Feral Cat Ruining Garden.

[Neo815]

Hello friends,

I feral cat visits my house. I am feeding her for a year now. She tolerates my presence but won't allow me to go near her. Recently I went on vacation for a month. When I came back, the garden was a mess. She was a very well behaved cat but now she has stopped to bury her poop. She relieves herself right on the middle of the garden, on the grass. I don't know what to do with her anymore. If I stop feeding her, will she move away to some other place? She doesn't live outside my house.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Oh please don't stop feeding her. She has come to depend on you for food. Have you looked into providing her with an outside litter box? Has something in the soil changed that is making her use the yard instead. Maybe a new cat has come into the territory?

My feral cats used to love to use mulch. I made sure to refresh it every few months.

You might do a google search on outdoor litter boxes.

I hope you don't stop feeding her. Also do you know if she has been spayed?

 

[Neo815]

I am not the only one feeding her. She has other houses on the block. She is spayed. Nothing has changed. She used to dig a hole and then go at her business but now she just does it on the grass. I had to add new grass to the whole garden.

 

[catsknowme]

My blind cat recently began doing the same thing because raccoons have begun soiling in the grass in the yard. My mom and I had been blaming the cats and her little dog but now that all the fruits are ripening and making windfalls, the seeds in some of the poop piles are revealing evidence!
I would give her an outside box or mulch pile in addition to shoveling up all the poop piles promptly every morning & putting down a citrus or cinnamon scent on those areas.
Even if you stop feeding, she may keep your place on her route because cats have established routines and territory. Danger and threat of injury & death define those boundaries- cats are more often prey than predator. You could try moving her food dish into the areas that she is soiling because cats hate to eat near their bathroom.
Please keep us updated on what you try & what results that you get! Many people will benefit from your experience

 

[FriendofFerals]

I had the same issue and I decided to take an old 3'x 3' vegetable garden box and set it out there with dirt in it. Guess what....the 2 ferals pooping in the yard decided it was a litterbox. No litter in it, just miscellaneous dirt. Problem solved!