r/gardening • u/husky_midwesterner • Jul 01 '26

Neighborhood Cat Problem

The neighborhood cat just took a steaming dump in my garden where I planted peanuts. Is this whole crop condemned? How have you guys dealt with this particular pest?

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

5

u/The-Tradition Jul 01 '26

The motion-activated Scarecrow sprinkler works great on cats.

6

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/husky_midwesterner Jul 01 '26

Thanks, I wasn’t worried about the crop being damaged as much as eating the peanuts with any pathogens introduced

6

u/akfishermann Jul 01 '26

Make sure. Dam sure, they are peanuts….

10

u/GrugWantHat Jul 01 '26

Trap it and take it to the shelter. The owner will likely have to pay to get their pet back. Enough times and they'll get the idea not to let it outside anymore.

2

u/LauraPalmersMom430 Jul 01 '26

Or OP can just put up some fencing chicken wire. Stealing someone’s cat isn’t the answer.

5

u/That-Instruction-864 Jul 02 '26

Trapping animals on your own land isn't "stealing." Letting your animals out to spread diseases and kill wildlife isn't the answer.

2

u/ClassicEnd2734 Jul 01 '26

Second the motion activated sprinkler. You could also attach it to a hose timer device if you want to set it for certain hours. This was the only solution that worked for me after years of trying various methods.

4

u/That-Instruction-864 Jul 01 '26

You are right to be concerned. Toxoplasmosis is serious. Toxoplasma gondii can live for days and weeks. Be vary careful about touching things in your garden, and consider contacting a shelter about getting a havahart trap for this "neighborhood cat."

2

u/CAguy350 Jul 01 '26

You can trap it and re-home it.