Grow your own聽 permalink
Cat faeces in my veg patch
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Message 1.聽
Posted by edsmom (U14887714) on Tuesday, 31st May 2011
Please can anyone advise me? I have a small veg patch in my back garden which the local hoard of cats have confused with a litter tray! I am removing between 3 - 5 deposits each morning, I am concerned that my veggies will not be fit for consumption? I would welcome any hints on deterring these deposits and am I wasting my time growing food if it cannot be consumed!
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Message 2
Posted by chris (U14479141) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
hello edsmom i know exactly how you are feeling as we have the same problem,your best bet is to net the whole area we have done this and it does work,what we did was to get some bamboo canes cut them to about 2ft 6 cut a slit in the top enough for the netting to sit in,(its the green plastic netting it will probably cost you about 拢18 to 拢20 ) its a pain when having to lift the net every time you want to go on the plot but its worth it,its a pity people don`t buy cat litter some want to have pets but don`t want to pay for certain things,what we need is government legislation on cats as they are classed as vermin,every gardener i know has this problem something should be done and its not right or fair, kind regards Chris
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Message 3
Posted by jo4eyes (U13654107) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
It's the bare soil that they want.
Have you, or any other neighbours/relatives, got any prickly shrubs nearby- berberis, holly, hawthorn, pyracantha? Cut off stems/branches & lay those across the bed in between the plants. As many as space permits to cover as much soil as possible. The cats wont like that & as the plants grow less soil visible & so less of a problem. Ok the dying branches not 'pretty' but cat poo?..... I have been known to give it back to the owners!
In the autumn/winter any bare soil left for next years veg bed I cover with pegged down pea/bean netting.
The other alternative is grow in pots! good luck. J. -
Message 4
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
I had the same problem and did the same thing -made a make-shift cage- unfortunately the cat at some point jumped into the cage and I found the offending creature next morning charging round inside the structure obviously distressed and wrecking everything -just a cautionary tale!
Cats are a real nuisance and why do they think that their neighbours garden is their toilet?
You might still be able to buy something called pepper dust to deter them but I have not had much success with this - useless after rain.
Get a dog or a water cannon to frighten them off - I find this quite therapeutic! -
Message 5
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
There is a plant, Coleus canina, which is sold as a cat (and dog) repellant under proprietary names of 'Pee-off' and 'Scaredy-Cat'. It's available from garden centres and on-line. I believe that Scaredy-Cat is best grown in pots, so the pots can be moved around to follow wherever the enemy goes next; and also brought inside during Winter.
There's an 'old-wives-tale' answer: 2-litre bottles, part filled with water, laid on their side, are said spook cats, because of the reflections they create.
I've got no idea whether either of those actually work.
It's the bare soil that they want. 聽
I agree with that. It's an important point.
I have cats 'around', but virtually no bare earth, and I don't get any problems. -
Message 6
Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
If you construct a vertical wall of flexible mesh (no roof) and keep the mesh walls as 'wobbly' as possible, this may deter them from attempting to breach the area as they cannot get a purchase on the mesh. Just a thought, cheers, Tony.
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Message 7
Posted by nanpickle (U14258493) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Regarding the coleus canina - I found they were totally useless, the cat used to leave its deposit next to the plant. I grow my veg in pots/troughs and last year lost a whole square planter full of lettuces, so growing in pots is not the answer either. OH proudly presented me with a "cat repellent powder" I sprinkled it liberally and cat left its offering on top of it. I now cover every bit of exposed soil with sticks, twigs, etc and so far that seems the most effective. Good luck. Nan x
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Message 8
Posted by Holbert (U3994703) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Keeping the ground well watered helps as they don't like wet ground or you can use pepper which does seem to keep them off my veggie beds. I use Tesco value pepper which is 18p for a small pot.
When the veg is small though, I use nets. It's the only thing that is totally effective and I just can't bear the thought of cat turds in the lettuce! I put bamboo canes at each corner of the veg bed and one in the middle, put an old plastic flower pot on the top of each cane to support the netting, drape netting over the top and hold the edges down with lots of stones.
