Cats and gardens

[good-cause-girl]

I know this has been talked/ bitched to death but I can not find the threads with the answers so please bear with me.

I live in between highway 33 and Leathead around the Houghton rd area. I am getting very frustrated with the amount of male cats peeing on everything I own. I gather there is a female or a few in heat right now due to the amount of males. We are talking 8 at any given time peeing on everything and crapping in my garden and under my kitchen window.

I have shot water at them with a supersoaker. I have thrown water balloons. I have wired off areas. I have tried clear pop bottles filled with water. I have laid cedar chips. I have filled the areas with pine cones. I do not have a car so trapping them and moving them are not an option. Bylaw said they could do nothing.

I am ready to start shooting (not really, but it has crossed my mind),,,, Please please please, how does everyone else deal with all this? I can not grow food in my gardens anymore because of cat crap and they even sprayed my BBQ!!!!
I am at my wits end and it is only the beginning of May..................................

Why are cats allowd to roam free? You wouldn't let your dog run free and even kids are kept inside now, so why let the cat out? If you own a male un nutered cat you are an *bleep*! Someone that is not as nice as I am is likely to poison your animal!

[Lady tehMa]

My mom dug creosote and black ashes into her garden beds.

It did not stop the cats from going into her garden beds.

It did cause the cats to track it all over their owner's homes; one woman in particular was quite put out that her white leather sofa would not come clean and gave my mom grief about it. My mom's response "I thought you said your cats would never crap in my garden? It isn't my problem if your cats wander into my yard now, is it?" Those are now indoor cats, from what I have heard.

Try liberal quantities of fresh cayenne. I hear that can be a good deterrant.

[Bsuds]

Some ideas here...

http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Cats-fro ... the-Garden

If those don't work then I'll rent you my dog. lol

[zookeeper]

I can not grow food in my gardens anymore because of cat crap and they even sprayed my BBQ!!!!

I have clear plastic forks tines up in any empty space, where they can't crouch they won't poo. I didn't think to do that to my pots, too late for them. Won't help the spraying though. I got new neighbors, their little dogs sprayed all over my deck, BBQ and all. Seriously so fed up with people in my neighborhood who don't contain their animals we are moving! The garden pots and BBQ are not coming with us.

[Bpeep]

Fence your garden.
If you don't drive, get a lift from a friend and get some 2'' peeler cores from growers supply and a roll or two of 2'' chicken wire from home cheapo.
Presto, problem solved.
I always have a dozen or more ferals hanging around my house. I feed them, they're all my buddies.
I put up a 4' chick wire fence, and haven't had a cat in there since.
Quick, easy, and cheap.
Now if the quail would quit digging up my onions, and the ducks would get outta the pond...

[zookeeper]

That is the most frustrating part, our yard is fully fenced. I swear cats can gravitate and fly. We love the outdoors and all the nature that comes with it but sadly 10 lbs- of- cat- poop- in- a- pot is far from natural and hardly what we want to be eating out of.

[pbear]

Totally get your frustration. I've whined about this very topic in the gardening thread more than once. We have again replaced all the soil in our raised garden beds and at this point they are covered with bird netting which is sitting on those small decorative wire fence loops. That will only last until the plants grow taller or I put in the tomatoes and cukes. Then we will have to build a cage for each bed.

I've tried all the things you have to no avail. My pots are covered with wire right now as they aren't planted. I'm going to put in the plastic forks once I plant.

Male cats marking their territory is a whole different ballgame. Garden hose everything off? Pink Solution or a Dawn/hot vinegar solution in a spray bottle would help get rid of the smell.

Good luck!

[Bsuds]

This might work..lol

[zookeeper]

lol We've tried that too! Cats don't last long in the yard when pooch see's them, but she can not patrol 24/7.

[zzontar]

Is there a fine for having a cat or dog running loose?

