OT: Keeping cats out of my lawn

[veggieburger]

So all the cats in the neighborhood love our garden and our lawn. Yesterday was hot and humid, and all we could smell was kitty urine. NASTY. Since the city discourages discharging firearms in the vicinity, what should I do? There are a number of sprays that I am considering, but if you have something that works, I'm all ears. :butt:

[oldpotatoe]

So all the cats in the neighborhood love our garden and our lawn. Yesterday was hot and humid, and all we could smell was kitty urine. NASTY. Since the city discourages discharging firearms in the vicinity, what should I do? There are a number of sprays that I am considering, but if you have something that works, I'm all ears. :butt:

Its amazing to me that cat owners think it's OK to let their cats outside to wander around..dog owners don't generally do that. Inside cats live longer, have fewer medical problems, aren't eaten by foxes, raccoons, etc(I'm a cat guy BTW)..try to find the owner via a tag and give the guy a 'call'...The cats are just being cats, the owners, like a lot of dog owners, are the one's at fault.

[raygunner]

I'd move to a city that not only allows but encourages open season on felines.

Plus no bag limit on Maine Coon kitties.

No nanny state & strong supporters of hastag "2A" are prereqs when I chose my municipality of residence.

edit forgot to add "/s".

[fiamme red]

Perhaps a motion-activated sprinkler would work?

[David Kirk]

I think the core question is why are they attracted to your lawn? Eliminate the attraction and the problem will sort itself out.

dave

[Nooch]

I think you need a laser pointer directing them somewhere else.

But in all seriousness, if they're feral, there's probably someone that does a catch/release program -- my aunt does this in the bronx. Catches, spays/neuters, and either puts them up for adoption if they're sociable or back on the streets where they can't reproduce.

[Richard]

There are a lot of products that you can spread. Most are solid and last a few weeks unless you get a lot of rain. Just make sure that they have a capsaicin in them. Cats are pretty smart and few whiffs and some on their feet will convince them to go elsewhere.

BTW, it also works for dogs whose asshole owners allow them to go on the curbside grass. A few times sniffing the ground with that on it and they look elsewhere to go. Personally, I'd rather electrify the ground so it shocks the beasts, but I suppose the city would frown on it.

[54ny77]

Buy some fox urine online. Available all over the place--Amazon, Home Depot, etc. Spray it in planter beds or wherever they're congregating.

There's also motion activated sprinkler heads you can attach to a hose, for some added humor.

[William]

Buy some fox urine online. Available all over the place--Amazon, Home Depot, etc. Spray it in planter beds or wherever they're congregating.




How do they bottle that????:eek:







:)
William

[redir]

I don't let my cats out of the house but they have escaped before and I can tell ya, if you shot my cat you'd be really sorry.

[ultraman6970]

Get a dog :P

[p nut]

Get a dog.

;)

That sprinkler with motion sensor looks like it'd do the job.

https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62100-Activated-Sprinkler-Detection/dp/B009F1R0GC

[gdw]

A high pressure nozzle on the garden hose has proven very effective in dispersing the neighborhood felines from our yard. One solid blast is all that's required to teach old puss to stay away.

[AngryScientist]

do these cats have collars? as in - are they domestic cats or strays?

if the former, i'd call the owners and express my feelings about having their animals use your yard as a toilet.

agree with the high pressure water. blast every one you see. they'll get the hint i bet.

[Gsinill]

A high pressure nozzle on the garden hose has proven very effective in dispersing the neighborhood felines from our yard. One solid blast is all that's required to teach old puss to stay away.

^^^
This

2 years ago, we took in 2 feral cats that are now 100% domesticated indoor felines.
At some point, when they were still partially outside while we trained them to stay overnight in our garage, I had to chase off a neighbor's cat that attacked one of them.
Hose and nozzle --> bullseye on the head of the bully --> never entered our yard again.
Unfortunate side effect which confirms the effectiveness of high pressured water: the cat that I "saved" is still afraid of me even though she only watched my attack from 10 ft. away.

