CATS!

[Jock719]

Sorry to be blunt, but how do I stop the next doors sodding cat shitting in my raised beds. I have spent ages setting them up as a kitchen garden, and I have observed the F***ing feline select the best bed, with the best soil, then dig a hole, take a lovely long shit, then the crafty b*****d covers it over with its paws. God help me, I nearly reached for my Deer Gun....

[cideristhefuture]

Dont think their is much of a solution to be honest.

We bought one of the 'sonic' machines for our small front lawn. OH found cat sitting looking at it!!

Have tried chilli powder works a bit, have to keep it up but rain is a problem.

Parents had best method, Airedale....cat fits in mouth quite nicely.

(Am a cat lover, and it did get away unhurt).

[The Riff-Raff Element]

There are propitiatory repellents on the market, some more environmentally benign than others, but opinion seems to vary on how useful they are. Some people swear that lion poo is the way forward, but getting hold of this from zoos seems to be quite hit-and-miss.

Owning a litter-trained cat can help, but that depends on it being aggressive enough to see off intruders. Dogs ditto (Border Terriers are particularly good, I hear...).

But for me, the good old super squirt water pistol is a world beater. Cats are fast learners and it doesn't actually physically harm them. (Dons helmet in anticipation of hail of half bricks from cat lovers )

[MKG]

There's a similar device which shoots cats towards bodies of water.

(Can I share the helmet?)

Mike

[bill1953]

This is pricey but it works....


http://www.deteracat.co.uk/scarecrow_water_jet_pack.htm

and it's harmless which is the main thing.Cats are creatures of habit and poo at the same time each day. If you have the time, set up your own sprinkler and watch from a window where you are near the tap. Turn it on every time the cat approaches. It will soon get the idea. Within a week it will have found another garden.

[trinder]

My thanks to Bill with his sane and logical albeit time consuming solution.
If there is only one cat using your lovely well turned garden (read toilet) I would suggest you dig another lovely fresh bed and dig it daily.
( he/she will appreciate that ) but whilst you are turning it over you are giving yourself a better idea of "his /her toilet" time.
eg Is it clear and freshly dug at noon ? is it still clean and freshly dug at 4pm?
As suggested cats are creatures of habit and will "soil" at approx the same time. If you can define that, you can limit your observations over a day or so go give you about a 20 minutes window.
Then stalk the bugger and blast with whatever vile plan you have in mind. As a a cat lover and owner can I say the bigger the fright first and second time the better not just a SHOO SHOO PSS PSS more of a klaxon horn or a fire work.
They are quick learner and the harsher the fright "associated" the clearer the lesson.

[bill1953]

My neighbour has a lovely rock garden all done with fine gravel. My cat loves to poo in his heathers. He comes out and shouts at him but in cat language this means 'I have found a good place to poo'. Water is a different proposition.

[Carltonian Man]

For a time I found great success in scattering dried seaweed across the beds.It even worked when it became wet and soft but after a year or so it turned out it was only the main boss cat of the area that didn't like it, as soon as he moved on others weren't deterred. Now when necessary I cover open areas of the garden (including the tops of planters) with chicken mesh and scent mark key areas with urine.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Come to think of it, bark mulch seems to deter them too, but this is really only good in ornamental beds.

[Jock719]

Excellent, thanks all. Think might just make a giant polytunnel. Then again, have just spied my weedburner, I dare say a touch of the butane flame around its nether regions might do the job.....

[hedgewizard]

Using chopped holly leaves as a mulch on the paths between the beds works well. Just cut some holly branches, run the mower over them to chop them up, and empty the mower onto the paths. The leaves need to be replaced every other year, but are too spiky for catty toes. WARNING! You need to use a kneeler pad yourself, cos the mulch is hell on the knees!

[Jock719]

brilliant! Holly it is. Stop Mrs Jock from moaning about cat cruelty etc

[debsyjo]

Don't get me started on cats and their apparent ability to smell out freshly planted bulbs and herbs!! I have wasted so much time and energy trying to stop the constant barrage of cats 'visiting' our garden, I have now started to lose the war, and am almost ready to wave the white flag and hand over the deeds to my raised beds and planters!!
It has gotten so serious that our front garden is now a Feline Public Convienience, frequented by the most brazen cats you would never wish to meet, as nothing scares them off from their mission, not even our two Spaniels and believe me we've tried pretty much everything else that is legal..We can no longer have our front windows open during warm weather as the smell of cat urine wafting through the house is more than anyone should have to bear!!
So pass over that protective helmet would you because the flack is gonna fly now! Because, sorry all you cat lovers but We've had enough. We're considering buying some mousetraps and seeing how they contend with those when they want to dig up another £% worth of plants so they can have a poop!!
Better still, how will the cat owners feel when they see my dogs having a poop in their garden..

[the.fee.fairy]

If you have dogs, or a friend with dogs, then offer to 'dogsit' for a while if they go away. Let the dog loose when the cat's in the garden. They'll learn pretty quickly that there's a big barky thing in that garden, making it a bad toilet

[baldybloke]

But my neighbours cat, who is the main culprit lives in a house with 2 dogs and apparently rules the roost. The 2 Labradors are scared of it. I prefer the water deterent method myself and intend using the pressure washer. I'm looking forward to having feline outlines on my garden fence. Alternatively laying netting over the raised beds work.