Problem with cats outside...

[quick86]

First, let me say, I know this has nothing to do with the garage (yet) --- but we moved in to our home in December... It's got an 6 foot tall privacy fence around the back yard and a very nice deck enclosed in the fence.

I've noticed animal tracks - cat tracks specifically - around the front of my house and around my garage area. Even next to the fence line...

Saturday morning I was shoveling off my deck, as it has been a week and inbetween two snow showers - to find one side of my deck has been pissed on like CRAZY, and smells QUITE foul...

My dog, she uses the same corner of the yard every time she goes outside. And at night, she'll ask to go outside and chase something over the fence. By reason of deduction, I'm 99% certain it's a cat or multiple cats peeing all over my deck and yard. And it STINKS.


My dog is a 90lbs shepherd/rot mix (who is a big baby) --- but from what I know about cats it might be them trying to claim the area from her by way of smell by peeing all over it...


I'd like to kill the smell and keep them from coming in my back yard, but all the sprays I can find say they will wash away when they get wet and in the snow - meaning winter is the wroonnngg season to use that stuff.... Sooo I am baffled by what else I can try to keep them out of there aside from leaving my dog outside which I don't do.. I'd like to keep em away - especially before they start peeing in front and around the side of my garage.


Suggestions!?

 

[cowchaser]

I know how you feel and can relate on the smell. Where I live if your dog gets out the neighbors go wacko, but yet allow their cats to roam all over the place. What I do and I am sure some here do not agree with, but is I live trap them.

The first time I take them back to their homes and tell the home owners if I catch it again I am just going to take it to the pound. After all it is my yard and they are causing problems. After that I take them to the pound or call animal control to just come get them. I have no problems with cats, but when they start destroying stuff on my property or crapping in my flower beds that is just wrong.

I have been able to sprinkle black pepper on the ground in the flower beds and seems to help keep them out. Of course you have to reapply after it rains.

 

[JamieK]

Motion activated sprinkler head in the area they are peeing in. Effective and humane. Might have to take the dog out the front door for a while till the cats learn.

 

[bobabuee]

vinigar works well for cats spray it every were and is cheap ,also you could go tractor supply buy live anmial trap bait it catch the cats and take them for ride. to a shelter after closing hrs or release them in another town or last resort paint pall gun works nice at low pressure couple times cat wont come around.

 

[Falcon67]

Yes on the vinegar, and if you can squirt the little bastages with a vinegar/water mix they may well get the message. The ones across the street from us got my message. They sit on their porch and flip me off, but they don't come over and try to get in my garage.

 

[Daddy_Rabbit]

live trap. like has already been said, 1st time they get taken home, 2nd time they get taken to local humane society.

 

[5lima30]

I read somewhere that cats don't like coffee grounds. How about trapping the animal? Once you determine that it's not a neighors cat, take it to the animal shelter.

 

[LEVE]

Just rub catnip on the cat owners fan belt. The problem will be quickly solved.

 

[quick86]

I don't know whos cat it is - it's only outside at night also --- so I haven't seen it other than based off its tracks. Trapping it won't give me any results in finding the owner.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

live trap. like has already been said, 1st time they get taken home, 2nd time they get taken to local humane society.

We had a specialist come out and use a live trap to get a possum that was getting under a house we owned at one point. The first thing that wandered into the trap was a cat. The animal specialist came out and spent several minutes explaining ferrel cats to me and how he would have the cat disposed of properly.

I was like..."Whatever dude, but that's my neighbor's cat."

So...then I got to have a heart to heart with my nieghbor about keeping his cat on his own property. This was in a city with very strict leash laws and they basically just allowed their cat to roam with no leash, no tags, no collar. He got all upset with me at the time, but they did do a better job after that with their cat. Our house was for sale at the time and we had a couple of people walk through and complain about how much "our" cat had stunk up the property....so something had to be said.

We live a little more rural now. When I see a cat in my yard I sic the dog on them. He's a big softy of a golden retriever and isn't fast enough to catch them anyway...but he's got a "big mean dog bark" and he pushes them back over his invisible fence every time.

I agree with the original poster. They smell terrible. I don't let my dog off my property. I wish people took better care with keeping their cats in their own yards.

Phil

 

[bobabuee]

vinger strait were pee it surrounding area.live traps best take them to pound.
shake the cage few times with cat in it the cat will learn.also spray the cat in the with vinger or deer piss or skunk scent and release that way owner has a suprise when cat goes home

http://www.bowhunting.com/shopping/Products/Harmons-Skunk-Scent__2521.aspx

 

[Lotek]

If you rig the sprinkler in the winter, you may end up with catcicles.


