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More on cats
Following my find of a dead swift in the flower bed, there have been a lot of blog comments on cats, and how welcome or unwelcome they are in the garden.
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Gardeners' World Web User
19/10/2007 at 13:47
Not all cats kill. We have an adorable fluffball called Kaiser who although he catches plenty of wildlife, including slow worms, has only ever managed to kill mice. He brings all manner of things in for us but even the smallest of birds is still alive so we rescue them. We think it is his gentle nature which his breed (maine coon) is reknowned for. To stop cats defecating in your garden invest in a coleus specifically bred for annoying cats widely sold now, they HATE the smell. All my cats (3) have been trained to 'go' in our own garden, it is possible to do.
Gardeners' World Web User
19/10/2007 at 17:00
living in London all the local cats use our garden as a toilet, you can collect it by the carrier bag! An excellent solution I found was chilli powder. You can buy huge bags of it cheaply from Indian stores and it very quickly gets the pesky cats away! Just put it on any fresh soil.
Gardeners' World Web User
23/10/2007 at 08:43
I'm afraid Chilli powder doesn't work for long. I tried that and the blasted cats from next door soon got used to it and would dig and defecate on top of it. I've also tried putting down cuttings from really prickly plants such as Mahonia and Berberis but they didn't work for long either and are a nuisance for me when I am gardening.
Gardeners' World Web User
24/10/2007 at 17:59
Personally I'm in favour of a super soaker (giant water pistol)which has a far greater range and often chases the cheekiest of feline visitor at the top of our garden when they think they're safe :-) I've also tried small amounts of ammonia in tablet bottles with punctured child proof tops buried to soil level - it's effective but wears off too quick. I've also tried a light sprinkling of menthol oil(Olbas). But the best deterant is our own bully of a tom cat, he keeps all the other cats at bay. He does his business in our garden, which we don't mind clearing up and on the occassions when he visits our neighbours front garden we clean up and spray Jeyes fluid (friendly to plants, but cats hate it :-) As for catching our feathered friends he is told under no uncertain circumstances that it will not be tolerated as he's adaquatley fed. I have many feeding stations on the apple tree and thankfully he doesn't attempt to chase or catch the birds. He chases other cats instead ...hee! hee! Blissful peace in the garden.
Gardeners' World Web User
24/10/2007 at 19:39
Since having my dog put to sleep in February cats have been an absolute pest in my garden, as I try my best to encourage wildlife, birds mammals etc, i'm forever picking up cat mess & I've even chased one that was hid in my runner bean plants next to my bird table. Without trying to sound vindictive cat owners should be prosecuted as dog owners are for fouling public places also I don't see how a cat can be a pet? when its just let out to do what cats do, foul & hunt (wildlife) Its just my opinion.
Gardeners' World Web User
25/10/2007 at 15:42
Try covering your soil with slate chippings. This has worked for me in two seperate gardens. It is too sharp and heavy for them to dig into. NOT pea gravel,they love that. Cheap and lasts forever. Good luck.
Gardeners' World Web User
19/01/2008 at 03:32
has disgusted of hampshire lost the plot,is she so stupid that she would put a cat before a human being.people like that make me sick,there the same bunch who would say it was the parents fault if a baby crawling in your garden ended up with cat poo in there eyes & on there hands & ended up being poorly through it.
Gardeners' World Web User
11/03/2008 at 19:47
We have a cat, mainly because we live in the country and she helps keep down the mice population. We had a few rabbits bopping about when we first moved here, 9 years ago, but haven't seen any around in a long time - although we have hares. We do feed the birds, 24/7, and she gets her fair share of those, too. However, despite her, we have found the small bird population has blossomed and I think it is to do with feeding them? If the cat could read we would put a sign in the garden for her as a health warning - may contain nuts! All in all there seems to be a flourishing ecosystem here, even with a cat, but I don't think the rabbits would agree - if we could find any!
Gardeners' World Web User
27/03/2008 at 20:09
I also think cat owners should be responsible for their cats they use my garden for their toilet but I have spend so much money on trying to keep them out now I put their fouling on the owners front lawn.(lucky for me I know who the cats belong to and the owners dont like when I do that) As I say I dont go and use their garden as my toilet.
Gardeners' World Web User
28/03/2008 at 14:04
My beautiful seedbed all raked well drained and inviting for seeds, is just as inviting to the feral cat as my own cats. My cats have lovely dry indoor loos,I also have small secluded areas other than open seedbeds away from play and planting spaces which cats like to use to BURY poos. These "arrangements", have helped me and other users of this garden to distinguish whose is whose. I`m always surprised by the size of frog & toad not to mention hedgehog deposits and I also know that a wide variety of fauna visit my garden simply by identifying the droppings, and the position laid!It may be unjust to accuse cats of all poo just because the garden is in a town especially that found above ground. meanwhile any soil in need of protection is covered with an assortment of wiremesh or netting or large flints recycled from any digging & clearing
Gardeners' World Web User
10/04/2008 at 12:09
I have three cats, one of whom is a great hunter. Last spring was a nightmare; I dreaded hearing the cat flap bang. This year, after a finding a dead mouse, bird feathers and my beloved only frog mutilated, I am keeping the cats in at night. They are not upset and actually seem calmer. I would recommend it to everyone. Additionally, I am not worrying about them being near the road at night.
Gardeners' World Web User
11/04/2008 at 11:21
There is no law (as far as I am aware of - on trespass by cats. Cats roam over quite a vast area and cannot be kept from doing so, unless they are housecats. Unlike dogs - owners are liable by law to be responsible for their dogs - there is no liability for cats. I would also be very careful, if I were you, of returning offending cat dirt. It could only lead to bad feeling toward you from your neighbours and may go even further. Just dispose of the cat dirt and keep on friendly terms as I have seen this happening before and life is too short...
Gardeners' World Web User
23/04/2008 at 10:29
Reply to cat-lovers and cat-haters: I think from now on I'll keep quiet about my cats, so many comments have been sent for this blog entry.

