Cat from next door has done it's business in the middle of my newly seeded carrot bed the last few days. I think because of the rain, it wants somewhere close to home, and as home (next door) has no soil, just paving throughout, the closest is my garden. I tried bamboo skewers yesterday as a deterant but it just moved them out the way. So today I set up a jar of bolts and other bits of scrap metal I had, suspended against the fence on a piece of wood, which is attached to trip wires over the bed. If it tried to poo their tonight it's going to knock the bolts off and they will fall on the metal tray lids I've placed at the bottom of the fence, making a racket. It won't harm the cat but the noise might scare it off. We'll see. Failing that I'll be buying some Jeyes fluid.
These are the practical tips I can offer- they have ok worked in my garden. For what it's worth, I love cats but don't have any pets at the moment, though when I did own one, it had 4 bells on its collar to warn off the birds and he always pooed in his litter tray, when he was close by. Obviously it's impossible to control what they do if they're further from home when the urge takes them. Hence why I have to guard my patch from unwanted poos, like the next person. It is annoying, I agree, but this does work, so read on:
- cut 20cm or so lengths of bamboo can end sink into the ground, with as much above soil level as possible, wherever you have bare soil or have turned soil over recently. Cats don't tend to dig in compacted soil anyway. These sticks act as a very effective barrier and are cheap to do.
- if you have a larger seed bed or planter, consider covering with a net until plants have grown.
- pepper dust (buy big, cheap bags of powdery grey/black pepper) sprinkle liberally in problem areas, always works but you have to reapply after rain.
- garlic granules also work a treat (can get them in garden ctrs but they are expensive- you can also make up your own garlic spray which wards off many annoying insect pests, plus cats, though this also has to be reapplied after rain).
- consider planting schemes that allow for some sort of ground cover year round, wherever possible - evergreen perennial geraniums like St.Ola, ivy, vinca, Corsican mint etc...it all helps to deter cats as it reduces the amount if visible soil.
- my friends with pet cats tell me that once you own your own cat, other cats are far more reluctant to enter its patch and use it as a loo. I found this to be true years back when I had a moggy. Also, they can be trained to use a tray and mine did.
- my parents have one of those sonic cat deterrents that work on movement detected - they say it's very good but I can't comment as don't own inept myself.
Probably the most effective deterrent is the bamboo barriers...and a well aimed jet if water from the hose if I'm in the garden - some cats will never return!
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Cat from next door has done it's business in the middle of my newly seeded carrot bed the last few days. I think because of the rain, it wants somewhere close to home, and as home (next door) has no soil, just paving throughout, the closest is my garden. I tried bamboo skewers yesterday as a deterant but it just moved them out the way. So today I set up a jar of bolts and other bits of scrap metal I had, suspended against the fence on a piece of wood, which is attached to trip wires over the bed. If it tried to poo their tonight it's going to knock the bolts off and they will fall on the metal tray lids I've placed at the bottom of the fence, making a racket. It won't harm the cat but the noise might scare it off. We'll see. Failing that I'll be buying some Jeyes fluid.
These are the practical tips I can offer- they have ok worked in my garden. For what it's worth, I love cats but don't have any pets at the moment, though when I did own one, it had 4 bells on its collar to warn off the birds and he always pooed in his litter tray, when he was close by. Obviously it's impossible to control what they do if they're further from home when the urge takes them. Hence why I have to guard my patch from unwanted poos, like the next person. It is annoying, I agree, but this does work, so read on:
- cut 20cm or so lengths of bamboo can end sink into the ground, with as much above soil level as possible, wherever you have bare soil or have turned soil over recently. Cats don't tend to dig in compacted soil anyway. These sticks act as a very effective barrier and are cheap to do.
- if you have a larger seed bed or planter, consider covering with a net until plants have grown.
- pepper dust (buy big, cheap bags of powdery grey/black pepper) sprinkle liberally in problem areas, always works but you have to reapply after rain.
- garlic granules also work a treat (can get them in garden ctrs but they are expensive- you can also make up your own garlic spray which wards off many annoying insect pests, plus cats, though this also has to be reapplied after rain).
- consider planting schemes that allow for some sort of ground cover year round, wherever possible - evergreen perennial geraniums like St.Ola, ivy, vinca, Corsican mint etc...it all helps to deter cats as it reduces the amount if visible soil.
- my friends with pet cats tell me that once you own your own cat, other cats are far more reluctant to enter its patch and use it as a loo. I found this to be true years back when I had a moggy. Also, they can be trained to use a tray and mine did.
- my parents have one of those sonic cat deterrents that work on movement detected - they say it's very good but I can't comment as don't own inept myself.
Probably the most effective deterrent is the bamboo barriers...and a well aimed jet if water from the hose if I'm in the garden - some cats will never return!