The most expensive coffee in the world comes from cat poop. Its price fluctuates between 800 and 1,200 euros. Although coffee made from cat feces is considered a delicacy, most people do not associate the animal waste with good thoughts.
How to prevent cat poop in the garden?
To avoid cat poop in the garden, make the area unattractive to cats, e.g. B. through tall trees, off-putting aromas such as pepper or chili powder, circular sprinklers with motion detectors and unpleasant surfaces such as plant fleece or pebbles. Some plants such as lavender, peppermint or curry herb can also have a deterrent effect.
What does cat poop look like?
The color of the feces varies slightly depending on the cat's diet
Cats do their business every 24 to 36 hours. They look for a substrate in which they can bury their remains. Therefore, you can often find cat poop in the sandbox. The feces are a deep brown or caramel-like color and have a firm consistency that is not too hard or soft. The remains are elongated in shape and flexible. They give off a light and not too putrid smell of feces. If the images differ from he althy cat feces, this rating system will help you find the cause:
| He alth problem | Feces | Abnormalities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constipation | extremely hard and dry | Toilet use difficult and noticeably rare | |
| Diarrhea | mushy to thin to watery | Apathetic behavior or fever when sick | |
| wrong diet | soft, often light brown or shiny | Smell intense, stinky | |
| Pancreatitis | light and greasy | frequent use of the toilet | |
| tar chair | black | Smell extremely strong |
Marten droppings or cat droppings?
It is typical for cats to bury their feces, while martens leave their toilet exposed. In contrast to martens, cats are pure carnivores, so there are no undigested remains of nuts or berries in their feces. Martens use a toilet place more often, so old and fresh traces of droppings can be found in one place. If you are unsure which culprit has done its business in the bed, compare pictures from the Internet. These features are typical of marten droppings:
- sausage-shaped and about a centimeter thick
- slightly twisted in a spiral shape
- pointed at the ends
- eight to ten centimeters long
- often mixed with leftover fur and feathers or seeds
- very unpleasant smell
What to do about cat poop in the garden?
If you want to combat cat excrement in the garden, you need to get to know the cats' preferences. They love places that are warm and dry. A soft and sandy surface is ideal for your business and so the pets can cause unpleasant surprises in beds and sandboxes or in the lawn.
11 Wege: Katzen vertreiben aus dem Garten (praktische Tipps)
Effective remedies for cat excrement in the garden
With simple tricks you can make your garden cat-proof without injuring the house cats and thus incurring the wrath of the cat owner. Design the environment in such a way that it is as unattractive as possible for the four-legged friend and that he cannot find any access:
- insurmountable entry barrier: plant two meter high trees such as hawthorn and barberries
- deterrent aromas: sprinkle pepper or chili powder on the bed and lawn
- unwanted shower: Place a circular sprinkler on the lawn and equip it with a motion detector
- unattractive substrate: Distribute plant fleece, pebbles or bark mulch in the bed
If you want to scare away cats with water, you should not spray the animal directly. All you have to do is point a long-range water gun in the direction of the cat. Many house cats run away when they get slightly wet. However, the method does not work for all cats.
Prevent cat excrement in the garden – natural measures
Many hobby gardeners have had good experiences with dense planting. If the four-legged friends don't find any open places to dig, they continue to search. Leave spent perennials standing over the winter. The dried plant stems act as a natural repellent because cats avoid substrates with stinging objects.
Deterring Plants
Cats can't stand the smell of curry herb
Cats have a very keen sense of smell, which is better developed than humans. They can detect numerous smells that are hidden from the human nose. Conversely, smells that are pleasant to us are too intense for the cat's nose and are a deterrent. A cat's sense of smell develops throughout its life. Cats are less likely to be unsettled by unpleasant smells if they are familiar with these aromas from a young age.
These plants are considered cat-repellent:
- Spice herbs: Curry herb (Helichrysum italicum), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
- Scented herbs: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), peppermint (Mentha × piperita)
- Ornamental herbs: Rue (Ruta graveolens), Balkan cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum)
Background
That's what a cat smells like
Cats primarily orient themselves visually, but their sense of smell plays a central role in daily life. Their number of olfactory cells is three times higher than the number of sensory cells in the human nose. Cats have 60 million of these tiny olfactory bulbs.
In the first few weeks, a newly born kitten orients itself exclusively with its nose in order to find its way to the teat. It only opens its eyes in the third week of life. The sense of smell also plays an important role later in life, as communication via scents such as pheromones is an important option for transmitting messages.
Piss off plant (Plectranthus ornatus)
In 2001, the plant gained particular attention because the Swabian breeder Dieter Stegmeier discovered its deterrent effect. When crushed, the leaves give off a special smell that is reminiscent of menthol. Cats, rabbits, martens and dogs perceive the aroma before it is ground and stay away from the plant, so that they go to other places for their scent marks and leavings.
How to plant the plant:
- at least two plants per square meter
- A low perennial hedge is ideal
- optimal aroma development in sunny and dry locations
What dangers does cat feces pose?
Illnesses can arise from cat feces. Viruses, bacteria or parasites are often transmitted through smear infections. Therefore, you should keep a watchful eye if you notice any abnormalities in the droppings or if feces smell extremely smelly. Blood in cat feces indicates a disease of the upper digestive tract, but does not represent an infectious risk. It becomes more dangerous if you find worms in cat feces.
