Cats on the rooftop; cats on the tiles etc

pmrid (Peter) · #1 25-11-2019, 10:27 AM

Anyone got any suggestions (legal ones only please) how to deter/discourage cats that owners fail/refuse to confine at night. I'm fed up with a couple of local cats that seem to have decided my driveway and everything on it are great places to download their dinner. And they have more recently decided that if they get onto my roof and patios, they can thunder up and down chasing early morning birds and the like.

I have a dog but she's deaf and snores louder than I. Her great huntress days are well and truly behind her. The cats are not intimidated by a snoring dog it seems.

Peter

JA · #2 25-11-2019, 10:38 AM

Hi Peter,

Whilst I haven't ever had that problem, if faced with those constraints, then I would perhaps research/try a motion sensitive ultrasonic device to drive them away.

Best
JA

Peter Ward · #3 25-11-2019, 10:43 AM

Do you live near a green belt?...if so I suspect you have a Possum problem, not a kitty one.

We have been cat owners for +50 years and it would be very odd for one to "thump" across a roof (they are silent hunters) or use a driveway as a toilet...they actively seek a sandy/soil areas and like to bury their waste. (BTW our felines are kept indoors at night).

Males do however like to mark their territory and will spray tree trunks and even vehicle tyres if they think it's in their domain.

As for the Possums...the little buggers thump over our roof on a regular basis after dusk and at dawn, and leave "chocolate bullet" sized droppings regularly around our property including pathways and driveways.

Wavytone · #4 25-11-2019, 10:52 AM

Peter, you have a possum, not a cat problem.

Possums are quite oblivious to how much noise they make whereas outdoors at night cats are mostly silent except when there’s a fight, or mating.

pmrid (Peter) · #5 25-11-2019, 10:54 AM

Thank you possum theorists! But, I have been using one of those trail camera devices to monitor the offended territory and the images tell the story. Cats - 2 of them in particular; and no possums.

Peter

Steffen · #6 25-11-2019, 11:11 AM

Get your own cat. They are very territorial and will chase away the intruders. Choose a big breed

AstralTraveller (David) · #7 25-11-2019, 11:17 AM

All legal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbkLjjlMV8

Startrek (Martin) · #8 25-11-2019, 11:24 AM

Never ever had a cat problem as we have ring tailed possums scampering along the fences all night in Sydney’s south and big Brush tails doing the same thing down at my weekender near Ulladulla
Solution - buy a couple of fake stuffed possums and sit them on your fence
Are cats that smart ??

brisen (Brian) · #9 25-11-2019, 11:36 AM

Hi Peter

I had a similar problem with a roaming cat that a neighbour refused to control. They used to leave the garage door up just high enough that the cat didn't have to bend down to walk under, but also to allow the cat 24/7 access to any yard other then its own.

If you make contact with the local council they will deliver a cat trap to your door for free. The 'rental' is two weeks and once the cat is in the trap you just need to transport the cat to the pound for them. It is a council requirement here that cats are registered and controlled responsibly by the owners, unfortunately this is not always the case. A can of cat food in the trap generally attracts them in and the gate closes behind them.

All it took for the owner to secure the roaming cat here was to see the Council Ranger turn up with the trap - I haven't seen the cat since (now approaching 6 months). They also got a warning from the Rangers regarding responsible pet ownership and had the fine schedule outlined to them.

Brian

Peter Ward · #10 25-11-2019, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmrid

Thank you possum theorists! But, I have been using one of those trail camera devices to monitor the offended territory and the images tell the story. Cats - 2 of them in particular; and no possums.

Peter

Where is the camera located?

Show me a picture of a cat on your roof and I'll be convinced.

Sunfish (Ray) · #11 25-11-2019, 12:47 PM

Yep. I have the same problem at times with cats. I can tell the difference . Cats indeed thunder around on the roof and like to chase the ringtails ( which is like a mouse to them). Possums cross the roof or deck quick and light and go into a tree where the cats hang around and chase.