[Jaybee]

My Akita does a good job keeping cats (and squirrels and rabbits) out of the yard.

Get a dog, take her out regularly for walks, profit.

[providence]

The place we are currently moving out of had all sorts of wildlife when we moved in. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, turkeys, deer, and cats. We have two dogs and in about 6 months nearly all were very scarce. Our sheltie claimed many in what he thinks was play when we’re inside. Only thing that really stuck around was the bats. But that’s more to do with us building them houses and planting to attract them to keep mosquitoes to nearly nonexistent levels.

[dbnm]

I once had an idiot neighbor who told me my cat was tearing up her yard, her grass. I told her it was very unlikely.

So the cranky old lady set up a trap in her yard. She called me two days later and asked me to come over.

In the trap was a giant raccoon, who was digging up the yard looking for worms and the like.

[cnighbor1]

So all the cats in the neighborhood love our garden and our lawn. Yesterday was hot and humid, and all we could smell was kitty urine. NASTY. Since the city discourages discharging firearms in the vicinity, what should I do? There are a number of sprays that I am considering, but if you have something that works, I'm all ears. :butt:

Father in law install new lawn using rolls of sod
the raccoons soon came by and lifted it at nite looking for grubs, worms etc
Making a mess of the new lawn
The solution was a sound activated sprinkler when they came in to the yard it turn on and shoot water in their direction
Worked great and watered the new lawn

[eddief]

it's not mountain lions.

[Big Dan]

I once had an idiot neighbor who told me my cat was tearing up her yard, her grass. I told her it was very unlikely.

So the cranky old lady set up a trap in her yard. She called me two days later and asked me to come over.

In the trap was a giant raccoon, who was digging up the yard looking for worms and the like.

Cats also destroy cars.

[saab2000]

What's the fuss? I have cats and squirrels and birds and chipmunks. I like them all. The only issue I have with cats is that they're invasive and kill other wildlife in the neighborhood. I'm not really OK with that but if they're fed at home it's not as bad.

They don't bother me but I'm a live and let live kind of guy.

[Dirtdiggler]

anti-freeze ?

[gdw]

What's the fuss? I have cats and squirrels and birds and chipmunks. I like them all. The only issue I have with cats is that they're invasive and kill other wildlife in the neighborhood. I'm not really OK with that but if they're fed at home it's not as bad.

They don't bother me but I'm a live and let live kind of guy.

My neighbors cute domestic cats enjoy hunting and torturing the baby rabbits, squirrels,
and birds that frequent the trees and bushes in our backyard. They cripple and toy with the poor things before finally killing them and then return home to their comfortable homes and well stocked food bowl. They are an invasive species and impact the local ecosystem in a negitive way.

[redir]

My neighbors cute domestic cats enjoy hunting and torturing the baby rabbits, squirrels,
and birds that frequent the trees and bushes in our backyard. They cripple and toy with the poor things before finally killing them and then return home to their comfortable homes and well stocked food bowl. They are an invasive species and impact the local ecosystem in a negitive way.

That's exactly why we keep ours as indoor only. They are incredibly awesome pets but they do not belong outside where they will kill the native wild life. If the wildlife gets in the house though then it's fair game ;)

[johnniecakes]

A “special” tuna casserole with secret ingredients did the trick a few years back

[pjm]

A “special” tuna casserole with secret ingredients did the trick a few years back

I can only imagine the outrage here if someone suggested poisoning someone’s dog. You may hate cats, but these are people’s pets.

[CNY rider]

I can only imagine the outrage here if someone suggested poisoning someone’s dog. You may hate cats, but these are people’s pets.

If your cat is in my yard killing birds then I view it and treat it like I do other vermin in my yard.

[dave thompson]

How do they bottle that????:eek:







:)
William

Carefully.

[eBAUMANN]

I can only imagine the outrage here if someone suggested poisoning someone’s dog. You may hate cats, but these are people’s pets.

seriously, who the f*ck are you people.

send em over to my yard, ill happily hang out with em.

