Anti Cat Fencing

[Silverbear 10]

Has anyone had any success with a type of fencing that will keep cats from coming into the garden, please?

 

There has been a huge increase in the number of cats in the avenue in the last 2 years which roam around from morning to night causing damage & killing garden birds.

 

Most of the owners, including our 2 neighbours', don't have a cat flap in the door & the cats are let out around 7am & called in about 10.30pm.

 

In between time they just roam around, come into the garden & have killed numerous birds, damaged plants & flowers, used the garden as a toilet, got under the house, got into the house & the fireplace then spread muck all round the living room, upstairs & on the beds.

 

They've broken bird feeders & a bird table by jumping up at them, damaged the pond & leave dead birds, newts & frogs half chewed.

 

We've tried every type of anti cat device from water scarecrows, to Lion's Roar, plants, citrus peel, infra red sonic detectors - even catapults & water pistols.

 

We've fenced the garden in on all sides & blocked every gap in the hedges which unfortunately now blocks off entry to other wildlife like hedgehogs etc.

 

We removed all the plants & shrubs from the bottom of the garden as they were using the cover to ambush birds on the bird bath & lawn and put down bark chippings.

After a day it turned into a cat toilet.

 

Next door are having an extension built & they've got under the house & marked & sprayed, as well as fouling by defecating & urinating everywhere.

The contractors say the smell's awful.

 

In short they are a chuffin nuisance.

 

The next step is to erect a 2m high fence between us & the neighbour to keep them out.

Is there a particular type that is more effective than others?

Anything you can put on top (legally) to stop them from jumping onto the top?

 

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[Berberis 10]

A cat can jump up to approx 2m unaided. If you erect a 2m fence they can gain purchase on it as they jump and scale it.

[GhostRiders 15]

Staffordshire Bull terrier. They work wonders for keeping the local cats ay bay

[Flexo 10]

Anything you can put on top (legally) to stop them from jumping onto the top?

 

Wire mesh?

[Silverbear 10]

A cat can jump up to approx 2m unaided. If you erect a 2m fence they can gain purchase on it as they jump and scale it.

 

Thanks, yes I know but it's the maximum legal height I believe, which is why I was also asking whether there was anything you could put on top to prevent them gaining purchase.

 

---------- Post added 11-10-2016 at 14:54 ----------

 

Wire mesh?

 

Good call but it's a bit unsightly.

I assume you mean running a length of chicken wire for example along the top?

[Flexo 10]

Good call but it's a bit unsightly.

I assume you mean running a length of chicken wire for example along the top?

 

Yes or a few horizontal wires spaces a couple of inches apart may work and look better, especially if climbing plants are trained up to them.

 

My thinking is that the cat is running out of momentum when it reaches the top of the fence and it will need to get a firm foothold on the top.

[Silverbear 10]

Wire mesh?

 

Or did you mean instead of a wooden fence?

Erect a galvanised wire mesh fence supported by wooden posts?

We've used plastic mesh to block up holes in the hedges with success but again a bit unsightly.

Still if it works....

[Mikes10 10]

Some suggestions here:

 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catdeterrents.aspx

[Silverbear 10]

spelling

Yes or a few horizontal wires spaces a couple of inches apart may work and look better, especially if climbing plants are trained up to them.

 

My thinking is that the cat is running out of momentum when it reaches the top of the fence and it will need to get a firm foothold on the top.

 

Hmm. Yes it could work, possibly?

 

The main vulnerable point is down the side of the house between our & our neighbours' property.

It'd have to be climbing plants in pots as its a tarmac path between the two.

Vaseline or similar would prevent them getting a purchase but only lasts till it rains.

 

---------- Post added 11-10-2016 at 15:08 ----------

 

Some suggestions here:

 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catdeterrents.aspx

 

Thanks but I've tried all those plus a spray composing of garlic, white wine vinegar, chillies & other stuff that they use in Australia.