I remember being in New Zealand many years ago and every front garden in Aukland had large plastic lemonade bottles half-filled with water, strewn about the lawns and borders. They were to keep cats off. How or why this was meant to work I don't know, nor whether it did work. But I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have cats than litter.

I put bells on the collars of my cats, but one keeps losing them. I even found one collar string up in the apple tree. Maybe one day I'll find the cat strung up by its own collar in the tree.

Our two cats bury their own faeces pretty well, and they don't seem to be a problem to us or our neighbours. The dung is broken down fast, by beetle and fly larvae because I only treat the cats with systemic flea-killer if they have active flea infestations. One of the problems with dung is that it can be made insecticidal by chemical treatment of the animals dropping it. With cats and dogs this can be through flea-killing preparations put regularly into their food. It may get rid of the fleas, but the dung becomes poisonous to would-be dung recyclers. There are similar worries about cattle being treated for parasites leaving cow pats undecomposed all over the fields.

And finally a word of reassurance to mireille. Toxoplasmosis, the sight-threatening infection with a microbe found in animal dung is not very widespread and infections in children are not so very intimately linked to animal faeces. This was demonstrated by a study that found the children of dog-owners (who were therefore much more likely to come into dog dung than non-owners) were no more likely to show the disease. Finding animal dung in the garden is pretty unpleasant and children should always wash their hands after playing out their, but please let's not panic.

Gardeners' World Web User
30/05/2008 at 17:17
I love all animals wildlife & birds, my cats are too slow to catch a cold! By the time they are ready to pounce the bird has gone home to roost!I have 2 cats and they don't stop the birds from coming into our garden. I've counted as many as 5 cats in my garden + our 2 and the birds have still been feeding whilst they were there. Some humans are good and some are bad and it is the same with animals except animals don't know any better. So please live and let live!
Gardeners' World Web User
10/06/2008 at 20:32
does anyone know who i can contact to identify a shrub or small tree that has just produced flowers for the first time since i planted it in my garden 9 years ago .i have looked in my rhs encyclopedia and am not sure what it is.
Gardeners' World Web User
12/06/2008 at 03:15
I think cats are a problem....they need to be locked up like dogs. Dogs cant wander free but cats can. Cat destroy things. I have a neighbour cat the wanders and destroys things and there is nothing we can do. To all cat owners keep them inside or on a lease like a dog. If not then don't have one.
Gardeners' World Web User
18/06/2008 at 09:57
Hi, unfortunatly where I live there are 5 cats living within 200 yards of my property.At the back of my house is a large garage compound and every day I find mess.I despise cats and the owners.I have a dog and always clear up after him.I know the owners,unfortunately they know of my dislike towards cats and we dont talk,no loss to me.My nextdoor neighbour runs what I call a cattery,he has a open door policy and entices these cats in,kind of a second home for them.Again I don't talk to him.The other morning I caught a neighbours cat in the act outside the back gate,I went mad and shovelled up the mess and threw it by the owners garage.If I see a cat in the garage compound I will try and scare it away immediately and flick the mess over the other side.Other thing is all these cats are out all day and night.Sorry but I love animals but cats NO!
Gardeners' World Web User
20/06/2008 at 21:30
I have 3 cats myself and i have a dedicated area of the garden for them to do their business which they use. As for the flower beds i don't want them to ruin i have put down the green netting you can buy. I did this about 3 months ago and so far it is working. My neighbours have also told me they never catch my cats doing their business in their garden and have notice some of the other cats in the street come and visit my cats garden toilet. Unfortunately i haven't persuaded my youngest cat voles aren't toys but i will be buying a bell tomorrow for her.
Gardeners' World Web User
16/08/2008 at 11:31
They say when a cat brings you a dead bird. its bringing you a present.
Gardeners' World Web User
28/02/2009 at 19:16
I'm really frustrated. I have three doggies and the woman next door has three to four cats who do not have any collars on. They defecate in our garden on a daily / nightly basis. Everyday I have to pick up their mess. Unfortunately, one of my dogs ate some that I had missed and we nearly lost him due to a bad case of gastroenteritis. On Christmas day another one of my dogs had eaten some and then was violently sick all over the front room carpet. It has cost my husband and I several hundreds of pounds to treat our dogs and to clean carpets as well as buying treatments to try and stop cats defecating in the garden to absolutely no avail. It has got to the point where we cannot let our doggies out unless they are on a short lead to stop them finding it. We have tried chilli, citrus fruit, water guns etc and nothing is working. Lately, I have heard of a type of Coleus plant that may help to keep them out of the garden. Has anyone heard of this or tried this and if so has it proved successfull? If anyone could let me know I would be very grateful, we really are desperate. Thanks!
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