It's a pain in the bum for weeding but better than the alternative of anointed salad leaves!
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Message 9
Posted by Garden Girl (U14407006) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Tried to post this yesterday but did not work
Hi I had a similar problem recently so I got my raised bed built higher, you could then put netting or fleece on top which could help the cats keep off the vegetable patch. Not sure if cats like climbing that high to go to the toilet.
Getting plants grown in trays or pots or buy plants and transplanting them would help because if sowing from seed they would be disturbed or dug up. You could try growing cat mint like catnep proper name nepeta cataria.
You could grow cat mint around the vegetable bed which the cat would stop to rub the plant and they might think of that as a nice place to be so would forget about going to the toilet and might not want to there.
Also the cat mint plant has pink/purple flowers that look pretty and would attract the bees so would be good to pollinate your veg patch. -
Message 10
Posted by gingercodgers (U13917848) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Sprinkle a handfull of moth balls round the edge of your garden. I find it works even when they get wet. Not too near to the house though.
It only cost 拢1 for a box and they last all year. -
Message 11
Posted by Joe53 (U14888930) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Hi
interesting topic
Any risk of infection if vegs are eaten after cats perform? -
Message 12
Posted by fatchilli (U14886169) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
What you need is a flock of chickens ( big ones ) our neighbours cats are scared of them and it is very amusing to watch them on the run from a huffy hen. mind you, then you have to find a way to stop the hens eating the veg mmmm ( I have no brassica's in my veg plot and the seem to like onions for some silly reason and the garlic).
what I have found to work is all the chop sticks and lots of twigs of trees just stuck all over the place - stops the bare ground inviting fluffy in. -
Message 13
Posted by youngandallotmenting (U14434252) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Lion poo...sounds crazy but it worked for me at my old house!
Think it was called silent roar or similar... Might be worth a go? -
Message 14
Posted by snakey75 (U3915327) on Wednesday, 1st June 2011
Try disused tea bags with drops of olbas oil scattered around...... they don't like the smell of it so stay away.
Worked with me so worth a try.... -
Message 15
Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Thursday, 2nd June 2011
you should have no issues with vegetables you cook from a safety issue
I certainly would do everything you can to deter them . it is just not nice and it is not nice to have to remove them either
I would not want cats doing this among my salads at all
To be honest I would never do it but I understand when some people poison cats So many people are completely irresponsible in keeping cats into their property -
Message 16
Posted by David (U14400760) on Tuesday, 7th June 2011
Hi
interesting topic
Any risk of infection if vegs are eaten after cats perform?聽 There is a chance of infection from Toxoplasma gondii which is a protozoan parasite from cats. Its very prevalent in the UK about 20% of the population carry it. It can cause problems in pregnant women (toxoplasmosis) but for most it will not cause any problems. Interestingly in rodents it affects behaviour so that they are not so scared of cats and some will actually seek out areas with the smell of cat urine so it has the ability to change the behaviour of the host in the hope that it will be eaten by a cat and the parasite will then be able to carry out its lifecycle in the cat which is its final host.
There are some studies that it may affect behaviour in humans but not very conclusive, apparently it can slow reaction times so is more prevalent in drivers involved in car crashes and theres some possible .association with schizophrenia
Be thankful you don't live in France where 88% of the population is infected probably as they eat more raw meat. Overall a third of the worlds population in infected. Pretty neat for a cat parasite. -
Message 17
Posted by linda (U1797657) on Tuesday, 7th June 2011
I am a keen gardener and also have a cat which I took in as a stray. Mine is toilet-trained so doesn't go on the veg bed, but I have had problems with one neighbourhood cat. A water gun works pretty well. One of those toy ones with a turbo jet has a good range. You only have to get it a couple of times and it will get the message
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Message 18
Posted by linda (U1797657) on Tuesday, 7th June 2011
Pea sticks work too - for cats, pigeons and squirrels
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Message 19
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
That blasted cat from next- door is back using my garden as his toilet - the owner is such a lazy slob he does nothing in his garden so the cat comes into mine - I have resorted to throwing the offending material back over the fence- he wont even notice- and shouting at the cat when I see it.