If your cat is in my yard killing birds then I view it and treat it like I do other vermin in my yard.

haha GOD SAVE THE BIRDS!!!!
dude, birds sh*t all over stuff/ruin cars(paint)/etc etc also
get a grip

That's exactly why we keep ours as indoor only. They are incredibly awesome pets but they do not belong outside where they will kill the native wild life. If the wildlife gets in the house though then it's fair game ;)

not ALL cats are the bloodthirsty killing machines...
some have a knack for it and might put an insignificant dent in the local sparrow/snake/vermin population but most are just doing their best to look the part...kinda like us cyclists ;)

[johnniecakes]

I can only imagine the outrage here if someone suggested poisoning someone’s dog. You may hate cats, but these are people’s pets.

A feral cat is hardly somebody’s pet. In my neighborhood they roamed freely and destroyed property and killed rabbits, squirrels and birds and left the carcasses behind. The idea of a pet is that someone takes care of it and is responsible for it. They were not neutered or spayed and the population was getting out of hand so it was dealt with by the majority of the community.

[thwart]

The neighbors are an invasive species and impact the local ecosystem in a negitive way.

FIFY.

Free ranging cats preying on wildlife is a terrible thing. But the idiots who allow their pets to go outside and do what they are designed to do are the real problem, not the cats themselves.

[eBAUMANN]

A feral human is hardly somebody’s child. In my neighborhood they roamed freely and destroyed property and killed rabbits, squirrels and birds and left the carcasses behind. The idea of a child is that someone takes care of it and is responsible for it. They were not neutered or spayed and the population was getting out of hand so it was dealt with by the majority of the community.

ftfy ;)

most people can barely manage being responsible for themselves...let alone their children...let alone a pet.

far too often people get kittens for their kids, kitten gets harassed, grows up to be a cat that rightfully dislikes people, cat gets neglected, let outside...maybe without a collar...and all of a sudden the neighborhood is full of pseudo-strays.

[Black Dog]

Pet cats kill billions of song birds in North America every year! Some species are in serious trouble because of this. They should not be out and about. I use a hose to wet the cats and they generally don't come back. My dog chasing them off did not work as well as water. Having them pee in my wife's gardens or my window wells is not fun. :mad:

[Black Dog]

FIFY.

Free ranging cats preying on wildlife is a terrible thing. But the idiots who allow their pets to go outside and do what they are designed to do are the real problem, not the cats themselves.

This. Some jurisdictions have banned cats from being allowed to roam freely. It is in a house or on a leash if outdoors.

[gdw]

Feral cats are a major problem in a lot of areas especially Australia.
https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/nov/13/queensland-council-stands-by-10-bounty-for-adult-feral-cat-scalps

[zennmotion]

How do they bottle that????:eek:







:)
William

Please don't turn this into another Lance thread. Enough is enough already.:fight:

[veggieburger]

Having them pee in my wife's gardens or my window wells is not fun. :mad:

Bingo.

Do these cats belong to someone? No idea. There are about 2-3 of them that make the rounds of the neighborhood, no tags, no real sign of being anyone's pets. Why do they come to our yard? Possibly because we have no dogs, it's a very large yard, and it connects two roads. So it's like a dang highway for some of these cats.

I mean no offense to cat lovers. If I knew who owned these cats, I'd be at the owners door immediately. I suspect someone decided they no longer wanted a cat and just let them loose. It's unfortunate, but when your kids can't run barefoot in their own backyard because of the possibility of stepping in cat $hit...well, sorry, but my bleeding animal-loving heart gets a little frosty.

[Keith A]

We have a number of cats that are allowed to roam freely in our neighborhood, and several of them like to use our vegetable garden as their litter box. This is not a fun experience at all.

[Matthew]

I have 7 cats. Love them to death. But they stay inside. Sorry you are having a problem with cats in your garden. Hopefully you find a solution that doesn't include harming them.

