Cat deterrent

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gilly123
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Cat deterrent

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Post by gilly123 »

I've made a new flower bed and planted bulbs but unfortunately the local cats love it for their toilet . Any suggestions for safely keeping them of? Is there something smelly they wouldn't like perhaps. Tried rose cuttings but they blew away. I wouldn't harm them as I do like cats and its not possible to stand guard 24hours with a water pistol !!

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Post by Keithcaley »

My Mum used to scatter orange peel in her postage stamp-sized garden as a cat deterrent - I'm not sure that it worked though!

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Post by kayc »

I like cats too, but don't like encountering their feces when working in my flowerbeds.

I've had success with cayenne pepper flakes. Don't know if they are available here. You could also lay down chicken wire but that may deter you also.

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Post by mrsgee »

We have cats, and have used chicken wire in the past to cover up newly dug and planted areas......worked ok....think the cats go next door now......lol

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Post by wanderer »

For a year we had a sonic pet scarer worked on an infra red sensor and solar powered very effective then it died cost about £18
cats are now back as well as a fox the other night he was trying to dig under the house not very bright fox
Rain tends to wash away the scented options I'll have a go at the wire solution see if it works

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Post by waddo »

Dog! Permanent deterrent if left to roam your garden.
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Post by Ragged Robin »

Shoot them! I mean the people who encourage stray cats by feeding them in residential areas not the animals!. It is always the neighbours that suffer not the "soft hearted" who encourage them.

It always happens this time of year (is it cat mating season?) that the cats sit on walls and roofs in the early hours, yowling their heads off and setting off all the dogs in the neighbourhood barking. A serious health problem for elderly, very young and sick who need their sleep. Also cat strays are not treated so when they visit the neighbours' gardens (as inevitably they do) there is a risk of spread of disease or parasites to loved and cared for pets. , and even people, particularly children. The noise also risks someone getting fed up and putting down poison which will kill ALL animals in the vicinity.

Responsible animal carers adopt the animals , treat, neuter and train them. If you cant't and care about cats (and dont want hurt people and dogs) please, please, please feed them well away from people's homes, or better still contribute time and/or money to an animal charity,

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Post by gilly123 »

They are not strays and they are well looked after, they just like my garden to do what cats do!

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Post by Ragged Robin »

Well the ones that come into my garden here ARE strays and pretty scruffy ones at that. And keeping dogs does not help : the cats just sit on the wall or roof out of reach of dogs, and tease them!

I had tame cats fouling my garden in England. I tried orange peel, pepper and various expensive proprietary deterrents and if they worked at all it was only for a few days before whatever worked off or was washed off by rain. And gardens are to look at, covering them with chicken wire is counter productive.

What really sends my blood pressure up is that dog owners are expected to clean up after their pets in public places . even if the animals are trained to chose their place, such as gutters and can be fined if they dont, but if a cat foul sone's private garden (or even house if gets in) or destroys expensive plants etc. there is no redress against the owner. Also dogs have to be registered and to do that you first have to have them tagged - cat owners can deny all liability.

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Post by Bruiser »

The way I got rid of cats messing in the garden was by three quarter filling a clear plastic bottle with water and placing in the affected area, apparently they think another cat is there.

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Post by crofter »

Moth balls work as we have been using them for years.

Plus we have the battery operated machines which emit a high pitched sound when a cat approaches.

We have also put the green plastic coated wire netting around the points of access where they were preparing to have and have had in the past, their kittens. So far so good this season as we have not seen a cat in our gardens for 10 days now.

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Post by Fawsley »

Hi, Cats dislike strong smelling plants - lavender, Rosemary, lemon thyme, mint, lemon balm, geraniums and a plant called scaredy cat (or Pee off, yes really). Also, if you can fishing line at high level around perimeter fences fences as cats climb down not jump.

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Post by Heaven »

They definitely will not go near lavender. We had sheer misery from cats. We have now placed wire netting around each flower bed, just tall enough for them not to be able to get over. we also have the sonic cat deterrents and these do work.

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Post by Fawsley »

Scaredy Cat plant is - Plectranthus caninus.