These people are irresponsible pet owners and if they set aside an area in their own garden the animal is more likely to use it.
I feel I am at fault for my behaviour but what is one supposed to do- frustration doesn't cover it-my asbo is probably in the post!!
Geoff
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Message 20
Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
I think the only answer is some kind of barrier or cage netting I have had some cats sh*t in mine but my worst problem is foxes just digging holes looking for worms I guess. They don't bury their feces but deposit them prominently on top of things, I would happily do away with them if it was easy and legal.
It is tedious to tend one's patch under a cage or suspended netting I took mine off the other day thinking the plants were big enough now to cover the ground enough to deter them....not so.
I still had to fill in holes in my tomato patch and cavolo nero bed they were almost dug up.
Another thing I don't like about cages and suspended netting is it looks so cr@p I know it's very blokey/aspergic and anal but I like the look of nice neat rows of stuff
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Message 21
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
With you- but my experience of a cage/ netting was not good- see my comment message 4- my exasperation is not with animal but their rotten owners-well is is the animal as well-I may have missed it but what do cat owners/gardeners do about their little" Fluffy"and its toilet habits???
Geoff -
Message 22
Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
I think you will find cat owners don't feel the responsibility you wish them to have
and it is pretty nigh impossible to expect a cat's toilet habits to engage their interest.
In your message 4 you mention you cage was make-shift mine too was makeshift until I beefed it up a bit.
I would find it therapeutically amusing to blast them with a water cannon but tediously I have to do other things ! -
Message 23
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
I think you will find cat owners don't feel the responsibility you wish them to have
and it is pretty nigh impossible to expect a cat's toilet habits to engage their interest.
In your message 4 you mention you cage was make-shift mine too was makeshift until I beefed it up a bit.
I would find it therapeutically amusing to blast them with a water cannon but tediously I have to do other things !聽 "and it is pretty nigh impossible to expect a cat's toilet habits to engage their interest"
This the problem and I wish I had the magic answer- we have a dog and nowadays most people "pick up" - nowadays it is considered wrong not too-but that was not always the case- cat owners need to take responsibility but not all do-bring on the revolution!!
Today cats -tomorrow the world!!
Geoff -
Message 24
Posted by Vixxihibiscus (U13865184) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
As a cat owner, one who has a litter tray indoors I might add. It is nigh on impossible to control where your cat does the toilet.
"Now pussy cat, what have I told you about going to nice Mr Bairds house next door to poop! You are a bad, bad kitty! (shouting "you've been a bad, bad kitty" out in the street and people might get the wring idea!) You must not do that again!" I find it does not work so well.
I only have one, I provide him with an indoor litter tray and also have an area of the garden where I dumped out last years potato bags (nice loose compost) where I have seen him go but to be honest, I have no guarantees that he goes there all the time. I have also on occasion chased neighbours cats out of the flower beds mid-dig.
I do however believe it's not the fault of the cat (when you gotta go, you gotta go! and that goes for all of us) they don't know better. Or the fault of the human (mine goes out all night) I have no control at 3am if he needs to poop, he prefers to go outdoors to use the toilet (Cats are very private creatures and don't like to be watched) he's a mile from home on a mousing adventure.....
I doubt very much the instruction "now when you're down the High Street, you must come home to poop because I say so. You'll get a smacked bottom if you don't" would work either! -
Message 25
Posted by Don Kidick (U13987773) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
As was previously said, cat owners refuse to take responsibility for this problem. The post by Vixxihibiscus confirms this.
Why do people gat 鈥減ets鈥 then throw them out in to the streets to cause everyone else problems? What鈥檚 the point of having a pet you never see or don鈥檛 do anything with?
Who said that you have to put the cat out at night and let it roam? Why not keep it in the house then you know its not causing all sorts of problems for your neighbours?
Cats are dirty horrible creatures but if you want to keep them then it鈥檚 up to you, but make sure it is you that keeps them and not everyone else in a 2-mile radius of your hose. The law should be changed so that we can put traps or poison down just as if we would with other pests that come into our gardens. -
Message 26
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
and I like cats -in there place!!! (but could I eat a whole one?
