Stop me from murdering my neighbour's cat

Don't murder the neighbors cat! Don't murder the neighbor's cat!

*makes creepy mind-power motions like the dude in Life Is Beautiful*


I have never found a way to get cats to stop pooping in my yard, but someone told me that chili powder is bad because it can get inhaled and burn their nasal passages, so I thought I'd pass that bit along.

Don't murder the poor thing, it's not the cat's fault.

My neighbor's cat was pooping on my roof. So I trapped it in a raccoon trap and took it to their house and told them I trapped it on my roof and they needed to deal with it. I do believe they set up some kind of litter box outside in their yard (or maybe it was the porch) and taught the cat to use it. The cat never returned to my roof.

Or maybe the trauma of spending a couple hours in the raccoon trap convinced it not to return.

What kind of relationship do you have with your neighbor? Can you ask them to keep their cat inside more, or at least to provide him with a litter box so Mr. Cat maybe won't feel such a need to use your yard in this fashion? Is the cat neutered? Neutered male cats tend to stick closer to home and not to be as into territorial marking, though once a potty habit is established, it's harder to break.

There are sprays and crystals you can buy that are repellents for cats and dogs. I live in the US, so the brands might be different on your side of the pond (I assume you're in the UK, since you called the cat a "moggy.")

Also, sprinklers with motion detectors that hook up to a hose and turn on when a critter breaks the beam. Point it in a direction where you won't trigger it, though. And the sprinkler things are not so great in drought-stricken areas, because the junction between the hose and the sprinkler leaks a bit. I tried one to stop my dogs from fence fighting with a neighbor dog, but unfortunately, it turned that corner of the yard into a muddy mess (and even without a drought, this is an issue with dogs tracking it everywhere). There might be better brands. Mine was called "Scarecrow."

I believe there are speakers that play high-frequency sounds that repel animals (the sounds are out of the range of human hearing). Someone in our neighborhood had a rookery tree, where egrets were nesting en masse each spring and summer. The birds were lovely, but they were also messy, noisy and smelly, and the homeowner and their neighbors got tired of guano, fish, and dead baby birds littering their yards and parked cars. When the person mounted one of those speakers in their tree, the birds never returned. I imagine it might work to keep cats out of the yard too, though if you have dogs or cats of your own, or enjoy watching birds and wildlife in your yard, the sound might bug them.

Here's a list of some "cat repellent" products.



There may be some good advice here too:

http://www.alleycat.org/resources/how-to-live-with-cats-in-your-neighborhood/

I also suggest you do not use anything with ammonia -- that will encourage the cat to return and claim its territory.

You might find putting down chili, or wasabi, or anything spicy and pungent would work -- cats are curious about the smell, but usually sneeze and avoid it after one sniff.

Cats also dislike the smell of lemon.

Outsource. Get a python.

Helix said:

Outsource. Get a python.

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For some inexplicable reason, this suggestion cracked me up.

Albedo said:

There's a giant orange moggy that has apparently decided that my courtyard garden is its personal toilet. Summer's on it's way, and there's nothing like the smell of hot, baking cat crap in the afternoon to make your eyes water. I'd like to try something less mean than the old bucket-of-water deterrent if I can. Some people say lemon peel added to the mulch is the best, others ammonia, others chili powder. Anyone have any success keeping cats out of garden beds?

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Get a bush turkey. That'll fix it.

The moth balls worked for me but I used a lot. I sandwiched them between mulch layers to make the paths in a raised bed garden. I put them down thick but never had trouble with cats, even my own two. How about a super soaker water gun? I use it on my own cats to discourage them from hanging out in my flower beds and on my car hood--kind of fun but only outdoors. --s6

mccardey said:

Get a bush turkey. That'll fix it.

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Brush Turkey vs cat

Albedo said:

Chili powder at high concentrations might be bad for the cat's lungs, but wouldn't you only need to use a tiny bit to get the message? Lemon seems the kindest.

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You don't need much chili.

But, yes, lemon is good for everyone and everything if you're still worried about the chili.

Check your local ordinances concerning at-large/off-leash/unsupervised pets. You may have the law on your side. Many people assume that it’s only dogs that fall under such leash-law ordinances, but when in reality, it applies to “all pets.” (Be it a dog, cat, hamster, chicken, pony, dragon, or goat, you have the right to NOT have someone else's pet on your property.)

I second the cat repellent suggestion. Anything that has bitter apple is harmless and cats hate the smell.

M.S. Wiggins said:

Check your local ordinances concerning at-large/off-leash/unsupervised pets. You may have the law on your side. Many people assume that it’s only dogs that fall under such leash-law ordinances, but when in reality, it applies to “all pets.” (Be it a dog, cat, hamster, chicken, pony, dragon, or goat, you have the right to NOT have someone else's pet on your property.)

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I looked into this and didn't find anything that said leash laws apply to cats.

D. Why Aren’t Cats Required to be Leashed or Collared?
The answer to this question may have a multitude of answers. Again, historically cats roamed agricultural areas as a means of pest control. Thus, leashing the cat would impair its ability to catch rodents. Many cat owners worry about strangulation if cats were required to wear collars. Some groups contend that restricting a cat to a collar or indoors goes against its basic instinctual nature. (See, The Feline Resistance at http://www.felineresistance.org for example). Even communities that desire to impound at large cats under state law are hampered by the lack of state requirements to restrict cats to leashes. In Mississippi, an attorney general opinion specifically provides that the county authority to regulate dogs at large does not apply to cats. Op.Attny.Gen. No. 2002-0259. It should be noted that cat owners now have new and improved leashes and harnesses that allow cats to venture safely outdoors. In any event, the answer to this question depends in most part on which cat owner you ask.

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But I did find something that said you were within your rights to trap a cat that was on your property. Unfortunately if you don't know who owns the cat, that won't be much help.

I think OP is in or around Sydney.

Have you looked into talking to the local council? I'm in the US, so I have no idea how the different jurisdictions work. A couple of links:

NSW: https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/public/dogs-and-cats
Sydney: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/animals
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/animals/complaints-about-animals

If you trap the cat, you could then photograph it in the cage, take it to the local animal shelter, and put up posters of the cat in the trap telling the owner where to find their animal.

The inconvenience of having to go rescue their cat from a shelter, as well as the knowledge that one of their neighbours is willing to get hard-core about removing the animal, might spur them to be more careful about the matter.

*sigh* My mother-in-law is a lovely person, but she does let her cat out to do his business so she doesn't have to clean the litter box as often. I sincerely hope the cat does his pooping under the deck, as she claims he does.