Cats on my plot

[BabyPumpkin]

Hi

I have 2 cats and although I would love to stop them pooing on my veg it is impossible, so what I really want to know is is it safe to eat my vegetables if the cats have been pooing on my plot or do I have to scrap all of the veg on the plot

Thanks

[tattiefritter]

I hope its safe! I just scoop it up when I notice when the little fuzzbucket has left me a present and bin it.

I can't see how it would affect the veg unless they actually pooed on say a tomato and you then ate it. My cat doesn't tend to bother the plants themselves once they are established, just loves the nice dug over ground around the plants.

Just noticed you do say "on" your veg, if it is on the veg and not around it I would bin that particular bit of veg.

[cms]

Have you tried pushing some thin whippy twigs in between the veg plants to discourage the cats? We had a bag full of beech hedge trimmings this spring, which I pushed well in to the veg beds so that they ranged from 10 cm to 30 cm tall above the soil, close enough to stop not only a cat easily traipsing through but also to discourage birds from digging up the seeds.

As the seedlings have grown I have reduced the number of twigs - birds now welcome to hop in and eat unhelpful insect life, cats not welcome and obviously working because next door's cats have kept right away.

When I have finished with the twigs they will be getting chopped up small and added to the compost.

Cathy

[BabyPumpkin]

Thanks for the comments.

No it wasn't on the veg just near it, I wondered if they absorbed it through their roots, people have said not to use it as fertilise but I expect that is because it is mixed into the soil rather than on top and scooped regularly. I will now go back to eating my salad without the fear of going blind!

I will try the twigs, I have tried laying holly flat in the hope that it would spike them (only a little bit as I do love my cats) but I do not think that I had enough.

[tattiefritter]

Some information on Toxoplasmosis here:

http://www.cats.org.uk/catcare/leafl..._5min_toxo.pdf

Good hygiene and washing all fruit and veg obviously helps.

[Daphne]

My new veg plot

Hi All,

New to the forum and new to home gardening. We have built a lovely raised bed in our garden and I have planted some seeds which are coming along nicely. However, over the past two weeks I have noticed a lot of cat poo from our neighbour's cats. Some of the nice rows of seeds have been ruined by digging cats although some seedlings are doing fine.

This week I am going to collect the droppings from my plot and fence off the whole lot to stop them getting in. However, I wondered if it would still be ok (i.e. not toxic) for me to let the seedlings grow and replace the dug up ones in the existing rows after I have done this? Or should I remove them all and start again? Will they absorb any of the harmful elements into the growing plants at this early stage? Or is it more an issue of cat poo on the veg itself before you eat it? I have a similar problem with rhubarb bed which has become a toilet.

Thanks a lot!

[BumbleB]

Our neighbour has 3 cats. Every morning they hop over to our garden to do their poos. They like newly raked earth but they do not like wet soil. For our raised veg beds we have made a frame with netting attached to act as lids for the raised beds. The idea being to stack the lid higher on bricks as the crops grow. I was watching the cats yesterday and they really do not like to walk over the netting and were having a time of it trying to walk their usual route but avoiding stepping on the net lids.

I hope this method continues to work !

BB

[onefivenine]

Lion Dung?

Our two cats use their litter tray but also next door's garden unfortunately. The problem is you can't tell cats what to do. They're the boss. They probably just use the nearest 'convenience' when nature calls.

Thankfully our neighbour is very understanding, having had cats in the past, and appreciates that it's imposible to stop the cats - they aren't really candidates for training.

Anyway my neighbour tried pepper which didn't seem to do anything but is now trying 'lion dung' as a deterrent in their flower beds. I'm hopeful this will work. I wonder if anyone here has tried and had success with it? I was told that it's sold as a fertiliser/cat repellent. It surprised me to hear it was classed as a fertiliser since they are meat-eaters, I thought it would have been just as bad as cat poo!

[RedThorn]

I found netting works for me..... keeps the cats and the chickens out!

[onefivenine]

Oh dear... so much for the 'lion dung' deterrent... just heard neighbour chasing cat from flower bed!

[emilymup]

I too suffer with cats using my raised beds as toilets. I now completely cover the beds with wire mesh and plant through it. Not had any poo for a long time now! Bit drastic I know!

[Lemon]

We have a family with three cats near us and this time last year, they thought our 2 raised veg beds were their toilet (the cats not the family!). I was constantly picking out poo (not fun when they bury it under the earth) - and many a row of seedlings were ruined by their scratching. Hubby built panels about knee high covered with netting which we place around the beds - it keeps the cats out and if we get a finer mesh netting it should keep the darned Cabbage White butterfly out!

[Sonata]

Oh don't get me STARTED on cats pooing on veg. Our local friendly one (I think) used to be welcome in our house - not so any more after I noticed him pooing in my veggie patch.

I've found (fresh) orange peel and tea bags to be helpful. However, they have to be replaced regularly as I found out yesterday when I came hoome to a great big stinking pile of cat poo between two rows of my precious (just planted out the day before to replace some that hadn't survived) pak choi..with one seedling dug out during the covering up process.

That's the worse bit too..you scan to locate and pick it up asap (I have a toddler who is very keen on hanging around the patch, so obviously don't want poo there for her to pick up) and miss it because it's buried.

I believe that if you find and pick it up within 24 hours, the toxo isn't such a problem..just don't leave it.

[mrpaulbradley]

That darn cat

This has been discussed before I'm sure...however....
I have a feline problem.
I think it's a Tom judging by the smell and it loves nothing better than doing it's business in my beautifully prepared veg and seed beds.

Up until recently I had lain old bush clippings pyrocantha prunings etc and that was very effective but I really needed to take them off.

I've stuck in canes to try and stop it but he just shrugs them aside.

I don't want to hurt the thing in any way just encourage it to leave my beds alone. I've heard about lion dung etc anyone used it to effect?
Marigolds - do they work?

Other than sitting out at night to scare the thing off, I'm at a loss :-(

[Glutton4...]

Put a net over the top of the bed. It's easily removable when you need access.