)
Geoff -
Message 27
Posted by Vixxihibiscus (U13865184) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
Don, you have real issues!
I poison nothing, I kill nothing, I simply encourage in everything I can to balance out the ecosystem of my garden. What next? Will you be lying in wait of the local sparrows with a shotgun or are you just belligerent towards cats and it's ok for the birds to poop in your garden? what about earthworms? Do they have permission or are they simply not dirty and horrible enough for you?
My cat is like my child, he is also a wild animal and as such will live a life unrestricted by walls and cruelty. There are millions of wild animals in the world that defecate all over the countryside. I feed the local badgers and the local Hedgehogs, with cat food. Whilst having the talk with my cat, would you like me to have a talk with them too, god forbid they should drop a needle or dig a burrow where it's not welcome???
I do not throw my pet anywhere. I have a catflap and my cat is free to come and go as he pleases. Which he does. I provide, the very best of everything he will ever need and more but when it comes down to it, all animals are wild and therefore do as they please.
I do feel your pain about the faeces, I live in a neighbourhood full of cats, including my own and having well tended flowerbeds with nice soft soil am a prime target for "presents" I do however have no problems with voles rats or mice and that makes me tolerate them better.
How about some live and let live? -
Message 28
Posted by lilylouise (U3205282) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
A couple of years ago we made vegbed covers 'cos we were fed up with the cats using our garden! Last year we changed the netting to enviromesh.
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Message 29
Posted by Don Kidick (U13987773) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
No problem with any of them, just cats!
They are not wild animals they are domesticated. If I let my dog into you鈥檙e garden to sh鈥. On your grass or your Veg beds, you would be the first to complain. If you want a pet then you should take the responsibility that goes with it seriously.
As has been said previously cat owners refuse to take responsibility they make excuses just as you are doing. I welcome hedgehogs birds etc into my garden, the problem is the bloody cats either scare them off or kill them.
Just keep them in the house at night, it won鈥檛 solve the problem but it will probably half it. -
Message 30
Posted by Vixxihibiscus (U13865184) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
We'll just agree to disagree shall we?
In my defence, he sleeps on the sofa all day so that does kinda half the problem
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Message 31
Posted by Don Kidick (U13987773) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
Ok so why do cat owners let (or put) their cats out at night?
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Message 32
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
Because they don't want them messing in the house and can use mine and yours garden instead- or is it so they can visit their men-friends?
Geoff
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Message 33
Posted by dirtyrob (U14395261) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
Don, spot on fella, i'm just surprised to see a cat lover has not got the hump and had your posting reported to the Mods, just like i find when i check my inbox on my hotmail
But today is a good day, as i've explained in depth on another tread my neighbours and her four cats are moving, happy days!! -
Message 34
Posted by watervole (U14490581) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
Hi
I have the same issue and have tried a variety of things and found physical barriers the best. I have tried filling plastic bottles with water and scattering them around the garden - made no difference. I have tried the cat preventing powder (bought from a garden centre) that you scatter around - after a few days it made no difference and had to be topped up again. I have tried scattering chopped garlic around the garden and think it works whilst the odour stays strong but after a while again it needs topping up (plus garden smells of garlic!). I have tried scattering used coffee granules on the garden which again works temporarily but needs topping up. I have found the physical barriers the best including pyracanthus clippings laid around my veg patch and a matrix of sticks, whilst I put stones and turned up plant pots in the gaps between non-veg plants/rest of garden to limit the amount of bare soil. This year I added netting around my veg patch which really does work! My latest (untested!) theory is that if you cover up as much bare soil as possible for a few months so that cats dont leave anything including scent in your garden, the cats might 'forget' about using your garden and seek new places to do their business. We will see!
Oh and you would have thought having a dog would put off the local cat population but alas no! -
Message 35
Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
I have laid down canes between my tomato plants and put some short logs across and try to kid myself it looks artistic but in fact looks scruffy, with my cavolo nero I stuck in short canes and strung string crisscrossed between them it works but looks tatty.
