# How to keep neighbors cat away from my house?



## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

I've (almost) given up on keeping neighborhood cats out of my yard. But tonight one showed up at my front screen door and was just sitting there looking in. He walked away as I approached my door.

I need/want to keep him away, as I know it is possible for even my fixed cat to start spraying in my house if another cat keeps coming to my door.

Tonight I am trying 2 things.

1. Vinegar/water solution around my front door and yard.
2. cut up hose - as I have read that they resemble snakes which repel cats.

I need some other suggestions if these don't. I don't know who they belong to, and even if I could find the owners it's not likely someone is going to start keeping their outdoor cat locked up in the house if I ask.

I really can't have this cat coming up to my door. I am not like many of you who feel any cat is a good cat.

HERE'S WHERE SOME OF YOU MAY SCOLD ME, BUT I'M PREPARED FOR IT....

My last resort, if nothing works, would be a humane trap, then take him to the shelter, then put up signs telling the owner where to find him. Sorry, that's just the way it is, and if you want to rip on me I can handle it.


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

Google 
*The Scarecrow Motion Activated Water Sprinkler*


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I've given up. My neighbor adopted the feral cats on our cul-de-crap. He feeds them, but they like my yard better, so that's their toilet and where they hang out most of the time. When I open the window by my computer, I smell cat pee. I just live with it. I'd rather have them being taken care of and being watched out for and put up with the _bad_ issues, than have them out there on their own. 

It does bother me when they come up on my porch when my front door is open because I don't want them passing fleas (or anything else) to my girls through the screen door. And they've scratched up the window sills on the outside of the house trying to jump up when they see my girls in the windows. I'm sure when I move out, that'll get blamed on me, but whatever. I wrote off my deposit when I moved in.

If my girls get worked up when they're hanging out on the porch or at the front door, I do chase them off with the spray bottle.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

There are devices that you can attach to a hose and have motion detectors that will spray an animal that trips the detector. They're not super expensive either...I seem to remember about $50 or so. I found these when I was having redirected aggression issues with Maggie & Kobi because of my neighbor's cat coming in my yard...they're weren't an option for me since I live in the frozen tundra...but could be something that might work for you since you live in a warmer climate. 

I finally convinced my neighbor to keep the cat inside after it's presence caused $500 worth of vet bills (caused a fight between M & K and both ended up with abscesses). If the cat had continued to roam, it would have gone the same route you're talking about...except I wasn't going to tell them where it was.


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

cooncatbob said:


> Google
> *The Scarecrow Motion Activated Water Sprinkler*


I will probably get this for my back yard, but unfortunately this won't work for my front where I'd have to run the hose across my driveway to have it where I need it, or have it going off with random people walking by.


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

I can deal with the poop and the general nuisance, but I won't tolerate them upsetting Toby. That's is not an option!


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

I also read about using a water/hot sauce solution. I have gravel landscaping so I don't have to worry about anything harming my lawn.


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

Same company makes this.
*Contech CatStop*


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

cooncatbob said:


> Same company makes this.
> *Contech CatStop*


I'm guessing toby will hear it inside also. it may still be worth trying.


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

I imagine the sound is short range and directional , set it up on the path the cat uses to approach your front door and it will spook him and hopefully condition him to avoid your house.


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## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

marie73 said:


> I do chase them off with the spray bottle.


 
This may sound a bit....well just a bit, however over the years I've learned to keep pump action 'super soaker' type squirt guns loaded by the doors and windows I've had trouble with. It all started when my kids were little and the rabbits and opossums in the yard were overpopulating and forced me to keep the kids inside. 

I've used a variety of 'additives' in addition to help keep unwanted animals (and 'ding-dong-ditchers' away). Rabbits react to pepper oils so in lieu of buying the expensive stuff at the garden center I would add hot pepper sauce to water and spray (note: run thru a strainer or it will clog the squirt gun & never try to rinse and re-use for anything else), I've also added cheap perfume - that was for the 1 am doorbell ringers, mostly as a joke but it was easy to tell in the morning who the culprits were LOL.

Even just plain water could work, the point is that the water guns are inexpensive, easy to keep ready and generally harmless like a spray bottle but with a lot more distance - especially the pump to pressurize ones.

