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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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