Allotments 4 All

Hi all. I'm new here and just wondered if someone can help me with a problem?

We are trying to stop the neighbourhood cats killing the birds that we feed in our garden.  Got a great idea off this forum about using "big cat poo" and will be taking a trip to our local zoo soon to try this.

However, the other solution that seems to be popular is the Coleus canina plant (P-off or Scaredy Cat).  The only problem is, we can't seem to find ANYWHERE to buy it!

Does anyone know of a reliable UK retailer (online or otherwise) that sells it please? ???

T & M sell plants and seeds:
http://plants.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/1593/1

Coleus canina variegated ***Scardy Cat plant***  ~ does it work?

I think it is the wrong time of the year to buy as I'm sure it's not that hardy.  I bought a plant last summer called Scardy Cat (don't ask me what the proper name was) but it grew really large and had lovely blue/mauve flowers.  But certainly not frost hardy.

MM

I believe it's an annual. Some say it works, some say it doesn't - but you do need quite a lot of them if you read T & M's comments - something like one every yard.

If you have wooden fences you could put carpet gripper tacked on this will deter the cats comming over also burglars. Wont seriously injure the cats just prick their pads.
The scary cat plant is a member of the Coelus family and is treated like a house plant out side in summer and indoors winter. Its the scent of the leaves ment to put them off.
Other wise a hose at 10 paces. I love cat and have a visitor in my garden but he watches the birds and does nothing and scares the other cats away.
So may be get your own cat that would keep the others out or get a dog to chase them.

If you get a cat to keep other cats out of your garden, aren't you then contributing to an even bigger pile of crap in some other poor sods garden?

Brian

Yes, but the cat owners I know do have litter huts in the house.
One has a litter hut outside so the cat goes out and has its own toilet outside believe it or not.
These are good pet owners and there is a lot of them around.

Thanks for the help. We have now ordered Scaredy Cat from T&M.

I would love to get a cat of our own and get it to scare away the others but unfortunately I'm allergic! :-\

If your possible solution doesn't work, my sister swears by their electronic cat scarer they bought a few years ago.  Apparently it keep all cats out of their garden now, and if a cat does come close for some reason, it gets out quickly!  It doesn't affect their neighbours dog, as she made sure first!

mat

I planted some of these plants in my garden last summer after seeing them in local garden centres (around Nottingham). They do not work! And they don't smell very nice either.

I know this is a solution some won't agree with, but it worked for me. When I moved in to my house, was amazed to find that the very neat lawn became covered in cat mess within days (was then told by neighbours that previous owner used to clear it up daily when trying to sell the house!).
Tried various things, but what works for me is to put food scraps out regularly. I just stick it on the earth under a convenient bush. They don't mess where they eat it seems. Either that, or the rats are frightening them off. But, it's cheap, it works, and my dustbin isn't smelly. (the veg scraps go on the compost heap though).