<a href='http://cheezburger.com/sgt83007/lolz/View/4259993856'><img class='event-item-lol-image' src='http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/12/13/ccba02a7-8956-4ca1-bfbe-789c5a304392.jpg' id='_r_a_4259993856' title="CATcicle" alt="CATcicle" /></a>

 

[ihredo4]

I live in the country and all was fine while my dog was alive. Now we have people drop the GD cats off and they **** everywhere. We tried and tried to catch them to no avail. Finally one of the little F'ers crapped on my tractors hood. We load our own shotgun shells and instead of lead added salt pellets. So far we have not had any problem with the cats again. They run like hell when they hear the gun go off and find another gear when the salt hits them in the ***. Doesn't kill them but they feel the burn for quite a while and know where it came from.

 

[darkk]

get rid of the cats period.......

 

[Bender78]

get rid of the cats period.......

How do you do that? Kitty Hormones?

 

[lowbucktruck]

I had a cat crapping in my front yard and driving my dog crazy because he couldn't get through the side gate and chase cat. Loaded up a Super-Soaker squirt gun, well-pressurized, with vinegar diluted with water mix. Very effective. And if the cat didn't get the message with a vinegar soaking, then got out the BB gun backup (lot safer to use that within town limits) and busted 'em! I like to use my neighbors' stray cats for target practice myself.

I do like the motion-activated sprinkler idea someone suggested; have to find a way to make it work at night.

 

[kbs2244]

This is classic.
Dog people vs. cat people.

Cats are not dogs.
They behave very different.
And the people that have them put up with the differences.
The most obvious is dogs are day animals and cats are nocturnal.
The old song line to, at the end of the day, “Bring in the dog and put out the cat” is very true.

If the cats are coming around your house at night it is because there is something attracting them.
You have mice, chipmunks, etc.
Once they kill them off, they will move on.

Dogs will go nuts over a squirrel but ignore a chipmunk.
Cats are the opposite.

 

[ddawg16]

There is no leash law for cats.....

Like KBS said....eliminate what is attracting them and they will go away....

We have adapted 2 cats....about to take on a third if we can get her to relax around us....I have traped two and had them hauled off to the pound....one of them put my daughter in the hospital...4 stitches in the eye lid....

I have one more tom cat I am trying to catch....the little ****** sprays everywhere.....and loves to fight....he needs to go....

If we catch one and they have a good disposition...we will get it fixed and either keep it or find it a good home.....bad disposition? animal control gets it.

 

[long handles]

Moth balls work.

Cayenne pepper works too.

 

[quick86]

I'm going to try vinegar... Whatever I do has to be safe around my dog. (Hence, no peppers or anything like that)....

 

[birdman1]

Yes vinegar to mask the odor, I have live trapped cats and soaked them down with the hose before releasing from the trap--they hate getting wet. In the winter you certainly could kill them this way. Ck out you tube for squirrel lauchers and have fun with the cats while launching them across the fence. great videos

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I feel yalls pain. I'm fixing to start doing something about neighbor cats pooping in my yard. I'm real tired of it. It smells up the yard plus my dog likes to eat cat poop. Thanks.

The ideas about vinegar are good for the smells. I've certainly implemented the BB gun defense, but it isn't a consistent deterrent. I've let the dog out to chase it off. Fun, but again, not consistent.

I find the suggestion of spraying the cat with skunk scent or piss hilarious. Let the cat owner deal with bad smells for a change.

To add another, you could tie a note to the cat (on its collar if its wearing one) addressing this problem with the plus of remaining anonymous.

 

[DHS]

Around here you can call animal control and they will supply you with a trap. Also if you cannot catch it if you can get pics of it on your property twice animal control will come and pic the animals up from there home. I had a problem with neighbors dogs coming to my house to tear my garbage cans apart (chew baby diapers are a ***** to clean up). The neighbor had no fence and when I asked about keeping their dogs on their property they asked if I could just store my garbage inside??? No!

 

[6768rogues]

There was a big mean cat that used to come in my yard and kick my cat's ***. He didn't do it anymore after I put a bullet between his eyes and buried him behind the barn.

 

[jay50]

You need to go after the source of the pee..and take no prisoners...

 

[DirtyWhiteBoy]

You tell my wife "get rid of your flower garden, It is YOUR fault the neighbor's cat shits in it. You are attracting the cats with your fresh mulch!" LMAO!

Gimme a break.

My flower garden in Indy smelled worse than a water treatment plant. I used a live trap, and called the city to pick them up if ferrel, if it was a pet I sprayed it with vinegar and turned it loose. I seldom cought one twice.
The Humaine Society claimed that farmers used them in barns, etc. and they would spay/neuter them and sell em.

I had a crazy cat lady for a neighbor when I lived in Indy. She kept cat food on her front porch 24/7/365. There were dozens of ferrel cats because of her.
After 10 or 12 trips to pick up ferrel cats, the animal control officer noticed 15-20 cats in her yard (mostly because she was yelling at him to give her back HER cat!). Soon after she lost at least 25 cats and 5 dogs from inside her house to the city.

