I have four garden cats, all of whom use a litter box. My problem is that that they sleep and play in my flower beds, eventually killing the ground cover and plants. Is there a tough ground cover I can use? Some cat-resistant plants? (hot, dry climate). Any suggestions are welcome!
I tried coleus in my old garden Jo and it didn't work. I don't know about the others.
Before I go on to pontificate please check out my good morning post on hello forkers this very day! I am a soft touch for all things furry!
What about this for a plan? Set aside a tiny patch of garden and put in something they like. Cat nip or cat mint it's called. They'll be attracted to that and stay away from your good stuff. They may even see your garden as part of their territory,cos that's what it's all about, and stop pooping in their own patch.
Just a theory! My cousin has a "sacrificial hosta" (sorryHF) that she makes more easily accessible to slugs and snails and they leave the others alone....mostly!
Here's an idea... how about all people with cats start loving their neighbours? It should be the cat owner's responsibility to make sure their cat is using a litter box otherwise they shouldn't be let out of the house. Thank you!
A big aggressive alpha male cat preferably a British short or long hair which are very anti other cats. Mine won't let anything into the garden including my husband.
My best found cure recently is waste ground coffee beans from coffee shops. They give the stuff away for free in most commercial coffee shops. All you have to do is ask for it! I have at times walked out of a Starbucks or Costa with a full bin bag full of coffee grounds. The best parts are that it's free, it makes your garden smell great, cats seem to avoid it like the plague, and it adds some nutrients into the soil.
All those pluses can make up for some of the strange looks I get when walking out with a Mocha in one hand and a big bag of ground coffee waste slung over my shoulder. Still, it keeps the cats from fouling in my garden so I couldn't care less.
One word of advise is to choose a coffee shop either at a motorway services or near one you can park next to. Saves lugging the bag miles! Ha!
And I AM a cat person, I just hate clearing up the little pellets of death!
spud gun or spray of water! You will have to do a steak out to catch him/her but after 2/3 times of being blasted they will get the message! Plus if you are super protective of your garden it's VERY satisfying!
New home owner here. We bought the house last Summer and are working on the landscaping so its very frustrating that the local cats, particularly one next door neighbour's cat, are using both the front and back yards for every type of bodily fluid cats produce. He's a handsome fellow and I don't object at all to him sunning himself over here. I have no idea why he won't use his own property for this. But I'm fed up with clearing up after him, and one or two others who favour us by dropping by, while he climbs the fence back to his Better Homes & Gardens lot. His owners have a beautiful property so I suppose they would rather he did his business elsewhere. He's out all day in all weather and I'm at my wits end. Its not helping that part of the back yard is still pretty rough, so perfect pseudo-litter box material for the local hairballs. I'm prepared to invest in some deterrent if anyone can suggest something that will actually work. Reading around the Web, it seems pretty hit and miss.
Thanks Philippa. We had this problem at the last house, but it was a rental so I just put up with it. Bit different now as we own the place. I have been reading the site Catsaway (www.catsaway.org) with some interest. Some countries now have by laws regarding roaming cats, much like we have here for dogs. Though how you enforce it I don't know. Can you imagine someone being made to come clear up their animal's mess from a neighbour's yard? Talk about block wars. Anyway, the author of the site has some good suggestions if anyone else is also looking for some help with this issue.
I was rather hoping the neighbourhood fox(es) would deter the cats as we have seen one in the back yard and another, possibly the same one, roaming the neighbourhood in broad daylight. Doesn't seem to have worked though. Perhaps you will have better luck!
Posts
I have four garden cats, all of whom use a litter box. My problem is that that they sleep and play in my flower beds, eventually killing the ground cover and plants. Is there a tough ground cover I can use? Some cat-resistant plants? (hot, dry climate). Any suggestions are welcome!
I tried coleus in my old garden Jo and it didn't work. I don't know about the others.
Before I go on to pontificate please check out my good morning post on hello forkers this very day! I am a soft touch for all things furry!
What about this for a plan? Set aside a tiny patch of garden and put in something they like. Cat nip or cat mint it's called. They'll be attracted to that and stay away from your good stuff. They may even see your garden as part of their territory,cos that's what it's all about, and stop pooping in their own patch.
Just a theory!
My cousin has a "sacrificial hosta" (sorryHF) that she makes more easily accessible to slugs and snails and they leave the others alone....mostly!
Here's an idea... how about all people with cats start loving their neighbours? It should be the cat owner's responsibility to make sure their cat is using a litter box otherwise they shouldn't be let out of the house. Thank you!
A big aggressive alpha male cat preferably a British short or long hair which are very anti other cats. Mine won't let anything into the garden including my husband.
My best found cure recently is waste ground coffee beans from coffee shops. They give the stuff away for free in most commercial coffee shops. All you have to do is ask for it! I have at times walked out of a Starbucks or Costa with a full bin bag full of coffee grounds. The best parts are that it's free, it makes your garden smell great, cats seem to avoid it like the plague, and it adds some nutrients into the soil.
All those pluses can make up for some of the strange looks I get when walking out with a Mocha in one hand and a big bag of ground coffee waste slung over my shoulder. Still, it keeps the cats from fouling in my garden so I couldn't care less.
One word of advise is to choose a coffee shop either at a motorway services or near one you can park next to. Saves lugging the bag miles! Ha!
And I AM a cat person, I just hate clearing up the little pellets of death!
garlic and citrus peelings is supposed to be good
spud gun or spray of water! You will have to do a steak out to catch him/her but after 2/3 times of being blasted they will get the message! Plus if you are super protective of your garden it's VERY satisfying!
Good luck
New home owner here. We bought the house last Summer and are working on the landscaping so its very frustrating that the local cats, particularly one next door neighbour's cat, are using both the front and back yards for every type of bodily fluid cats produce. He's a handsome fellow and I don't object at all to him sunning himself over here. I have no idea why he won't use his own property for this. But I'm fed up with clearing up after him, and one or two others who favour us by dropping by, while he climbs the fence back to his Better Homes & Gardens lot. His owners have a beautiful property so I suppose they would rather he did his business elsewhere. He's out all day in all weather and I'm at my wits end. Its not helping that part of the back yard is still pretty rough, so perfect pseudo-litter box material for the local hairballs. I'm prepared to invest in some deterrent if anyone can suggest something that will actually work. Reading around the Web, it seems pretty hit and miss.
Thanks Philippa. We had this problem at the last house, but it was a rental so I just put up with it. Bit different now as we own the place. I have been reading the site Catsaway (www.catsaway.org) with some interest. Some countries now have by laws regarding roaming cats, much like we have here for dogs. Though how you enforce it I don't know. Can you imagine someone being made to come clear up their animal's mess from a neighbour's yard? Talk about block wars. Anyway, the author of the site has some good suggestions if anyone else is also looking for some help with this issue.
Last edited: 17 May 2016 16:53:06
I was rather hoping the neighbourhood fox(es) would deter the cats as we have seen one in the back yard and another, possibly the same one, roaming the neighbourhood in broad daylight. Doesn't seem to have worked though. Perhaps you will have better luck!