How can I keep the neighbor's cat out of our sandbox ?

[blondie]

I'm SO ANNOYED!!

We have a sandbox, but it doesn't have sand- it has pea gravel. We specifically got pea gravel because we thought that would keep creatures from pooping in it. Not so much.

Our neighbor's cat just recently started doing his business in there. DH brought it up to our neighbor - (we are on good terms with him) and he said it's probably because the litter box in his house is overflowing with poop because it's his 14 year old's job to clean the box. :doh (I'm HOPING he goes and takes care of that for us, because if his cat keeps doing this, mama is gonna blow a gasket!!)

Any ideas on how we can clean the gravel ? Any ideas on how we can keep the cat from doing this again ? I know that last question is a long shot, but we have to try!

I'm so frustrated and grossed out. We've never had this problem before - we've had the box for 2 years.

[cindergretta]

Do you have a cover for the box? I have heard that cats dislike citrus and mint scents. Maybe orange rinds around the box? Spray a mint oil around?

I really have no idea so I am just brainstorming.

:hug2

[blondie]

We don't have a cover. We might have to do that. It just seems like a hassle. I'm lazy and scared of the things that could hide in there.

I thought of peppermint EO. :think I could plant a border of peppermint plants.

[expatmom]

:sick

Nothing is going to stop the cat short of a cover. Sorry.

If you really don't want to do the cover, try a motion sensor water sprinkler. But I think a cover will be less hassle.

[blondie]

I told DH we should put in a moat.

:laughtears

[itzj]

I would cover it. It's only a matter of time before some other animal starts using it as well.

And then I would lecture the neighbor's on not neglecting their poor cat. :mad

[DoulaClara]

Ditto, cover. Poor kitty with the gross box, ew. How can they live with that inside of their house? :sick I don't know that there is an easy or convenient way to actually clean pea gravel. :think I think it would be far easier to just replace it. If you are super ambitious, though, you could probably remove it quart by quart or so, swish it around in hot soap water, drain the sink (with a mesh guard over the sink drain) and pour boiling water over it to rinse it, and then spread it out on a towel in the sun. And then do it again, and again, and again until all of the sandbox is cleaned out. It seems super tedious, though.

If you firmly cover it at the end of the day, nothing else should be able to go into it and be gross. Are you worried about insects? Another GCM recently added cinnamon and another spice to her sandbox to keep insects at bay. IDK if it has the same effect with pea gravel, though.

[MomtoJGJ]

:shifty a pellet gun is my dh's idea for the cats pooping in our garden and the neighbors dog who thinks our yard is her toilet. He hasn't bought one yet, but he's very tempted.

I think a motion sensor sprinkler is an awesome idea though!

[november]

This is the one reason we're not too keen on the idea of a sandbox, all of our neighbors have cats and that would make me so mad, too! I would definitely get a cover for it - that's the only way I'll even consider it for our backyard. How annoying!

[itzj]

:shifty a pellet gun is my dh's idea for the cats pooping in our garden and the neighbors dog who thinks our yard is her toilet. He hasn't bought one yet, but he's very tempted.

I think a motion sensor sprinkler is an awesome idea though!

I hope he's just joking since that's animal cruelty. :-/ I don't know about dogs, but there are so many things cats hate they can be easy to deter. Our cats loathe citrus and won't go near the kitchen if I've got it out.

You know you could get really creative with a lid. You could paint roads or train tracks on it to make another car area for when they don't want to do the gravel. Or you could paint it with chalkboard paint. Then they could draw on it and you could come up with outdoor crafts where they have to look for nature items that you have listed on the lid.

[blondie]

They have 3 cats and a dog. It's a single dad and an angsty teen boy. I assume that their house is quite...icky.

[gpsings]

1. live traps

2. get a big dog

3. call humane society

(less intrusive)

tin foil? tape?


BTW....I always worry about sandboxes because they invite black widows. OK....paranoia out. :lol

[The Tickle Momster]

we have similar issues w/the neighborhood cats. We are the only house w/o a dog so all the cats use our yard. :sick They will even go in the grass. :shiver We cover our garden beds with either chicken wire or something similar so they won't want to walk in there. It frustrates me no end. We've considered live traps. . . :think

[gpsings]

cat poo is the stinkiest poo in the world! My grandmother was the neighborhood stray-cat-feeder and her yard was always full of it.:sick
If I were you, I would live trap them and take them to the humane society. You can tell them who to contact as the owners and they will have to pay a fine to get their cats back. Rinse and repeat until they get the message. Of course, I'm the lady with a sign on the door halloween night telling all the small children that we have no candy. Best.neighbor.ever. :lol

[kiloyd]

We had a sandbox in NH with lots of cats in our neighborhood. I kept it covered with a tarp and held down with rocks.

DH just built a sandbox here and there are two outdoor cats nearby, we put a tarp on it, held down with bricks.

A tarp is the easiest solution.

For the record, my cat is indoor. :)

[JoEllen]

Put some kind of cover on it when the kids aren't using it.