Agree with everything you say Dave, but unfortunately as Bill says there is little we can do. I now wear disposable gloves when gardening. I have tried various things over the years without much success, last year I tried a product called "Silent Roar" which is pellets soaked in lion urine and found this helped.

With regards dogs, someone's is roaming about Grosvenor at night as twice during the last 3 weeks I have had to remove dog poo from my back garden.

Thanks Bill for such a full and clear reply, sadly it is also clear that I would be whistling into the wind to hope that any cat owner that allows their pet roam at night should see themselves as antisocial individuals. They are not cat owners they are just cat feeders.

David from a personable point of view I agree, as we too suffer from cats defecating in our garden and have to continually remove cat poo from our flower beds etc. However The Law States......

Unlike most animals, cats have a ‘right to roam’. There are no specific laws aimed at cats fouling on land. However, nuisance laws may assist where a complaint or dispute arises.

Cat owners also have a common law duty to take reasonable steps to ensure their cats do not cause damage to someone’s property or cause injury to anyone. Cats Cannot "Trespass"

The law relating to trespass in the context of domestic animals is found in the Animals Act 1971. However, cats enjoy a unique position as the Animals Act 1971 does not apply to them. This is how cats have this ‘right to roam’ and they cannot, therefore, trespass in the legal sense. Therefore, an owner cannot be legally responsible for where their cats go. Anti-social behaviour orders

The keeping of animals can result in an anti-social behaviour order (‘ASBO’) if the Magistrates’ Court is persuaded that the defendant has acted in an anti-social manner. However, the magistrates are unlikely to grant an ASBO in relation to the fouling by cats, unless the fouling is on a substantial scale. Is there anything I can do?

If court action is not possible, there are a number of steps you can take to deter cats fouling on your land. This includes planting prickly plants; using scents such as orange, peppermint, and eucalyptus; spraying bitter apple; and using electronic deterrents designed to keep cats away from a specific area. What Can't I do?

You must not do anything to harm a cat. Under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 it is a criminal offence to ill-treat any animal. It is also a criminal offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to administer poison, dangerous drugs or substances to an animal; and under the Animal Welfare Act 2005 it is a criminal offence to allow a cat to suffer unnecessarily.

Interestingly, a cat is treated by the law as goods. Therefore, the taking of a cat from its owner may amount to theft.

As a non-pet owner, generally I find that we seem to have some well behaved and responsible dog owners, I can't remember the last time I saw a local dog walker not carrying a little bag.

What I do take issue with is the sheer number of cats and their owners who allow them to defecate where ever they wish, leaving them out all night to do as they will. I am fed up scooping cat poo out of my flowerbeds. Would all cat owners please train there cats to shit in their own gardens

Dave Heath 24 Grosvenor

Yes I would say there is a problem, But there a lot of people who come here to walk their dogs as well, so unless we can change peoples mind set, as to how disgusting it is. It is never going to Change. So unfortunately its a problem we are always going to have.