discussion Scaring off cats

[AlanG]

I have planted out quite a lot of veggies this season in our raised beds. And they were/are growing nicely.
But i have a major problem with next doors cat coming in and digging up said beds and veggies to do it's dirty smelly business.
Now i know that unfortunately cats have the 'right to roam' rubbish protecting them but i for one do not think that gives them the right to defecate in my garden. My neighbours are next to useless about the situation. It's their 'prized joy' and little tiddles cannot do no wrong.

Obviously these days i/we have to do things humanely :rolling: to try and stop the cat so i would like to open it up to yourselves for some solutions. I work all day so am rarely at home when the cat does it's thing. I've heard there is some sound device you can use but i have dogs and don't know if it would annoy them too (i could switch it off when they are outside i suppose).

Any advice?

 

[Nicko]

My mum swears by used tea bags soaked in Jeyes fluid.... :smiling3:

Strategically placed around the edge of the flower/veg bed.....

Nick

 

[Tim Marlow]

Some good ideas here Alan….
https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Cats-Out-of-a-Garden
Some rubbish there as well mind, but I’d go with the smell deterrent approach.

 

[Del640]

Lion or tiger poo.

Available on line and at some garden centres.

I've a few friends that use it and have zero cat problem.

Del

 

[Guest]

I’ve netted my raised beds to keep them off.

 

[Nicko]

Brilliant Del - I can just imagine our skulking little blighter getting the fright of his life thinking there's something bigger visiting "his' space....

Nick

 

[Del640]

It's on Amazon..

 

[AlanG]

I’ve netted my raised beds to keep them off.

I've had nets and chicken wire up firstly to stop the pigeons eating my brassicas when they were first coming through, but it's a pain taking it down every time i want to gain access to my beds. And besides. Why should i have to do that when i should be able to 'sort' out the problem with less hassle.

I'm getting to the stage of digging up the cats doo dar and throwing it back over the fence on their lovely new decking.

 

[Guest]

You can rig it to make access simple. A bit of a frame, a few pins….

 

[AlanG]

You can rig it to make access simple. A bit of a frame, a few pins….

Going to need at least 90ft of chicken wire and/or netting to do it all. On minimum wage that just isn't going to happen.

 

[Guest]

Going to need at least 90ft of chicken wire and/or netting to do it all. On minimum wage that just isn't going to happen.

Oh…our beds are very different!
Also, I just use canes and nylon netting. Nothing fancy, just enough to stop them getting on.

If the neighbours aren’t going to stop the cat, maybe they could pay the costs for stopping them instead?

 

[CarolsHusband]

Apart from the obvious answers (which are probably sat at your feet), automatic water sprayers with a motion sensor will do the trick.

Set a few nozzles at different angles around the veg beds, they'll soon get the message.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Alan
We have had cat problems in the flower beds in our front garden. Now I am an animal lover so I don't want to hurt them and also one of the main culprits belongs to close neighbours and I don't want to fall out with them. We also didn't want to upset our dog or the squirrels which I know are pests but they're cute :rolling:
We bought one of THESE. Too soon to say if it works or not as we only set it up a few days ago.
Jim
This might also work :tongue-out3:

 

[GerryW]

Had limited success with mirrors set up at the edges of the beds, and with 2 litre bottles filled with water sat on the edges of the beds - don't know why they work for a while

 

[monica]

so sorry to to read this ,is happening to you ,there are just naughty at times and being able to move about,i have over the road cats do the same in the
front yard,but they would not dear come in the back yard with killer tabby cat there,maybe try a few things that have been said,,or if you see it,spray
it with some water ,as most hate that ,as being a moggy owner i kind of just give it a blind eye,but for dog i real hate that ,but thats a different story
hope you find away out of it, :disappointed2:

 

[Ian M]

I put a fence up around the Veggie plot. Mostly due to the Deer but also the cats. Hare prof fence is not cat proof! Had to go round and make the gap between the vertical wires smaller. We have a bamboo/grass type thing so had plenty of canes. Bonus was it looks a bit better as well. Even our own cat has given up trying to get in.
A few heavy wire hoops pushed into the ground and a net over will also keep both cats and pigeons off.
Cats are supposed to not like coffee grinds either, but you might end up giving to much nitrogen to the veggies. Good for leaf, not so good for flower, so you might loose out on the peas and the like.
Maybe you can find some odd bits of wire fence around the farm. Or if you still have that fire wood thing going you could use some of the smaller stuff to make a "rustic" split stake fence....

Was intrigued to read the "right to roam" comment. Over here it t'other way round: you are s'posed to keep you cat in your garden!

 

[AlanG]

Was intrigued to read the "right to roam" comment. Over here it t'other way round: you are s'posed to keep you cat in your garden!

I can only wish it was like that Ian.

I've got a set up in mind now. Whilst i shall be having proper netting up next year, i might be able to come across an electric fence set up. I'm sure 10V will deter the cats! Would be better with 240 but 10 will suffice for now. It'll certainly make them yelp. The pigs and me both do when we touch it lol

 

[PaulTRose]

well since you are growing things why not grow a few more things that deter cats?

https://blog.primrose.co.uk/2017/04/27/cat-deterrent-plants/

https://horticulture.co.uk/cat-deterrent-plants/

https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/keep-cats-garden/

you might not like the next bit but if i had a neighbour who was using methods which potentially could harm animals (not just cats) i would report them to police and rspca

and any one harmed either of our cats they would soon be decomposing at the bottom the compost heap

 

[Tim Marlow]

To be fair to Alan, Paul, he just wants to stop them getting in, not hurt them. A set up like he describes will just deter them.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

I can only wish it was like that Ian.

I've got a set up in mind now. Whilst i shall be having proper netting up next year, i might be able to come across an electric fence set up. I'm sure 10V will deter the cats! Would be better with 240 but 10 will suffice for now. It'll certainly make them yelp. The pigs and me both do when we touch it lol

Friend found that placing unused plastic pots on any spare ground between the plants and netting over top stopped cats getting into netted areas and leaving deposits behind ...... it appears that if there is no ''virgin ground'' for them to use , they stop leaving presents there.
Blue alkethene pipe https://www.toolstation.com/mdpe-pipe/p11290 used for the hoops the nets sit over.