Thursday, August 14, 2008

Are You Smarter Than a Cat?

In addition to the myriad of canines on our street, there is next door an exceedingly bold cat. He climbs over our fence and poops in the backyard. He climbs on cars - I even saw him exploring an open trunk. He left a dead robin on the sidewalk in front of our house just long enough for me to see it and get totally grossed out.
I appreciate cats who wander and eat all the mice, but I'd rather not have them playing (read: pooping) in Anna's future sandbox. So Ben and I have decided to face the challenge - and teach that cat not to mess with us.

So far in my research I have found some hopeful home remedies

  • Spray with water - cats hate being wet, so get them wet at every chance
  • landscape with pricklyness - mulch with pinecones, lay chicken wire down on top of the soil
  • use cat deterrent plants - Lavender, rue(?) and Pennyroyal(?)
  • put mothballs, ammonia or cayenne pepper out (some of those might be lethal)

So I'm thinking first of ways to make it less appetizing to jump our fence, maybe some gothic spikes or something

give us your suggestions, or pinecones, if you have them.

7 comments:

Stephanie said...

we had a cat that would climb our screen on the french doors, and we used squirt bottles and he no longer climbed the dang screen, so the water works really well. its just hard in your situation because you have to catch him, to get him soaked hmmm.....

Thaddeus said...

If you'll pay for it, I could rig up a cat-sensor that will spray water on the cat if a cat is sensed on the fence. My estimate: $1200.50

Well...but since you're family, I could probably do it for $350.00

Benjamin said...

My suggestion was to leave out a bowl of milk. . .







. . . of magnesia.

hosander said...

Thad, they sell those for $60.

ugkuyg said...

We had a similar problem with yappy dogs next door. Dan solved it with an air soft gun...

stickman in the gallows said...

Yeah, you wouldn't believe the trauma I went through finding those treasures in my sandbox growing up. Better that Anna doesn't have to suffer the same fate or she might turn out the same as me when she grows up.

Thaddeus said...

Yikes, Bret! Don't even joke about that!

Toni, wouldn't you want a cat-removal system hand-invented with care by a close relative?