Neighbours’ cats are messing my garden
Question
I live in inner-city Auckland in a house with a section and we are inundated with neighbours’ cats. Up to half a dozen different cats stroll through our garden at all hours, and sometimes come into the house when we have the doors open. They poo on our lawn and paths, dig in our garden and chase the birds.
Mostly they look very expensive, well cared for cats. Most have collars but I can’t get close enough to pick them up or catch them. I don’t want to complain to my neighbours, particularly if something happens to their cat as they might think I am responsible. I don’t want to call the council as it records names. People often post on hunting forums pictures of cats they have shot in the bush so clearly it’s not bad to shoot cats, per se. As these are someone’s pets that is not an avenue open to me.
One cat poo trodden into my house is one too many. I collect several a week. If I knew which cat a poo belonged to, and who the cat belonged to, I could return the poo. But that is too hard. So what can I do?
Answer
I don’t think anyone could call you unreasonable for wanting these cats off your property. Animals always prefer to conduct their business away from their own designated areas and it’s bad luck that you live in an area heavily populated by cats. It’s hard to tell from your letter if these cats come from just one house or if you’re living in some sort of cat-mad neighbourhood. It can be hard enough controlling one pet, so why anyone would want a menagerie beats me.
As with many neighbourhood issues, it’s easy to become consumed by the problem and I see that you’ve toyed with the idea of cat-murder-most-foul. I can’t actually see the point in talking to your neighbours or the council, because the neighbours will be cat obsessed and really, once the cats have decided your property is perfect for their cat business, no amount of admonishing or training will change them.
Why don’t you do some investigations and find the best way to cat-proof your property?
There are electronic fences that deliver mild but unpleasant jolts. There’s also a water sprinkling system that detects a visiting animal and shoots out a surprising burst of water. I also found a cat-watch device that emits a high-frequency alarm that cats can’t tolerate. It senses movement in a 100-degree angle and overall its range is about 18 metres. I’m particularly impressed by this idea. The ultrasonic burst keeps going until the cat leaves and you get a satisfying sort of alert to say it’s been triggered. None of these deterrents seem to harm birds and you’re not wounding the cats.
I reckon this solution beats weeks of anguish, letters and chats over the fence that go nowhere and I’m sure the cats will learn pretty fast that your property is not one to be ‘‘messed’’ with.
Mary-anne Scott has raised four boys and written four novels for young adults, all of which have been shortlisted for the NZ Book awards for children and young adults. She has a new novel out now called Spearo.
Please note that Mary-anne is not a trained counsellor. Her advice is not intended to replace that of professional counsellor or psychologist.