Cats

Hi Everyone

Can someone help me to stop cats leaving me not so nice presents in my garden.  Is there anything i can mix in with my soil to make it less attractive to them.

Any helpful ideas will be great.

Thanks

I read an article that said to use citrus peels.  I guess the animals don't like the smell.  Don't ever use hot pepper powder or spray which is cruel because cats will clean their paws and eyes which will totally hurt the cats.

Hope citrus works for you.  I'm going to try it.

Mary

I have used the Catwatch for more than 12 years and I can assure you it does work, make sure it is called Catwatch, not one of the other kind, I do not have cats coming into my garden any more and it was well worth the initial outlay, worth every penny.

I started a thread keeping cats off my veg patch and someone suggested pelleted chicken manure. Yesterday I dug my veg over and dug in some pelleted chicken manure, and this morning I checked and so far no cats have been in there. Early days I know, but watch this space. Pamfletcher, I have tried Catwatch and it didn't work for me but I  know that some people have said it does work and others have said it doesn't, perhaps I've got very persistent cats that are just fearless. Glad you can keep them away though. pamfletcher 1  cats 0   

I used holly branches laid on my veg patch when newly planted and this seems to have helped keep the cats away

After digging in some pelleted chicken manure, not one cat has been on my veg patch. I have now done the same in the front garden and again no cats have been there. So it looks like it may be working. 

Chicken pellets don't keep the cats off my patches.  But cloches or wire covers do.   Also consider keeping the cats in (if they are your own of course) during the daylight hours so they can't murder the birds & let them out at night so they can deal with the rodents.

Dogs are quite efficient!

This may seem horrid but water spray if you are in the garden at the same time. Cleaning up deposits well and irrigating the area has been said to stop them claiming your garden as their toilet.

I would love to say that my dog keeps the cats out of my veg patch and general garden, but the cats just wait till the dog is not in the garden before coming in!  

We used to have up to 5 cats at a time ( now all gone to the great littertray in the sky, alas ) and we have 2/3 of an acre garden in the middle of a rural/agricultural environment.  In all the years we had them they slaughtered a handful of garden birds ( and were severely reprimanded ) and hundreds and hundreds of mice, voles, rabbits, moles and rats, which were, of course, much easier to 'pick off' than fluttering birds.  Since the cats have gone, I have had rats living and breeding in the sheds for the first time, mice in the house, and voles and moles in the garden. Don't disparage the domestic pusscat too much, they earn their keep.  All self-respecting cats would much rather kill and eat a rodent than ever they would a feather-filled garden bird.

Since no-one has mentioned it. There is a gadget on the market which you plug into the mains (There are battery operated ones too) which sends out a high pitch sound which distracts cats from coming into the garden.

Place in the garden at about three feet off the ground, ie a post or fence.

I have a few in and around my garden and I find they work a treat.

Buy a small refill packet of spicy powder such as curry , chilli , cayenne or paprika and sprinkle it over the area

I dont think I would want to sit on it !!

I suspect we will get complaints now from cat lovers so let me say that I love all cats

You can also get lion / tiger  pooh sent to you in the post from a zoo.......well I believed it !

cats are a nightmare one has just killed a friendly blackbird who has visited our garden over the last few yerrs and nested each year here, do these electric high pitched gadgets work? but do they affect dogs ears as well?? keep looking at them but not convinced yet??? anyone tried them?

We used to have problems with cats, we got a dog now no more cat  -------no more garden either but strangle they get the idea not to come in to our garden perhaps you could get a friend who has a dog to visit and play in your garden  leave their smell and just maybe the cats might think you have a dog.are cats that stupid.

My neighbour uses Jeyes Fluid mixed in her soil this really smells but again she has gotten over the cat problem

Well, i use mothballs, i have to buy them online but they do work, chicken manure didnt work for us either.

As to Brenda's mice problem, well a rat catcher told us once that you have to put the mice poison down in little patches a few inches apart as they feed while on the run apparently, we put ours behind the skirting or kick boards in the kitchen, so my dog wont get near them - we've got a rehomed greyhouund that scared stiff of cats.    Also in the kitchen keep a mug of water or something heavy over the plug hole at night when you go  to bed, that stops them coming up from the drain.

There is a plant called scaredy cat you can buy it from most garden centres.C urry didnt work neither did the gel that smells of garlic, also citrus peel didnt work

Jeyes fluid around the boundery seems to work well cats hate the smell

Fonzie wrote (see)

Since no-one has mentioned it. There is a gadget on the market which you plug into the mains (There are battery operated ones too) which sends out a high pitch sound which distracts cats from coming into the garden.

Place in the garden at about three feet off the ground, ie a post or fence.

I have a few in and around my garden and I find they work a treat.

Hi Fonzie - can you tell us the name of this product? Thanks