# My Cat's Pooping in a Neighbours Garden



## cjgurd

Hi, I have 2 eight month old kittens, brother and sister.The girl is an adventurous soul, and has recently started pooping in my neighbours garden. We don't want to cause problems with the neighbours, we get on good, but they have a little 3 yr old girl who plays out a lot and know they won't be happy with lots of poop in the borders! and our kitten is a bit rubbish about burying! 
Does anyone have any tips on encouraging her back to our own garden?
Thank you!


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## newfiesmum

All you can do really is to cat proof your own garden so that they can't go anywhere else. Cats will go anywhere, and usually bury it, but if they don't the only other option is not to let them out. I personally do not like that idea at all. My daughter moved to a house where the grumpy old git next door through a bucket of water over her cat when he saw her going in his flowerbed. After that she was afraid to go out to toilet at all, and would go in the house wherever she could.


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## cjgurd

Hi newfiesmum, thanks for the advice, it is a tricky one i'll admit! think we'll try to keep an eye on her after food and stop her climbing the fence if we can. there's no way we can block the garden in, and i'd never want to keep her inside, it's not fair, i agree. Just really hope the neighbours don't get too mad if we can't stop her!


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## newfiesmum

Have you spoken to the neighbours about it? It might be an idea to venture the subject yourself, as they might not like it, but don't want to cause a row by saying so. You might even be able to offer to go round and remove the mess or bury it. I knew someone who used to wrap holly around the trees to stop her cats from chasing the birds. Might be a cheap alternative to just line the top of the fence. Not ideal, I know, but possibly worth thinking about.


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## Paddypaws

I really try and encourage my cats to poop in MY back garden.
I regularly dig over patches of earth so they are nice and soft to attract the cats, and make sure I clean the mess up a couple of times a week. Judging by the amount I clear up it is working!
You could buy some deterrents for your neighbour, garden centres sell citronella gel or ( I believe ) lion pooh for the purpose!
I agree that broaching the subject first is a good idea.


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## newfiesmum

Paddypaws said:


> I really try and encourage my cats to poop in MY back garden.
> I regularly dig over patches of earth so they are nice and soft to attract the cats, and make sure I clean the mess up a couple of times a week. Judging by the amount I clear up it is working!
> You could buy some deterrents for your neighbour, garden centres sell citronella gel or ( I believe ) lion pooh for the purpose!
> I agree that broaching the subject first is a good idea.


Lion poo? What real lion poo? I never knew they found a use for that and I would hate to be the one following _them_ around to scoop it up :scared:


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## Paddypaws

Yes, apparently it is real lion pooh! The theory is that the cat recognises that a bigger animal has marked the territory and moves away!
Now I think of it, the vet nurse at my local surgery works part time at London Zoo......maybe he can provide a supply!


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## ibbica

cjgurd said:


> Hi, I have 2 eight month old kittens, brother and sister.The girl is an adventurous soul, and has recently started pooping in my neighbours garden. We don't want to cause problems with the neighbours, we get on good, but they have a little 3 yr old girl who plays out a lot and know they won't be happy with lots of poop in the borders! and our kitten is a bit rubbish about burying!
> Does anyone have any tips on encouraging her back to our own garden?
> Thank you!


I can think of a few possibilities...
- Build a cat enclosure in your backyard; there are tons of designs online, in a variety of materials.
- Harness-train the cats and only take them outside when you're there to supervise.
- If the fences are too high for them to jump over cleanly, install rollbars along the top (I know them as "coyote rollers", not sure if they're called the same thing here though...).
- Give you neighbour some Coleus Canina or Ruta graveolens to plant in their garden. Rub a couple leaves of these in the nursery first, though; some people don't care much for the smell either...
- Cocoa mulch in your neighbour's garden. But *WARNING* this stuff is very toxic to cats if ingested. The vast majority of cats won't eat it, but it could pose a serious danger to young kittens or to cats with pica.
- Citrus scent or commercial cat repellant in your neighbour's garden.

Note that anything put in your neighbour's garden may deter the cats from that area, but won't necessarily keep them close to home (they might just wander off in another direction), so I'd personally favour the first three options. If you feel you must let your cats outside, taking steps to ensure they stay on your property is always a good thing


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## cjgurd

Thank you for the suggestions! have spent this weekend digging over our garden as i had wondered if that was why she chose their very neat and bare borders! i think i will go round before they broach the subject and let them know that we're trying to do about it before it becomes a massive issue and they start throwing it back over. Finger's crossed we're all still talking in a couple of weeks......


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## koekemakranka

Well, at least you are a considerate neighbour. 

I can imagine, though, that is you don't have cats, it is actually very annoying if other cats poop and pee in one's garden. I think sometimes us cat people can be inconsiderate. I mean, we wouldn't like it if the neighbour's dogs or children pooed in our gardens....


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## morgmonster

What about providing the next door neighbour with a water pistol? To frighten the cats back into your garden, rather than knock them off their feet... the 3 yr old might like it too!

But good for you in being proactive. I agree with the above poster, it isn't nice, and it sends some non cat owners apoplectic with rage. It drives me bonkers enough when other cats poop on our lawn overnight ... our cats always bury it (but mostly go in the litter tray).


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## cjgurd

Neighbour was fine! Not too much of an issue at the moment as their daughter isn't playing outside, so they said not to worry. I offered to clean up whenever, and to give us a shout. All's fine, and they are enjoying watching our kitten playing on the childs slide!!
Phew!
Thank you again, i think sometimes the fear of what response you might get makes you worry more than you need to.


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## Elsbells

I'm glad they were fine. Often the fact that you are keen to address the issue is enough to stop a problem developing.

We bought a green gel that seemed to work for our neighbours (and it was safe for kids too though I can't remember the name of it). I even offered to put it down for them and they could keep the rest for future use.

I wouldn't mind, but the lazy boy had 1/2 an acre of woods & fields on his doorstep, yet he chose the neighbours borders (and apparently stared at them through their front window as if to highlight the crime as he did it)


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