hi, was told that if your neigbour had a cat you should introduce it to your
garden as early as possible, so it came to see your garden as part of its
own territory and would not mess in it.
any truth in this please?
john west

I'm afraid cats mess wherever they can....they will not avoid their own
territory, unfortunately!

Jo

One of those large "water pistols" is good for encouraging cats to avoid
your garden. A quick quirt every time you sopt them in your garden and they
soon get the message.

Personally, I'd discuss this with your neighbour first though. Hopefully
they'll appreciate that your just protecting your borders (sic) and not a
pathalogical cat hater.

And a quick squirt should suffice - no need to drown poor kitty!

Paul DS.

In article , j west +++
writes
hi, was told that if your neigbour had a cat you should introduce it to your
garden as early as possible, so it came to see your garden as part of its
own territory and would not mess in it.
any truth in this please?

Cats like to feel relatively safe while crapping (well - wouldn't you?)
so are more likely to mess in their own territory. A dominant cat will
leave unburied markers at the edge of his territory to deter others.

Try a powerful water pistol as a deterrent (don't let the cat see you
else he'll quickly learn that he's safe when you're not around), avoid
areas of newly turned earth, cover newly planted seeds with short sticks
upright into the ground at 4 inch intervals.

Remember the cat is a loved member of your neighbour's family, and while
you might say 'I wouldn't let my children crap over their lawn' remember
that if you resort to methods that harm the cat, your neighbour's
reaction will be on a par with your reaction had someone done that to
your child.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

j west +++ wrote:
hi, was told that if your neigbour had a cat you should introduce it to your
garden as early as possible, so it came to see your garden as part of its
own territory and would not mess in it.
any truth in this please?

Not that I know.
There is a FAQ on cats:
http://www.tmac.clara.co.uk/urgring/faqcats1.htm