[RFC]

Pet cats kill billions of song birds in North America every year! Some species are in serious trouble because of this. They should not be out and about. I use a hose to wet the cats and they generally don't come back. My dog chasing them off did not work as well as water. Having them pee in my wife's gardens or my window wells is not fun. :mad:

I am a cat and dog guy. Have had them all of my life. But, the reality is that cats are closer to their wild roots than dogs. They are natural killers and most of their play is focused on those skills.

Here's the Smithsonian article.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/feral-cats-kill-billions-of-small-critters-each-year-7814590/

[zlin]

wow - some odd comments...

here's a solution that I use around my house. Get a spray bottle and drop in many lemon or another cheap citrus essential oil drops, add water and set to the squirt gun spray setting. When I'm out with my dog I spray around the house or areas where I see them walking around on my exterior cameras - grill, chairs, landscaping, etc. It will deter them without harm. You'll do it every few days or every day in the beginning but they don't like the smell.

If it's really a bigger issue, I'd check with your local animal control to see what they suggest or come out to solve.

[Peter P.]

Find out what those feral cat catching organizations use to trap feral cats.

Set up a similar arrangement in your yard. Capture the cats and call your local animal control to take them away. Better if you can identify the owner to animal control; the owner will get the message sooner.

The neighbors will get fed up with having to pay to retrieve their cats.

I'm not sure if confronting the cats' owners will solve the issue; they're not going to stop letting their cats run free just because one other neighbor has a problem and it conflicts with how they control their pet.

[Llewellyn]

A “special” tuna casserole with secret ingredients did the trick a few years back

A disgusting "solution". I only hope no-one does something like this to your pet (if you have one). You should be ashamed.

Seriously, spraying a cat with water or a motion-triggered sprinkler will do the trick and will stop them from coming back.

[AngryScientist]

i have a groundhog and skunk problem in my yard.

Probably something else too, since the vegetable garden always turns into a buffet with bites taken out of things. probably squirrels?

there are several motion activated ultrasonic sound devices on the market that are supposed to emit a noise that pisses off small animals and drives them away - i wonder if those actually work OK, or if they are just gimmicks?

any experience ?

[Keith A]

Nick -- We have similar problems with critters eating our veggies :( We've used some thick netting around our plants and this has helped. We put small brown paper bags around our pineapples when they start to ripen. Now if I can just figure out how to get the squirrels to stay away from our mangos :mad:

[Gartenmeister]

I also have this problem and it is disgusting.

My vegetable garden and it is used as a toilet almost daily. As is the adjacent compost pile/area. In the winter when the ground is firm (but there is no snow) then the turfgrass is used as the toilet. So I can't walk around my own garden or out to the street (where I park) without dodging piles of cat s.... And this is all the time, not occasionally.

What is actually worse is the spraying. I have a large wrap-around porch setup with patio furniture and whatnot. We get visits from cats every night that spray certain items/fixtures, such as a potting bench. If I leave something out on the porch, such as a bike box, it is guaranteed to get sprayed.

Often multiple cats come and have epic fights right on the porch. Once I found a dead one, right next to my favorite chair. Although I am not sure if he died in battle or got smacked by a car and came up on the porch to die. Either way....

They occasionally get inside my my chickens' enclosure and harass the chickens.

And of course they kill the birds, which creates another mess for me to clean up.

As best I can tell all of the neighborhood cats are fighting over the territory of my property.

I do not have and I do not want a dog, which is probably the best deterrent. Many of the other neighborhood homes have dogs, which might contribute to the popularity of my property.

These cats are not feral; some have collars. I see them all regularly around the neighborhood. There are at least half a dozen, maybe more.

You can't shoot in the city, no matter how pro-2A it is. And nobody really wants to kill somebody else's pet anyway.

The motion sprinklers do work, but for a relatively small area. It is a decent solution for the vegetable garden but unrealistic for the rest of the property/garden. It is also kind of annoying to get surprised and shot by the thing, which WILL happen.

I have tried various deterrent sprays on the porch, and nothing seems to be effective.

