My Garden Has Become A Litter Box

[Hogwildz]

One herb that is particularly repelling to cats is rue (Ruta Graveolens). Rue is a semi-woody perennial that grows to about 2-3 high and wide. Rue has gray-green foliage and clusters of small yellow flowers in summer. It is hardy in zones 4-9. Rue prefers full sun and, once established, can grow in poor soils and hot dry sites. Rue will repel cats from the area in which it grows. In addition, you could sprinkle the leaves of dried rue in flower pots or other areas you would like to protect from cats. You could also spray your existing plants with I Must Garden Dog & Cat Repellent. It dries clear and won’t harm your plants and your cats will stay away!

 

[purplereign]

Buy some cheapo mouse traps - the old fashioned kind -and set them around proiblem areas. Also consider getting a cheap BB gun (NOT a more powerful pellet gun) which will sting 'em but not penetrate and leave a wound. I like cats, but mine stay in the house, period. If someone else likes to let their pet out to roam at night and spray my house or poop in my horshoe pit, then they are putting their pet at risk. Around here, fisher cats will take care of most roaming cats, and the owls a few more, but I like to watch and feed birds and don't feel the need to attract birds for someone else's cat to kill.

 

[Reggie Dunlap]

I would introduce a .22 sub sonic to their craniums. If you shoot from inside the house and don't poke the muzzle out the window nobody will hear it.

 

[Danno77]

this definitely hits close to home. We are sick and tired of neighbors' cats and dogs pooping all over our yard and in our children's sandbox. We have a dog and he doesn't torture the neighborhood. I realize they are only animals and can't be held for their owners' irresponsibility.

here is something that i did that did not work in the least, so you don't have to even bother with it. didn't do anything except piss off a neighbor and make me the recipient of a nasty phone call. He still lets his dogs roam free, and the people across the road still let their 100s of cats roam free.

After spending a good deal of time picking crap out of the sandbox I placed two buckets by the street. and a sign with arrows pointing to the buckets. the sign said "poop from unleashed pets" and had an arrow pointing to the bucket full of poop. The rest of the sign said "Free antifreeze for thirsty unleashed pets" with an arrow pointing to an EMPTY bucket.

My neighbor called and asked me why i would try to kill his dogs, and how could I be so cruel, and if they crap in my ditch it should be no big deal, blah blah blah. I was livid. Anyone who knows me knows that I would never just hurt an animal for kicks, and certainly would never stoop to poisoning the pets of my neighbors and their children. it was to make a point, i told him. I said that I HAVE had a bucket of antifreeze in my driveway before. I disposed of it properly as quickly as I could. The point is that if he doesn't know where his dog is and what it's drinking or eating, then I AM NOT TO BLAME, his lack of responsibility and disregard for leash laws would be to blame for his dogs illness/death.

NOW i have to worry about this weekend when i need to change the thermostat in my Jeep and will drain the coolant into a bucket to do so. I have to be extra cautious because there are neighborhood dogs running around and they might drink it. it's bologna.

 

[Jags]

Lay chicken wire on top of the ground. Cats hate to walk on chicken wire. Plants grow through and it can be removed at the end of the growing season. As it settles into the dirt, just pick it up slightly to "freshen" it up. Can be moved for planting then replaced when done planting (of seeds). For digging holes for plants it gets a little tricky, but a pair of tin snips can make a quick hole in the fence for the plants.

Its even better if you have a way to suspend it a couple of inches off the ground, but this may not work for a garden.

 

[ChipTam]

Hogwildz,
Thanks so much for your suggestion about Ruta Graveolens. I had never heard of it before. I'll pass on the information to the chief gardener in our family. I'll also check out that dog and cat repellent at our local garden center. I've been planting canna lilies for 25 years in my shallow garden next to my shop. It would be nice to reclaim it again from the feral cats.

Jags,
Thanks for your idea about the chicken wire. I wouldn't have thought of that on my own. Sounds like it could work. Anyway, I'll give it a try in a few weeks when we start into serious gardening.

Boy, it seems like my complaint about the cats has touched a raw nerve for a lot of folks. Around here, dogs are no longer the problem. Almost all DOG owners now walk their dogs on a leash and pick up the poop. That wasn't the case 10 years ago. The city leash law and the poop ordinance has helped. Also, since we're close to downtown, dog owners are probably more careful of their pets than they would be in suburban or rural areas. I sure wish CAT owners were as vigilant. Still, it really wasn't a major problem with the few domestic cats in the neighborhood. Yes, there was the occasional cat bomb in the garden but nothing like the situation now with the dozen or more feral cats. I don't know about that BB gun but it might be time to invest in a super-soaker water pistol.
ChipTam

 

[semipro]

We have a neighbor who lives two doors away that has been feeding a dozen feral cats for the the last couple of years. There is a foundation which will neuter feral cats and then drop them back into a neighborhood if one resident agrees to feed them. Unfortunately, this foundation doesn't ask the permission of adjoining neighbors, many of whom have had quite enough of these stray felines. Now, we all grumble to ourselves but don't complain loudly because the neighbor who feeds them is getting on in years and has been a good neighbor in other respects. Anyway, here's my question. Is there a product out there which can be sprinkled in my gardens which will deter the cats from using them as a litter box?
ChipTam

Just saw this electronic cat repeller in my latest Northern Tool catalog.
http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CatStop-Ultrasonic-Outdoor-Deterrent/dp/B0001A9TE2

 

[Corey]

Get or build yourself an electric fence. We're a 'sanctuary' for all critters because we don't have dogs and EVERY other neighbor does. I found some plans on line - the guy said he fenced off a 1/4 section of land and their horse wandered in to the fence one day, got zapped and never even got close to it again. I built the same circuit, but used a HEI ignition coil instead of a standard one - and our garden is only ~20 x 20 instead of a quarter mile. I ran about 6 rows of electric fence tape using little rings of PVC pipe as a stand off from wood posts. It zaps everything which comes close...rabbits, squirrels, frogs, cats, dogs, etc.

 

[ChipTam]

Semipro,
Thanks for that link to amazon.com. It's nice to be able to see all of those products in one place. Cozy heat, I imagine that your electric fence would work great for your 20'x20' garden. However, it may be overkill for my three tiny gardens. Thanks to everyone for their input into my cat problem.
ChipTam