I have found in the past after the plants have matured I allow a certain amount of weeds to cover the surface between the plants (laziness possibly) so the bare soil effect is not there and the cats/foxes seem to lose interest. -
Message 36
Posted by figrat (U3054696) on Wednesday, 8th June 2011
My neighbour's cat uses my garden as a corridor...and pretty furtively at that. Maybe it's because myself and faithful dog have done alll we can to make it feel unwelcome ever since it was a kitten.
I must admit I did feel a bit of a bully, but if I'd wanted to get something that would foul my garden and decimate the wildlife to boot, I'd have got my own cat.
I have had cats in the past, but the last one was pretty ancient when I moved here, and as it is a detached house within its own walled garden, she couldn't make a nuisance of herself anywhere else. Yes, she used to do her business in the garden, but she was my cat and even though it could be a bit icky at times, I never really minded clearing up after her.
Back to neighbour's cat - it briefly got into the habit of using an empty border, but I put bamboo canes in like pungee sticks and that soon stopped.
Dog is a star in the garden, never goes on the borders and favourite pastime is grazing on couch grass. -
Message 37
Posted by longwalk (U14542057) on Thursday, 9th June 2011
Oh eck - please don't shoot as my reply is intended to be of help to the message poster (but I have my tin hat on just in case!)
The deposits themselves should not be harmful, the exception to this is during early stages of pregnancy when ladies are advised to avoid cat poop (this seems to be a recent thing as was never mentioned in the days long ago when I had my babies and was emptying litter trays, mind you neither was avoiding soft cheese or drinking wine).
However, it is unpleasant and so have a few suggestions ......
- mothballs work reasonably well, they don't like the smell (I used to buy them for my neighbour)
- a few drenchings with a water pistol will put the cats off when you're around but they will know when you're not there!
- twigs etc will put them off as it's difficult for them to dig, they are after nice loose, soft soil which is easy to dig and won't dirty their paws too much
But the solution which has worked best for me is to use raised beds with wooden sides to which I have attached some hooks and then use some stiff plastic meshing (the type with squares of about 5cm) that can easily be hooked and unhooked. This stops the cats getting into the planting, allows the plants to grow upwards and then once the plants have reached a good enough size I take the mesh off and there isn't room for kittys to dig around.
I have two cats who choose only to use the litter tray indoors when the weather is awful. Funnily enough though it is the neighbour's cat who uses the main part of my garden as a toilet more, mine tend to go right to the bottom corner of the garden - maybe they like their privacy. Cats need exercise and also have a need to prowl around and jump, this is what they are designed to do - taking them walkies on a lead is not an option so I don't think cat owners can be deemed irresponsible by letting them out. So unfortunately they will sometimes be a nuisance to gardeners, just like sometimes dogs can be a nuisance barking or suffering from runny poop that their owners can't pick up and then there are also nuisance children ........................ -
Message 38
Posted by David (U14400760) on Thursday, 9th June 2011
It does seem you're only real immediate risk if you're pregnant or become immunocompromised. However besides that risk there is the fact that about 20% of the UK population carry the parasite as a cyst in their brains which isn't such a pleasant thought. And judging b the effects that it has been shown in other animals to alter their behaviour there is the chance that it can do the same in humans. There is some evidence that it can slow reaction times, you're more likely to be in car crash if infected and some controversy about links with personality changes including shizophrenia. Theres even one publication linking infection levels with cultural attitudes in different countries with different levels of infection, tends to be more common in warmer countries and possible differing attitudes to male female roles in those societies.
So potentially not exactly benign -
Message 39
Posted by JADEVINE (U14671401) on Thursday, 9th June 2011
Oh I have every sympathy with you all! I have 4 different cats using our garden as a toilet and killing field. They have scratched up my seeds, flattened my sweetcorn and dont even bother to bury their mess. I really give up on what to do next. We have one of those sonic things attached to the Greenhouse, but went in the other day after work and there was a cat asleep in my potting tray - I was just too slow to react!