 

[ihredo4]

Another way to stop them from spraying is to take an electric fencer and attach it to a metal plate. Put this plate in the area that the cat is ******* and cover it with a thin piece of rubber with a bunch of holes in it. When that cat steps on or near the plate and pisses on it he will get a jolt he will never forget.

 

[luckylogger]

We live out in the country and had a drunken lawyer for a neighbor once. She was a real animal lover and was always bringing home stray cats. Couldn't buy enough vinegar to solve the problem. Only had to buy one gallon of antifreeze. Now if I could just figure out how to get all the lawyers in the world to mix a little in their vodka or bourbon. Maybe hire a cat burglar to sneak in and plant some in the liquor cabinet.

 

[jay50]

We live out in the country and had a drunken lawyer for a neighbor once. She was a real animal lover and was always bringing home stray cats. Couldn't buy enough vinegar to solve the problem. Only had to buy one gallon of antifreeze. Now if I could just figure out how to get all the lawyers in the world to mix a little in their vodka or bourbon. Maybe hire a cat burglar to sneak in and plant some in the liquor cabinet.

Oh yeah, Prestone is the "silent" way to take care of the problem also....

 

[srmofo]

out of all of the suggestions, I like a blend of them.

1) live trap the cat
2) put a collar on it with a message containing the issue you are having with it and warning of the consequences if you catch the damn thing on your property again
3) place back in the cage, spray with skunk scent (optional-shake the hell out of the cage)
4) release cat

Im not against cats, my wife has one, but it doesn't leave the house. Ever. Although I dont care for most of my neighbors, I dont want them harboring any bad feelings against me because of a damn cat

 

[Torque1st]

The Nature's Miracle product works well on the pee smell. Just follow directions.

Your deck might also have been the neighborhood "signpost" for the local cats. Cleaning it, getting the fence cat proofed, and using the vinegar and piss mix or even straight piss works wonders.

I may have to electrify a section of my wood privacy fence. The neighbors have some items stored next to the fence which gives the cats a start up the fence. Cats will go under or over a wood fence. They can get through anywhere they can get their head through. Fix your fence so a tennis ball can not get through and watch places where there are items next to the fence. Cats find it difficult to climb over the "good" or smooth side of a privacy fence but they go right up the rail side.

 

[Jeff]

When I lived in Miami we had cat & dog problems. The neighbors always claimed the "me no speaky english" thing. Then I found out from a friend who worked at the zoo that lion urine was the best defense. He was able to get me about 6 ounces after a surgical procedure. I diluted it with water to make a gallon and sprayed the perimeter of my property. Consequently there were no more animal problems. Even the dogs that were walked on leases refused to walk near our property.

 

[p_mori7]

Lion pee...

Funny !!!

Mothballs will work for a while, but once they have vented, the cats will be back.

I use my pellet rifle...I wait till they are walking away then nail 'em in the azz...they steer clear afterwards.

 

[Torque1st]

Lion piss is great!!!

 

[kb2tha]

If you know where they are coming through the fence, maybe buy a bag or two of sand and empty it on the neighbors side of the fence. Don't know if it would work but might be a humane way to stop the problem at the property line.
Ken

 

[fringeofinsanity]

I feel your pain. Two years ago I trapped a whole litter of strays as they like to hide under my deck, drive my dog nuts sunning themselves on the deck while we're gone, and **** and piss down the side of my house and in my back yard.

This year I caught a crazy witch neighbor feeding a whole new gang of strays and attracting more. You can believe we had words in the middle of the street.

I'll have to remember the vinegar.

 

[strike a poser]

A buddy of mine uses a have a heart trap. After every trapping he needs to wash it off though in a full garbage can of water. Sometimes he "forgets" to take out the cat first though.

 

[nissan_crawler]

We live out in the country and had a drunken lawyer for a neighbor once. She was a real animal lover and was always bringing home stray cats. Couldn't buy enough vinegar to solve the problem. Only had to buy one gallon of antifreeze. Now if I could just figure out how to get all the lawyers in the world to mix a little in their vodka or bourbon. Maybe hire a cat burglar to sneak in and plant some in the liquor cabinet.

Oh yeah, Prestone is the "silent" way to take care of the problem also....

A buddy of mine uses a have a heart trap. After every trapping he needs to wash it off though in a full garbage can of water. Sometimes he "forgets" to take out the cat first though.

I really hope karma comes around and takes a giant bite out of all of you (the buddy of the third one).

Trap them, fine. Shoot them humanely, fine. Poisoning and drowning? I only hope that person gets the same and finds out how it feels. Sick bastards.

 

[weegaz22]

+

= Problem solved

 

[hetkind]

Shoot, we have five house cats and STILL have to buy mouse traps for the shop...I trapped five mice last week and we can really use a barn cat or two.

Personally, I would rather have extra cats then keep repairing mouse and rodent damage.

Howard