Cats in the garden
- Thread starter Rocky
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Sometime ago I had a problem with foxes raiding our garbage bins and was told by a neighbor to gently pour vinegar around the bin. We did and low and behold it worked, all the other bins in our street were attacked apart from ours. The same neighbor also told us that cats didn’t like vinegar especially if you soaked the vinegar into the skins of citrus fruits; she also suggested that we get a dog and put a kennel in the garden!
dim
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I know the cats are very bad! .... I am landscaping a garden, and the neighbours cats destroy all the perennials (£5 per plant) .... they never go to the same place and destroy a different plant everyday (several heuchera are damaged)
It's funny that the cat never messes in his own garden and always has to mess up a neighbours garden
The owner of the property had a word with the cats owner, and the owner just shrugged hs shoulders .... I have a feeling that things will get ugly .... we have tried the ultrasonic gadget (which works on some cats), but it is not effective
Cat owners should be held responsible for damages that their pets incur .... its sad that one cannot enjoy and plan their own garden because of someone else's cat!
ChanellG
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I don't think people should let their cats outside. They are domestic animals and belong inside where they will only wreak havoc on their owner's plants/belongings. It's safer for them also.
I think you should experiment with different kinds of plants; maybe catnip would keep them away from the other plants they way planting nasturtiums are supposed to attract pests from valuable food plants.
Rose trimmings mixed in with vinegar water will do the trick. However, one part of my garden that was very popular with cats needed something stronger. I heard about putting a jar in the ground and putting moth balls in it! I thought it was an old wife’s tail but for whatever reason it worked!
As far as leaving cats in doors, I think that it is unfair to the cat as they are wild animals (even though we think they are domestic) and need open spaces to play around in. One of our neighbors bought a Ragdoll cat (pedigree cat) and she said she was going to keep it inside the house. I said I thought that the cat would be a lot happier if it was aloud out. Cutting a long story short she finally let the cat out and its so more affectionate and happy.
As far as leaving cats in doors, I think that it is unfair to the cat as they are wild animals (even though we think they are domestic) and need open spaces to play around in. One of our neighbors bought a Ragdoll cat (pedigree cat) and she said she was going to keep it inside the house. I said I thought that the cat would be a lot happier if it was aloud out. Cutting a long story short she finally let the cat out and its so more affectionate and happy.
ChanellG
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Cats are not wild animals. Whatever they once were before becoming domesticated pets, they are not tigers or leopards. They are many dangers for them just in the house, let alone in the garden. Animals kept as pets in the city need to be done so responsibly and with regard for others. It's just common courtesy.
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Great ideas! I had actually tried sprinkling Tabasco around some plants to test it out...with no luck. I used to put mothballs around my front door to deter cats from spraying. It made my entry way smell like mothballs and cat pee, lol. I didn't think the moth balls did much good. I think I will give the citrus a whirl. Keeping my fingers crossed it works!
ChanellG
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Ugh! Don't even want to think about that! You could always try reasoning with them, lol. Sometimes talking to them actually seems to help. The strays actually used to lie in my flower pots and there was one pot they thought was a little box (grrrr!). Of course, part of the problem was the number of cats, but if you're not chasing them away and just "restricting" them, they somehow seem to get it.
Maybe they just interpreted my fussing as "That crazy human is out to get us," LOL.