Edited October 11, 2016 by Silverbear
spelling

[watchcoll 10]

I feel for you. I have the same problem with one cat that belongs to the house that backs onto mine. The only thing I've found to be effective is wire (or plastic) mesh over my grass and bare soil. They also do not like geraniums, so I grow those every year in my beds along with other plants but this only deters them when the plants are more mature. When I do find poop I scoop it up and throw it back into the cat owners garden - their cat, their mess.

[Silverbear 10]

I feel for you. I have the same problem with one cat that belongs to the house that backs onto mine. The only thing I've found to be effective is wire (or plastic) mesh over my grass and bare soil. They also do not like geraniums, so I grow those every year in my beds along with other plants but this only deters them when the plants are more mature. When I do find poop I scoop it up and throw it back into the cat owners garden - their cat, their mess.

 

Yes I've been tempted to do that with every bird I find half chewed along with enough feathers to make a headdress.

 

We've had to take half the lawn up it was getting so bad & replaced it with patio paving.

We've even bought a high metal gate to stop them coming down the side of the house. It's costing a fortune but it's like trying to stop water.

They hide in the plants & bushes & ambush birds feeding on the ground or bathing in the pond edge.

 

Certainly chicken wire has been effective stopping them coming through gaps in the hedge & plastic mesh wire has helped prevent them gaining access through areas where the gaps are too many or the next door neighbours have removed a tree & part of the hedge. There are two in particular that are a real pain & roam around like bored delinquents looking for something to kill or eat, but there are now around 7 or 8 in the area around us.

 

Part of the problem is the neighbours won't have cat flaps as presumably they don't want the cat in the house when they're not home.

If they put collars with a bell on that would at least give the birdlife a chance.

 

We used to get all kinds of finches & tits coming in as we live near 2 parks - also redpoll, goldcrests, woodpeckers, blackcaps, nuthatch as well as more common birds.

We had long tailed tits nesting who had 3 chicks but when they fledged the 2 cats killed them within minutes of them leaving the nest.

 

I'll investigate the geraniums & wire mesh options so thanks for that.

[Ghozer 112]

I don't get the problem here, most soil and fertilizer is animal droppings any ways, so what difference does it make if a cat (or fox, or bird, or other animal) poops in your garden?

 

if it's in the middle, throw it to the edge - you'll find that your flowers/plants will thrive the year after....

 

any way, there's plenty of ways to stop cats (and other animals) coming on your garden..

 

here's a selection...

 

.. There is a garden plant, (Coleus canina), that's marketed under the names Pee-off and Scaredy-cat. This plant has a pungent odour that is said to repel cats and other mammals from the garden. It should be available from a number of garden suppliers.

 

.. Scent deterrents will either serve to repel (eg. Citronella) or mark a territory (eg. Silent Roar). Alternatively, try orange or lemon peel, since cats are not keen on the smell of citrus.

 

.. Place half-full plastic bottles in borders, as the light reflection off the bottle is supposed to deter animals.

 

.. put a couple of drops of decongestant Olbas oil on to used teabags and then scattering them around the area that the cats often go/poop

 

.. Don't leave exposed soil in borders. Instead, mulch with stone chipping or pebbles, or keep the soil well mulched with a moisture-retaining material such as manure, as wet ground is not particularly attractive to them. Also, invest in a good selection of ground cover plants to deter cats from venturing into your border.

 

.. Surround an area with a fence (chicken wire etc) that leans in the direction from which the cat will approach. The cat is unable to climb over such an angled fence.

 

.. Flimsy plastic roll-up fencing placed on top of a fence etc to prevent cats climbing over it.

 

.. Taut wire or string fitted 10-15 cm above the fence-top makes it difficult for cats to balance on the fence.

 

.. planting spiny/thorny plants around the outside of your garden, they don't like sharp/prickly things and will usually avoid going through / round them.

 

Or, (I would say as a last resort) buy a deterrent, such as this...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CATwatch-Cat-watch-Ultrasonic-Deterrent/dp/B004803RMQ

 

---------- Post added 11-10-2016 at 15:58 ----------

 

 

You can stop them getting birds also, and climbing bird tables, put an inverted plastic cone on the pole of the bird table, the cat cannot climb up then, there's also other things you can put on / around bird tables to stop cats being interested...