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Post by Medjoul1 »

Hi gilly,
Lion poo! I know it sounds a bit daft but I read/heard an article that wastw from the "big cats" from a zoo will deter any cat from any garden for some considerable length of time. The logic is sound when you think about it but I don't know if you can buy it or how you you would go about getting it to the TRNC!
Good luck

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Post by gilly123 »

Lol Medjoul1 that sounds brilliant! Looks like a lion has been this morning looking at the size of it! Hoping that my husband will fulfilling his promise of chicken wire when the rain stops. And no it's not dog poo everyone. I am winning the caterpillar wars tho.

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Post by Mr Davidson »

I think its a shame that cats are getting a bad rap. Heaven forbid if they foul someone's garden....I suppose to shut them up you could try feeding them a ragged robin??????

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Post by PoshinDevon »

Some may not agree but there are often so many cats around that they need culling. However a catapult and use dried peas as shot or as an alternative a water pistol.....such fun.

Not a car lover but will tolerate them. However what is more annoying is those “kind hearted” cat people and holiday makers who put food out for them. It attracts cats from far and wide and the food is often just left to go off and sits there for days thus inviting all forms of wildlife around to tuck in. Often holidaymakers leave, lock up and place foil tins of milk or their last meal outside there place as a farewell gift the the cats!

If you like cats and want to feed them, take the food and place it well away from property....I don’t want the things around my place. Why not place your food by the large dustbins? Also if the cats are not hungry or don’t fancy your juicy offerings don’t just leave it lying around in the heat all day pick it up and bin it. It will stop the ants, insects, wasps, hornets, rats and other creatures rocking up for a free meal.

The lack of respect for others really does make me angry and I make it my mission to make sure that any food placed out for cats is removed and disposed even if it’s just been put down and I don’t really care if it upsets anyone.
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Post by Mr Davidson »

I am assuming part of the comment in your first paragraph is humour Posh...and I don't agree about culling - the cat neutering programme has been effective as I have seen over the last 16 years. It has not been enough and I think the local govt. should fund this but there we are.

The other comments about food going off etc. are due to humans who are not doing things for the greater good but are satisfying their own emotions which help them to feel good , however in reality food going off serves no-one and dried food is better for street cats away from residential properties. In my part of the village [Bellapais] the street cats have little space where there is soil for them to toilet and they have to go somewhere; so they will find whatever there is available and what comes natural to them. They have a right to life and some quality of life just as we do and this is what makes us human to dignify this with compassion for them as opposed to making our selves feel better in our treatment of them.

The suggestion on another post about owners toileting pet cats and fining them for soiling gardens is ludicrous - as a cat owner to try to follow on the tail of a cat and catch it to bag its faeces in other people's gardens or face a fine would require boot camp military assault course activity and it was this comment that fuelled my posting.

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Post by PoshinDevon »

Mr Davidson wrote:I am assuming part of the comment in your first paragraph is humour Posh...and I don't agree about culling - the cat neutering programme has been effective as I have seen over the last 16 years. It has not been enough and I think the local govt. should fund this but there we are.

The other comments about food going off etc. are due to humans who are not doing things for the greater good but are satisfying their own emotions which help them to feel good , however in reality food going off serves no-one and dried food is better for street cats away from residential properties. In my part of the village [Bellapais] the street cats have little space where there is soil for them to toilet and they have to go somewhere; so they will find whatever there is available and what comes natural to them. They have a right to life and some quality of life just as we do and this is what makes us human to dignify this with compassion for them as opposed to making our selves feel better in our treatment of them.

The suggestion on another post about owners toileting pet cats and fining them for soiling gardens is ludicrous - as a cat owner to try to follow on the tail of a cat and catch it to bag its faeces in other people's gardens or face a fine would require boot camp military assault course activity and it was this comment that fuelled my posting.
I have to say it’s not humour. In some areas cats are out of control and they are a real nuisance. Neutering has been good in the past but in my opinion is now not working well enough. The increased costs for this procedure does not help either. In the last few years we knew that our local cat population could be controlled by residents (Mainly ex pats) gathering a few up every so often and getting them neutered. Cost and numbers of cats now being produced means that this no longer happens. I am an animal lover and am pragmatic enough to know that without any other solution hard decisions have to be made and effective humane culling is the only way to stop this upward spiral. In addition the continued reproduction and in breeding does the cats no good at all. I have seen kittens and young cats who are obviously suffering some genetic and/or physical abnormality as a result of inbreeding. I fully understand some may disagree with culling but it’s unlikely any government action is going to deal with the problem.