Living in the country you know your cat can kill and eat a burrow full of rabbit kittens in a night and leave the remains on your doorstep along with the odd bandicoot and ringtail.

There is no solution , like the old women who swallowed a fly; other than a dog, which will wake you up barking anyway or lobby the council to fine cat owners large sums of money as they do with dogs off leash.

poider (Peter) · #12 25-11-2019, 01:07 PM

Hi Peter,

I have had some success with water mixed with eucalyptus oil, and lemon juice sprayed around the outside of my fence, I i think you can mix 1 lite of water with 10 drops of eucalyptus and 5 drops of lemon
Peter

Sunfish (Ray) · #13 25-11-2019, 01:09 PM

Ha,I like it.
Add an auto sprinkler system on your roof. Also good in a fire.
All well within the means of an amateur astronomer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

All legal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbkLjjlMV8

Exfso (Peter) · #14 25-11-2019, 07:43 PM

Yep that YouTube clip is gold, I love cats, used to own 5xSiamese when I was younger, but they were kept inside at night.
Definitely reckon the offenders in this thread are Possums, I have trapped one and released miles away in the scrub. Noisy sh1ts and don't mind crapping all over the place, even got inside my wall and tried to dig its way into my living room through the plaster board walls.

skysurfer · #15 26-11-2019, 04:20 AM

Maybe used coffee pads or filters (still filled) can deter cats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

Do you live near a green belt?...if so I suspect you have a Possum problem, not a kitty one.

We have been cat owners for +50 years and it would be very odd for one to "thump" across a roof (they are silent hunters) or use a driveway as a toilet...they actively seek a sandy/soil areas and like to bury their waste. (BTW our felines are kept indoors at night).

Males do however like to mark their territory and will spray tree trunks and even vehicle tyres if they think it's in their domain.

As for the Possums...the little buggers thump over our roof on a regular basis after dusk and at dawn, and leave "chocolate bullet" sized droppings regularly around our property including pathways and driveways.

Sunfish (Ray) · #16 26-11-2019, 07:34 AM

Very odd how IS members first reaction is to not believe each other. If Peter says he has seen cats on his roof I believe what he tells me and not my own ideas about cats.

My neighbour takes their cat for a walk while I am out on the lawn at night . Who would believe that.

lazjen (Chris) · #17 26-11-2019, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunfish

My neighbour takes their cat for a walk while I am out on the lawn at night . Who would believe that.

I would. Cats are trainable. Until we sorted out our cat run, we would take our cats out on a leash to walk around.

astroron (Ron) · #18 26-11-2019, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunfish

Very odd how IS members first reaction is to not believe each other. If Peter says he has seen cats on his roof I believe what he tells me and not my own ideas about cats.

My neighbour takes their cat for a walk while I am out on the lawn at night . Who would believe that.

I have to agree with you there.
Very presumptive of people to question a person, who has the same eyes and ears that they have.
Peter has lived in Australia a long time and should know the difference between a cat and a possum.
If he says it's a cat,it's a cat,end of story.
What he wanted was a solution to his CAT problem,not people questioning his knowledge in the difference between a Possum and a Cat.
Cheers

Pepper (Steve) · #19 26-11-2019, 10:36 AM

I’m with Brian.
Get a cat trap. Send em to the pound.
The owners will do something when they keep having to pay bail.

Huey (Michael) · #20 26-11-2019, 11:27 AM

I have the same problem. My dog chases the cats but he barks which annoys the neighbours (with and without cats). I invested in a cat trap and have removed close to 50 cats that way. Aldi's sardines in spring water seem to be irresistible. The ranger takes the cats away, the owner gets fined. If the cat is not micro chipped it is considered feral and gets humanely destroyed. After a while cat owners don't let their cat(s) roam as the fine increases with every offence and the cat can be confiscated. You know the rest.
Get a cat trap, although they are not cheap. Put it out permanently and you don't have to rely on the council's one.

Huey