[zookeeper]

Depends where you live I suppose, and there is the burden of proof as well (see bsuds creosote post), and then you would have to have neighbors that actually care. I am considering a paintball gun, if you come to my house asking if I know why your cat is lime green....
In all fairness to my new neighbor with the little dogs, I only had to lament about the disgusting situation on my deck and BBQ once before she contained her dogs. All the disinfectant in the world could never make me eat from it again though.

[tazmandew]

#1) A Cat Repellent for Before You Even Begin

If you haven't planted a flower bed yet, but you anticipate having trouble keeping cats out of your yard, be aware that one of the most effective cat repellents is readily available at most any hardware store: CHICKEN WIRE

No, I'm not going to suggest you erect a chicken-wire fence. Instead, lay chicken wire down on top of your soil (or mulch, if you're using mulch in the bed), across the planting bed, before you plant. Why? Because cats dislike walking on chicken wire. Using wire cutters, you'll be able to open up pockets in the chicken wire sufficiently large for installing your plants. Cats can't dig with the chicken wire on top of the soil to use it as a bathroom..solves finding poop in your garden.

#2) Homemade Cat repellent

Cats hate anything that smells like citrus. Put an orange peel in front of your cats nose and watch your cat scrunch up his face with that disgusted look on his face as he backs away from it.

Here's what you'll need:
2 cups water
1 cup citrus peels (Choose from orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime or any combination that you find pleasing)
Saucepan
Coffee filter
2 tbsp. citrus scented soap
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Plastic spray bottle

Step 1
Measure two cups of water into a small saucepan. Add one cup of citrus peels.

Step 2
Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 3
Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool. Once the contents have reached room temperature, pour the solution through a coffee filter to remove all of the solid pieces of peel.

Step 4
Add two tbsp. of citrus scented liquid soap and two tbsp. of lemon juice to the water and stir until well blended.

Step 5
Transfer the mixture to a plastic bottle with a spray attachment. Spray any furniture you'd like the cat to stay away from with a liberal coating of the repellent. Additionally, the spray can be used on plants and shrubbery to stop cats from eating them or to establish a chemical perimeter around your garden.

Step 6
Reapply as needed. Outdoor plants will need a new spritz after a rain shower or after routine watering. Indoor surfaces will require an additional application about once every two weeks


I do not recommend anything that will harm the cat such as spraying the cat with water etc.... If you yourself wouldn't want someone spraying you with a hose full of cold water then don't do it to animals. A cat is still a life and deserves to be treated with respect. I also do not recommend anyone trapping cats and dropping them off somewhere else as this causes the animal distress and they will suffer and starve. Cayenne powder in the garden also should be avoid as this is also considered cruel. If you don't think so.. put some cayenne on your hand and lick it off ...when your mouth burns you'll know what I am talking about. You'll be able to gulp down water to stop your mouth from burning..the cat might not have anything to drink...it is cruel

And if all else fails plant some cat nip in your neighbors yard and then the cats will be attracted to their yard instead of yours..(just kidding)

Cats are smart so if they know you hate them....they will tell all their neighborhood cat friends and they will get revenge. :)

[pbear]

The outside barn cats in my area just scoff at chicken wire. Bwaaah!

[tazmandew]

The outside barn cats in my area just scoff at chicken wire. Bwaaah!

The idea of the chicken wire is so they won't use the garden as a litter box. They like to dig before they poop or pee and then use the loose dirt to cover it up.
Of course there is always the odd cat that thinks it's a dog... they end up pooping and then just walk away without covering it

[zookeeper]

The outside barn cats in my area just scoff at chicken wire. Bwaaah!

Yup, here too lol.
I like cats, my family and clients have cats. I pet them, I bring treats, I buy them toy mice. The cats sleep on my deck chairs in the winter, I don't shoo them away, hate to see an animal cold or hungry. I have other kinds of pets, they do not soil in the neighbors' gardens.
Why should I have to go to extra expense and work to keep my garden poopoo free? Cut a hole in chicken wire and plant, okay. I get my tetanus shot, nothing being scratched by chicken wire harvesting my poopoo free veggies. I've planted things they don't like, sprayed, you name it. I would never hurt an animal, but I must move before I choke irresponsible, lazy pet owners.