Author Topic: Cats fouling hay, help?  (Read 23253 times)

NickiWilliams

  • Joined Jun 2012
Re: Cats fouling hay, help?
« Reply #30 on: June 05, 2012, 04:42:36 pm »
Lemons and pepper usually work. Sorry to hear of your troubles. You mention the lasidasical owners approach?

Rather than you clearing up their animals mess' - perhaps you could knock on their door everytime it happens and get them to come and clear it up. Might get them to be a little more pro-active? I'd also be charging them for the loss in hay. 

If not, a friend tried this and it worked for her http://www.deteracat.co.uk/

Hope you get it sorted!

Moleskins

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • England
Re: Cats fouling hay, help?
« Reply #31 on: June 10, 2012, 11:38:03 pm »
You say you're soft, which is a good thing in many ways but you need to toughen up if they replace the cats. Who knows why they went missing, well one of them, perhaps you weren't the only one who had a problem with them and the other 'victim' took action.

Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana.

LulaB

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: Cats fouling hay, help?
« Reply #32 on: June 11, 2012, 02:02:01 pm »

The thing to do is to exploit the cats' natural hygienic nature.  Yes.  I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms, given the circumstances, but bear with me.



Cats will not foul where they eat.  If the missing cat turns up in your hay, start feeding it - in the hay.  Leave a bowl of dry food out and move it every few days all around your hay stack.  As a bonus, the cat will keep down the rats and mice that you will have in your hay (and you will have them, I'm afraid).  The more the cat feeds there, the less it will foul and the more it will hunt.


Mostly, cats pick up the parasite from eating infected rodents.  Mice and rats are notorious for their "nibble and dribble" method of eating, so if anything, they are your real problem.  Cat faeces are not contagious for two days after they are deposited, so clean up as soon as you see them at the same time as the feeding programme.  That way, the cysts will not have had time to develop and become infectious.



This is incredibly concerning for you, I can tell.  When you have a small child, toxoplasmosis is a real and present worry.  It isn't something that is tested for in rescue centres, for the simple reason that it is a parasite that occurs in most animal's faeces, including human.  Astonishingly, it is estimated that 50% of the world's population carry this parasite.

This isn't the cats' fault, honestly.  I can understand your frustration and worries, but try and see it from the cat's POV.  There is a cold and wet garden or field, or nice, warm and dry place to go to the loo.  Which would you choose?  Neither they nor their owners are doing this deliberately to annoy you or put your family in danger.  It is more a case of impotence, I think, on the part of the owners, and nature on the part of the cats.  I'm not trying to downplay your hair-tearing frustration, anger or concern, really I'm not.  What I'm trying to do is give you a solution where everyone wins.


It is very difficult to stop cats wandering around.  If they are going to come onto your property, and it is almost impossible to stop them, make use of them, work with them.  It is worth a couple of boxes of cat food, surely?


Best of luck.

ruralliving

  • Joined May 2012
Re: Cats fouling hay, help?
« Reply #33 on: June 11, 2012, 06:26:03 pm »
I see your point, and it has been suggested we put cat food out in the hay, but we were worried about mice/rats eating it before the cat gets there.  Will we end up just feeding the mice and rats?  I assume they will eat cat biscuits?


Luckily for us the other cat hasn't turned up so we are worry free at the moment.  I strongly suspect it's tucked up in front of some generous old ladies fire around the corner whilst she feeds him tinned salmon and scratches his chin!

 

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