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Water Bottles in driveway 2011/9/6 06:58
Why do people put water bottles in their driveway? It seems like they just fill an old bottle with water and leave it there for no apparent reason.
I see that all the time, and I've asked a few (Japanese) people and nobody seems to know the answer.
by Nicolas Pelletier  

Plastic bottles 2011/9/6 10:54
Nicolas,

Many people believe that it somehow scares away cats, but unfortunately it has zero effectiveness.
by Dave in Saitama (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2011/9/6 17:13
nobody seems to know the answer.

That's a surprize.
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

cats 2011/9/7 10:23
as dave said it's supposed to keep the stray cats out of gardens and alleyways but it does not work at all

i can't understand why people still do it
by winterwolf rate this post as useful

to 2011/9/7 15:44
to prevent cats scratching. Usually they are Placed in front of plants or door posts. When a cat scratches a bottle, water sprays- scares it and it crawls off. It is an effective recycling method.
by Donaldl rate this post as useful

Myth busted! 2011/9/7 16:23
I loved watching this video that appears to be casting doubt on the theory behind the water bottles: http://www.japanprobe.com/2010/11/05/plastic-water-bottles-vs-cats/
by Hoshisato rate this post as useful

Fantastic Question! 2011/9/7 16:55
I always wondering about that too!
by ScorpioEL rate this post as useful

Bottles 2011/9/8 15:35
For those of you who haven't seen the bottles and want to know what this question is about, here is a photo of a good example: http://metastasis.aminus3.com/image/2011-09-08.html
by Hoshisato rate this post as useful

FYI 2011/9/8 19:17
Just for your information, we do this in Australia too. It is not as common as it once used to be, but there are still many people that do it. It is moreso thought to keep dogs away from gardens, etc. than cats.
I often see it in smaller country towns than in cities.
by Smoke (guest) rate this post as useful

Not only Japan 2011/9/10 09:13
Us up in Scotland used to do this all the time, especially by putting them in our gardens for some reason. The reason for the gardens was to make them think they were seeing another cat or something like that. I don't know the full reason.

I don't see it much anymore.
by Mogtaki rate this post as useful

... 2011/9/12 18:18
It is completely daft, I have seen a cat brush up against those water bottles purring...it also looks messy to leave those dusty old plastic bottles in the street. I would much prefer to see a cat or a dog.

I also wondered why people throw buckets of water on the pavement...apparently it keeps the dust down? there maybe more logic to that one...but it still seems like an odd thing to do with water...lots of these things are just done out of habit rather than reason I guess.
by gilesdesign (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2011/9/13 06:24
I also wondered why people throw buckets of water on the pavement

It also lowers the temperature of the pavement and air above it by a degree or two.

Whatever humans do, there is a good reason for it. I am sure that the water bottle thing also has some positive effect. Whatever it is.
by Uji rate this post as useful

... 2011/9/13 07:46
I am sure that the water bottle thing also has some positive effect. Whatever it is.

My understanding is it's a kind of urban legend, started by someone as a prank. If so, I can't think of any positive effect it might have.
by Walkingfool rate this post as useful

... 2011/9/13 09:22
I believe that it was started as a contraption to keep cats away - it might have come from the fact that shiny flat disks that flicker in the sunlight have been used to keep some wild birds away from balconies - but by now some people are using the bottles to protect their brick/concrete/wooden fences from dogs peeing :) I guess it is effective when it comes to that :)
by AK (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2011/9/13 10:27
@Uji...ah ok someone told me it was because the wind picks the dust up and makes their shop display dirty, but when the dust is wet it sticks to the ground...I didn't know about lowering the temperature.

About the bottles...I think the majority people who do that are people that don't like cats and dogs and therefore don't understand them...they probably heard cats don't like water and somehow believed cats would therefore be scared of bottled water.

My grandmother used to put any cutlery that was out on the table away in the drawers whenever there was thunder and lightning...there was no point reasoning with her, its just what she did, believing it made her safe from lightning...she did it all her life. I guess every culture has these funny old wives tales...at some point they were based on some kind of logic but now habit has taken over reasoning and it just becomes habit almost like a ritual.

Keeps life interesting I guess.
by gilesdesign (guest) rate this post as useful

Shower your pavement after sunset! 2011/9/13 11:14
Rather off-topic, but showering the ground with water is very effective both in preventing dust and lowing temprature BUT it should be done either in the early or late hours of the day!

In the recent summers, TV news have been showing groups showering water in mid day to promote this traditional habit, in order to save energy and to prevent global heating and urban heat islands. Since these are promotional events they do it around noon, but this is very unpractical as the harsh sunlight will create great humidity right after that.

Traditionally, shopkeepers would shower used water on the streets just as they are opening their shops in the morning rush hours, but it's best to shower the ground in front of your home right after sunset. I do this a lot especially in mid Auguest, and it especially makes the following morning relatively comfortable.

This year, I hear that you're supposed to save water in Japan as well, because water supply also uses a lot of electricity. But if you ever feel the need to throw away some used water or need to water whatever it is in your yard, try to do it right after sunset. It will save the earth.

As for the shiney discs to scare away crows, my understanding is that it was quite effective in the beginning, but since the crows are smart they eventually learned that it isn't scary. I wonder if cats were always okay with the bottles. Maybe they were scared in the beginning but learned to live with it :)
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

water bottles 2011/9/15 12:04
I read somewhere that it was for travelling people to drink so you won`t be bothered with strangers knocking on your door. It was for security in the old days. Reasonable enough I suppose.
by Annie (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2011/9/15 15:57
I read somewhere that it was for travelling people to drink so you won`t be bothered with strangers knocking on your door. It was for security in the old days. Reasonable enough I suppose.

I don't see anything reasonable about that. You can die by drinking from bottles with no purpose mentioned on it!
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

Clever Cats 2011/9/17 05:42
The explanation always given me by Japanese friends is indeed to deter cats.

However, when I first asked, my friend merely said 'it's for the cats' - and I thought, 'Japanese cats must be damn clever to be able to unscrew the caps - and why do they need SO MUCH water?'!
by Yamaneko (guest) rate this post as useful

keeps dinosaurs away. 2011/9/22 15:31
There are no dinosaurs around. It must work
by PhotoNaturally rate this post as useful

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