Every day when I wake up, my backyard is filled with fresh cat poop. It's a nightmare. My daughter is highly allergic to cats, there are flies everywhere and the yard smells unbearable. They lay on my flower beds and smash the flowers. I'm out picking up poop everyday (and I don't have a pet for that reason). I have to cover up my garden every night before sunset or they'll destroy that too. I'm at my wits end.
By KATHY BENNETT from Chandler, AZ
You can use mothballs or sprinkle cayenne pepper around. You will have to reapply it periodically and after a rain. (05/04/2009)
By Joy
Are you sure it's cat poop? Cat's don't usually leave their feces uncovered. That's why they like sand boxes, because it's easy to cover their poop with the sand. Cat's do like to "mark their territory" by spraying urine on doors, etc, but I've never known a cat to leave it's feces uncovered. You could try spraying ammonia or vinegar around your yard. I've read somewhere that cats hate those odors. (05/04/2009)
I got rid of skunks and cats. I sprinkled Citronella oil around my fence and flower beds. They will not cross over it. (05/07/2009)
By rosemary
Cats don't like the smell of citronella. What I did was buy a large bag of citronella tea lights. They last for a long time and worked great for me especially in the garden below my window where the cat odour was. (05/07/2009)
Mothballs are toxic to cats. They will cause liver damage that kills the pet. If someone finds out, they can take you to small claims court for animal cruelty, and yes, you will end up with a record. It is a felony in most states. Think before using this one.
Several abandoned cats live next to us now, and I have two of my own. Cats always cover their feces, possums don't. I have a few possums that come around at night, scrounge for food, and leave their feces everywhere, all uncovered. They are quiet, come and go quickly, and can make a mess. It took me a while to realize the problem. (05/08/2009)
By susan
I agree that it doesn't really sound like cats, unless they are really disturbed. I did have a farm cat that didn't cover. I believe that she was not properly taught by her own mother or perhaps had some sort of psychological issues, as we had multiple cats at the time, several of whom were her kittens. She was the only one who left piles on the lawn. You are sure it is cats? I have had over 20 cats on my farm, and other than this one with the bathroom problem, they didn't bother anything veggies, flowers, gardens, nothing was damaged in any way. I had many rock gardens and flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. The only thing my present cats have harmed was the catnip I planted for them; they loved it to oblivion. But they don't hurt anything else.
You can buy cat repellents at pet and hardware stores. I had some that was some sort of green granules that you sprinkled on the lawn. I had to reapply after a rain. I have tried mothballs in the past, and the smell of those is worse than the cat smell. Since it is so toxic, I wouldn't use it at all. The smell is truly horrible, and of course is not healthy for people either.
I have my own cats now and so they keep other cats out of the yard. Perhaps you should get a dog?
I did have stray cats that sprayed the front of the house, and I had very good results by splashing lemon scented Mr. Clean around on the front. It covered up and washed away the urine stains, and seemed to keep the stray cats away as well. (05/18/2009)
By Louise B.
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