I had no idea what a huge issue this actually is. I thought it was just me having to deal with other peoples pets. Everyone dealing with this has my sympathies and understanding. Hopefully we can carry on gathering hints and tips on how to help fellow gardeners deal with what is obviously a genuine major problem.
Wow.... well I'm a cat lover as we know from hello forkers thread, take care of any carts birds, humans etc that enter my garden!
It does seem that people have used this thread to get stuff off their chests and could have perhaps beenput a little more helpfully and less podium banging but I'm gonna blame the election fir everyone wanting to get their point across
Filmbuffy, I have my own cat who goes outside supervised with me every day fir a couple of hours and then the neighbours cat, flatface comes over for cat club, playing in the garden, My cat Harrie has a tray indoors andI leave one little patch of earth outside that I leave freshly dug that I don't mind If nature takes its call there they can't resist if they have freshly turned earth!
All i can say is much less mess than humans who have in thepast used my shed to take punters iin, found needless in my flower bed and a grown man cra**ing on my path in broad daylight! So bring on the cat poo is what I say!.....
Life code..... low expectations, avoid disappointment!
I have 3 cats, 3 large, covered litter trays, indoors, & a small section of my garden, at the back, which I keep dug over & 'patrolled' regularly. Their bit of garden is nicely dug over & loose, which makes it easy to keep clean. 1 of my cats will only use the litter trays....doesn't like the nasty, dirty soil on her paws, the other 2 use my dug over patch as well as the trays. To encourage them to use that area at first, I included a little of their cat litter, for them to get the idea. My neighbours have all been asked to keep an eye out for my lot, & if they look like they may be about to toilet, spray them with a water pistol or the hosepipe. To prevent toxoplasmosis, cats (&dogs) need to be wormed every 3 months, which mine are. They're also called in, before it gets dark, & the catflaps locked. Silent Roar is a big cat based product which I find effective, as well. It is a small clay granule, impregnated with the scent of big cats urine (lions, tigers, etc). It will last at least a month unless there is torrential rain to wash the scent away. It is sterile, so not harmful, & biodegradeable.
Lilwead, never heard of silent roar before, thank you I will give it a try, working by that principle I need to impregnate a granual with the stench of a larger, smellier, more frightening person to keep the other nasty people away....I foresee avisit to dragons den!
Used zoo poo for a while, as a soil conditioner. Same principle of sterile big cat poo turned into a compost/conditioner. As I have more than enough soil in my garden, adding more became a problem! I spotted an ad online for Silent Roar, thought it couldn't hurt to try. The only place it's needed now is on the borders at the front. My trio have scent marked their garden boundary which keeps other cats away. Having their own 'external' litter tray in the dug over patch helps in that respect. I always wear gloves when gardening, anyway, & disposable ones when cleaning up after the two that do toilet outside.
It seems like with a little effort cats, their owners and neighbours can live in harmony! Harrie puss is such a dainty little cat and is so worried about others smelling her business that she digs such deep holes that I think it gets incinerated at the earths core! I'm also a glove wearer, and yes, cats do mark their perimeter to deter unwanted confrontation!
My Mischief is a 5kg elephant who thinks she's a dainty little flower herself, she's the one that will only use the nice clean indoor litter trays! The other 2 are a tiny, tabby tornado, Zola, and a laid back Birman called Sasha (AKA Dylan from the Magic Roundabout). All rescues, all loved & pampered, all heavily belled against catching birds! Love my felines, love my garden...I also work in gardening so it's not just a relaxing hobby for me.
Lol at mischief... I tried Lions Roar, but found it quite pricey in the longer term and I'm not sure Foxy loxy gives a hoot for Lions as he just carried on regardless (fox's generally don't bury it so it just sits there with an almighty pong in summer till I pick it up) thank goodness for my water scarcrow, on duty 24/7 for the sake of a 9v battery and £40 initial outlay...
