Cat deterrent on herb bed?

[caroline7758]

Sorry, catlovers, but my neighbours' cats are a pest, especially now we don't have a dog any more. I've made a new herb bed and this is the only bit of my garden which has bare soil, so the cats have decided to use it as a toilet. I read that chicken manure pellets are a good deterrent but wonder if they would make the soil too rich for the herbs?

[caroline7758]

[Baccy Man]

There are loads of supposedly effective deterrents the following all work for some people but not for others so you will have to work your way through them until you find the one that works for you.

Mulch the area so there is no exposed soil.
Grow some rue (Ruta Graveolens).
Place either mothballs, orange peel, lemon rind, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds or pipe tobacco in the borders.
Spray cloths with orange oil,lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil or mustard oil & place the cloth in the border.
If you can source it then some zoo poo (manure from the big cats) is said to be quite effective.
Growing coleus caninus is supposed to be one of the most effective solutions although as the plant is still fairly new to the market there is not yet enough feedback from people to say wether it really does work reliably.
http://plants.thompson-morgan.com/product/1593/1

[Georgie]

The most effective cat deterrent I know (and I am a cat lover) is to cover the bare soil with prickly shrub cuttings such as Pyracantha, Berberis or Holly.

G x

[caroline7758]

Thanks both. I was going to try the coleus but then read n a few forums that it didn't work. We've got plenty of brambles round here so might try that.

[Tyke]

I've tried various commercial smell based deterrents - lemon sprays, garlic granules and lots of tohers sprays. I've tried coffee granules and sticks you put in the ground that give off smells. Nothing seems to have worked. I haven't tried big-cat products, but i am skeptical about them working either.

[springbok]

After all the trouble I had, I found only one thing that did work.

Holly cuttings.  They all dry and shrivelled up now, but still have the same effect as I move them round the garden to beds I have worked on.

Best tip ever given to me on the forum.... and I have not had one cat since!!!..

:D :D :D :D