Make sure you don't have any bare ground, use bark, gravel anything rough that will deter the cats. Though in all honesty cats can be very determined. If possible clean out the areas where they have been defecating (wear gloves) as the smell will attract them back. Sonic devices don't work! They are meant not to like the smell of citrus so you could try putting peel down but no guarantee it will work.

If you try gravel, make sure it's the "pointy" type - round gravel won't work!
As Moon grower says, the best way is to try to leave no free space for them.
Or get yourself a real bruiser of a cat - mine goes next door, and nothing comes into HER garden!!

broken slate is the hardest to dig in and it looks lovley when it gets wet . can you borrow a dog for a while just to scare them ?

Slate is a brilliant idea NP!!
Sadly, all of my cats have completely dominated my dogs!!

oops slate it is lol . it should work and maybe find a dedicated spot in the garden wear you dont mind them going to meanie x .

That's a good one NP...not thought of before!

sometimes doing the opposit of what you think you should do works a treat . like giving snails and earwigs a perfect place to spend the day or hybernate then you know wear they are . i must admit i did only just think of the dedicated spot for your cat . you could probably hide the spot with the right planting to so it wasnt so obvious .thanx again x .

what about putting the responsibility back on the cats owners? either get them to pick up the mess or chuck it back into their garden.!!

Because in general cats bury their faeces unlike dogs... and there is no requirement for a cat owner to clean up after their cat as there is with a dog.

I know that !! but think it is wrong . cats faeces are disgusting and dangerous to my grandchildren.

Are your grandchildren ever allowed to drink directly from a can or bottle that has been bought in a shop and not thoroughly sterilized? Far more risky I think than the possibility that they may stick their fingers into the ground and find some cat mess! Also, don't forget that cats are predators of rodents!
I do agree that it's frustrating though.

????????? how ignorant !!!!!!!!

Hi Helen...
I find that sprinkling pepper dust around the soil does deter cats from using the garden borders as a loo.... though quite expensive to purchase ...

also, if you have soil which is loose, from being recently dug over... push in a lot of small sticks, and that makes the area somewhat inaccessible to cats...

I hope these ideas help. :o) x

thanks TT , I will try the sticks as this sounds like a good idea .

Hi again Helen..

yes, use the sticks, and then put a "barrier" of pepper dust around the area which has the sticks.

You can get the pepper dust from Garden Centres... I don't think B&Q sell it... they sell a cat-repellant with garlic ... but I reckon the pepper dust is better...

produced by Bayer.... a tall plastic pot (a bit like a talcum powder pot) 225 g... for about £5.. but it does last a while if you sprinkle it sparingly ...

Let me know if you have any success with these ideas ..
good luck !

Helen - I'm sorry that you feel that way. I wasn't trying to offend, merely put the risk in perspective!

Helen no way is Meanie ignorant... if your Grandchildren are allowed to drink from soda cans then they are likely consuming rat pee! This is far more likely to cause a problem than sticking their fingers in cat excrement which - I repeat - is usually buried, thus unless they are digging they will not find! Dog excrement carries more danger than that of cats and sits on the surface. You might also discover what you have is fox excrement!

cats do try and be realy clean and cover there tracks hence burying there poo . the thing is they smell first to see if theres anything already there which is wear the pepper comes in and the sticks stop them squatting without being impaled in a tender area lol .

Sprinkle dry curry powder where they might go. They don't like it.

Never thought of that! How long is it effective?

untill it blows away or the sticks rot . your better of cutting up cout hangers and pushing them in the soil they last longer .