Cats Again

John Mason

I know, i know there have been hundreds of threads about these vermin.

But has anyone found a way of succesfully keeping them out of the garden.

Minder

Live thread here

r3nu4l

Irishbird, I know that cats are terrified of snakes and I've been told that if you buy some toy snakes (kids, rubber ones) and place them in view of the point of entry to the garden that they'll stay away.

Never tried it myself but might be worth a shot. :shrugs:

The Sweeper

A rubber snake will be sod all use and will simply cost you the price of a rubber snake.

Mulch your garden with straw to cover up the loose, dig-able soil. Spray or wipe down areas the cats are using as a toilet with warm water and lavender oil. They hate the smell and it masks the scent marks that are bringing them back to the same place. Companion plant with things cats don't like - like lavender. Use orange oil or other citrus smells to deter them.

Anyone comes onto this forum with comments on brake fluid and shotguns, and I will ban you straight out for a month.

John Mason

Thanks but there is no way in hell i am going to the expensive and bother of putting straw or bark in my garden due to some selfish neigbour.

I am in the process of doing up the garden and every single bulb i have planted has been dug up.

I have a solution will be implementing this week

The Sweeper

I'm sorry that you're not interested in a solution that works. If you looked into it you'd probalby find that a couple of bales of straw aren't expensive, and it would take about 20 minutes to mulch around your plants. I find one bale does about 3m2.

I know it works, because I use it myself. My neighbour on the left has two cats and my neighbour on the right has two cats. None of the cats are kept in during the day or at night.

Feel free to share your solution, assuming it isn't poisoning. I fully recognise that uncontrolled cats are pests (are you kidding? I'm in Australia, the land that hates the cat) and would suggest you have it trapped and given to the pound, who if it's feral will humanely euthanise it.

Poisoning anything really isn't a solution - especially not if it drags it's yowling, twitching, dying self to either your back doorstep or your neighbours doorsteps and somebody's kid finds it. There's also the chance something else ingests the poison - got any hedgehogs in your garden? Visiting wild birds? Anything else passing through that may eat or drink something you leave out for a cat?

Where I live people will happily shoot a trespassing cat - however they normally have a gun licence and are experienced shooters so they kill it immediately, and on the acreage they live on they aren't like to be shooting some child's pet, it's more likely to be a wandering feral cat.

In the spirit of neighbourliness, I'd like to think most people would go the route of killing someone else's animal as a final resort, after telling them it's a problem and asking them to control it.

John Mason

thank you for your assumption that i am going to kill it. hello, i am a vegetarian for the last 17 years and i cant even bring myself to kill a spider and you assumption is very heart warming.

I have just laid turf grass that was been completely dug up and shi.t on by the cats, so how actually is straw going to help my grass?

i do not like bark or straw in my garden, it is my garden and i should be able to have whatever way i want it and i should not be lectured to about how i should have my garden.

i came here looking for helpful advice not to be spoken down to

thank you for you interest

Gary ITR

I see some people putting coke bottles filled with water lying in the grass, apparently the light reflecting through it keeps the cats away.

FWIW I don't think MAJD was implying that you were going to poison the cats and was just talking about it in general and even invited you to share your solution

r3nu4l

Onkle wrote: »

I see some people putting coke bottles filled with water lying in the grass, apparently the light reflecting through it keeps the cats away

My Dad tried that for years. Initially it had some success but eventually the cats got used to it and ignored the bottles. I imagine the idea is as useful as the plastic/rubber snake.

EDIT: Irishbird...so you still haven't said what this 'magic solution' is. If you've found a solution would it not be nice to share it with everyone? That way you won't have people offending your sensitive soul with their assumptions. :pac:

Minder

irishbird wrote: »

thank you for your assumption that i am going to kill it. hello, i am a vegetarian for the last 17 years and i cant even bring myself to kill a spider and you assumption is very heart warming.

I wonder where that assumption came from...

irishbird wrote: »

okay, no one here seems to have found a solution to bloody things.

seriously, i am millimetres away from doing the brake fluid thing.

there must be a fool proof way of keeping this vermin out of the garden. my garden is like one big cat litter tray

WhiteWashMan

irishbird wrote: »

thank you for your assumption that i am going to kill it. hello, i am a vegetarian for the last 17 years and i cant even bring myself to kill a spider and you assumption is very heart warming.

I have just laid turf grass that was been completely dug up and shi.t on by the cats, so how actually is straw going to help my grass?

i do not like bark or straw in my garden, it is my garden and i should be able to have whatever way i want it and i should not be lectured to about how i should have my garden.

i came here looking for helpful advice not to be spoken down to

thank you for you interest

if i see another post suggesting that you are going to posion animals, I'll simply ban you from these forums.

if you want to know how to deal with animals, id suggest the pets forum.