Keeping cats out of the garden?

Our new neighbours have two kittens, both have a healthy respect for our mini dachshunds, and apart from perching on the top of the fence where they are safely out of reach, and ostentatiously washing themselves, they don't come into our yard. Yesterday, just as I was just arriving home, (the dogs were still indoors,) I saw something stripey slinking through my daylilies - one of the neighbour's kittens, they are about 8-9 months.

I went over to shoo him out of my garden - he turned to look at me with great interest, and all my pushing on him, and saying quite sharply, "Get out of my garden! Scat!" had zero effect.

His response was to flop over onto his back, wave his front paws at me, and purr loudly. I started laughing, I couldn't help it; what a big goof. It's obvious he's never had one moment of distress caused by a human being in his short life, he was thrilled to see me, and figured it was a chance to get some loving. Hooked my hand with his paw, pulled it closer, and rubbed his head all over it, looking up at me with slightly crossed eyes, and purring so loudly he sounded like a VW bug.

My DH said "Why didn't you just let the dogs out if you wanted him gone, he'd have shot back over the fence in half a second?"

I couldn't do it, he was just too sweet.