How do I stop dogs and cats coming my yard?

[Leahanne]

How do I stop dogs & cats coming my yard & doing their business ?

I don't want to use poisons.

[Walter]

Hey @Leahanne,

Welcome to the Workshop Community.

My experience has been that cats come in to "take advantage" of the loose soil in my garden beds, strangely, not my vegetable garden.

Since we have a few birds nesting from time to time, I tried lemon juice around the garden beds. Didn't work.

Planted lavender.  Didn't work for dogs, but the cats got the message.  We had dogs to keep away the cats as well, but sadly, we no longer have dogs.

If you have cats jumping over the fence, you can smear vaseline, petroleum jelly, or even tree guard - its sticky and the cats don't like it.  Warning, it's sticky for you too.

I've tried this Multicrop repellent  in the garden beds and I think it's working, and it doesn't affect the lizards, that we have around, and hasn't affected the plants.

Hope this gives you some ideas

[Leahanne]

Hi Walter.

 Thank you so much for your help.

I used to have a dog. I'm not a cat person.

One local cat keeps coming into the back yard & doing its business.

I'll give all of them a go & let you know how it goes.

Thank you again

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Leahanne. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about preventing cats and dogs from entering your yard.

There are plenty of humane options to consider, which I think you'll find quite effective.

It's great to see @Walter has suggested the Multicrop 400g Keep Off Dog and Cat Repellent. We also have Multicrop 500g Skedaddle Dog And Cat Deterrent and Multicrop 1L Ready To Use Scat Animal Repellant. The key is to keep applying these, especially after rain. If you can apply them in areas sheltered from the weather, they'll last much longer.

For something that is undoubtedly going to give the dogs and cats a fright, moving them on, there is the Sureguard Motion Activated Water Spray Animal Repellent. I don't think any cat or dog that gets a blast of water at 2 am will frequent the area again anytime soon. There is also the Sureguard Motion Activated Ultrasonic Animal Repellent version, which humans can't hear, but most certainly can be by cats and dogs.

I have heard of people trapping cats in cages and then taking them to the pound in extreme cases. Any owner who needs to constantly retrieve their cat from the pound might consider locking them up at night as a more viable option.

Please keep us updated and let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing that you've resolved the issue.

Mitchell

[HelpingHand]

Hi Mitchell

I hope the following information is useful for you and your Bunnings customers.

The Sureguard Motion Activated Water Spray is a good idea as it doesn't actually hurt the cat, but can give it a bit of a fright so that it will be wary of returning. 

Trapping cats and taking them to the pound is not a good strategy however, as often the owner doesn't know the cat has been trapped and taken away and may be distraught. The cat is also going to be extremely stressed in the pound. Often Councils don't have the capacity to hold the cat for long, so it may be killed, particularly if he/she is so upset and can't be handled.    So the best thing to do is take a photo of the cat, and ask around or door-knock within a five house radius, to let the owner know that the cat is wandering into your yard as they may not be aware that their cat is causing a problem. (Cats normally only stray within a five-house radius. This could be in the streets behind or across the road as well as up or down the street.) The owner may be struggling with how to keep the cat in. Offering ideas or support is helpful e.g.  adding inverted angled fencing attached with poles to the top of a fenced yard, and desexing the cat will usually help  as they are not then trying to wander to find a mate. Some cats might still want to wander for entertainment, so if the owner can provide more attention and toys and try to increase the amount of time they keep them indoors by feeding them in small amounts earlier in the day until the last big feed at night when the door is shut, that can help too.  Sometimes the cat may have been abandoned and become a stray through no fault of its own, or had kittens which have become stray.  By asking around someone is probably feeding the cat, and may be willing to keep the cat if they get help to get the cat desexed. The National Desexing Network www.ndn.org.au works with vets and Councils to expand low cost desexing across Australia, where ever possible, so contacting them is a good idea too if the person can't afford desexing.  

I hope these ideas are helpful. Cats are often blamed for wandering when it is humans who brought them to Australia and deliberately let them wander to control other introduced animals like rabbits and rats. They contribute a lot to people's lives through companionship. Although not everyone wants somebody else's cat in their yard, I hope we can always help find the best solution for both animals and people. 

[EricL]

Hello @HelpingHand 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience in regards to cats and dogs. We're keen to hear more about all your projects and plans around the house and garden. Please feel free to reach out whenever you need assistance or would like to share a project with the community. 

Again, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

Eric