ᐅ Cat droppings or wildlife scat? Warning: image of animal droppings!
Created on: 10 Jul 2018 13:03
A
andimann
Hello everyone,
(Hope I don’t get banned right away for posting a bunch of crap…)
Some animal is leaving a pile of droppings on our lawn almost every night, strangely always in almost the same spot (plus or minus 2 m (6.5 ft)). At first, I suspected the neighbor’s cat, but the pile seems too large for a cat, right? Also, don’t cats usually go into garden beds rather than right in the middle of the lawn?
Question: Can anyone tell me if this could still be cat droppings? If so, I guess a conversation with the neighbors is due.
I’m getting tired of cleaning it up every morning, and even more worried that my kids might step in it while playing or that my son might try to taste it. My nephew once caught worms that way, which was quite unpleasant. That really shouldn’t happen.
And if it’s something else: what could it be and, above all, how do I get rid of it?
Barbed wire, spring-loaded traps, anti-aircraft guns, nuclear bomb?
Best regards,
Andreas
(Hope I don’t get banned right away for posting a bunch of crap…)
Some animal is leaving a pile of droppings on our lawn almost every night, strangely always in almost the same spot (plus or minus 2 m (6.5 ft)). At first, I suspected the neighbor’s cat, but the pile seems too large for a cat, right? Also, don’t cats usually go into garden beds rather than right in the middle of the lawn?
Question: Can anyone tell me if this could still be cat droppings? If so, I guess a conversation with the neighbors is due.
I’m getting tired of cleaning it up every morning, and even more worried that my kids might step in it while playing or that my son might try to taste it. My nephew once caught worms that way, which was quite unpleasant. That really shouldn’t happen.
And if it’s something else: what could it be and, above all, how do I get rid of it?
Barbed wire, spring-loaded traps, anti-aircraft guns, nuclear bomb?
Best regards,
Andreas
Dear Ypg,
I basically like cats, even though we don’t have one ourselves.
But:
Where exactly am I being intolerant if I don’t want to clean up cat droppings every day (and again, it’s not even clear if these are cat droppings!!)? Should I throw my son’s diapers over the fence every day? Would you tolerate that?
No one minds the cat walking through the garden (leaving aside the whole debate about killed small animals), but I just don’t want to have to constantly clean up the mess.
That could be the cat owner’s responsibility sometimes...
Best regards,
Andreas
ypg schrieb:
that people who don’t like cats somehow dig in their heels and become very intolerant.
I basically like cats, even though we don’t have one ourselves.
But:
Where exactly am I being intolerant if I don’t want to clean up cat droppings every day (and again, it’s not even clear if these are cat droppings!!)? Should I throw my son’s diapers over the fence every day? Would you tolerate that?
No one minds the cat walking through the garden (leaving aside the whole debate about killed small animals), but I just don’t want to have to constantly clean up the mess.
That could be the cat owner’s responsibility sometimes...
Best regards,
Andreas
andimann schrieb:
Serious health risk? Yes, unfortunately, that’s true. Are you familiar with terms like toxoplasmosis or dog tapeworm? We’ve had both cases in the family, partly because the issue wasn’t taken seriously beforehand. It’s something you definitely don’t want to experience again.Just to clarify: fresh feces are unlikely to transmit toxoplasmosis. The pathogen typically needs about 3 days of warm and moist conditions to become infectious. The spores initially shed are harmless. Therefore, cleaning the cat litter box daily (with proper hygiene afterwards) is generally quite safe. Gardening without gloves poses a much greater risk! That’s why I always wear gloves when working in the garden, especially now that I’m pregnant.
But I think your approach is absolutely right: stay calm, identify the source, and then find a proper solution. And yes, you don’t have to tolerate the feces. If your neighbor’s cat is responsible, I believe (just personally) they should be involved in resolving the issue.
Hello,
Thanks, that’s a great tip. I hadn’t thought of that before. Last night I used my GoPro in time-lapse mode. The downside is you end up with 3,000 to 5,000 images to sort through in the morning...
With a wildlife camera, you might also catch hedgehogs and other animals, which my daughter would really enjoy!
Like it!
Best regards,
Andreas
Steven schrieb:
buy a wildlife camera or try to borrow one. They aren’t expensive and take decent photos at night.
Thanks, that’s a great tip. I hadn’t thought of that before. Last night I used my GoPro in time-lapse mode. The downside is you end up with 3,000 to 5,000 images to sort through in the morning...
With a wildlife camera, you might also catch hedgehogs and other animals, which my daughter would really enjoy!
Like it!
Best regards,
Andreas
Steven schrieb:
[QUOTE="Evolith, post: 269576, member: 267646.Fencing the garden to keep cats from getting out ... I believe you wouldn’t be too thrilled if your neighbor built something like Fort Knox. A cat fence needs to be at least 2.50 meters (8 feet) high to be truly secure. There are also a few other criteria. It doesn’t look good, I can tell you that.
Hello evolith
replace the word cat in your post with dogs.
Would that be acceptable to you?
So, let’s say a dog from the neighborhood enters your garden every day. The neighbor says they can’t do anything about it. The dog is just untrainable. Wouldn’t it then be reasonable for you to address the issue of the dog that fouls your yard? As I said, on my own property. And there are various ways I could handle this: water hose with a strong jet, slingshot with steel pellets, or even a spade. The dog is one matter, and this is damaging me daily. So I solve the problem. In a way that actually offers a solution. Since the party responsible, meaning the owner of that animal, does not propose any solution.
Steven
andimann schrieb:
With a trail camera, you might even catch hedgehogs and other wildlife, which is fun for my daughter too!
Best regards,
AndreasHello AndreasI have a trail camera set up at the bird feeding station during winter. It's amazing what shows up. Great spotted woodpeckers and green woodpeckers are always the highlights. And when a rat steals the fat balls at night, I’m well informed. That’s when the rat trap comes into play.
Steven
Our garden is open towards the front. I clean up dog poop weekly, which is usually much larger than the one shown in #1. I have two cats myself, so I’m not a dog hater. Dog owners are welcome here too—if someone is caught, they’ll immediately get handed a shovel. But otherwise, it doesn’t bother me much.
Repeat offenders are, of course, annoying. As mentioned, the anti-cat urine spray works very well for my dad. There are also PC cameras that record fairly good night footage and activate by motion. It’s quite entertaining to see what kind of critters are around!
Repeat offenders are, of course, annoying. As mentioned, the anti-cat urine spray works very well for my dad. There are also PC cameras that record fairly good night footage and activate by motion. It’s quite entertaining to see what kind of critters are around!
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