Grow Your Own Magazine

After years of gardening in the country and having to put up with pigeons and the like I recently moved onto a council estate and turnrd my back and front garden over to fruit and veg.Now I'm plagued by Cats.Help!!!!!!!!!!!

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The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

Cloud there are tons of threads here about cats, do a search - you may be some time

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aka
Suzie

There are loads of threads on the Vine about cats. We all seem to have problems with them. You will find loads of suggestions, but as far as I know no-one has come up with a definite answer to the problem yet.

There is a metal black cat sillouette you can get, with a 'marble' for an eye. I don't know how they work, but apparently they do. (my friend who lives in a housing estate used one as she was the only house who didn't have a cat) something to do with the 'eye' but have no idea how it works.
Apparently pepper sprinkled everywhere stops them digging in the soil, but not sure if it works or not.
if all that fails, just get your own cat to chase the others away!

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http://clairescraftandgarden.blogspot.com/

i've heard that eye thing but i heard it was for pigeons.

my friend had the same problem and used moth balls, i'd never heard of it before but apparently it works a treat

After being plagued by cats,we've now put wooden barbeque skewers in all the tempting bare bits of earth(pointy side down)We've had a few holes scraped,but apparently there wasn't enough room between the skewers for the cat to actually poo.......

The cat's eyes don't work, next door put one up, but mine just jump over it, they aren't bothered by it all. She's decided she likes our cats though, because they don't mess in her garden, and they keep the others out. They do sunbathe on her shed, and will venture into her house, but as she now feeds them on bits of ham, that's her fault!

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I could not live without a garden, it is my place to unwind and recover, to marvel at the power of all growing things, even weeds!

http://potagerplot.blogspot.com/

I don't know if this would work for other people, and for non cat owners it might be too offputting, but in my garden I put out a tray of potting compost for my cats to use if they don't want to come into the house for the litter tray. It is easy scoop out the poo, and change occasionally and they leave the main garden alone, because the compost is much finer and 'more comfortable' than the garden soil.

__________________
I could not live without a garden, it is my place to unwind and recover, to marvel at the power of all growing things, even weeds!

http://potagerplot.blogspot.com/

I've always used en empty washing up liquid bottle to give them a surprise squit up thier behinds - as Jonesy said in Dad's Army - they don't like it up 'em Mr Mainwaring! And by golly they don't! I've always thought this to be a kinder way to repel these unwanted visitors. I have 3 of my own - but we do have one or 2 really nasty cats around who pick a fight with a twig if given half a chance. One particular black cat is now known as Satan and is extremely belligerent!

Now back to the problem....obviously you can't be there all the time with bottle or water pistol at the ready. I came across this handy device from a firm I recieve a newsletter from and will be buying a food dehydrator very soon. This looks just what the absentee gardener needs to repel unwanted visitors. A water supply is required.

Heron Scarer from Westfalia at our Safety and protective equipment inside the Tools shop

Some discretion may be needed when turning on - for instance you wouldn't want to soak the postie or yourself when approaching the house - but I'm not sure of its range and you could work out a suitable spot from which to radiate the line of fire! Could also deter pesky neighbourhood kids if you're blighted by them too?

could you get your own cat, or a dog (jack russel type!) to put the neighbours cats off?

oh how I wish that worked Petal!

I have a huge ginger tom, he does his stuff in the posh covered loo under the stairs, however he is a very sociable cat and invites the neighbourhood cats in for food - oh and to mess on my veg/flowers

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Suzie

I had an advert through the post for an automatic water jet. You fix it to your hose and the jet thingy contains a sensor and shoots water to wherever it semses movement.
I will see if I can find it, I put it somewhere safe!!??

Thanks.I do things like that and it tends to annoy the wife!

__________________
The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

I have heard that a drop or two of jeyes fluid dotted here and there along borders etc put cats off as they HATE the smell.

No idea if it works as I dont have problems with cats here.

I have used moth balls to deter cats (and squirrels) from using my front flower beds for a loo (in the case of the cats) and to scrabble around in for the mislaid peanuts (by the squirrels). They do work. I put one down every couple of feet. I quite like the smell but not everyone might. My OH has a very limited sense of smell but he noticed them. Any good general handystore has them and they are not too expensive.

The ad. for the water sensor thing ,I find,was part of an ad. for a book which I will send for and post the details.
I do love this sort of book! The water sensor thingy will get rid of "pesky critters" (American do you think?)
Anyway one of the tips in this book reccomends tickling your tomato seedlings with a feather.Apparently this aggitates the seedling (well it would me!) and makes it stronger and more able to withstand the outside world!
I will let you into the rest of the secrets as soon as I get the book!!

they dont like citrus smell either

buy some lemon oil and put a couple of drops onto teabags where there like to pooh

other tip is laying chicken wire if practical

I have to use chicken wire on my houseplants to deter the cat (I have a lot of big houseplants), any semi full compost bags left unattended are fair game but outside soil - far too rough for her precious bottom!

the water scarer things work really well, my parents had one on their pond ..... unless you have a cat like mine, that follows you round when out with the hose pipe so you can spray him ...... citrus peel does work for a while, but needs replacing frequently, never tried mothballs, but theres some stuff you can get from shops like wilkies (i should have shares in that place) called scent off, which is supposed to keep them away too, never tried it though .... or theres lion poo,or maybe wolf poo? which is supposed to be really good ...... or get a dog, mine hates strange cats in her garden ...... i never seem to get any cats in my garden except mine, and his mate.

Lynda xx

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sometimes i do talk complete and utter rubbish ...... just ignore me if i do ........i'll go away eventually

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My own cat has taken to pooing and weeing next to my parsnips. Now, we're close, but not that close. If the cheeky little sod wasn't nursing an abscess he'd be in trouble! At least the soil is well aerated... Might try the lemon juice on teabags trick.

I think I may of sorted out my problem.
In aremote corner of my garden I made a raised bed[1m x 1m] and filled it with compost.
The cats seem to use this as there loo now and leave my garden alone.Keeping my fingers crossed.

__________________
The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.