I would like to reiterate this point. We had a neighbor who started luring cats into her garage to trap them and take them to the pound. She knew who they belonged to, she was just pissed that they were in her yard. When cat-owners found out, much ugliness ensued. I don’t argue her right to a cat-free yard, or to trap cats caught trespassing, but she could have saved herself much grief if she’d said something first.
That was gonna be my suggestion!
Some cats aren’t real bright. If the dog decides to much a dumb cat that is also someone’s pet, you could face litigation.
Plus, half-munched cats really clutter a lawn.
Not to pick a nit, but if you read the OP, I don’t have pets, nor do I have the need, time or patience for one. Plus, I am too cheap to pay the deposit for a pet.
SSG Schwartz
I read it, that’s why I was going to suggest a dog. 
I’m pretty sure a judge would laugh if your dog munched a cat in your yard.
I recently trapped a black female in my yard. The reason I trapped her was because she was obviously in heat and looking to get laid. She’s at the Humane Society now. She didn’t seem very human friendly but she sure liked my yard - and my neutered gay boy cats who really couldn’t help her with her “itch.” She’d even come into the house for food. But wouldn’t let a human within 20’ of her.
After a few days at the Society, they pronounced her a sweet friendly cat and adoptable. I think she’s past, or pretty close to being past the waiting period for her owners to collect her and now she’s up for adoption. I keep checking back to see how she’s doing because I feel a bit responsible for having trapped her. She’ll be up for adoption for awhile, and if no one takes her, I may have to cough up the dough for her shots & spaying, and give her a shot at living here.
Total long-winded hijack, I know. To the OP, there’s nothing wrong with trapping cats who like to use your yard & garden as a toilet. Cat owners need to take responsibility for their cats, make sure they’ve got ID tags on them, or they’re chipped and if the cat disappears, check with the local animal authorities and retrieve. If they don’t, they’re not good pet owners and the cats would be better off with new owners, elsewhere.
I thought so too, until I saw it happen. Dog had munched through a few stupid cats. Dog got confiscated as a dangerous animal. Sad all around.
Not to pick a nit, but I wasn’t recommending you should get a dog, I was just saying that the only cat repellent I knew that worked was a dog. In other words, everything else is going to be labor-intensive and probably not work as effectively as you want.
Really? Wow, that does suck all around.
You could install a ceiling fan in your yard. Keeps the cats, and the heat, away.
control-z, you might not want to view the above vid at work.
It’s not real, people. Funny as hell, but not real.
Went to PetCo today and was advised that they have cat/dog repellents to keep animals off furniture and off plants. I checked what they had anyway. All required daily application, which I could do, if the repellent was effective, but none was recommended for broadcasting. I have had some success with a mix of mostly water, some Texas Pete hot sauce, and canine pepper. The trouble is the cats have not learned to stay off the lawn yet. I fear traps may be forthcoming (only $40 for traps). How many cats can I get in one before I have to empty it? I have 4 cats and at least 6 kittens that have adopted my lawn. Can I just dump the cats somewhere or will they find their way back?
SSG Schwartz
I keep a slingshot for this because I am just too much of a softie to use antifreeze.
I think dogs and cats are smart enough to avoid places that are unfriendly to them and a non-lethal “move-on” from a slingshot pellet seems to encourage them to find other pastures.
I’ve used ground cayenne pepper to keep squirrels and dogs out of my plants. I’m pretty sure that all mammals are sensitive to it. It seems to lose effectiveness over a few days, so you may have to reapply depending on the number of cats and how fast they learn. The squirrels periodically forget and need to be reminded but the great dane has never crapped in my yard again. The best part is that while it’s very unpleasant to sniff up a noseful of it, there is no real injury. And a huge container costs maybe 3 bucks at Sam’s Club.
Made from dogs? 
Allow me to save you time and money. Go straight to the traps. I’ve tried everything to keep the filthy pests out of my vegetables - stinking repellent, carpet strips, netting, sonic alarms. NONE of them work. The only way to get rid of your problem is to get rid of the cat.
(Regarding the repellent dust stuff, there was a cat lied sunning itself in one of our empty hanging baskets. I poured some of the dust around the basket, and some of it got on the cat’s coat itself. The cat woke up, looked at me, then fell back to sleep. It’s that effective.)
I’ve tried lots of things too. One time I heard they don’t like citrus so I stuck a whole bunch of lemons in the blender, made a really strong puree of the peels and everything, thoroughly soaked the area I wanted this female to quit shitting in and just as soon as I soaked the area she ran over and crapped in it. Right in front of me. “Thanks for making it smell so nice! Now I’ll crap here more!”
The only thing that comes close to working is to have your own cats & dogs to chase the other cats out, but then you’re still stuck with crap all over.
If I had the money, I’d have my entire backyard enclosed in chain-link fence. Not just the sides mind you, the top too. It’d be like a huge aviary.
Then I’ll know I’ve become an eccentric, crotchety old man.
Doesn’t work unless you’re a good shot and you’ve got all day to sit out there and wait for em. My idiot brother tried this years ago and they usually bolted by the time he got the patio door open.
Motion detector triggered automatic sprinkler system, with “kill swtiches” placed at door, gate, garage etc…
Just a thought
Cayenne pepper will work, just needs a thorough application. Go to the market that caters to Latin Americans and you can buy a very large container(much more than any cook needs) and sprinkle liberally on a 2 foot wide path all around the yard. When the cat gets it on its feet and tastes it, he will not come back for quite a while.
Has worked for me for years.