A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 cats!!

Get one of those "scarecrow" sprinkler heads. YoOu attach them to your hose and when the cat comes by it turns on the sprinkler for a few seconds. It works by infrared, not motion, so it's only triggered by heat and not everytime the wind blows the bushes. You can adjust the sensitivity and range. They are kinda spendy... 75 or 80 dollars but you might be able to find a used one on ebay (I did.) WELL worth the money. It keeps the cats from pooping on my lawn! The only prob is you have to make sure your hose connections don't leak or you could have a large puddle form quickly and waste water. A few new O rings should do the trick.

Flycats,
Thanks so much for a great suggestion! I'll look for one on ebay asap!
Thanks again,
Kathy

If you could connect a sprinkler head to a conveniently located faucet, place the sprinkler in the roblem area, and the next time he shows up, let him have it full blast. He'd quickly learn to avoid that spot after just one or two soakings.
No one gets hurt and no littering of chemicals or garden debris.

LOL!! ROFL!! LOL!! OUI!!!

Slug in the nose!! I am dying here!!!

Oh my goodness that is the funniest thing I have ever heard!

I had some soft comfy ( to a neighbor's cat's bottom) areas in my garden and covered them with scratchy branch cuttings from my shrubs. Cat moved on.

Branches blended in and were hardly noticeable.

i have used the moth balls and they did work for our neighbour hood cats, they seemed to like my bed the best, and i thought of looking into one of those sprinklers to give him a soak, but no need after the moth balls, and we have a big dog in the back so they skip our house all together now .
Penny

Thanks for letting me know how the mothballs worked for you. I appreciate all the help!
Thanks again,
Kathy

Maybe all the mothball fumes killed the olfactory nerves in your mom's nose, Rockland?

Try aluminum foil buried just under the ground of their potty place - it'll scare them. They don't like the crackling. I've heard it's a great training tool to teach cats to stay off the counter, etc.

I've got some animals that are supposedly pets (they have collars, anyway) that are free to roam. Since I have no fence up to protect my yard, any ideas on dogs? Kitties seem easier to scare off...

i have almost the same problem.but i have dogs that come around and dig holes and leave tons of presents.i can't afford to build a fence so i just scare them away alllll the time!

Anyone ever hear of or try rubber bark? I installed several yards of it in my friends flower beds a couple years ago. She lives in a house surrounded by a good couple dozen stray cats. The bark was laid over weed-cloth and has worked great.

It doesn't fade, break down, float away and is non-toxic. It is softer than real bark and is used on playgrounds at churches and daycares/schools. I have seen it at Lowes and some local garden centers.

For some reason, cats just dont like to use the bark as a litter box - not sure why, but whatever works.

Thanks Heidi! That sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll have to look into it. Is it alot more expensive?
Thanks again!
Kathy

I want to say that the local nurseries have it for about $125-$150 a ton, and Lowes had it for around $12 per bag (the size of a typical large bag of mulch). All in all, my friend was thrilled with the results for the price.

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I really do appreciate it! I'll go to Lowes and see if they have it.
Kathy

I use the BB gun on the neighborhood cats, it works great!!!

I was overrun about 2 years ago, they were even chasing my cat away. But what really ticked me off, was when the TomCat climbed over the fence in thorough the PetDoor and into the Kitchen, and was eating the Dogs food!!!

That is when I declared WAR on the cats!!!

I am a good shot at close range. After 2 or 3 hits, that old Momma cat did get a little gun shy!!

amigatec
Several yrs ago we took in a stray dog. When it got sick and took it to the vet, they
x-rayed her. There were bb's embedded all through her. Sooo sad.
You could get a good water gun instead. Cats don't like being squirted and it wont harm them.(or be part of them for life).
Just a suggestion. I know cats can be a menace. I've got several outside and they can really can get on your nerves, and they're mine.
Diane

Oh yeh. Chicken wire works for me. lay it down now before the plants grow too big. It's really hard then (been there done that). It wont be noticeable when the plants grow up or out. I've even cut small pieces to put in my pots. (On top of course)It's easy to cut and bend. You could even leave some of the rough edges sticking up.
Diane

buzylady,
That is great idea! How did you overwinter your hydrangea? Did you place it in a garage? Water it? Or just let it be? I would love to know more about how you did this.
Thanks!
Kathy

Kathy
I had it in an unheated basement. Brought it upstairs about a month ago. It has several new leaves at the base now. While it was in the basement, 3-31/2 months, it wasn't watered. Didn't know if it would come back but, WOW! I have an old and large one outside. I liked the pink blooms this one had. I'm sooo glad it is coming back.
Diane