The worst thing that comes from cat feces are worms. However, toxoplasmosis is a serious illness for pregnant women.
Toxoplasmosis – danger during pregnancy
Toxoplasmosis is a danger to pregnant women
Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease that commonly occurs in cats. The pathogen is a parasite that uses the cat as its main host. Affected animals rarely experience symptoms such as diarrhea. People often become infected with toxoplasmosis when they consume undercooked pork. Therefore, vegetarians are less likely to be infected with the disease. In he althy people, the disease usually has no symptoms. The following symptoms can rarely occur:
- mild fever
- Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck
- Fatigue
- Pain in head and limbs
Infected people do not need to be treated. Once the disease has healed, the organism produces antibodies and prevents reinfection. If women become infected for the first time during pregnancy, there are risks to the newborn. Miscarriages or damage to the unborn child can occur.
Help, my baby ate cat poop
If your cat is he althy and is regularly dewormed, there is no danger to the little explorers. They can become infected with parasites if they put cat feces in their mouths while playing in the sandbox. So don't panic and check the cat feces for possible abnormalities such as worms.
Tip
Distribute apple cider vinegar in the bed or stick garlic cloves in the soil. Cats don't like either of these things at all, so they avoid using your garden as a toilet place.
Cat scratch disease – cat excrement makes you blind?
This disease is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae, which up to 70 percent of cats carry. It enters the human organism through scratching injuries and can also be transmitted through cuddling. Cat fleas and their feces represent another source of infection. It is not known that the disease is transmitted through cat feces. The disease is usually benign and manifests itself as swelling of the lymph nodes. Red-brown papules on the contact wound are typical and disappear spontaneously after a few days.
Symptoms in immunocompromised people:
- rare skin diseases
- cysts filled with blood in the liver
- Inflammation of the meninges or inner lining of the heart
- Inflammation of the optic nerve with subsequent blindness
Why do dogs eat cat poop?
Eating feces is known as coprophagia. Some dogs eat waste from the litter box if it is not cleaned immediately. This behavior is not only disgusting but also dangerous for humans and animals. Parasites, viruses and bacteria can be transmitted to the dog and stick to the dog's snout, paws or fur. In this way they enter the human organism during the next cuddle session.
Possible reasons for eating poop:
- Lack of hygiene in the dog kennel
- Stress due to strict upbringing
- Frustration due to frequent loneliness
- habitual behavior to get attention
- Parasite infestation or disease of the pancreas
For many animals, eating feces is a sign of nutrient deficiency. It could not be confirmed in practice that the dogs suffer from an inadequate supply of nutrients. Basically, coprophagia should be stopped immediately if you observe this behavior in your dog. If the habit persists for a long period of time, you should take the situation seriously and get to the bottom of the exact cause.
Cat feces in case law
Homeowners are subject to a duty of mutual consideration in their neighborly relationships. This also means that the property owner must tolerate visits from neighbors' cats. In most cases, a ban on keeping cats is not legal. If the exercise of cats in a residential area is considered normal, there are no legal measures against the animal remains in the garden.
Tip
If you line your beds with rose cuttings, the area will become unattractive to cats. They avoid the thorny ground because they could injure their soft paws.
Frequently asked questions
How can I remove cat poop from carpet?
Soiled carpets should be cleaned as quickly as possible
Remove the residue from the carpet as quickly as possible with a plastic bag before it dries out. Lay out absorbent cloths to absorb any traces of urine. Clean the area with a lukewarm soap solution until all residue has been removed. Mineral water is an old household tip that is suitable for treating stains and for wool carpets. You can use baking soda to remove the smell.
For some time now I've been observing a particularly stubborn tomcat who keeps doing his business in my garden. What helps against cat poop in the garden?
Such evildoers can be deterred with a cocktail of intensely scented substances. Use an empty margarine cup and pour boiling water over a black tea bag. Let the tea steep for a few minutes and add a few drops of eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil. A few splashes of Tabasco round off the intense scented cocktail.
Close the cup with the plastic lid and poke a few holes through it with a nail. Bury the jar up to the lid in a strategic location so it is safe and secure. The cocktail will spread its scent over the bed in the coming days.
I have tried every measure to keep cats out of my garden. Nothing worked. What to do?
Make a virtue out of necessity and set up a special place for the cat to store its droppings. They prefer to do their business in dry and sunny places where the substrate is loose. Dig a hollow with an area of one square meter and a depth of ten to 20 centimeters and fill the hole with sand. So that you don't have to see the litter box every day, you can use certain plants as a border:
- Catnip (Nepeta x faassenii)
- Amur ray style (Actinidia kolomikta)
- Gamander (Teucrium)
- True Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
The four-legged friends are attracted to the scents of these plants and are thus distracted from your beds. If the sand is heavily contaminated, you can bury it in the garden. With this variant, you don't expect any unpleasant surprises when caring for your bed and you always know where the cat poop is.
How can I dispose of litter containing cat feces?
You can flush cat feces down the toilet if there are no coarse litter residues on it. However, you should not empty the entire litter box into the toilet, otherwise the pipes could become blocked. Litter made from plant fiber or paper, on the other hand, can also enter the sewage treatment system because these substrates do not clump together in the pipes. There are special bags and trash cans for cat waste in which you can temporarily store the leftovers. Cat feces are not recommended as fertilizer.
