PLEASE DON'T POOH ON MY LAWN

It's by no means unusual. It is a universal problem with pets fouling lawns, invariably someone else's, away from the house where they live.

I have a real problem in my back garden where a large black and white tom cat has made my lawn his own private and exclusive toilet. He is very territorial and does not tolerate any other cat around.

Don't get me wrong, I love pets, including dogs and cats, and I do realise that they have to go somewhere. I don't mind as much if it is on the garden borders, but the lawns are a little different where the grandchildren wish to play. 

Until recently I have managed to keep it clean but a while ago there were no fewer that 10 poohs in various stages of decomposition, and I must say that the poor animal appeared, according to his results, to have an ongoing abdominal issue . . . with pooh being the operative word.

I have not been able to photograph him because he scarpers as soon as the deed is done.

I have tried various deterrents, including this lion face which I drew on an old bird table with the help of Peter. I had high hopes of it being likened to the ultimate nuclear deterrent, but no such thing. Perhaps my lion looks a little anaemic.

We placed the face on the cat's usual walkway to the garden lawn and I was highly amused, when looking out of the kitchen window on day one, at his reaction when he saw the lion face. He looked at the lion and then at me looking at him with an expression on his face as if to say, "You will have to get up much earlier than that in the morning to get one over on me!!" . . lol. Then he proceeded to go right up to it fearlessly, knock it over and then to urinate on it, looking back with what I can only describe as a triumphant cat smirk.

We have tried all sorts of things to deter him including orange peel, which they are supposed to hate, lion's pooh which was about as successful as the lion face, and these metal cats with marble eyes, plus a sound repeller,

 None of them worked and all were treated with complete contempt . . . lol

The only thing that seems to help is to keep the grass short, which I try to do regularly.

I'll try again with my camera to get a shot of him.

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There is a sequel to this story. My next door neighbour knocked on my door, asking if I had seen her next door, on the othe side, neighbour's cat, a black and white one?  
I said, "Oh! that must be the one which keeps fouling my law."
She said, "Me too! but the cat is very poorly and is 14 years old. Have you seen it recently because Mike hasn't? Could you let them know if you see it again?"
I said I could tell it was ill by it's revolting deposits.
Well I did think I saw it again but it seemed smaller, much trimmer and fitter and did not use my lawn as a lavatory, and just walked on by, also ignoring the lion face and various deterrents. 
So I rang the neighbour to say I had seen it and Jill said, "It cannot be our's because our's passed away after being run over by a car a few days ago ~ it must be another one!"

Shame, poor cat . . . but it is quite a coincidence that the one I saw is almost identical, yet a bit smaller.