keeping my cats out of my garden

We also have 2 cats. I plan to lay chicken wire on top of the soil. Is this a good method? Has anyone tried a motion detector water sprayer? My husband refuses to put chicken wire around the garden (as a fence), for aesthetic reasons.

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Contech SCARECROW Motion Animal Control Sprinkler

Reply to
Sam
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Laying chicken wire works if done properly. The cats don't like to tread on the narrow wire and can't dig through it. Just lay the wire down and stick the seeds down in the holes where you want it. The plants will grow up through the holes.

Standing chicken wire around won't always work as I've seen cats jump my four foot wire.

..

Zone 5b in Canada's Far East.

Reply to
cloud dreamer

I used chicken wire to keep the cat out of the peas. Seemed to work OK. Cat died so I don't have to worry about that anymore unless the neighbors get another one. Sue

Reply to
Sue

Yeah, and it works for fine on five cats and two dogs. You don't even have to leave it on all the time. Once they know it's there (2 days max), occasional use, just to show the colors, so to speak, is sufficient.

- Bill Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Reply to
William Rose

3 wire high solar-powered electric fence should do the trick. Standard T-posts will work to hold the insulators. Both common in rural areas. Keeps my dogs at bay. They used to dig underneath the fence. Warden Dave
Reply to
Dave

They are particularly nice on hot days when you forget that they are on. The spray pattern can be set and there is an sensitivity (low to high) knob that allows you to turn it off when you work in the area. The "Hounds from Hell" no longer dig in my lettuce patch (Who keeps barking when the day is done? Who digs up the garden just for fun? psycho-dogs, psycho-dogs.) and our pride of cats have had to find another toilet with harder ground.

- Bill Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Reply to
William Rose

Has anybody tried orange peel (or other citrus fruits) ? Cats hate citrus. I cut up my orange peels and strew them strategically among the plants. Seems to work OK. I think there are even commercial products sold incorporating the cats-hate-citrus principle.

Persephone

Reply to
aspasia

That's an interesting idea!

I might have to try that for "behavior modification" here. While I've managed to train them to stay off of the kitchen counters and stove top using upside down mouse traps, the dining room table is still an area of contention.

Perhaps adding oranges or even lemons to the fruit bowl might work. ;-) I use more lemons than I do oranges for cooking.

Reply to
Omelet

May work for domestic and ferrel cats. Won't work for whitetailed deer. Attract instead. Go electric. Dave

Reply to
Dave

Dave we were talking cats, not whitetail deer, tule elk, giraffes or, Bush Elephants. For Bush Elephants, I would use orange peels.

You writing this down?

- Bill Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Reply to
William Rose

Sam wrote in news:1178647528.718999.238570 @o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

them, then spread around the edge of the garden. Repeat application often.

Reply to
Charles Quinn

Mind kinda drifted off there for a minute. Neither will work on geese. Dave

Reply to
Dave

If the table won't be damaged by water, use the trusty spray bottle to convey your message.

Spray bottle indoors or water hose outdoors: Cats will grok.

Anecdote: Neighbor (not a nice person from way back) turned me in to the animal control folks because my cat had committed a heinous crime: He lay down on a leaf of a plant in this guy's big planter!!!! Caused me no end of distress as I was just leaving for China, and my house matewas in the hospital with a heart attack. Who feed cat??? Point is, neighbor could easily have deterred the cat permanently with a blast from the hose.

You'd need to cut up the fruit to release that cat-repelling parfum.

Persephone

Reply to
aspasia

If they are anything like my cats and dogs, they will learn not to do it while you are around. Like the dead of night.

- Bill Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (especially with cats and dogs)

Reply to
William Rose

The problem is is that they know better. That's why the water pistol won't work. The upside down mousetraps are "remote training". ;-)

There is a jerk born every minute. :-(

I see. Okay, when I squeeze a lemon, I'll leave the peel on the table for awhile before it goes into the compost. ;-)

Reply to
Omelet

Reply to
Omelet

Even if the smell of citrus is a deterrent to cats, I suspect that pureed peel would need frequent re-application. An alternative would be living plants of the herb rue (unless you are in an area of unfavourable climate for herbs). It grows readily from a slip. Cats are reputed to find its odour detestable. Rue is not a culinary herb, unfortunately.

Two plantings might be the answer: plant some catnip in an area where it's okay for the cats to dig, and plant lots of rue among the plants in areas where you want them to avoid.

A waterpistol filled with a citronella spray should give the cats a lasting reminder of where they are not wanted, when you catch them on the garden.

Reply to
John Savage

My cats don't like rosemary...

Reply to
Omelet

Cats are not the only ones who find the odor of Rue detestable. Stinks to high heaven and does not deter the cats.

Reply to
The Cook

Odour deterrents are probably dependent on the cats and the incentive for them to go where you don't want them to, but a search of google for cats and rue shows plenty of hits. Other herb scents come to light, including lavender, pennyroyal, geranium and coleus canina. Another interesting suggestion is to spread dog hair clippings where you want the cats to keep off, so gardeners near a dog clipping salon might be well- placed to make use of this. (The hair will in turn break down into nutrients, so your garden will benefit in two ways.)

I also read on one website this recipe: a mixture that is easily made and will keep away just about anything on four paws. It's two parts cayenne pepper, three parts dry mustard and five parts flour. Mix together and sprinkle on areas where you don't want cats.

Reply to
John Savage

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