Best way to deter cats?...

[sheddie]

Hi,

In my garden at home, we have a small strawberry bed, which the various cats in our street appear to be using as their personal toilet. Almost on a daily basis, there is a new cat poo in it.

I'm planning to put a net over it eventually of course, but they'll probably just poo elsewhere in the garden...

Does anyone have any suggestions for deterring the cats from coming into the garden? - I remember when I was a kid, a friend's Gran used to have some green plastic bulbs that she would put all round the fences. Apparently it had a smell that cats hate and used to deter them - no idea what it was called though!

cheers
sheddie

[shirlton]

Don't waste your money on the plant that is supposed to deter them. It doesn't work.Netting will keep them off your strawberries but  as you say they will go somewhere else but at least it won't be on your strawberries.
We have had long discussions about this on here in the past. Do a search on cats and you can read them.
My answer is to move to an area where there aren't any cats

[BarriedaleNick]

There has been some (slightly heated!) debate about this on the forum in the past so a search might turn up summat useful.  
Citrus peel and oils seem to deter them if you are after something easy to get and use or you can use commercial products like lion poo http://www.silentroaronline.com or get off.
Then if you really want you can get into the mechanical or sonic devices but they aren't cheap..

http://www.stopcatsanddogs.co.uk - seems to offer a good selection.

[Ellen K]

I've never tried lion poo but I can tell you that the sonic devices dont work.

You've got to net your strawberry bed after you have cleared the poo first.  Nothing else for it.

Keep at it though, they can be persuaded to "go" elsewhere, I find a jet of water encourages them to leave.  And it doesn't hurt them, they hardly even get a drop of water on them but they are off.

[mrrigsby]

Hi
If you spray a few tea-bags with Deep Heat and just throw them on the garden where you you have a cat problem, it will keep them away for awhile.
Long term solution, get a Jack Russell.

[sheddie]

Thanks for your help guys, some useful info there and I'll search for the old debates too. Its all a bit annoying isn't it when its not your own cat. We've only got a few houses that have cats in our street...but they all have about four each!..

I'll get the strabs netted off, but just want to get rid of them as much as I can as the kids obvioulsy like to play in the garden when its warmer and I end up having to scan the whole garden for cat poo before I let them out.

Hose gun at the ready from now on....let battle commence..


 
cheers
sheddie

[Kleftiwallah]

Don't let it get you down.  have fun.  Buy a high powered water pistol and eventually they will get to know it is a no-go area.      Cheers,    Tony.

[Nigel B]

Don't let it get you down.  have fun.  Buy a high powered water pistol and eventually they will get to know it is a no-go area.      Cheers,    Tony.

Great idea, just don't let your neighbour catch you punching the air and whooping in delight as you splatter their little darling right between the eyes with enough force from enough water to knock it clean off the fence..... 

[sheddie]

Heh heh! 

I take it a pressure washer is fair game in all of this?....better dust off the old Karscher....

and I wonder if I blast one fast enough...will it go meeeoooww through the air?

hmmmm

sheddie

[shirlton]

I don't think a pressure washer is the answer unless you want to really fall out with your neighbours

[sheddie]

I don't think a pressure washer is the answer unless you want to really fall out with your neighbours

Spoilsport! 

[pumpkinlover]

I bought an ultrasound cat deterrent after cleaning up 10 piles of poo in some new gravel. The one the RSPB sells it does help- but not with geriatric cats (can't hear it)

[sheddie]

ha ha, thats all I need..deaf cats!

The RSPB one on their site is £49.99 though, a bit pricey for me - I did see one on Amazon though thats a possibility:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PestBye-Battery-Operated-Cat-Repeller/dp/B004SGC75S/ref=sr_1_19?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1328371045&sr=1-19

sheddie

[Digeroo]

At least they keep the voles at bay. 

I find hawthorn very good, you just throw a few twigs around.  Ir is good for carrots, not tried it for strawberries.  Most hedges round here are hawthorn so for me it is very easy to source.  May be firethorn would do the biz.

[green lily]

I use holly and rose prunings. Seems to have helped this year but you need plenty or they'll find the gaps. Mind you a bit of cat pee does deter the rodents....

[petefj]

When we put a flower bed in our front garden it acted like a magnet for every dammed cat in the neighbourhood.  I was removing cat crap every day. until I found a solution.  And that is:

Male piddle!

I assure you it works.  Get a cheap spray from B&Q, it will cost you .99pence, fill it with piddle and spray the bed and surrounds with it night and morning.  After about a week you can stop.

We did that, and I haven't seen a cat on my flower bed for 6 months or more.  If they come back, then repeat the dosage as before.
We have a sonic device, and once I saw a cat emptying its bowels right next to it, and looking at it in a way that was quite contemptous.
Try it, it won't cost you much, and you will be surprised.
Peter

[brown thumb]

human urine will deter quite a few unwanted guests from the animal kingdom including rabbits which worked  for me down at the lotty  and no male in sight   lol

[sheddie]

Wow, a bizzare solution but obviously scent is a big thing to cats, so might have to give that a go too...

p.s. - don't tell the wfife, she'll really think I've lost it!...

 

thanks again,
sheddie

[antipodes]

They do say thet the herb Rue deters cats??? Dunno if that is true, apparently the smell makes them want to retch...
Wonder if some cat wee wouldn't deter the voles on my plot??? I could distrubte a little used kitty litter near their tunnels? Anyone try that?
The power of wee!