Allotments 4 All

I have had to cover my borders with an unattractive cobweb of string and bamboo poles because we have a real problem with cats digging everything up. This has worked (hooray!!) and I've now got seedlings popping up everywhere  ;D

Unfortunately, the wretched creatures have now started digging up my pots instead and have already destroyed a pot of nasturtium babies and one of sweet-pea babies, they scatter them all over the patio  >:(. How can I stop them???

holly leaves scattered around. Or a noise maker.
We have a plastic frog which goes "ribbit" whenever anything crosses its path and it frightens the life out of the neighbours cat!!!!

An extreme solution is to put renardine around your  fences but it is strong pongy stuff - depends if you want to be able to go in the garden yourself!

I poke sticks into pots (especially thorny ones - like rose prunings).

Specifically for pots, Gardener's World was doing an article on various mulches, and showed one made from recycled rubber chips that were impregnated with citronella, to deter cats.

Could make your own if you can get hold of some citronella oil/fragrance, sprnkled over bark chippings or somesuch.

There are also ultrasonic devices that emit an (inaudible to humans) shriek whenever something wanders past. They are supposed to work.

Do those ultrasonic things only affect dogs & cats? Would they be likely to affect hedgehogs, birds etc?

Chicken wire over the top of the pots? Do this with spring bulbs to keep squirrels out, the plants just grow through and cover the wire.

Lion poo's supposed to frighten them off. Anyone tried it? The local zoo might be able to offer some.

I've tried citronella to no avail, cats think I'm being nice and making it more homey for them!!!  Best thing I found, as said I think, was to take some time, a water pistol and try a bit on aversion therapy!! It really works.  They assosciate a drenching with an area of the garden and leave it alone!!  Takes time though.  Good luck  Lottie

 orange peel will keep them at bay

Mrs F, you can try Aquis idea of rose sticks, Renadine is excellent.orange peel works for a while.......what is good is a good kick up the bum :o :o ;D ;D ;D :o.

 ;D ;D ;D Rosebud!!!

I'll try the orange peel, and if I'm up late enough tonight I'll take a glass of wine and a water pistol upstairs and stake out the back bedroom! Thanks everyone  ;D

My neighbour's cat is a right nuisance and not frightened of anything.  Bad tempered Persian.  It regularly attacks my Jack Russell.  It's always scratching everything up and making its mess everywhere.  I wonder if they'd like it if I trained my dog to crap in their garden.  I think not  :(

Try using moth balls spaced at about two feet apart, works well in my garden

My neighbour's cat is a right nuisance and not frightened of anything.  Bad tempered Persian.  It regularly attacks my Jack Russell.  It's always scratching everything up and making its mess everywhere.  I wonder if they'd like it if I trained my dog to crap in their garden.  I think not   

This is one thing that annoys me. Whenever I go into my garden I see young plants that have been dug up, poo everywhere, now my pots are being scratched everywhere. If I had a dog, and I let it wander into next-doors garden and poo everywhere, they'd soon be round complaining. Ah well, such is life.... :(

Lob the mothballs at them ?
(This comes from a cat owner)

I have found planting a couple of containers with cat mint and placing it just slightly away from the other pots seems to work.

They are so content with digging up the cat mint, they normally leave everything else alone.

My grandad use to swear by it, and it usually worked. :D

Worth a try anyway ;D ;D

Chicken poo pellets seem to have worked for me.

Although the pests wouldn't leave my sweetpea patch alone so I have had to cover them (and the soil around them) with netting - with is held up with beanpoles !!

Have to agree though makes me very cross  >:(

I'm slipping - missed the damned thing by 3' this pm. But it was 50 feet away!

Try kids windmills, apparently they don't like them....

Tried lots....pieces of hose left lying around to resemble snakes....nothing!  Pop bottles half filled with water left lying around......nufink!  Pepper dust and other purpose made pongy sprinkly things....for a while.  Kids chasing them at great speed out of the garden, works wonders!  ;D

Neighbours horrid creature had the nest out of the tree at the weekend, for nothing, threw it out pawed at the babies, and walked away!  GGRR