Cat Chat Feline Forum

Any advice greatly appreciated!
We have two cats and recently moved house (well, in May). We got a large fence round our back garden to replace the low wall that had been there. Since then, there’s been lots of poo on the lawn. They can get out of the garden because I’ve seen them do it. I put litter trays in the garden and they are used - but there’s still poo on the lawn. I have a couple of theories that it might actually be the neighbours cat who visits, or could it be a fox? I’ve seen my two use the litter trays so they wouldn’t feel the need to go on the grass would they?
It’s very annoying to pick up all the time and I have a baby who obviously doesn’t go out at the moment because of the weather, but I don’t want this to continue for next summer. Any ideas on how I can deter whatever it is that’s pooing on the lawn without upsetting my cats? Hoping for a magic spray of some kind?!!!!

In your place I'd invest £50 or so on a night-vision, motion-sensor camera. (Search Amazon for "camera trap.") Set it up in the garden, it should photograph anything that moves, day or night, and then you would know what animal you're dealing with, which should help decide a course of action.

You might also look into the (more expensive) option of installing net overhangs on your fence, so that nothing can get in or out.

Hi and welcome

It could be foxes. Apparently fox s*hit is pointed at one end ... (I checked with my friend Mr Google and this is so ... ) Piece of useless information for the week.

But some cats don't cover their efforts. I live in an inner-city area and there's nowhere round here for cats to dig so they squat on the pavement, anywhere, like dogs. I have astroturf and a secured yard but sometimes cats still get in and one ghastly winter two households, who didn't believe in trays and seemed to think that cat muck, as long as it wasn't in their backyard, was dealt with by the cats*hit fairy, kicked their cats out every morning to enjoy the 'convenience' of my damn astroturf. I sorted that by buying a couple of ultrasonic cat repellent devices that I could turn off when my cats went out.

I agree with Mary - a cctv arrangement would be perfect. I have overhangs though to keep my cats in but perhaps they don't hang over enough to repel intruders ... if a cat's coming in regularly I provide a ladder, again to be removed when my cats go out. But since the repellent gismos this has been rare.

On the other hand the little offerings could be a territorial gesture by your own cats - 'right guys this is our patch and here's our s*hit to prove it, dudes!'

Facetiousness apart, it's a disgusting problem, I agree. Good luck with sleuthing the brownstuff and hope you get to the errrm bottom of it!

MarySkater wrote:In your place I'd invest £50 or so on a night-vision, motion-sensor camera. (Search Amazon for "camera trap.") Set it up in the garden, it should photograph anything that moves, day or night, and then you would know what animal you're dealing with, which should help decide a course of action.

I have an extensive CCTV system installed and have learned a great deal about what goes on with my cats

Certainly worth investigating

Regards

Dave