I've considered trapping them, but that's a bunch of work/another thing to do and I am pretty sure the shelter is going to tell the owner where the cat was trapped when it is collected. I don't need enemies in the neighborhood.

So veggieburger, I sympathize. And if anyone has real deterrent solutions I am all ears.

[Jaybee]

Not for cats, but for squirrels/rabbits and other herbivore garden pests, I’ve found that deer blood meal works really well. The theory is that these prey animals smell the blood and assume a predator is near.

[redir]

A “special” tuna casserole with secret ingredients did the trick a few years back

Disgusting and sociopathically cruel.

[CNY rider]

I also have this problem and it is disgusting.

My vegetable garden and it is used as a toilet almost daily. As is the adjacent compost pile/area. In the winter when the ground is firm (but there is no snow) then the turfgrass is used as the toilet. So I can't walk around my own garden or out to the street (where I park) without dodging piles of cat s.... And this is all the time, not occasionally.

What is actually worse is the spraying. I have a large wrap-around porch setup with patio furniture and whatnot. We get visits from cats every night that spray certain items/fixtures, such as a potting bench. If I leave something out on the porch, such as a bike box, it is guaranteed to get sprayed.

Often multiple cats come and have epic fights right on the porch. Once I found a dead one, right next to my favorite chair. Although I am not sure if he died in battle or got smacked by a car and came up on the porch to die. Either way....

They occasionally get inside my my chickens' enclosure and harass the chickens.

And of course they kill the birds, which creates another mess for me to clean up.

As best I can tell all of the neighborhood cats are fighting over the territory of my property.

I do not have and I do not want a dog, which is probably the best deterrent. Many of the other neighborhood homes have dogs, which might contribute to the popularity of my property.

These cats are not feral; some have collars. I see them all regularly around the neighborhood. There are at least half a dozen, maybe more.

You can't shoot in the city, no matter how pro-2A it is. And nobody really wants to kill somebody else's pet anyway.

The motion sprinklers do work, but for a relatively small area. It is a decent solution for the vegetable garden but unrealistic for the rest of the property/garden. It is also kind of annoying to get surprised and shot by the thing, which WILL happen.

I have tried various deterrent sprays on the porch, and nothing seems to be effective.

I've considered trapping them, but that's a bunch of work/another thing to do and I am pretty sure the shelter is going to tell the owner where the cat was trapped when it is collected. I don't need enemies in the neighborhood.

So veggieburger, I sympathize. And if anyone has real deterrent solutions I am all ears.

I have no idea how you can put up with this situation.
Since you can't use a .22 rifle.....
Hint: After you trap them the next stop isn't the animal shelter.

[Dirtdiggler]

put up a sign "NO CATS"... sorry its Friday, ill shut up with my low post count.

[Richard]

It amazes me that there is not an outcry of disgust when people on this forum suggest killing wayward cats. If I suggested that I was going to shoot the dogs that crap on my grass, I imagine I would be thought of as a pariah.

[daker13]

I have both feral cats (who generally try to stay out of sight) and coyotes in my neighborhood. As the summer goes on, one tends to see a lot of missing cat fliers around. If I were a cat owner, I'd keep it inside at night.

[oldpotatoe]

It amazes me that there is not an outcry of disgust when people on this forum suggest killing wayward cats. If I suggested that I was going to shoot the dogs that crap on my grass, I imagine I would be thought of as a pariah.

Glad somebody said it. Yup, when my neighbors dog wanders into my yard to crap, I’ll just kill it or poison it..that’s ok too, right?
No, it isn’t.

[SoCalSteve]

I have no idea how you can put up with this situation.
Since you can't use a .22 rifle.....
Hint: After you trap them the next stop isn't the animal shelter.

What do you propose the next stop be?

[eBAUMANN]

Really interesting what a subject like this brings out of people...as if somehow we humans are the only creatures on earth that have the "right" to "defend" the patch of dirt that we "own."

