We have an outdoor cat that has several friends. We always feed our cat inside so as not to accumulate a neighborhood of cats eating at our house (we do always have water available outside). Even though we don't feed the extra cats there are several that hangout on our deck with our cat day and night. The cats have begun pooping on the deck. Any idea how to get them to stop? We don't want to use any of the things (natural or chemical) to keep cats away because it is where our cat lives and we don't mind his "friends" being there- just want the pooping on the deck to stop!
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People, Katie said they don't want to use anything that repels cats, because their own cat uses the deck to hang out on. So, forget the vinegar, citrus and what have you.....no natural or chemical ideas. Maybe automatic lights might deter them, but i doubt it. Any other ideas people? I still think the best cure is a litter box. If the other cats will use it, at least no poop on Katie's deck.
Thank you so much gggd for noticing the key statement in my question- I need a solution to the poop problem that doesn't make my cat not want to be on the deck!
You're very welcome Katie. It seems that some folks just want to give an answer without fully reading the question first. I'm sure you already know how to clean your deck...you don't need us for that. Maybe someone will have a better answer, but have you tried a litter box yet?
Katie I have used apple cider vinegar with dawn dish soap.
scrub the area where the poop is plus 3 sq. ft. around spot.
Still does not work.I even rub the cat nose in the poop.
I also have a litter box in the area. That don't work.
Now what is my next trick.
Since you are talking about cat urine/poop deposits on a wooden deck you may have to take a few extra steps to remove the odor so they will not keep returning to a 'used' area. This is odor that you cannot smell but animals can and to them, this odor means it is an okay spot to leave their mark or 'deposit'.
Only an enzyme cleaner will remove this odor but I believe you will need to clean your deck first as it will probably be very difficult to find every spot. Since cleaning your deck may not be convenient, you may just have to start in one area and then move on to the next area.
Supplies needed:
Large (12 pounds/Walmart) Baking Soda.
White vinegar: 2 gallons (save the jugs for later)
Several rags for cleaning (you may want to use throw away rags).
Hydrogen Peroxide - quart size or 2 or 3 small containers.
Dawn dish soap: Lemon or blue (other brands may work also).
Enzyme Cleaner: This can get expensive but I have used the less expensive brands and they seem to be okay.
www.walmart.com/
www.walmart.com/
I have always found that lightly covering an area with baking soda; wait 10-15 minutes; pour white vinegar on the baking soda: it will fizz for a few seconds/minutes; clean up with rags.
Once clean you can mix about a 1/4 cup of Lemon or blue Dawn dish soap and a 1/2 to one cup Hydrogen Peroxide in a gallon container (empty vinegar jug will work) and pour it all over the clean area or pour into a large sprayer bottle. Leave it to dry but do not rinse.
All of this work just cleans the deck, getting it ready for the most important step; enzyme cleaner.
After the deck dries, spray/soak the area with an enzyme cleaner and let it dry.
This method will not run the cats off but will (hopefully) stop them from using your deck as their bathroom.
You should try to locate any new spots and pour white vinegar first and after dry spray the area with the enzyme cleaner.
You can also pour a mixture of lemon and water instead of vinegar as cats do not usually like the smell of either of these.
You might also try to place something in the area they seem to like the most; such as pot plants or chairs and move the water dish and food to an area the will be the easiest to clean.
Some people resort to a covered litter box but being outside it will probably still get wet if the rain blows very much and there is no guarantee that all cats will use it.
Cats will spray urine or sometimes poop in an area where there are multiple cats as a way to mark territories. You could try putting a litter box on the deck. You will have to find a way to keep the box dry, or get a hooded litter box. I hope this stops the messes on your deck.
There is a spray that you can buy, you simple just spray the area and cats cannot stand the scent. Also you can try spraying a strong citrus scent , cats do not like a strong citrus smell.
Maybe try an ultrasonic light system that repels the cats. They auto turn on and some use solar technology, which is great.
Here is an example:
Considering the cats have been pooping and spraying on your deck for some time now it is necessary to really clean the deck to get rid of the order first. Vinegar and citrus are two orders a cat hates and will not go near at all. Once you have your deck cleaned, you can try to use a steam cleaner on the deck this one will work well, you will need to spray this down with some citrus such as lemon or orange and keep spraying it every few days. If you don't have some citrus around you can use vinegar to spray the area down with vinegar. Keep spraying this each day to keep the cats away and they will soon find a new place to go poop. Hopefully not in your yard.
If you can find some cheap oranges you can cut slices of orange and add some whole cloves to the slices to place around your deck. This will stop them from coming on your deck to poop and spray.
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