Working in garden sounds heaven! I'm a support worker for adults with learning difficulties, we do some gardening
My cars have all been rescues, Sorrow booked into our shed...a pure white thelegged beauty. We had her for eight years she passed aged fifteen but was a local legend and loved like my child! We lasted a week without a cat....not replacingSorrow but helping home another unloved rescue we have now had Harrie puss for a year and ahalf, she's five and a median hair tabby, very dainty and timid but learning how to be a cat from her friend Flatface who chimed toplay he's an unloved un neutered black and white Tom that talks lol....he was attacked very badly yesterday and his owners had done nothing so I have been salt water bathing and he is much improved
Think it's safe to say we're both cat lovers...and yes I feed the birds too
Posts
I had no idea what a huge issue this actually is. I thought it was just me having to deal with other peoples pets. Everyone dealing with this has my sympathies and understanding. Hopefully we can carry on gathering hints and tips on how to help fellow gardeners deal with what is obviously a genuine major problem.
It does seem that people have used this thread to get stuff off their chests and could have perhaps beenput a little more helpfully and less podium banging but I'm gonna blame the election fir everyone wanting to get their point across
Filmbuffy, I have my own cat who goes outside supervised with me every day fir a couple of hours and then the neighbours cat, flatface comes over for cat club, playing in the garden, My cat Harrie has a tray indoors andI leave one little patch of earth outside that I leave freshly dug that I don't mind If nature takes its call there they can't resist if they have freshly turned earth!
All i can say is much less mess than humans who have in thepast used my shed to take punters iin, found needless in my flower bed and a grown man cra**ing on my path in broad daylight! So bring on the cat poo is what I say!.....
Life code..... low expectations, avoid disappointment!
I have 3 cats, 3 large, covered litter trays, indoors, & a small section of my garden, at the back, which I keep dug over & 'patrolled' regularly. Their bit of garden is nicely dug over & loose, which makes it easy to keep clean. 1 of my cats will only use the litter trays....doesn't like the nasty, dirty soil on her paws, the other 2 use my dug over patch as well as the trays. To encourage them to use that area at first, I included a little of their cat litter, for them to get the idea. My neighbours have all been asked to keep an eye out for my lot, & if they look like they may be about to toilet, spray them with a water pistol or the hosepipe. To prevent toxoplasmosis, cats (&dogs) need to be wormed every 3 months, which mine are. They're also called in, before it gets dark, & the catflaps locked. Silent Roar is a big cat based product which I find effective, as well. It is a small clay granule, impregnated with the scent of big cats urine (lions, tigers, etc). It will last at least a month unless there is torrential rain to wash the scent away. It is sterile, so not harmful, & biodegradeable.
Buy some bamboo - saw it into smaller bits - pock it into the affected area - make sure their close-ish and quite sturdy. Job done.
Used zoo poo for a while, as a soil conditioner. Same principle of sterile big cat poo turned into a compost/conditioner. As I have more than enough soil in my garden, adding more became a problem! I spotted an ad online for Silent Roar, thought it couldn't hurt to try. The only place it's needed now is on the borders at the front. My trio have scent marked their garden boundary which keeps other cats away. Having their own 'external' litter tray in the dug over patch helps in that respect. I always wear gloves when gardening, anyway, & disposable ones when cleaning up after the two that do toilet outside.
My Mischief is a 5kg elephant who thinks she's a dainty little flower herself, she's the one that will only use the nice clean indoor litter trays! The other 2 are a tiny, tabby tornado, Zola, and a laid back Birman called Sasha (AKA Dylan from the Magic Roundabout). All rescues, all loved & pampered, all heavily belled against catching birds! Love my felines, love my garden...I also work in gardening so it's not just a relaxing hobby for me.
Lol at mischief... I tried Lions Roar, but found it quite pricey in the longer term and I'm not sure Foxy loxy gives a hoot for Lions as he just carried on regardless (fox's generally don't bury it so it just sits there with an almighty pong in summer till I pick it up) thank goodness for my water scarcrow, on duty 24/7 for the sake of a 9v battery and £40 initial outlay...
My cars have all been rescues, Sorrow booked into our shed...a pure white thelegged beauty. We had her for eight years she passed aged fifteen but was a local legend and loved like my child! We lasted a week without a cat....not replacingSorrow but helping home another unloved rescue
Think it's safe to say we're both cat lovers...and yes I feed the birds too