My neighbors have cats. I am allergic to them. I have couches outside which I used to enjoy sitting on to watch the kids while they play. I could take a notebook and write away while they enjoyed themselves, and all was well. Except that the neighbors' cats have taken to sitting on my couch, so now I cannot. I have spoken to them, and they don't seem to care that I cannot sit on my own couch, so I am forced to turn to other measures of control. Has anyone had any experience with that pet repulsion spray? Like 'Off!'? I am afraid of it leaving a residue which would be unpleasant to sit on. Or, has anyone had any experience cleaning the cat dander from fabric? I am clueless. Thanks.
I think the easiest thing would be to get a plastic cover for the couch, and have it on there when you're not using it. It's easy to clean, and you can always pull it off in a few seconds to sit on the fabric if you like. The cats can sit there on the plastic all they want, without you having to worry about your health or dealing with the cats or neighbors. I've tried the cat repellent spray in the past, and in my case, I could smell it, and the smell made me sick. Not sure why, but it made me very reluctant to use things like that since. I know it can be a bit of a pain to have to fuss with the plastic, though. If you want to try aversion therapy or something, to make the couch an unpleasant place for the cats to go, (without hurting them of course!) maybe ask your veterinary? They may have suggestions besides the sprays.
Sorry no expereince with repulsion spray. And celeaning fabric, no either (I can pat a cat and see my girlfriend 12 hours later and she goes into a sneezing fit). When ia cat molts though (and if your allergic to cats/fur) then plastic wont make much difference, it'll still molt, and someone with allergies will still pick up the smallest hair. (My girlffriend is allergic to cats dogs). You could probably build something around your fence (weak point) though that would be more trouble than anything. If the cat is laying on pillows fabric, just bring the whole thing in. It probably wont sit come when its gonj (Im guessing it likes the sun when its on it (no?) Or it'll fine another nice warm place. You could always move the chair/seat to another place while your not using it Or completely cover it with pastic I do feel for you, we had a neighbour with greyhounds locked in a guradge (8 of them) and they whined all bloody day and night, the council did crap all. You could always place mice traps all over the seat and scare it (it wouldnt hurt the cat bad at all, other then frighten it). Keep doing that until it gets the point (Cats usually do). Were i live now, the cat poop in our garden (we nmoved here 2 weeks ago), and ca poo is.....not pleasent. Im going to eet traps all over the place (nobody goes in their but the cat) It worked when i was a kid . Goodluck, really!
Thanks. As much as I don't like the idea of doing anything expensive to repulse their cats from my own couch, I think that might be our only option. Thought I am also afraid that if they sit on that plastic, removing the plastic would set me off, stirring up all the dander into the air, and it would end up on the couch anyway. And I am pregnant right now, so I have a super strong sense of smell. If it repels cats, it can't be too good for baby, and I would certainly be able to smell it, if you could. I have no fence, it is my apartments veranda, and because it is an apartment, there is no room inside for the cushions, and kids playing outside would kind of prevent the mouse trap option. I am starting to worry that my only option is to get rid of the cats. Thanks for the replies.
I'd call animal control. You can try different cleaners and use repellant sprays, but you shouldn't have to. If someone else's cat is going in your yard and you don't want them there, why is that your problem? I would tell the neighbor to keep the cats out of your yard or you'll call animal control and let them deal with it. To me it's ridiculous that you should have to give up your space and your freedom for someone else's cat. Just my advice. ~Eliza
HA,If it was anything like the local coiuncils when i lived in Australia, they wouldnt give a crap if a wild cat at your baby, let alone slept somewhere. Ringing some local Vets might be a good idea actually.
Buy some rat traps and put them armed, face down inside of paper bags on the couch when you aren't using it. When the cat jumps on, the rat trap pops against the bag and scares the piss out of the cat. A couple times and they wont go back up there, plus it wont hurt the cats.
Google Ultrasonic Cat Repellent. There are several site which sell them, and many offer a money-back (if it fails to solve your problem) 60-day trial. It looks like they will set you back around $50-70. It works by emitting a sound that is out of human audio range, but very annoying to cats. Like a constant dog whistle. Totally safe to you and the baby, no residue, no hassle.