We are sharing this planet with every creature around us, from ants to whales. I personally dont care who you are or how much cat piss you have in your garden, learn to coexist with the world around you (im not ONLY talking about cats here).

Killing is a lazy (though very American) "solution."

[classtimesailer]

We had that problem when we were between dogs. We got some "have a hart" traps from the city. We set them and when we caught something, the city would come and empty it. If it was a domestic, they put a note on it telling the owner to keep their cat home. If it was feral...? Dogs are the best.
Borrow one.

[gdw]

Really interesting what a subject like this brings out of people...as if somehow we humans are the only creatures on earth that have the "right" to "defend" the patch of dirt that we "own."

We are sharing this planet with every creature around us, from ants to whales. I personally dont care who you are or how much cat piss you have in your garden, learn to coexist with the world around you (im not ONLY talking about cats here).

Killing is a lazy (though very American) "solution."

Most of us recognize that cats can be a major problem and have recommended humane methods to keep them away. Live and let live but using my property as a giant litter box, hunting reserve, or torture chamber is not acceptable.

[pjm]

:rolleyes:

[eBAUMANN]

Most of us recognize that cats can be a major problem and have recommended humane methods to keep them away. Live and let live but using my property as a giant litter box, hunting reserve, or torture chamber is not acceptable.

hey, heres an idea:

cats using your vegetable garden as a litter box? why not put a tall/thin-enough-to-be-a-deterrent fence around that garden and leave another vegetable-less dirt area un-fenced for them to use instead?

you are dealing with semi-wild animals, they aren't going to play by your rules, so why not try to create a compromise instead of increasing the body-count?

the dog sh*t you can find on the sidewalks/yards of most urban/suburban neighborhoods has pretty much just become a normal fact of life these days...does that somehow give me a right to shoot every dog that sh*ts on my lawn? no, of course not.

[CNY rider]

What do you propose the next stop be?

I leave that to the imagination of our dear readers.

[CNY rider]

hey, heres an idea:

cats using your vegetable garden as a litter box? why not put a tall/thin-enough-to-be-a-deterrent fence around that garden and leave another vegetable-less dirt area un-fenced for them to use instead?

you are dealing with semi-wild animals, they aren't going to play by your rules, so why not try to create a compromise instead of increasing the body-count?

the dog sh*t you can find on the sidewalks/yards of most urban/suburban neighborhoods has pretty much just become a normal fact of life these days...does that somehow give me a right to shoot every dog that sh*ts on my lawn? no, of course not.

Great idea!
Maybe I can hang my bird feeders in there too so the darling kitties can kill songbirds while they s**t all over my property.
How much space should I offer them? As large as my garden? Bigger? I wouldn't want to offend them or their owners by being too stingy with use of my property.

Some dog owners are irresponsible, yes. That is no excuse for irresponsible cat owners.

[madsciencenow]

The place we are currently moving out of had all sorts of wildlife when we moved in. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, turkeys, deer, and cats. We have two dogs and in about 6 months nearly all were very scarce. Our sheltie claimed many in what he thinks was play when we’re inside. Only thing that really stuck around was the bats. But that’s more to do with us building them houses and planting to attract them to keep mosquitoes to nearly nonexistent levels.



Tell me more about how to retain the bats? I’d like to minimize the mosquitoes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[redir]

I'm watchin' a squirl eatin' a nut on my dayum tree right now.... Honey, whares mah gun. Yeee Hawwww.

Americans like to solve all their problems with guns. Sadly that has trickled down into our high schools.

[William]

I'm watchin' a squirl eatin' a nut on my dayum tree right now.... Honey, whares mah gun. Yeee Hawwww.

Americans like to solve all their problems with guns. Sadly that has trickled down into our high schools.


Yeah not really, but we aren't going to go there. .


Keep it on topic people and as humane as possible.






William

[veggieburger]

Keep it on topic people and as humane as possible.
William

Thanks William.

Just looking for sprays etc. that might work. I have heard orange peels/coffee grinds, but the former will get nasty quickly and then you have flies on peels instead of flies on poop.

