Topic: neighbours cat using raised bed as toilet HELP!!!!!

[hippydave]

our neighbours cat is using my raised beds as a toilet and i just cant seem to deter it from doing it, i have tried 2 different cat repellent products 1 a powder and 1 a gel but neither  works even when used together. Cleaning cat poo from my beds is becoming a bit of a chore now and will be even worse when the seedlings start to come up.
Please help?

Hippy.

[sarah]

its a perrenial problem and not an easy one to solve humanely. a water gun might work but in my experience the best answer is to lay prickly twigs over newly turned ground and where you have sown seeds. holly; pyracantha...anything prickly or twiggy so it cant get its bum down.  :)

[Garjan]

An older gardener suggested to spread used coffee ground in my garden. Cats don't seem to like the smell and they actually keep away.
Mind, you need to spread it continually and everywhere. Cats will  put their bum right next to it!

Extra bonus: the slugs don't like coffee either and it is very good for the structure of your soil.

[Lacelotte]

I have the same problem and I'm fuming! I like in a private residential area that decided to ban pets, meaning I was forced to rehome my 7 year old border terrier. Yet they have now allowed people to keep cats and ever since then my garden has become the public toilet for all of the neighbourhood cats. I've tried everything short of kicking the dam thing or getting Jed back to chase the sods away! GGGRRRRRR!

Best thing is they decided to ban dogs because of the possible fouling problem! Makes you laugh

[OllieC]

twigs work like a dream - and barely get in the way of plants... of course, the best solution is to get a cat yourself!

[Lacelotte]

I'd rather drink burning sulpher at the gates of hell than get a cat lol

[Old bird]

Lacelotte - How could you rehome your pet dog for this ridiculous no pets rule?  To me that would be totally impossible.  What community tries to live in such a sterile environment banning animals - did they also ban children at the same time - Did they shoot the birds or grub up anywhere for birds to live, squirrels etc.

To me a place that bans animals reminds me of China when they decided that no dogs or cats were to live in the main city so the chinese people were forced to have their loved pets destroyed or have them forcibly destroyed by the police.  How ghastly.

I would rather walk where there is the odd dog poo than live in an anti animal sterile place like that.  Still - if they are allowing cats now - perhaps they will finish off the birds.  Loathe them! Cats that is!

On the coffee front - I have just got the local coffee bar to give me all their grounds and i get 3 two gallon binfuls a week.  Only thing that I have noticed is that (I have used it round my seedlings as slug deterrent) when watering the coffee is very fine and tends to allow puddles rather than soaking in.

Old Bird
 :o

[Lacelotte]

Hey oldbird, I did it very reluctantly and he is only staying with a member of the family whilst I fight the stupid rules.
They said we could keep dogs if your property had front and rear access and has a garden. Well we have and when I pointed this out they moved the goal post and said we needed to have a fence up. So I said I'd put a fence up and they said they would take it down as it is all supposed to be open plan. I pointed out that my neighbours all have fences and they said that they would have allowed them to put a fence up to stop thier children falling into the beck at the bottom of our gardens (my three neighbours are long retired and the houses werent there when the kids were younger). It's just rules for one and rules for another.

Agree with you on the cats  though. I've seen a lot of electrical options on the market to scare them off but from my experience they annoy the hell out of me when I go in the garden as they hurt your ears never mind the cats! lol

[posie]

You could try some stuff called "Get Off" - I use it in my garden to keep my springies off my flower beds and it's the only thing that's worked in the last two years.  I know my local Morrisons have the extra strength blue Get Off as well.

[tim]

I just lay a 'sheet' of metal mesh over. No problem.

[Hyacinth]

From the Pound Shop/Wilkos etc. I buy hook-together lengths of hooped plastic-coated wire - they sell it in white or green. Rows of seeds have these laid either sides of the rows - then twiggy bits are interlaced between the hoops. When the plants are grown, they can then be removed, cos the cats don't p**p on  or scratch the established plants?**

For larger broadcast areas I do as Tim does, raising the mesh on legs of kindling sticks until the plants are established.

** except in Glos, where the local cats used to scramble on to the top of hedges to do it there ??? ::)