Water pistols

[spikey]

This year I am declaring war on the cats and the pigeons which invade our garden thanks to the fool on one side of us who has got himself four cats and to the wench on the other side who insists upon feeding the poor little birdies (which don't get a look in once the pigeons spot the food she puts out).

 

As I don't have any grandkids from whom I can elicit suggestions, is any kind soul on here able to recommend any particular powerful water pistol with which I can attack the invaders?  All I need is something reliable which will squirt a powerful jet a reasonable distance with reasonable accuracy. 

[petethemole]

The Supersoaker type should suffice, available in toy shops or on line.  The larger ones have quite a long range.

[teaky]

A garden sprayer with a pump.  You can tune the nozzle to a fine jet and pump up the pressure.  They don't dribble like toy water guns either.

 

I have found the best anti-cat measure to be prunings from spiky plants like pyracantha and berberis scattered around the borders.  Birds like blackbirds and smaller don't seem to be bothered by them and cats quickly learn to keep away.  You just have to remember to always wear gloves when weeding.

[Michael Hodgson]

58 minutes ago, teaky said:

I have found the best anti-cat measure to be prunings from spiky plants like pyracantha and berberis scattered around the borders.  Birds like blackbirds and smaller don't seem to be bothered by them and cats quickly learn to keep away.  You just have to remember to always wear gloves when weeding.

It's the OP's name that gave you that idea !

[Nearholmer]

You could get a dog.

[BR traction instructor]

…grate your citrus peel and scatter it along your border…cats won’t go near it.

 

Alternatively, order some dried lion dung from your local zoo and scatter that along your borders. It’ll get rid of cats and dogs.

 

BeRTIe

Edited January 27, 2022 by BR traction instructor

[Michael Hodgson]

19 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

Alternatively, order some dried lion dung from your local zoo and scatter that along your borders. It’ll get rid of cats and dogs.

 

 and postmen and door-to-door salemen too

[Tim Dubya]

Cat's love water pistols, you're wasting your time with them.

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, Tim Dubya said:

Cat's love water pistols, you're wasting your time with them.

 

 

I don't know - squirting them is quite good fun!

 

What you could do is rig up a PIR detector so that it only switches on when there's movement well within range of a sprinkler.

Perhaps I should patent that as an automatic cat wash.

[Nearholmer]

1 hour ago, Tim Dubya said:

Cat's love water pistols

I would have thought they’d struggle with the trigger.

[Hroth]

This may well be a little over the top...

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6019150?clickSR=slp:term:pressure washer:8:37:1

Powerful, reliable and accurate.

 

(to be taken as a joke, not seriously!)

 

 

[Kylestrome]

2 hours ago, Hroth said:

(to be taken as a joke, not seriously!)

 

Spoil-sport!

[J. S. Bach]

6 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

 and postmen and door-to-door salesmen too

Especially if the lion is still there creating fresh dung for the supply locker!

[didcot]

Whilst I appreciate a lot of people don't like cats visiting their gardens, I would take issue with anyone aiming a water pistol at our cats. A quick clapping of hands is more than enough to send ours scurrying away.

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, didcot said:

 A quick clapping of hands is more than enough to send ours scurrying away.

 

Yes, but they fly so much more beautifully with a jet of water up the jacksie!

[didcot]

That may be. But cats and indeed any pets are loved and looked after by their owners. Ours have been constant companions, especially over the last couple of years. Can you imagine the distress it could cause the owners, who may not have anyone else. The care home across the road asked us if we minded them visiting as one resident loves to see one of our cats and it calms her down. We were happy to say yes, as long as they didn't feed her and sent her on her way early evening. I'm currently in our living room as my wife has covid. But I have my furry friends to keep me company as does she and it is a great comfort. 

 

[spikey]

8 hours ago, didcot said:

... Can you imagine the distress it could cause the owners, who may not have anyone else. 

 

What about the distress caused by their cats continually crapping in somebody else's garden?  Our neighbour has four cats and a garden that is paved throughout.  We have a large garden, 90% of which is given over to the cultivation of vegetables.  It is therefore almost entirely nicely tilled earth.  And catshit.

Edited January 28, 2022 by spikey

[Michael Hodgson]

3 hours ago, spikey said:

 

What about the distress caused by their cats continually crapping in somebody else's garden?  Our neighbour has four cats and a garden that is paved throughout.  We have a large garden, 90% of which is given over to the cultivation of vegetables.  It is therefore almost entirely nicely tilled earth.  And catshit.

We've got four cats and they're not allowed out to bother the neighbours.

[doilum]

Adopt a cat of your own. The biggest, ugliest that the rescue shelter has to offer. Come to an understanding that it must toilet elsewhere and encourage it to be fiercely territorial.

[AndrueC]

19 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I don't know - squirting them is quite good fun!

 

What you could do is rig up a PIR detector so that it only switches on when there's movement well within range of a sprinkler.

Perhaps I should patent that as an automatic cat wash.

Already on sale. I had one for a while. Trouble is ate through batteries so I got rid of it.

[AndrueC]

11 hours ago, didcot said:

That may be. But cats and indeed any pets are loved and looked after by their owners. Ours have been constant companions, especially over the last couple of years. Can you imagine the distress it could cause the owners, who may not have anyone else. The care home across the road asked us if we minded them visiting as one resident loves to see one of our cats and it calms her down. We were happy to say yes, as long as they didn't feed her and sent her on her way early evening. I'm currently in our living room as my wife has covid. But I have my furry friends to keep me company as does she and it is a great comfort. 

 

That's great but when they come onto my property they become vermin. I like to grow food and finding cat poo in your lettuce bed is unacceptable. 

 

But I also don't approve of keeping cats indoors because that seems cruel. That's as bad as keeping a bird caged up all day. My budgie had the free run of all of the house apart from the kitchen (he wasn't keen on the upstairs anyway due to problem of flying back down the staircase). He was only locked into his cage at night for safety.

Edited January 28, 2022 by AndrueC

[eastglosmog]

You could always try the Great Ballistic Clod of Earth, as recommended by the late Terry Prachett in The Unadulterated Cat.  Otherwise, do as he did (and as recommended by Dolium upthread) get a cat of your own!

I'm afraid Nearholmer's idea of getting a dog would not work if faced with my cat, - she terrorizes the local dogs.  She also couldn't care less about getting wet and ignores those ultrasonic cat scaring things (she is however, house trained and uses her litter tray rather than nearby vegetable patches).

[Michael Hodgson]

42 minutes ago, eastglosmog said:

 (she is however, house trained and uses her litter tray rather than nearby vegetable patches).

 

That sounds like our Gnipper (now deceased).  He was allowed out, but even when he was outdoors he somehow knew when the litter tray had just been cleaned, and made a point of coming in through the cat flap to use it and going straight back out again.  A fastidious cat, he always preferred an inside lavvy.

[Wheatley]

On 28/01/2022 at 01:10, didcot said:

That may be. But cats and indeed any pets are loved and looked after by their owners.

Keep them out of my garden then. 

 

A plastic beaker of water on the study windowsill has proved quite effective during WFH. I don't even need to throw it now, just rattle the window catch and it stalks off somewhere else

 

You don't actually need to hit the wretched thing, half a pint in the general direction seems to work. 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Wheatley

[Classsix T]

Get cat dude and bird lady to houseshare for a fortnight. They'll cancel each other out. 

 

And obviously as the perfect neighbour, you've approached both parties about your concerns? I mean rather than going online to ask the opinion of a bunch of random train nerds first, natch.

 

C6T.