As to people thinking ill of you - well first you must protect your own. All of that being said, do you live within city limits? Can you call animal control or a TNR group?


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

> As to people thinking ill of you - well first you must protect your own. All of that being said, do you live within city limits? Can you call animal control or a TNR group?


I am grateful and surprised of how supportive everyone has been.

I live in a very big suburb of phoenix but I don't think the town would do anything.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Currently I have 2 neighborhood cats coming to my front door, I have encouraged them with the intent of catching and rehoming, mainly because I have no where else to condition them to approach me. I agree take care of your own. No one wants to have fleas, and diseases carried to their pets. Hopefully within the week they will have homes. Fortunately for me both were former house cats someone moved off and left behind, so I have not had aggression issues.. 

as to water hose cut up in the yard.. never seen this work, let me know if it does for you.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I can totally relate. I would never want to hurt another animal and if it seemed homeless/hungry I would probably feed it at the end of the street or some safe place away from my home, but I agree... my guys well being comes first. 

I won't have my cats upset or my house disrupted because someone else prefers to let their animal roam.


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## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

I'm not criticising at all, but...

It still comes as a shock to me just how different the situation with cats and roaming is in the US compared to over here in the UK. Trapping a cat outside and taking it to the shelter would be unheard of- obviously because the majority of Brit cats are indoor/outdoor. Over here it's a par for the course that cats will freely roam outdoors (infact it's a law that they can 'free roam' wherever without fear of being deliberately hurt) and if they end up in your garden, then so be it. I'm not saying people don't try to discourage this, obviously some people do. But it's very common to see cats wandering around outside without them being homeless/strays. It's such a cultural difference.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Abbie, there's a big difference between "wandering/free roaming" and "indoor/outdoor" cats and cats that are causing a problem, like for the OP and Lisa. It is very common to see cats outside everywhere here, too. *But* when they cause issues like "redirected aggression" with inside cats (where they're upset about the outside cat, but take it out on another inside cat), or cause indoor cats to start spraying in the house to mark their territory, that's a whole different story.


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## The Divine Miss M (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm not going to come down on you, but I am going to warn you. You open yourself up to problems with your neighbor if you go that route. If Toby ever got out, would you want him taken to the shelter or would you want your neighbor to come to you and say here's Toby. I'm not saying don't do, but I am saying try talking to your neighbor first. I get where you're coming from, believe me. I had issues with a wolf hybrid that was getting off leash and I finally had to tell the owner the next time your dog is in violation of the leash law I'm calling the cops. You have to protect your pets. You just also have to protect them from retaliation from a PO'd neighbor. As to deterring them, what about a ssscat mat right outside your door? Toby is indoor only so it wouldn't affect him in the slightest.


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## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

hal1 said:


> I live in a very big suburb of phoenix but I don't think the town would do anything.


Depnds on the burb. I'd really try giving the city a call.


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

MowMow said:


> I can totally relate. I would never want to hurt another animal and if it seemed homeless/hungry I would probably feed it at the end of the street or some safe place away from my home.


These are definitely someone's cats, ac I have seen them very relaxed, fat, and sitting by someone's yard.

I know the polite thing to do would be to have a conversation with the owner, but I can't see ANY owner of an outdoor cat saying "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize my kitty was going around the neighborhood into other people's yard. I'll make sure him inside from now on" 



The Divine Miss M said:


> If Toby ever got out, would you want him taken to the shelter or would you want your neighbor to come to you and say here's Toby.


I appreciate this thought, but keep in mind, their cats are not "getting out", but rather it's their lifestyle outside.


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

MowMow said:


> I can totally relate. I would never want to hurt another animal and if it seemed homeless/hungry I would probably feed it at the end of the street or some safe place away from my home, but I agree... my guys well being comes first.


Great idea. Maybe I should dump a few 25 lb bags of cat food down the street by THEIR back door. :devil


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## The Divine Miss M (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm an indoor/outdoor cat owner, and while I probably wouldn't deny my girls access to the outdoors, I would do whatever I could to keep them from being a nuisance to a complaining neighbor. I just think it's good karma to talk to the neighbor first. Just because it isn't his lifestyle doesn't mean Toby will never get out and you want to be remembered as the good neighbor. If s/he is uncooperative, then do what you must.


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