As for dried food, whilst this may help a little, leaving it out for days on end attracts all sorts of other insects and creatures to the party. It is inherently unhygienic. Most however leave all sorts of food out for the cats. I have seen tin foils full of milk, pizza, left over bbq amongst many other delights. The problem is these are left on patios or walls in residential areas and within a short space of time in the heat begin to go rancid. To be blunt I don’t want cats wandering all over my property, many whom will take every opportunity to enter and seek out more food, bringing with them ticks, fleas etc. Of course putting food out for the cats makes people feel good but just think about where you feed them and the impact on others. I am sure those that own cats are in the main responsible, it’s those who feel a sense of duty to feed and encourage them to reproduce even more that are the problem.

For me a catapult or water pistol keeps them at bay and an early morning or evening walk can see me gathering up the leftover food and disposing of it. I am sure there will be those that think I am cruel or heartless but as a pet owner that is far from the case.
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Post by Mowgli597 »

We’re on holiday in the Far East and spent a few days in Singapore and are now in Kuala Lumpur at the start of a trip through Malaysia.

Not a stray dog or cat in Singapore and so far none seem in KL city centre.

If they can do it .........

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Post by Keithcaley »

Mowgli597 wrote:We’re on holiday in the Far East ...Not a stray dog or cat...If they can do it .........
I'm not too sure that I'd actually like the taste though...

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Post by PoshinDevon »

Mowgli597 wrote:We’re on holiday in the Far East and spent a few days in Singapore and are now in Kuala Lumpur at the start of a trip through Malaysia.

Not a stray dog or cat in Singapore and so far none seem in KL city centre.

If they can do it .........
Have spent 10 days in Myanmar and now in Vietnam - sadly lots of street dogs and cats. In Singapore next week so will look forward to no strays. Although it appears from this article from Dec 2017 suggests otherwise. However, there is a programme in place to neuter and control. Singapore however is an affluent country, the TRNC has higher priorities.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/e ... -singapore
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Post by Mr Davidson »

Posh in Devon thanks for making my point 'this is what makes us human to dignify this with compassion for them'

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Post by PoshinDevon »

Mr Davidson wrote:Posh in Devon thanks for making my point 'this is what makes us human to dignify this with compassion for them'
Not sure what you mean by the above.

Feeding stray cats may be showing compassion but unfortunately the continued uncontrolled reproduction and growth of the cat population is not helping them in the long term.

It is very unlikely the government of the TRNC will step in to help with an neutering programme plus the cat population has grown so much that individuals taking any action is having little to nil impact.
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Post by Mr Davidson »

Lets put it another way then....

If you were homeless and sleeping rough in and around my property, despite our very different points of view, I would do my best to assist and feed you. I wouldn't check to see how clean, healthy or disfigured you were. I wouldn't refuse you a toilet if you needed it. If you had discarded food around you because you had nowhere else to put/store it and might be the last you got for a while - I wouldn't clear it away because it made my property look a mess or unclean....and lastly I wouldn't even castrate you This is what being human is about.

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Post by johnerebus »

How to keep cats out of the garden
So the neighbourhood kitty keeps digging in your garden. Should you worry?
Probably — a little. Cats are carnivores and their feces can contain parasites or pathogens not present in herbivore manure.

Luckily, there are several eco friendly solutions that will help to keep cats out of your much loved vegetable beds and away from your growing food.

Cats prefer to walk on soft soil and will avoid prickly surfaces. Make your garden beds into a less inviting litter box with the following prickly solutions:

Cover the garden in twigs, placed a couple of inches apart throughout the bed.
Push pine cones or other prickly yard trimmings down into the soil around your plants.
Lay chicken wire over the beds. Alternatively, upcycle the mesh produce bags from onions or potatoes by spreading them on the garden and anchoring them with twigs. Increase the hole size around your budding plants if necessary.
Use scent to keep the cats away
Interplant in the garden. Cats dislike the smell of rue, lavender and pennyroyal, Coleus canina and lemon thyme — so plant a few of these throughout the garden space. As a bonus, interplanting will attract pollinators and can help to avoid pests too.
Cats steer clear of strong citrus scents. To ward off unwelcome fur balls, throw peels directly on the garden.
The scent of human hair deters cats. Empty your brushes onto the garden and reclaim your territory! (Stay away from moth balls though — this is a commonly cited suggestion — they are toxic to cats and humans).
Wash well to deter garden cats
If your visitor has a favourite location, try washing the area well with a hose (or water from your rain barrel!) to remove the scent or urine spray. Cats tend to choose the same spot repeatedly — removing their previous stake on your garden will go a long way towards preventing reoccurrences.

