Cats digging up the garden, advice please

[Glynn]

Just get them wet.

Missus planted a new bed the other week and our own cat started crapping in there. Got her soaked with the watering can last time hasnt done it since!

[KenONeill]

Get a lion!!

 

Or, more seriously, cover the bed in bark chips.

[gadgetman]

There's some citrus jelly ball things call cat off or something similar.

Most effective off the shelf repellent I've found so far.

It lasts a few weeks between doses unlike powders which need redoing after any rain.

Our garden centre sells it about £5/bottle

[P6bJOHN]

If there is no crap, it might be blackbirds, I have a pair nesting in my garden and I have watched them scatter soil over my path from the beds looking for their breakfast. I also have 2 sonic cat deterrent devices which work, as does having a very big territorial tom cat next door, he walks my fence top but the sonics keep him out, and he keeps any other cats away for some considerable distance.

[DEL80Y]

 i had to find some way of stopping the slug problem. 

Have you tried WD 40 it works wonders

[ColinD]

SWMBO has some very big sticks, some smaller sticks. Most of them have barbs on. She covers areas till they have settled down or covered with plants.

 

Personally from my loft window I'd go with a silenced rifle loaded with lion poo for the ones that stalk the wee birds... the ones which chase the phat mice, more than happy to throw them a biscuit.

 

I did once begin sketching out a mesh of sensors, I think they nicked it for it's a bit like the sonar buoys in battleship, that would squirt some water to where it was heading, retreating and generally anywhere it was going. 

 

I did a dissertation on genetic algorithms for path planning robots... this was a mere tweak for a servo/solenoid garden spray.

 

SWMBO declared pointy sticks was easier, cheaper and 100% more likely to work and crucially be started

[meb90]

It is definitely cats, I saw them this morning, and found a 'deposit' when I got home.

 

I've had a look at the gel balls - they look interesting and fairly cheap too.

 

I personally like the idea of the hose powered water sprayers.

 

There are some great ideas though!

 

Talking of guns - I did try with a Nerf gun the other weekend. My thinking being that I would be unlikely to hurt them (even if I did hit them). They were definitely scared away once they realised what was happening, but it turns out I couldn't hit a sheep in the garden, never mind a cat!!

[VWD]

Have you tried WD 40 it works wonders

Next you'll be suggesting a "slug" gun.

My idea of semi solid membrane did partially work. We found one part lowered, and two paw prints in one bed, but no other marks. Now propped up with canes, held in with large staples. One thing I did find worked out front was a solution of ammonia in water. not strong enough for us to smell, but strong enough for cats to pick up on and make life unpleasant. One solution that my parents did find worked, was to rehome the largest nastiest ex feral Tom. My mother rescued and brought back to good health one such cat from our local fishing quay. Dad made it a kennel and it never wanted to come inside,. But we never had any more cat problems. She's straying into our garden had problems walking afterwards, and he made enough noise to make us think we had a tiger in our back garden if a he wandered in.

[Macdemon]

We have a VERY annoying seagull which is persistent in trying to get into our conservatory, I want his scared to come near is too.

 

He/she/it has already got into OUR conservatory last week AND been in our neighbours conservatory, so we want rid of the filthy creature once and for all.

 

If it keeps annoying is, I may resort to neck snapping )

[cheezemonkhai]

And here is the result of when somebody decides to do exactly that to your pet.

One broken leg, which has had to be screwed and pinned and a cat which is now going mental having to stay in a cage for over a month while the damage heals.

Oh and a £1200 vets bill to go with it.

 

 

Comedy's obviously not your strong point.

 

If it was a rifle and they'd shot your cat, there wouldn't be a cat left to speak of.

Maybe it was an air rifle, which is clearly cruelty.

 

I do wonder why cat owners think it's acceptable for their cats to wander everywhere. You wouldn't like it if people let their dogs do the same or if you got a fox in your back garden sh*tting everywhere and eating your cat.

 

Anyway, clearly it was a joke, because people are not going to buy an unlicenced gun to shoot cats.

 

 

Anyway, back OT, if you don't like cats, they don't like citrus, so lots of lemon peel around seems to ward them off.

 

That or put cat nip in someone elses garden.

Edited 10 June, 2016 by cheezemonkhai

[SkodaKitteh]

Id suggest a silenced (to not disturb the neighbours) rifle, but that may cause harm which you dont want to do...

Anyone tries that with my cat... god help them ! 

[Scribbler]

The problem is Cat owners (majority) are not responsible like dog owners and have no control. They are not domesticated they are wild animals that come to your house to feed. If people realised the Harm they were doing to their neighbours any responsible person wouldn't own one. The same rules that apply to other vermin should also apply to cats. The fact that's its legal to shoot a fox if its on your property but its illegal to shoot a rogue cat is beyond me.  I Have said this before In another thread but they are effectively at Plague levels near me and we should be able to cull them.

[swedishskoda]

...put cat nip in someone elses garden.

 

[mattlad]

Get a lion!!

Surely that is replacing a small cat problem with a big cat problem! 

