Cat in my Pots

[Mariam]

I brought home a kitten from my aunts house, so my bigger cat could have a friend. Now that kitten is using my flower pots as a dumping ground! It infuriates me because I worked hard on those plants and do not want them to die. Does anyone have any good advice for keeping the kitten away from my pots? I tried to move them up a little higher, but some pots are huge and she just uses them as a stepping stone to climb.

 

[Trellum]

The only thing that worked for me with my cat was trying to keep the soil of the pot and the garden tight. I noticed if he saw it was a bit looose then he'd take adventage of that and just... well you know! That always worked with my cat. Another thing I tried to make sure of keeping away and other pests far is ground tobacco

 

[Pat]

I had a dog that used by plants as his dumping ground. I used pepper around the plants to make it unpleasant for the dog to sniff around. It worked but I think I have seen a product on TV that is suppose to keep the pets out of your plants also.

 

[gata montes]

Mariam, - you have me laughing on this one, especially as its something I encounter on a yearly basis
The best advice I have for you, comes from a Vet - who informed me that the most humane and effective way of training a cat, is to keep a little spray bottle, filled with water close at hand - so that every time you catch a cat in the act - you can give it a little shot of water, which although it doesn't harm the cat, it helps dissuade them, because as cats don't like water, they soon learn to associate the water jet with whatever they were doing at the time I've used this method for years now and have found it to be a quick and a very effective way of keeping kitties of all sizes out of my pots, and although they sometimes give me some really foul looks and some I'm sure - even swear - they don't hate me for it either.

The only other alternative is place large pebbles or small rocks on the surface of the soil, which helps to a degree, but isn't always enough to dissuade the more determined ones.

 

[Mariam]

Today I filled some of the plants with pebbles and sticks that were stuck in to the soil. I thought that jumping head first into a stick would keep Tubby out of the lower pots. I am worried I am going to have a one eyed cat soon, though. So far I have not noticed any kitty poo in my pots. I am going to get a spray bottle tomorrow when I am out, and give the spray a try. Thanks for the advice so far!

Oh, I almost forgot. What kind of pepper did you use, Pat? Was it regular or cayenne?

 

[charahome]

I saw the cutest post today. I had two kittens inside a pot, one to each side. The caption said, "plant your kittens 6 inches apart, make sure the have enough room to grow."

It was cute. This post reminded me of it. For whatever reason, they like that dirt. Maybe you can place some of that dirt in their kitty litter box as it seems the scent of it is attracting them.

 

[gata montes]

Mariam, - Lol - yes I too have tried sticks and thought they might be an effective deterrent, but noticed that the cats weren't bothered by them one bit and more often than not, just chucked them out of the pot, but think you'll find the spray bottle will solve your problem pretty rapidly, that is - unless you have one of those kittens that is totally fascinated by water
I realized I forgot to mention, that in order for any deterrent to work, you will need to make sure that your pots are always free of any kitty deposits, especially as many cats like their own personal toilet and once chosen, will always be lured back by the smell of their own
The only other method I can think of, although a pretty unsightly one, is to put close knit chicken wire over the top of the pot, which sometimes works - didn't always work for me though, as I've had a few that were so determined to use a pot, that they found a way of removing the chicken wire


charahome,- you are so right there - cats seem to love pots, not just for depositing but also as places to sleep. In the summer - I'm always finding cats curled up fast to sleep in my pots, apparently its because the soil is cool and moist and therefore helps to stop them from overheating.
I too have seen the picture you mentioned and also thought it really cute - is this the one you mean ?

 

[Mariam]

That is too cute! The orange cats look like my old cat Rupert! He was my favorite cat of all time. So far the sticks are working and I do not have a pirate kitty, yet. I have the spray bottle ready and waiting for the second my cat even thinks about my plants. I wouldn't be so persistent about my flowers, if the neighborhood cat hadn't killed my pepper plants a couple of years ago.

 

[SassyLife]

The only other advice I can offer, IF what you are doing now doesn't keep working, is to place a mesh wire in the pots. You will have to cut it round and bend some edges in so its raised a bit, but kitties will definitely not be able to dig. Good Luck!

 

[gata montes]

That is too cute! The orange cats look like my old cat Rupert! He was my favorite cat of all time. So far the sticks are working and I do not have a pirate kitty, yet. I have the spray bottle ready and waiting for the second my cat even thinks about my plants. I wouldn't be so persistent about my flowers, if the neighborhood cat hadn't killed my pepper plants a couple of years ago.

Pleased to hear that the sticks are working and that you don't have a pirate kitty yet but have to say, I'm having a really good chuckle, at the imagine my mind is currently conjuring up, of you hiding in wait with spray bottle in hand, ready to give a warning squirt, should kitty get too close to your plants or even the neighborhood cat if it was in the vicinity.
I can relate to your persistence, especially as it is something that I have to deal with on a regular basis, and much as I love having cats around, still find some of the things they can do to my plants - totally and utterly soul destroying.

 

[JessicaH]

Hello,

I am a researcher at Landmark Films, a documentary company based in Oxford who make films for BBC, ITV1, Channel 4 and Sky1. We are known for making access-led, intelligent, well crafted, warm and funny documentaries about human stories, different places and institutions. Our latest documentary series was Brain Doctors for BBC2, a three part series on the neurology department at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

In the new year we are due to start making a film about cats for the BBC. We would like to make a balanced documentary and I wanted to involve bird watchers and lovers to get their opinions. Many people are having problems with the increasing number of feral cats in the UK, cats pooing on their gardens and killing birds in the area. Often these problems are down to human irresponsibility. I wanted to speak to anyone who is having a problem or perhaps runs a business that is being affected.

If you know anyone who may be interested, please feel free to pass on my details. All correspondence will be dealt with in complete confidence and by contacting us you are not making a commitment to take part in the final programme - at this stage, it's just research.

Kind Regards,

Jessica Howe
Researcher
Landmark Films
(e-mail address removed)
01865297220/ 07530724477

 

[charahome]

charahome,- you are so right there - cats seem to love pots, not just for depositing but also as places to sleep. In the summer - I'm always finding cats curled up fast to sleep in my pots, apparently its because the soil is cool and moist and therefore helps to stop them from overheating.
I too have seen the picture you mentioned and also thought it really cute - is this the one you mean ?

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Yes, that is the exact picture I saw. It is just adorable. My kittens, through the years, loved doing this too. The coolness of the soil, mixed with the texture, attracted them to it.

 

[cmckinney01]

I brought home a kitten from my aunts house, so my bigger cat could have a friend. Now that kitten is using my flower pots as a dumping ground! It infuriates me because I worked hard on those plants and do not want them to die. Does anyone have any good advice for keeping the kitten away from my pots? I tried to move them up a little higher, but some pots are huge and she just uses them as a stepping stone to climb.

You may want to try sprinkling cayenne pepper and/or moth balls around your pots. Neither one will hurt the soil but they will keep the kitten away. As soon as the kitten smells it, he will back off. No animal likes the smell of pepper or moth balls.
Both moth balls and pepper can be used to keep deer away, as well as kittens.