A natural way to repel cats is Lemon Juice and Chili powder or any type of hot pepper powder. Spray the entire couch down with a solution of 1 cup of lemon concentrate and a cup of water. Then sprinkle hot pepper powder on the arms of the couch and the back. (Unless the couch in question is a light color, you can use white table pepper also-- as it won't stain like red peppers will.) I also think the plastic cover is probably your safest bet. Sprinkle Baking soda all over the couch and vacuum it thoroughly, then put the cover on it. For that matter you could use a couple of big black garbage bags, two opened up should fit the couch, duct taped together in the middle and each end placed under the couch legs. You could also go to a chain store and go in the paint department and pick up a roll of plastic floor covers. These are just big sheets of thick plastic. Cut a piece long enough to cover the couch with enough left over to place under the legs at either end. You'll have enough on most rolls to cover the couch at least ten times, should the cat scratch the plastic. Most chemical pet repellents are bad for pets and humans. They are normally laced with chemicals, have bad fumes, and are poisonous. You may need to treat your couch for a flea infestation, especially if that cat is an outdoor cat...and sometimes even if it isn't. Sentry makes a Natural Defense brand flea spray that kills adult fleas on contact, with only natural oils (lemon grass, tea tree, cinnamon)and it smells like apple or pumpkin pie. It takes a day or so for the residue to wear off, so do it on a day when you have good air flow and aren't going to be sitting on it. It's non-toxic, and I have noticed that it does repel the cats to an extent. They don't seem fond of the spicy smell of it. Allergies to cats do not come from the fur itself. It is the saliva that is what you are normally allergic to. They lick their fur, and their skin has dry saliva on it, so people assume they are allergic to the fur and dander. But it is the spit you're allergic to. I've found a combo of Singular (prescription med), Claritin (or generic OTC brands), and Flonase (prescription nasal spray) seems to work the best against cat allergies. I have four cats and rather allergic, though worse to dogs. Regular vacuuming also helps a lot. Edit: I forgot to mention that you can also be allergic to flea poop, which falls off the cat onto surfaces it goes across, thus vacuuming and treating for fleas may also reduce your allergic reaction.
But then you've got to clean up the cat piss. I agree about calling animal control. My neighbors have animals that they just let run around, too, and it drives me crazy. If they're not going to take responsibility for their pet and make sure it doesn't get on your couch, then you have every right to call animal control.
animal control probably won't be able to do anything, since it's in cats' nature to roam, so there's usually no leash laws that apply to cats... and your neighbor can't be the only person in the area with cats, so to 'get rid of' [did you mean 'kill'!?] those cats may not solve your problem... if you can't screen off your little sitting area, i don't see any option other than for you to move to a complex that does not allow any pets... the sad thing is, that both you and the cat owners have rights... and to curtail one's, in favor of the other's is neither fair, nor really doable...
Try the ultrasonic device. They work well against insects, birds, and rodents... I assume they work on cats as well.
I hate indoor furniture outside. Upholstery Holds onto things like allergens, dust, mildew, mold. Being outside, it is subject to all of those things. Besides, they make cute outdoor furniture that is quite comfy. The fabric is treated to seal out those pollutants. If the cats got on the outdoor furniture..you could hose it off...wipe it down...keep the dander off. You could also spray the darn cats and make them not so comfy on your porch. Don't know any anything about the repellent sprays. I have two dogs. they keep the cats off the property just fine.
Thanks Bluebell, that's a lot of useful ideas I hadn't thought of. Gives me a lot of things to try, and am looking forward to trying some of them! Kill yes, only as a last resort - the landlord here does not allow pets, and I believe council regulation says you aren't supposed to leave your cats outside. Though I don't hold much hope in the council doing anything, the landlord might. I just wanted to try and sort it out myself first. It isn't that I don't like cats.. (well, one of them I don't like, he is just mean!) I just can't have them on my couch. There aren't any other cats in the neighborhood that wander onto our couches. And yes, we wouldn't have bought a fabric couch for outside.. but this one looked like new, and was sitting out on the curb, so didn't particularly want to bring it inside anyways, even if we HAD the room. But it is really comfy for outside, for a while anyways. I tried an ultrasonic device to take care of bugs when we first moved in here - they nested in it. Ew. So don't have much faith in those. Thanks again for the ideas on the natural methods, I will give those a try.
should be a NEVER resort!... it's not only illegal, so you can be arrested and jailed for it, but it's cold-hearted and cruel...
Get a cage trap. Set it outside with some food in it and let it catch one of them. Take it to your neighbor the next day and say if you get it again it's going straight to the pound. ... Then piss on THEIR furniture. That'll teach them!
This works 100%. My sister is allergic and she's a singer, but one little device like this made life with the neighbour's cats okay again--they don't come near her terrace.
