont kill them the glass will rip apart their intestine track on the way out,
My wife did not like that idea when I mentioned it to her, looked at me real strange?

Wow! I hope your joking.

 

[StackedLumber]

I have the same problem with my neighborhood cats, I have tried the cayanne pepper thing and also coffee grounds both with no result.
I have often thought about mixing up a few cans of tuna with some antifreeze and crushed light bulb glass, if the antifreeze dont kill them the glass will rip apart their intestine track on the way out,
My wife did not like that idea when I mentioned it to her, looked at me real strange?

Wow! I hope your joking.

Joking or not, I don't think pet lovers (and yes I have a dog) realize the irritation to people when their animals defecate and piss all over other peoples stuff. We have a horrendous problem w/ dogs in our area. People leave for work and let their dogs roam town all day. One day I had 3 sets of dogs playing humpy monkey right in my yard. Just today I threw a block of wood at a dog that pissed on my kids sandbox toys. Dog had no collar and I watched the owner let his dog out and then leave for work. Have I called the police? Sure have, but the response I get every time is that they are too busy. I've watched patrol cars drive through town and slow down for stray dogs and do nothing about it. It's against state law for a dog to be unattended off his/her leash in public. But the law isn't enforced.

A guy up the road just got 9 months in jail b/c his dog was on it's chain and a neighbor dog who was loose (to whom the guy had talked to/yelled at often about his loose dog, and the police were called on 3 occasions) played humpy monkey w/ and you know it, the dog had puppies. He went over and castrated the dog and left all the puppies on the neighbors steps for him to deal with. He went to jail for animal cruelty. I don't advocate at all what he did, but he looked at the judge and asked him who was going to protect the people and enforce the law about stray dogs if the police wouldn't do it, and if it was going to take a kid getting bit or killed for them to wake up. Again, I don't think cruel schemes to inflict gross pain is necessary, but enough is enough in the pet world. My response has often been, don't whine to me about breaking the law to get rid of your dog or cat, when you are breaking the law to leave it loose.

 

[Highbeam]

If I had a real problem with strays then I would live trap and relocate far far away to an animal shelter. If they returned like in that song about the cat the cat that "came back, the very next day" then I would relocate them to the woods a long ways away. If it returned again then that live trap would get a rinse in the river.

 

[semipro]

I have the same problem with my neighborhood cats, I have tried the cayanne pepper thing and also coffee grounds both with no result.
I have often thought about mixing up a few cans of tuna with some antifreeze and crushed light bulb glass, if the antifreeze dont kill them the glass will rip apart their intestine track on the way out,
My wife did not like that idea when I mentioned it to her, looked at me real strange?

Wow! I hope your joking.

Joking or not, I don't think pet lovers (and yes I have a dog) realize the irritation to people when their animals defecate and piss all over other peoples stuff. We have a horrendous problem w/ dogs in our area. People leave for work and let their dogs roam town all day. One day I had 3 sets of dogs playing humpy monkey right in my yard. Just today I threw a block of wood at a dog that pissed on my kids sandbox toys. Dog had no collar and I watched the owner let his dog out and then leave for work. Have I called the police? Sure have, but the response I get every time is that they are too busy. I've watched patrol cars drive through town and slow down for stray dogs and do nothing about it. It's against state law for a dog to be unattended off his/her leash in public. But the law isn't enforced.

A guy up the road just got 9 months in jail b/c his dog was on it's chain and a neighbor dog who was loose (to whom the guy had talked to/yelled at often about his loose dog, and the police were called on 3 occasions) played humpy monkey w/ and you know it, the dog had puppies. He went over and castrated the dog and left all the puppies on the neighbors steps for him to deal with. He went to jail for animal cruelty. I don't advocate at all what he did, but he looked at the judge and asked him who was going to protect the people and enforce the law about stray dogs if the police wouldn't do it, and if it was going to take a kid getting bit or killed for them to wake up. Again, I don't think cruel schemes to inflict gross pain is necessary, but enough is enough in the pet world. My response has often been, don't whine to me about breaking the law to get rid of your dog or cat, when you are breaking the law to leave it loose.

Surely your not supporting ground glass and antifreeze set out as bait indiscriminately? Its one thing to kill another to torture.

Back to the original subject, though it may seem silly, I think the same leash laws that apply to dogs also apply to cats in many towns.

BTW: my 4 dogs roam freely....on my 5 acres with shock collars and an underground fence. If they're playing humpy monkey its with some unfortunate animal that's trespassing on our property.

 

[StackedLumber]

If your question was directed to me . . .read what I wrote: "Again, I don’t think cruel schemes to inflict gross pain is necessary" If a stray continues to be a problem, I have no problem moving him on in life in a humane way. Although humane could be in the eye of the beholder, I wouldn't antifreeze or glass one.

 

[drewboy]

ChipTam - I bought some 4' wire fencing from Home Depot and installed it around my garden (10x30). It has definitely kept all the critters out and was only about $30. It surprised me because it was more of an experiment to keep my own cat out of the garden and I thought he would easily jump the fence and do whatever he wanted, but he stays right away from the fence. It may be worth a shot and the fencing is green so it isn't real visible.
The only critters I get in the garden now is toads.

Rob

 

[ChipTam]

Rob,
Thanks for that suggestion about the 4' wire fence. I think it would probably work fine for a larger square garden out in the open. However, my main concern is with the three smaller gardens on our property. Each is only 1 foot to 3 feet deep and run the length of my shop, or the porch or the east side of the house. For these, it seems like the fence would dominate those tiny gardens.
With the larger question of what to do with a dozen feral cats, I don't plan to hasten their demise, even though sometimes tempted. They're here now. It would have been better to euthanize them humanely two years ago (better for the neighbors, better for other wildlife, and better for the cats, themselves). The cats have shown they can survive Michigan winters but what kind of life is that?
In my opinion, there are two culprits in this story. The first is the guy up the street who didn't have his domestic cat neutered and then proceeded to move out of state leaving a mother cat and numerous kittens to fend for themselves. The second is this foolish foundation set up to "rescue" cats. There has been some talk around the neighborhood that the older women who is now feeding them is getting tired of it. No one else will step in, I'm sure. So, this foundation will have to come up with an alternative plan which, I hope, will take the cats out of our neighborhood.
ChipTam