Cover the sand box and close the garage door.

Go get some animal traps and deliver the cats to the Humane Society.

Seems strange for cats to go thru a garbage can unless they're pretty hungry but this time of year they're probably both hungry and cold if they're outdoors.
If you know the owners, ask them to feed their cats.

I'd do as harebell suggested plus get a cover for your garbage can.

Check with your HS before taking in trapped cats...not sure if they take them. I'd never suggest trapping and taking them to the pound.

Of all things I can actually relate to this. I've had a cat wander through our back yard many times this year (or steathly creep through it at odd hours). We have a fully privacy fenced back yard and I've found this odd. Particularly since I have 2 large dogs that would love a cat - with a little salt and pepper if they were able enough to catch one.
Last month a contractor told me, "I'm sorry, we went in your garage and your cat escaped." I was like... umm... what cat? I don't have a cat.

A few weeks later, my neighbor across the street was looking for her cat and I told her about what the contractor said and what I'd witnessed. I even told her that is fine with me and I would be happy for her to have her cat, and I really had no issue with it being in my garge if it felt like it (jeez its winter). She all but accused me outright of either killing her cat or turning it in to animal control -- NONE OF WHICH I DID.

The fact is, cats roam if left to the outdoors. I told her at any time she could come look for her cat in my garage - doors up or down. I'm not sure she ever believed me.

I did work for the shelter at one time and I know for a fact many shelters do rent live-animal-traps, and the renters turn them in because they don't want cats walking on their cars and digging/peeing in their gardens. I told her this, and also told her I would not ever do that without trying to tell the owner first. (I really do love cats and would have one if not for Ginger and Boo).

All that said - it wasn't me. I'm not sure she ever found her cat or even beleived me. And it's welcome in my garage to get warm as long as I don't start having a pee smell in there. Other wise I'll tell her about it and trap it myself.

Bottom line, don't be so sure your roaming cat isn't a nuisance to your neighbors - they aren't all as tolerant as I've been. If I had prettier flowers, I wouldn't be so nice.

what harebell said. Problem solved.

Having had small children and sandboxes -- you should always cover them when not in use, regardless of the cat.

And keep you garage door shut!

Amen to what others said: close the garage door and cover the sandbox. Really, leaving everything opened, you're lucky you haven't had more objectionable visitors than your neighbors' kitties... skunks or raccoons for instance. I assume you don't leave the front door to your home wide open; this is no different.

This post was edited by spedigrees on Thu, Feb 14, 13 at 11:16

Nope I agree with Mazer...get a live animal trap and call animal control or take them to the shelter. Let the owners go looking for them if they even ever notice they are missing. Way too many outdoor cats the way it is...if they are pts it is still better than to have a wild animal attack them, be hit by a car or shot by someone and left to die....

I will never understand why dogs have to be leashed and owners have to pick up their poo while cat owners let their cats roam and kill wild birds/animals, crap where ever they want, get into garbage and they (the owners) don't understand why others don't like cats....

Cats roam if they are either in heat, or if they don't have enough food at home.

We had a stray that never left our yard - because we fed her every day. We could go outside and call her and she'd be right there.

There's a neighborhood cat here that goes around marking on people's doors and doing their business in our neighbor's sand box as well - a huge nuisance which will continue to attract other animals.

I love cats, but they belong in the house where they will remain safe.

Set up motion sensor sprinklers in your yard. That should scare them away.

The thing about cats and open doors.... and cats and sandboxes.... its like saying I left a prime rib on the grill and the dog jumped up and grabbed it, what should I do. I left the lid off the garbage and the raccoons got in and made a mess.

Close the garage door,. Lay a chickenwire down over the sandbox when not in use. Flower gardens - stick in stakes or plain old sticks from a tree -close enough together to dissuade cat from entering. Vegetable gardens - lay down strips of old carpet in the rows.

BTW, not liking cats bc some owners are jerks and irresponsible is like ... not liking dogs bc some owners are jerks and dont pick up the poop. Not a reason to write off an entire species, IMHO. I'm just saying the OP would be more effective by understanding cats and how they operate. No, you shouldn't HAVE TO do it, but ....