Two Plus Two Newer Archives - So I asked a cat forum for help

Wow they got to that quickly.

this is what I wrote, if anyone has any ideas let me know:

Hi guys, this is my first post.

I need to pick the brains of some of you knowledgable cat people out there.

I live on the top level of a 3 story apartment block that has a communal garden/pool area in the centre. The people below me have a couple of cats that cause me a lot of problems.

They urinate all over my front door/doormat every couple of days, leave bird carcasses on the stairwell and seem to crap everywhere all the time. The garden bed at the base of my stairwell stinks permanently.

I'm looking for some tips on how to hurt these cats sufficiently so they stop inconveniencing me, and I thought I might get some help here.

I've tried throwing big buckets of cold water all over them, but they often see me coming and run away. I've heard you can use a water pistol to spray draino or methylated spirits on them to really aggravate them, but I don't have a water pistol. Is it worth getting one? How much should I spend on a good quality pistol? (Or is hot water better? I tried it, but its difficult to accurately pour water at a running cat from a kettle.)

I've tried throwing them off the top of the stairs, although it seems 3 stories isn't enough to do any lasting damage. I also try to give them a good kicking every time I walk past them - sometimes propelling them from the top of the staircase which does, I'll admit, limit their mobility for a few days - but they don't seem to be learning. Maybe steel capped work boots aren't heavy enough to correct feline behaviour problems? Which boots do you recommend?

A friend mentioned that lemon juice can deter cats from urinating in unwanted areas, but they just spit it out. Perhaps I'm injecting it in the wrong orifice?

So far none of my practical solutions have discouraged these cats from vandalizing my home, except for the temporary reprieve brought by the occasional extended visit to the vet, however the little buggers are able to climb the stairs again in no time.

If anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. So far I've been pretty lenient, but I don't want to do anything permanent because the owners would never stop whingeing about it and that might be even more intolerable than my current situation.

Thanks in advance,

Stu