Why do cats always defacate on someone else's property?

[pdq1]

What should be done to discourage them?

[Tilly2]

Here we go. Water pistols at dawn.

[Kiki-frog]

Because they can. It's a cat thing.

It's to do with marking boundaries. Human borders are totally irrelevant to cats. I have heard that lion poo works well at keeping them away. One sniff of the stuff and they think there's a bigger moggy in the neighbourhood. Might be worth checking out.
http://www.silentroaronline.com/

[ladybirder]

pdq they don't all do it on somebody else's property. Mine either did it in their litter tray or in our garden.
Now will you have a look at my answer on the "Will you be watching newsnight thread" please. If you google as asked you will see a different answer to the one you've put. Sorry to sound cryptic but I can't name names.

[Duncer]

They don't ALWAYS do this. Mine are trained to crap in their own garden.

[jeanijay]

Hav'nt you heard the saying never foul your own doorstep. [or something like that

[Kiki-frog]

Duncer, how do you train a cat to poo? I'm intrigued

[buildersmate]

Tilly produced the correct answer, although it is unduly constraining to limits one's repostes to the period around dawn - any time of day (or night) seems to work with the b@@@stds.

[ruthandsam]

Our cat decided the best place to poo was in the compost bin. We had lost the little door at the bottom of the plastic container and she sneaked in, does her business and out she came. We just lifted the container off and got rid of the stuff. Now because we don't have the container any more we have just put some shingle down in the same place and she uses that as a litter tray. Works for us. lol

[Duncer]

They don't need trained to poo, they do that anyway, but a little guidance as to where to poo helps. We dug up the soil a little behind bushes at the back of the garden in a private area and put litter down, decreasing the amount as they learned where to go. Also planked cat treats called Dreamies (cat cocaine) nearby.

[Gizmonster]

We have 2 Yorkies and they both HATE cats.
Everytime I see a cat on our drive or in our garden, I accidentally let the dogs out.
Not surprisingly, we don't get many cats in our garden - I can't remember the last time I had to clean some cat poo up :P
I wonder if they actually remember being chased up the drive or down the garden path and think twice about coming back ????

[weecalf]

simple reason they dont own any property and I did hear somewhere that you never own a cat .did I imagine that .no doubt ABers will set me right on that

[Kiki-frog]

You're right, weecalf, you can never own a cat. They tolerate us and if the living conditions are OK, they'll stay

[Bbbananas]

Don't get me started on this one........

[wildwood]

In the days when we had a cat, there was a catflap in the garage and a daily cleaned littertray. Even when she was inside, she'd miauw to go out to the garage and she was a great friend two of our immediate neighbours as she never did anything in their garden. It is just a matter of training from young and taking responsibility for your pet so it doesn't cause annoyance to others.

When I was young many moons ago, my parents had a sand tray covered against the weather outside the patio and never had a complaint about the cat. We then lived close the sea so daily fresh sand was used.

Over time we've gotten new direct neighbours (7) and as Mrs.WW is a keen gardener she been close to tears at what strange cats do to her garden, especiallt the young plants and seed rows. I can well sympathise with the attitude of some who advocate strong retribution to the cats, perhaps this should be more directed at the offending owners.

[sandyRoe]

If they're your cats better on someone else's property than on your own.

[wildwood]

^ Are you her just to stir thing up sandyroe? ☺

[sandyRoe]

There are at least 2 cats using my garden as a toilet. As it's starting to grow wild I don't really mind. I do mind them killing birds in it. The owners of the cats haven't even got bells on their collars.

[SpikeyBush]

My previous owner, I mean cat, used to come inside, use his dirtbox and then go back out again. But I lived in a rural area at the time and the neighbours on all sides were bullocks and with the amount of effluent coming out the back of them the odd cat turd would be a drop in the ocean.

One time he did a #2 that was seven and a half inches long. I have a photo of it somewhere with the tape measure laid out next to it.

[ELVIS68]

It's been said that Curiosity killed the cat, wrong

Crapping on my lawn did it

[pdq1]

Some interesting answers.

I would certainly not arrange a patch in the garden to entice even more thanks very much.

We don't own a dog so thats out of the question. I have to resort chasing them out of the garden but its usually too late.

I even caught some mice in a trap and threw them over the fence but they did not take up the bait.

It came to the last straw when I found a regular cat clawing madly at the roots of a young tree just planted. I hadn't a clue what it was looking for.

I would willingly use a water pistol but can never catch the things. I thought of using a hose pipe though.