I would even be willing to invest in a live trap, then take the cats for a nice looooong drive. The concern is that I'll catch a skunk or racoon and then have to deal with it.

[gasman]

Thanks William.

Just looking for sprays etc. that might work. I have heard orange peels/coffee grinds, but the former will get nasty quickly and then you have flies on peels instead of flies on poop.

I would even be willing to invest in a live trap, then take the cats for a nice looooong drive. The concern is that I'll catch a skunk or racoon and then have to deal with it.


I've trapped raccoons many times in my yard and relocated them to far in the country. I had neighbor cats get trapped accidentally. They usually are in there for several hours before I discover them in the morning. Once I let them out they don't return -they don't want to be in a cage. The couple feral cats I've caught can be brought to our local animal control where they spay them for free and release them.
Feral cats have a rough life and a short lifespan compared to pet cats.

I do really, really hate all the wild birds they kill but I'm not going to kill cats because of that.

A motion detecting sprinkler has worked well to keep wildlife out of our vegetable garden.

[classtimesailer]

A Cat relocation program is a fine idea. We had a rat relocation program for years. They ate some of our fruit and when they ate more than we would tolerate, I trapped them and took them to a park that was frequented by coyotes, hawks, owls, and such. They are cute little critters but when they eat every single mulberry as it ripens, it gets annoying.

[josephr]

We had that problem when we were between dogs. We got some "have a hart" traps from the city. We set them and when we caught something, the city would come and empty it. If it was a domestic, they put a note on it telling the owner to keep their cat home. If it was feral...? Dogs are the best.
Borrow one.

Feral cats are a problem...more than a few local municipalities have started measures to manage the feral cat populations. Unfortunately, they're breeding faster than they can be fixed. Typically veterinarians who fix feral cats will clip one of its ears to let others know that if its been caught again, there's no need to re-visit the procedure. Even though its fixed, there's still quite a bit of time for it to continue to have an affect on the local ecology.

The big question to the OP is for him to figure out if these cats are domestic or feral (I didn't read all 5 pages of comments)...if domestic, let the owners know. If feral, then trap&spay/neuter and relocate.

I agree with the others though, get a dog for fastest solution, plus all the other great benefits (eg: dog poop instead of cat poop!).

[AngryScientist]

recommending that he OP get a dog is kind of crazy guys, just to keep cats away.

owning an animal, especially a dog that is capable of deterring cats is a decade+ major commitment and a lifestyle change for most people. it's not as if a dog is some appliance you plug in the back yard, it's another life that must be taken care of and loved.

just sayin...

[zennmotion]

recommending that he OP get a dog is kind of crazy guys, just to keep cats away.

owning an animal, especially a dog that is capable of deterring cats is a decade+ major commitment and a lifestyle change for most people. it's not as if a dog is some appliance you plug in the back yard, it's another life that must be taken care of and loved.

just sayin...

So borrow a dog- lots of dog owners kennel their beasties during extended summer travel. Win-win. Of course, cats being smarter than dogs or humans they may figure out when the coast is clear again. I'm watching this thread because our new neighborhood has lots of freerange felines, some feral and some not, and our yard seems to be a major hangout. Being located in the East Bay area I'm quite certain that we would quickly be run out of town or otherwise harassed if we were seen to be cruel. So I think probably the hose or some citrus spray might be the way to go, maybe together with a temporary dog sitting "favor" to the neighbors

[ColnagoFan]

We had a huge problem with a family of bunnies that moved in nearby. Spent all day eating our grass and crapping little brown M&Ms all over the lawn. 75lb lab and 10lb Jack Russell would go tearing after them, but never caught one. Never stopped them from coming back either.
I got some "crystallized coyote urine" as a deterrent, and made a little barrier around the yard. An hour later I see them out there munching. All it did was make our entire backyard smell like stale urine.

We finally had to put up some lattice bamboo stuff to keep them completely out. Now we see them in the neighbor's yard... :D