# These cats are driving me nutty **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890 "2007-02-27T17:06:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/1 "2007-02-27T17:06:04Z")
I love cats. I have a cat. I am totally pro-cat. HOWEVER, I have two neighborhood cats that insist on fighting on my doorstep at various times throughout the day and late at night. We have a city bylaw that does not allow cats to roam free, but no one really enforces it. Is there anything I can do to make my step less hospitable to this feline cage-match? ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/2 "2007-02-27T17:24:05Z")
Personal [suggestion](http://www.geocities.com/signemickey/bedofnails.jpg)😃 ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/3 "2007-02-27T17:26:37Z")
A water gun Cats don’t like to mix it with water - even a Burmese does not like a jet. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/4 "2007-02-27T17:39:29Z")
Try sprinking red pepper flakes on your doorstep. Or something with a strong citrus scent. I’ve had luck using grapefruit peels to keep neighborhood cats out of my flower beds. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/5 "2007-02-27T17:50:47Z")
> **[Live Animal Traps & Repellents - Havahart®](https://www.havahart.com/)** > > Havahart® is the leading manufacturer of wildlife control products, with live animal traps, conscientious animal repellents & safe electronic solutions ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/6 "2007-02-27T21:39:49Z")
One word: BB Gun. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/7 "2007-02-27T22:30:32Z")
I’ve used a cat repellent spray successfully when some nasty Tom kept spraying my back door to piss off Lenny and Squiggy. It produces an odour (humans can’t smell it much) that they hate and avoid. We sprayed our back steps every few days and it worked okay. It was kind of like [this one.](http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=11060) It did have a strange smell, but it wasn’t stinky and didn’t bother me much. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/8 "2007-02-28T01:27:16Z")
I love cats but if I found myself in this situation, I’d have a bucket of water at the ready and at the first sign of a cat fight, it would be douse-arama. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/9 "2007-02-28T01:36:19Z")
[QUOTE=spifflog] One word: BB Gun. [/QUOTE] One word: That could totally get you a jail sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/10 "2007-02-28T18:17:49Z")
I can’t douse them as it’s winter here and I am not trying to make kitty-sicles. I will try the repellant though, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/11 "2007-02-28T18:26:04Z")
[QUOTE=Poysyn] I can’t douse them as it’s winter here and I am not trying to make kitty-sicles. [/QUOTE] As an aside, the only cases of frostbite in animals I have ever seen have been in animals doused with water combined with very low temperatures. ---
**Author:** ![neurotic\_audit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b487fb/32.png) [@neurotic\_audit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neurotic_audit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-cats-are-driving-me-nutty/393890/12 "2007-02-28T19:35:21Z")
Most repellant sprays I’ve tried work for a brief period. The downsides; You have to respray the area often and the smell is not pleasant. I’ve also noticed that if you can’t smell it yourself, enough to be repulsed by it - it won’t keep critters away. I go with the squirt gun or water dousing. Even in the winter, if it’s not freezing, they’ll very quickly learn not to come back around.