Anti-cat contraptions
This is a photo taken in May when I'd just planted the seeds. I thought I'd share our cat contraptions. We have problems with neighbours' cats who love to use freshly dug areas of the garden for their loo. I devised a zillion things last year to keep them off my organic (!) seed bed and none of them were successful. I had an inspired moment this year and we threaded canes through mesh a bit bigger than the beds and placed them on top. Plants still get light and rain and can grow four inches or so by which time it is OK to remove the covers as the cats seem to like an open space. They are light so are easy to move about if you want to thin out seedlings or weed and they are easy to store. They are now standing on their edges against the wall inside my summerhouse/shed taking up about two inches of room. Again please share your anti-cat solutions. PS - the bottle is a (free recycle) mini-cloche (!) covering basil seeds.
For me Cat Repellants have been a tough problem for years. My neighbours all have cats (I have no cats or dogs)and therefore my garden is an ideal place to leave their litter and 'territorise'it. So 6 cats all visit it at least twice a day.
ReplyDeleteI have tried the Garden 'Pest Repellants', but this turns out expensive over a year and the rain dilutes these chemical smelling repellants. I also have a ultra-sonic deterrant which works until the two 9volt batteries go flat. Even tried branches of Holly in well visited places.
This years attempts are to place chipped bark in various places in my borders. It has reduced their attempts but it has also resulted on some days chipped bark ending up on my lawn. I might now try some of the ideas mentioned on this web site. http://www.cat-repellant.info/html/diy-cat-deterrents.htm
I'm particularly interested in the Half-filled plastic bottles & the Coleus plant. I'm sure my wife will not agree on the CD idea - I'll not tell her and see if she notices any differences amongst the plants.
Thanks Colin. I've done the pepper and repellent defences - expensive as you said and not great. I've been told the ultra-sonic is hit and miss and some cats get used to it. Did buy one but took it back. I have heard about the bottles of water but don't know anyone who has tried it - so please let us know if it works. Any object like CD's, snakes (and maybe the bottles?) they just get used to - so you have to move them around a lot and they can still usually find a corner you've not got covered by the scary thing. If I have a small space waiting for something I just poke in bits of green sticks (plant support thingamajigs cut into three or four. If I have a larger strip (between rows for example) I drop down strips of cut up plastic trellis or chicken wire and for a whole empty four foot bed I use our contraptions. My sister used the smelly plant and said it was useless - she said you probably need zillions of them and they are seasonal and weather dependent and stink if you disturb them - which you do all the time if they are edging your veggie garden. Sorry to be so pessimistic but I don't think there is a simple, cheap answer to cats. Like you we have a half dozen that like our garden.
ReplyDeleteGrow plants that cats don't like. Cats particularly don't like rue (Ruta Graveolens). Rue is a perennial plant that grows to approximately 2 feet wide and high, with attractive yellow flowers. Another option is to plant rosemary around the perimeter of a lawn, as this also repels them.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Andrew John
Many thanks. I've since moved my veggies to raised beds in an allotment and so far so good as far as cats go. That said I have 'spare rough areas I could fill with rue and rosemary - both of which I like any way. I hasitly add - I love cats and have owned several in my time but they are a pest when it comes to food crops.
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