Mix up a batch of cat-away spray
Rumour has it that this magic combination of strong scents is unparalleled kitty repellent:

Combine 1 tsp of black pepper, dry mustard and cinnamon in a spray bottle with a few drops of citrus essential oil and a crushed garlic clove.
Fill to the top with water.
Apply to your garden beds.
Create an outdoor litter box
Cats love mint, honeysuckle and catnip. Why not plant a small, separate, cat-friendly garden that includes a variety of these plants? Place a small sand box nearby. You’ll still have to clean up and properly dispose of your cat’s waste, but it might help keep kitty — and her business — out of your veggies.

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Post by PoshinDevon »

Mr Davidson wrote:Lets put it another way then....

If you were homeless and sleeping rough in and around my property, despite our very different points of view, I would do my best to assist and feed you. I wouldn't check to see how clean, healthy or disfigured you were. I wouldn't refuse you a toilet if you needed it. If you had discarded food around you because you had nowhere else to put/store it and might be the last you got for a while - I wouldn't clear it away because it made my property look a mess or unclean....and lastly I wouldn't even castrate you This is what being human is about.
Firstly they are cats not humans. Secondly they are not exercising any self control when it come to reproducing. In breeding is never a good thing. It is humans who place out food encouraging cats, vermin and insects. It’s humans who just leave the rancid mess of food lying around uneaten in the heat which is unhygienic and encourages diseases.
I do not want to open my door in the morning to be greeted by 20 plus cats hoping to get fed or desperately trying to get indoors for food and to deposit fleas, ticks, faeces or spray up the walls.

Unfortunately trying to get humans to understand and accept there is a problem and offer practical suggestions to solve it is difficult. I don’t believe the TRNC government have this issue high up their agenda, they have more pressing concerns. Just ignoring the problem is not the solution. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made and neutering in my opinion is not solving this issue.
In the meantime I will try and deter them using humane methods and will continue to remove left over food and deposit in the bin.
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Post by Mr Davidson »

Refer to previous comment... you have proved my point

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Post by PoshinDevon »

To be honest I am struggling to follow your argument and understand your point. Maybe it’s the comparing cats with humans that is making it difficult. Never mind.

Cats are animals that do need to be controlled, they cannot do it themselves. Much like deer who are controlled and culled in a humane manner.

We will of course have to disagree but burying heads in the sand, ignoring the problem or not coming up with a sensible working solution helps neither the cats nor humans.

Now then where is my catapult.
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Post by Mr Davidson »

Ok this is my last post because we are going around in circles and you are simply repeating your viewpoint about humanity, animals etc.

We could have a whole discussion about quantum physics, materialism and the fact that scientists are now discovering that there is nothing but space in an atom, that we are simply compressed light/sound frequency held in 3D density by our consciousness which is a vibrational frequency. There is no separation between anything or anybody we simply take in light 0.0035% of the visible light spectrum [so just imagine what is out there that we currently have not perception of] and our brain projects it out into what we think is solid reality. So Darwinism and survival of the fittest that seems to be feeding your view of human superiority and the need to dominate and control is simply a patriarchal concept - intelligent design has much more answers and no missing links btw.... as a human and even in your argument as 'superior' being - a higher consciousness brings with it responsibility and understanding not domination and control...so being human would mean understanding and being compassionate without the need to keep mentioning ways of hurting, punishing with catapults etc. as a dominant think mode...wont start with ego. But... anyway this will no doubt be lost on you and others on the thread will start commenting 'yawn' etc. I will leave it at that and as you are not grasping it... if this is what it means to be human and you quite clearly are not 'on board' then you have the answer - I wish you well.

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Post by PoshinDevon »

Yep......you have lost me.

However when you can put forward some suggestions as to how the cat population can be controlled I would be more than willing to continue the discussion.