I have always liked cats, have had them ourselves but this is really getting me down. Their owners gardens are all just lawn, so nowhere for them to dig. I spend a lot of time and money on our garden and am fed up with it being used by everyone elses scraggy moggies!!!
I will certainly try the lion dung, (or perhaps the lion would do a better job)
Thank you for letting me get that off my chest and its nice to know I am not alone. -
Message 40
Posted by Bubble Works (U14532674) on Thursday, 9th June 2011
wow - it's a cat, not vermin or anything similar. Cats do run around and yes, they may use your garden as a toilet. Once they start, it's difficult to stop them as they are a creature of habit and will use the same place over and over again.
Most of the time they dig the deposits in. So they are giving you free fertilizer. Toxopoplasmosis is a real problem, if you are pregnant, but if you ever had a cat as a pet, there is a good chance that you are already a carrier, so I wouldn't worry too much about the small chance of catching it. I have never heard of it changing behaviour in humans - if it makes people like cats more, I think some people on this board could probably do with a dose of it. That study with drivers in accidents? Did you know that eating bread will turn you into a violent criminal? How come? Well, all criminals that were interviewed admitted that they had eaten bread in the last 2 weeks before comiiting the crime....
They tested drivers that did have an accident, but they disd't test drivers that didn't have one. So the study was worthless.
Now, how do you stop them from using your garden? Get a dog...or be out there for 2 weeks 24/7 with a water gun and deter them from using the garden as a toilet (after 2 weeks they have found another place and wont bother you again - at least the same cat wont...another one may move in). Twigs, sticks, heavy planting and compacted soil all help as well. Bark Mulch is the worst idea, they love that stuff. But cocoa bark mulch would work well, they don't like that stuff (don't use if you have a dog!).
I have one cat, that doesn't stop 4 other cats to use my garden as a toilet - the bark mulch areas are the worst affected. I am going to switch to cocoa bark as soon as I can afford to, as all that nice fertilizer encourages the weeds and flowers to grow in the bark area and it looks bad. I ignore any presents in the flower beds, if necessary I dig them in....
My cat refuses to use the indoor litter tray for solids. And considering what fuss-pots cats can be with a litter tray I am always amazed that 4 tom cats manage to share a small bark mulch patch outside with no problems. It's not like I ever clean it.......
I do understand that it can be annoying if they keep digging up your veg patch. You had plenty of advice how to stop them from using it. Cats are good for you - they relax people when they purr, they adore you, because they chose to, not just because you feed them and they keep your garden free from real vermin, like mice, moths and several other insects. They also keep squirrels out of your garden and these guys are a lot worse when it comes to digging!! -
Message 41
Posted by dirtyrob (U14395261) on Thursday, 9th June 2011
Bubble Works, after reading your nonsense, your village is missing their idiot!
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Message 42
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Thursday, 9th June 2011
wow - it's a cat, not vermin or anything similar. Cats do run around and yes, they may use your garden as a toilet. Once they start, it's difficult to stop them as they are a creature of habit and will use the same place over and over again.
Most of the time they dig the deposits in. So they are giving you free fertilizer. Toxopoplasmosis is a real problem, if you are pregnant, but if you ever had a cat as a pet, there is a good chance that you are already a carrier, so I wouldn't worry too much about the small chance of catching it. I have never heard of it changing behaviour in humans - if it makes people like cats more, I think some people on this board could probably do with a dose of it. That study with drivers in accidents? Did you know that eating bread will turn you into a violent criminal? How come? Well, all criminals that were interviewed admitted that they had eaten bread in the last 2 weeks before comiiting the crime....
They tested drivers that did have an accident, but they disd't test drivers that didn't have one. So the study was worthless.
Now, how do you stop them from using your garden? Get a dog...or be out there for 2 weeks 24/7 with a water gun and deter them from using the garden as a toilet (after 2 weeks they have found another place and wont bother you again - at least the same cat wont...another one may move in). Twigs, sticks, heavy planting and compacted soil all help as well. Bark Mulch is the worst idea, they love that stuff. But cocoa bark mulch would work well, they don't like that stuff (don't use if you have a dog!).
