My Pet World: What’s a humane solution to discourage cats, but is safe around dogs?
Dear Cathy,
I have a nine-month-old and a six-year-old Havanese. Stray cats use my ornamental grass and lawn as their litter box, which happened when the first dog was a pup. While it stopped the first time (I guess the cats figured out the puppy wasn't going anywhere), it's started again since getting the nine-month-old puppy. My new puppy eats and rolls around in their waste. What plants or (strategies) will keep stray cats away, but are safe for dogs?
— Debra Hicksville, New York
Dear Debra,
The humane way to keep cats out of your yard is to install motion-detector sprinklers. When you’re in the yard with your dogs simply turn them off.
As for plants, you could plant marigolds, lavender, rosemary, rue, curry plants, lemon grass, and pepper plants or because cats hate citrus smells, you could put grapefruit and orange peels in your flower beds. But strong scents tend to repel both dogs and cats, so I would stick to the motion detector sprinklers.
And, when your new puppy decides to roll around in the cat poop, call him to you, say his reward word (i.e. Bingo) for responding, and give him a treat. Then redirect him with a toy or game.
Since you say the cats did this temporarily when your six-year-old dog was a puppy, perhaps they will stop again when they realize the new dog is not leaving either.
Dear Cathy,
I had the same problem as Carol from Connecticut regarding barking dogs. I spoke to my neighbor, and there was no difference. I went to animal control, and within a week or two, they had spoken to my neighbor about the problem. She may have a lazy Animal Control Department or officer who doesn't want to do their job.
— Darrin, Woodstock Connecticut
Dear Darrin,
I had written to Carol about how animal control worked a little differently in Connecticut than what I am used to seeing, and that maybe that was having some impact on her ability to get help. So, I am glad to hear your local animal control responded to your complaint and spoke to the owners. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
Dogs bark. It's part of who they are and how they alert us to things that are out of place. But if they are constantly barking, then its animal control officers who should address the issue with owners.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Dear Cathy,
I read your column about Carol from Connecticut with the barking dogs. Whenever I am in my backyard, my next-door neighbor goes into his backyard with his aggressive dog and trains the dog to attack. This neighbor stands next to our shared fence and repeatedly issues the command, "Bark!" His dog loudly barks, and then this neighbor rewards the dog by saying, "Good Boy, Good Boy." Then the neighbor loudly issues the command, "Get Her, Get Her." When I'm outside in front of my house and this dog is in his backyard, he aggressively barks and growls at me.
When I called Animal Control to report this, I was told, "There are just irresponsible dog owners. Call the police." I called the police. I'm told, "There's nothing we can do until something happens. Call animal control." Isn't it too late after something happens? What do I do?
— Pamela, East Meadow, New York
Dear Pamela,
While it's true there is little animal control can do about the dog until something happens, there is something they can do with the humans before something happens. Animal control is tasked with keeping the community safe, and part of that involves talking to residents about proper pet care and pet restraint.
If neighbors suspect a potentially dangerous dog in the neighborhood, they should all file complaints with animal control, and an animal control officer should investigate and educate the family about what could happen to them should their dog injure or kill someone. Not only would the dog likely be euthanized, but the owner, in some states, can be convicted of a felony, fined, and serve jail time. That can have a sobering effect on some people to ensure they have a social dog.
It makes no sense that animal control would not address this concern for you, though. If you can’t get animal control to visit the home, the next step would be to reach out to your city council or county representative, depending on where you live. If someone is willing to train their dog to be aggressive, they won't likely listen to anyone except a police officer, animal control officer, or city official.
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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)
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