In the meantime I would suggest that we are never likely to agree but whilst I may not understand your posts others may and I am sure they will respond. In the meantime I am happy to respect your position as I hope you respect mine.
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Post by gilly123 »

And I only wanted to solve my cat poo problem .

Netting installed, fingers crossed. Thank you for all the interest.

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Post by Ragged Robin »

Some time ago KAR posted a report on its Website showing a report on wild and feline animal populations. It seems to have disappeared and I do wish someone could find it and post it here as it raised some interesting points.

Basically, the theory was that the wild and feral animal population changes in proportion to the amount of food available. Not just by death but apparently the instinct to reproduce and./or the ability to produce large litters is stifled by inadequate resources, and the pack decreases in size. Conversely, where food is plentiful they multiply rapidly (and pass their maths exams ) . It would appear from this that feeding strays is counterproductive. It has also been noted above that the number of stays has increased with the number of expats. Perhaps Posh should redirect his catapult to another species

There were reports in the local paper this week of yet more instances of poisoning. Personally I have doubts about euthanasia of strays, but surely it must be preferable to horrible deaths not just of strays, but pets with loving homes and owners. And as is often said, putting children at risk. Again the amount and rationale of poisoning has changed with the population, It used to be farmers and shepherds protecting their and their families' livelihoods against the larger packs of dogs - nasty, but to some extent understandable, and with a bit of forethought one had a chance of avoiding certain areas when walking dogs . Now it appears to be more widespread and not restricted to rural areas and presumably perpetrated by people who hate animals or the disturbance to their lifestyles. I don't , in all fairness, see that there is a lot the authorities and police can do about poison,, short of covering the whole country with closed circuit TV!!!!

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Post by PoshinDevon »

I agree RR. It is humans who have created the problem with regards to the cat population by continued feeding thus encouraging them to multiply and stay in areas where they know there to be food readily available. So as we have created the problem, we should be looking for ways to solve it. You may be correct in that people are placing more poison out as they are not happy with the amount of strays. Having had first hand experience of poisoning it is not pleasant and we should be looking at more humane ways of dealing with the problem.

Stop feeding and encouraging them would be the best way. However if you must feed then have consideration and respect for others and feed them away from neighbours who may not appreciate having large numbers of cats all around their property, some may even be allergic to the furry felines and others may not want to be co habiting with other creatures that non domesticated cats carry. Feed them away from properties and remove excess food.

Of course not feeding cats may in time help to reduce the numbers but as it is unlikely this will happen other control methods do need to be considered. Neutering would be preferable but this is now an expensive option for many. I have often thought would it be possible to perphaps include some form of birth control in the cat food itself, but probably the return on investment by pet food companies would not be sufficient. I have suggested one method which may not be popular with some so for the time being the water pistol, catapult and removing food is the best I can do to try and deter them.
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass,it's about learning to dance in the rain

Peterborough Utd -The Posh

Ragged Robin
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Re: Cat deterrent

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Post by Ragged Robin »

It must be a first Posh, us being in total agreement! I

I had also thought of contraception in food. Some years ago there was a pill that would stop bitches (female dogs!) from coming into season. I think it was to keep expensive pedigree animals pure and avoid mesalliances until they met the correct Prince Charming! The thing was, though , the treatment had to be given monthly. Even if it would work with cats, with a pack of strays it would be difficult to make sure the right cats, or even the right gender, were treated regularly or indeed that some cats did not get more than others, with rather unpredictable results!

Another deterrent for cats in summer is to turn the hosepipe on them! Provided the pressure is not too high it does them no harm, but they dislike it. It is also good for misbehaving dogs : when the cats sit on the fence and tease the dogs I turn it on the whole lot! Too cold this time of year, however, particularly for my older , arthritic dog. I do have all the plants recommended in my garden, but the cats just bypass them using, shed and house roofs and fences, too high for someone like me to reach.

I had a dog poisoned many years ago when there were fewer vets and medicines were unobtainable... He was rushed to a Vet in Lefkosa who had some medicine, then I took him home and sat with the dogs shaking and shivering all night until he eventually died. It was about the worst night of my life, worse in some ways than loved human.s deaths which were at least natural. Perhaps if some of those who encourage strays had such experiences they were be more realistic in their" help" to animals.

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