I have one cat, that doesn't stop 4 other cats to use my garden as a toilet - the bark mulch areas are the worst affected. I am going to switch to cocoa bark as soon as I can afford to, as all that nice fertilizer encourages the weeds and flowers to grow in the bark area and it looks bad. I ignore any presents in the flower beds, if necessary I dig them in....
My cat refuses to use the indoor litter tray for solids. And considering what fuss-pots cats can be with a litter tray I am always amazed that 4 tom cats manage to share a small bark mulch patch outside with no problems. It's not like I ever clean it.......
I do understand that it can be annoying if they keep digging up your veg patch. You had plenty of advice how to stop them from using it. Cats are good for you - they relax people when they purr, they adore you, because they chose to, not just because you feed them and they keep your garden free from real vermin, like mice, moths and several other insects. They also keep squirrels out of your garden and these guys are a lot worse when it comes to digging!!聽 Bubble Works I am sure you are a lovely person who obviously loves animals - but in my experience they do not dig it in they leave in a pile of earth for me to find and I cannot consider it free fertilizer- I consider it a health hazard as would most people!
I wouldn't ask you to clear up after my dog -just keep your cat out of other peoples gardens - take responsibilty for having a pet -you may do this already but the owners of the cats that come into you garden do not!
Not everyone likes or keeps pets and yes some people do consider cats are vermin.
Geoff. -
Message 43
Posted by Vixxihibiscus (U13865184) on Saturday, 11th June 2011
Bubbleworks...
HIGH FIVE!!! I'm in Team Cat with you
Seems they're worse than Marmite! -
Message 44
Posted by thevodkarose (U13048111) on Sunday, 12th June 2011
There are some very small minded people on show here.
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Message 45
Posted by Barney_pl (U13897738) on Sunday, 12th June 2011
Please can anyone advise me? I have a small veg patch in my back garden which the local hoard of cats have confused with a litter tray! I am removing between 3 - 5 deposits each morning, I am concerned that my veggies will not be fit for consumption? I would welcome any hints on deterring these deposits and am I wasting my time growing food if it cannot be consumed! 聽 I have had cats for thirty years, with keen gardeners as neighbours, and have never had a problem as they also had cats. When I moved here in Jan 2009, I was without a cat, as my elderly cat had died a few months earlier.
I dug new beds and borders, and had no problems with my local furry creatures till this spring, when one took a strong liking to my raised salad bed. Every morning, it was heartache (and backache!) to rescue or replace the damage, but at first, as there were no poo parcels, I blamed blackbirds.
Once I realised it was a cat, I used long pea sticks (it wasn't easy to find them, but eventually, I ran them to ground at Wilkinsons, 98p for ten) and put them in sloping, crossing formation along the rows wherever the salads were too small to resist cats.
It has worked. It is a simple solution that doesn't look unsightly, isn't expensive, doesn't create a problem with harvesting, and is recyclable, as I move the pea sticks on to the new rows when the previous sowings are large enough to deter the cats.
edsmom, don't throw those veggies away, Wash them thoroughly, and they'll be fine!
The fact that so many of you object so strongly to cats isn't really relevant. All the hot air blasting around these forums whenver a cat problem is mentioned doesn't change anything, and just creates bad feeling. So what's the point?
The point is that edsmom needed an answer to her problem. Pea sticks are simple and effective to use, so I humbly suggest that she tries it to see if hey work as well for her as they have for me. -
Message 46
This posting has been hidden during moderation because it broke the in some way.
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Message 47
This posting has been hidden during moderation because it broke the in some way.
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Message 48
This posting has been hidden during moderation because it broke the in some way.
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Message 49
Posted by nooj (U13729031) on Monday, 13th June 2011
It was a statement - what she did was illegal under our laws
If you want the law changing - you have to use the power of the ballot box.
Simple really....... -
Message 50
Posted by Don Kidick (U13987773) on Monday, 13th June 2011
It was a statement - what she did was illegal under our laws
If you want the law changing - you have to use the power of the ballot box.
Simple really.......聽 Or not get caught!
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