 

I have heard that strategically spreading lion poo around your garden will deter cats.  

[kidology]

Cat repellents work used to race pigeons and can vouch for them. Only thing is if the garden is large you will need more than 1.

Old bike inner tubes work cut in half, and make an S shape like a snake. Works on certain cats and is a cheap alternative. Globe balls also work well , frightens them good and proper.

[vindaloo]

The problem is Cat owners (majority) are not responsible like dog owners and have no control. They are not domesticated they are wild animals that come to your house to feed. If people realised the Harm they were doing to their neighbours any responsible person wouldn't own one. The same rules that apply to other vermin should also apply to cats. The fact that's its legal to shoot a fox if its on your property but its illegal to shoot a rogue cat is beyond me.  I Have said this before In another thread but they are effectively at Plague levels near me and we should be able to cull them.

 

You can cull them.... Erm.... in individual cases of them being a pest.... not as a general thing to do whilst walking.

If you grow vegetables for consumption or sale, you can take reasonable steps to remove animals that are damaging your plot.

Suggestion would be to start with non-lethal means including lemon/citrus peel etc.... or the Lion poop one but I'm not following one around with a pooper-scooper.

 

Shooting one with an air rifle/pistol and leaving it injured is not humanely killing it. Shooting one with a high powered crossbow and coup-de-grace if necessary is humane.... You would have to justify it.... And these days would probably become the victim of a social media vendetta.

 

EDIT: I KNOW OF THIS HAVING BEEN DONE. THIS IS NOT, REPEAT NOT!!!! SOMETHING I DO MYSELF.

 

J.

Edited 10 June, 2016 by vindaloo

[Aspman]

Pepper, chilli flakes, citrus peel, silent roar.

 

Lots of options other than making yourself a target for vigilantes.

[YellowCar]

The gel balls are pretty good but they're a bit of an unsightly mess. They don't like treading on unsure ground so you could also try strategically laying down things that wouldn't be that nice to tread on. I don't mean spikes (morse the pity) but sticks criss crossed and loosely on top of each other or just above ground. They get used to sound repellant or simply don't care. If you can find a way of using a sensor to trigger a water cannon that's probably the best. But for now I'd combine gel repellant with sketchy obstacles.

[gadgetman]

The gel balls are pretty good but they're a bit of an unsightly mess. They don't like treading on unsure ground so you could also try strategically laying down things that wouldn't be that nice to tread on. I don't mean spikes (morse the pity) but sticks criss crossed and loosely on top of each other or just above ground. They get used to sound repellant or simply don't care. If you can find a way of using a sensor to trigger a water cannon that's probably the best. But for now I'd combine gel repellant with sketchy obstacles.

Yeah the blue or green gel does mess a decorative garden, but should only take a few doses before the behavior is changed and they go elsewhere. That's my experience anyway

[Bazzer1955]

​We used to have a cat problem until I bought a large bottle of Tabasco. a liberal sprinkling was all it needed. We watched one cat creeping across our garden ready to have a dig and dump, he then started to sniff the earth and stopped with an expression that only a cat can do, he slowly left with a look of disgust on his face. You can only use Tabasco when it is not going to rain but it works for us.

[alltorque]

Super soaker filled with lemon or orange juice is my weapon of choice Cats can't stand it and spend the next 2 days washing constantly or white vinegar is another good one

Super Soaker and orange squash was my deterrent of choice when we lived elsewhere, with a cat problem. They really do not like it. As a more natural deterrent, a close friend had a mental Jack Russell terrier in her garden. No sense of fear whatsoever and cats seemed to get the idea very quickly.

[VWD]

Something we might ask our cat owners ( and I wouldn't like this to become a dog vs cat ownership rant) , but why do cats creep off to use other folks gardens. When I take my dog for a walk,it doesen't crap all over other folks gardens. Because I don't let it,.I could let it crap, then pick it up as the law allows. Have some of those holier than thou cat owners even thought about providing a car litter tray outside thir house for cat to use? My sister lives in an estate in Kent, where every house does so ,and cat fouling is not a problem. Perhaps it's not the cats that want educating, but the owners.

[Glynn]

Something we might ask our cat owners ( and I wouldn't like this to become a dog vs cat ownership rant) , but why do cats creep off to use other folks gardens. When I take my dog for a walk,it doesen't crap all over other folks gardens. Because I don't let it,.I could let it crap, then pick it up as the law allows. Have some of those holier than thou cat owners even thought about providing a car litter tray outside thir house for cat to use? My sister lives in an estate in Kent, where every house does so ,and cat fouling is not a problem. Perhaps it's not the cats that want educating, but the owners.

My cat has a litter tray and still likes to have a turd in the garden and elsewhere every now and then. We dont purposely send them out to ruin your flower beds lol

[Blanes]

I have a couple of cats, I've tried training them to walk on leads but it ain't happening....Try empty plastic 2l bottles, my cats hate going near them.

[DEL80Y]

What about shouting "Shoo Shoo" while waving your hands at the end of your arms limply....

Thats what my neighbour does  

This also does not hurt the said "cats"