cats pooing on my veg patch!!

vodkachick68

Hi

Sorry if this has been asked before:D Does anyone have any tips or good ideas to prevent flipping cats from pooing on my veg patch? I have put some netting on it but the cats just poo on top of it:mad: Its beginning to really get me down as i have spent hours planting my veg. I have got 2 cats of my own and not sure if its them doing it or the neighbouring cats.

Any ideas would be gratefully received.

Thanks

SallyForth_2

I know someone who has put small canes 30cm sections roughly poking out at various angles all over his patch, and that seems to put the cats off, but not interfere with the seedlings.

Mankysteve

even that or mulching sheeting.

MORPH3US

The best method that I have found (and cheapest) is just to net the whole patch....

Net is cheap from the £1 shop and a few canes / staples or whatever to hold it in place... I have never had a problem since (touch wood) after years of annoyance of them doing it.

foxgloves

I've posted this before, but try a few drops of Olbas Oil on used teabags. Cats usually hate the smell.

Begize

Our cat loves to go on our veg patches. I've tried a few things with varying success.

The main patch has plastic fence / trelis stuff round (the rigid type, not the thin plastic that animals can get stuck in like you see round roadworks sometimes - something a bit like this - http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&amp;fh_secondid=9426587&amp;fh_view_size=10&amp;fh_eds=?&amp;fh_location=//catal!!!1/en_GB/categories<{9372012}/categories<{9372019}/categories<{9372069}/categories<{9572015}&amp;fh_refview=lister&amp;ts=1273687945993&amp;isSearch=false).

It comes as a roll of about 10m and I've threaded canes through it to make it into a fence. That seems to keep her off most of the time, although she still occasionally "commandos" under or over it. Another thing I've done on the same patch is spread broken egg shells on as a natural slug deterent (it's like crawling across broken glass apparently). That also seems to keep little tabby paws off too as I guess it's a bit uncomfortable for her as well.

My neighbour uses the old trick of leaving old 2ltr drink bottles filled with water sticking out of his beds, he thinks it works OK. Certainly keeps our cat out anyway (but then she's getting old, the probably can't be bothered to climb the fence).

But, as it's difficult to stop her completely, I've decided to use her poo as a natural resource, got a worm farm and now we feed it to them. Poo in the top, fertilizer out the bottom! Be aware though, because of the potential diseases in cat poo, you're not supposed to use it on food crops and certainly not if you have kids who will play in the garden and may pick it up. You must also only feed the worms on it as, give them a choice, they will eat the other stuff and leave it behind.

jones.ci

Air rifle.

Mankysteve

My parents have got a raised bed that our cat loves. She never uses it as toilet hough just likes to sit in between the growing veg, there a bold patch from where sits. She even wiggled her way under the netting.

vodkachick68

Thankyou all for your ideas:o Think i may try foxgloves suggestion of olbas oil on teabags. Have tried the netting idea but the little so and so's just poo on top of it:mad: I have now purchased some chicken wire which hubby is gonna put out today. Its a pain when it comes to runner beans as they are awkward to cover with netting. I didn't have this problem last year,really hoping the wire and olbas oil will sort it out!!

bottlehalffull

Olbas oil or eucalyptus essential oil will work. (I put some at the bottom outside of the bedroom door to stop my monster cat waking me up at 5am for her breakfast)

aliasojo

I have a raised bed thing that the cats seemed to use as a litter tray every single night. Last night, after cleaning it out (yeuch!) I cut up a satsuma and laid the bits all over the top of the bed.

This morning is the first morning in I don't know how long, that the bed has stayed clean and untouched. Might be worth a try for you too?