cat deterrent?

[kerryp]

hi,

has anyone got any suggestions to help me keep cats off my raised bed? natural deterrents if possible as we have a cat & only want her &the other cats in our street to stay off the bed.... we did have a frame over the bed but i caught the cat, more than once, squeezing through the netting & tearing it off the frame They had been poo'ing in the box we had made for the asparagus but coz it wasnt doing well we dug it up (we didnt mind until we dug it up coz it wasnt going well & they kept off everything else!)... now they're going in different places

Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
Kerry

[taff]

put some chicken wire round the bed, al the way round, and not stretched tight. They can't climb up it if it's loose and they can't jump over it

[Rabidbun]

Using Silent Roar at the moment (increases the poos initially but is meant to stop them if you continue to remove the cat poos and replace them with a pile of pellets each time) - not sure if it will work though.

Previously have tried (with no success): lavender, peppercorns, chilli flakes (though not the ones with chilli powder as the cats can get this in their eyes and scratch enough to cause damage apparently), yellow mustard, citrus peels, curry plant (though there have been no poos next to them they are not on the main problem area of the pine mulch so are unsure if they might work).

On list to try: Plastic carpet spikes, dried segments of bramble/roses sprinkled where they go, chopsticks put close together such that they stick up all over the area, thyme and netting pegged down flat over the border so that they cannot dig. Oh, and a supersoaker water gun. :O)

If you don't mind the cat poo in a specific area I have read that creating a cat toilet can also help if you can encourage the cats to use only that.

Hope some of these help!

[Two_Sheds]

do a Search ... there are 100s of Cat threads on here.

[Two_Sheds]

Well, 50 old threads: Cats

[Incy]

Hot chilli sauce painted round the bed did seem to help (slugs and snails didn't seem to like that either ) Being in liquid form it didn't get in anyones eyes but they seemed to avoid the beds with it on. On the downside it wears off quickly if it rains so needs to be regularly reapplied to be effective.

[kerryp]

citrus peel doesnt work.... will try the chilli sauce i think as slugs seems to have found my peas as well, the buggers!

[jackyspratty]

Tooth picks sticking out of pots beds are meant to work, been told u should leave them in siue for 2 weeks and then ok to remove them. Also if you spray teabags with deep heat spray or some other muscle spray on both sides and lightly cover with soil thats meant to deter them as they hate the smell. I haven't tried either I'm afraid, so good luck. Let us know what works! x

[Incy]

Hi,
I mulched my beds that are frequently used as cat toilets with grass clippings last friday, so far no sign of any cat poo since

[NOG]

Put some bleach on a rag and hang it over the bed. Again they don't like the smell.

If you have the time a water pistol...they then associate the water with the area and leave it alone. Except if the cat is black as they seem to like water. If I am using a hose they will run and dive up the stream of water....????? but thats cats.

[sweetiepea]

I found that net streched over the beds doesn't work. Despite getting caught in it, the culprit in my garden still went back again and again. Only effective answer I've found is to put netting right around the beds - make sure you secure the corners.

[adamS]

there's a type of mint called catmint that cats apparently can't stand. seeing as mint grows like wildfire could be an option !

[kerryp]

thanks for all the ideas.... you know whats worked best? leaving 1 poo in the garden ha ha ha i think it may have been our cat marking her territory as there have been al ot of cats around lately & since we left the 1 in there... there have been no more! No doubt things could change but hey i can hope it doesnt!

[gardening in mind]

I heard this the other day from an old allotmenteer,take a empty 2 litre plastic pop bottle ,half fill with water, lay it on its side in veg bed.Apparently cats don't like the reflection of the water when sun hits it . Saying that he could have been winding me up !

[SMS6]

I heard this the other day from an old allotmenteer,take a empty 2 litre plastic pop bottle ,half fill with water, lay it on its side in veg bed.Apparently cats don't like the reflection of the water when sun hits it . Saying that he could have been winding me up !

Someone told me the same but they said it was because Cats won't foul where they think there's a source of water. I tried it last year on my garden plot but it doesn't seem to work for a whole area they do seem to not go in the area nearest the bottle. It also doesn't seem to work in raised beds. I have to have all mine netted securely