The following information may help you deal with a nuisance cat while abiding by the law. Councils with cat by-laws often list 'nuisance' behaviours in their dog and cat management plan which you can find on their website.
If you can identify the owner of the cat, discuss the issue with them in a friendly and practical way. Often, the owner will not realise their cat is being a nuisance. If you treat the issue as a shared problem and work on a solution together, you’re likely to achieve a good result.
If the cat is only a problem at certain times, you can ask the owner to keep the cat in during these times.
If it’s an adjoining neighbour’s cat, you might agree on a fence modification to keep them confined to their property. Check with your council before making fence modifications.
There’s a few ways you can prevent cats from entering your property or areas they’re not welcome:
Cat urine has an unpleasant odour that can be removed by scrubbing the area with a solution of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in water, followed with rinse of white vinegar. This method is environmentally safe and is an effective disinfectant, deodorant and cleaning agent. Don’t use ammonia-based cleaners as they have an old urine-type smell that will only encourage cats to urinate in the area more.
If you have taken all reasonable steps to deal with a nuisance cat, contact your local council.