General Chat

Don't have any animals myself, but think cats are very cute. Had to babysit once, 2 children, 2 cats. Cats waited for me to leave the hall door open and were upstairs (forbidden territory) like a shot. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't make a noise or I'd wake the children. There were these 2 artful moggies peeping at me from behind boxes in the attic.! They can look so innocent. I had to laugh. Sylvia

I got a better suggestion for keeping cats out of the garden - get a dog ! I actually quite like cats, but I was getting a little tired of all the neighbourhood cats (including next doors FOUR) using our garden as a toilet (and yes, dog lovers get maligned for not clearing up after ther dog (we always do !) but cat lovers very rarely clean up). After being chased out several times by our dog that we got a while back, they all stay well clear now ! Saying that - the dog wouldn't hurt them, she just thinks it's a game to chase them - she met her match in my mums cat a few weeks ago, who chased her round the garden (the dog went and hid under the runner beans lol) ! The water pistol thing works too. I remember when I was a kid, my father used to have a water butt in the back garden to collect rainwater and it used to freeze in winter. One day he spotted next doors cat about to dump on his flower border, so he snuck out to the frozen butt, used an old syphon type pump (that he used to use to water flowers) to draw up some ice cold water, and managed to catch the cat just as it was squatting - the cat cleared the garden fence in a millisecond, I've never seen anything move so quickly, and I think it gave us a wide berth after that !

No good suggesting a shotgun, I suppose. Derek, No 1 cat hater, (they always come to me for some reason)

Maybe more people should be like me....If my cat is seen to go in any neighbours garden then I would clean up after it, like I would do for my dog when he is taken out for a walk. This way everyone's happy and at least my cat would come to no harm Lynn

For cats l use a plant called - Scardy Cat - Coleus caninus(Plectranthus ornatus) not the best of smells but it seems to work in the area's l've planted them - l paid £1.99 and its more than doubled its size in approx 2 months, so l can split them later - needs protection from frost:o) Jude sarf wales

Di, My neighbour has an electric wire around his pond to keep the herons and racoons out. Crista

Cats don't like citrus ,i had my patch ready for my runner beans and a cat kept going on it so when we had ate our grapefruit and oranges i put the skins on my bean patch and hey no cats,also pepper is good but gets washed away in the rain. Chrissy.

I suggested soap! Sylvia

Yes, Jeyes is really pungent. Maybe Di this would put off your raccoons!!

It would be nice to see your cat spring in the air from a sore bottom. Cats usually sniff around first though.

sylvia i use pepper as when my cat decides to park his bottom over my marigolds he gets a nasty shock and a sore bottom!

Di Maybe you could try making Davy Crockett hats fashionable?

Hi Di, You could try the same thing as I've just read for cats! If you don't try you'll never know. Sylvia

I have just read that to keep cats from spoiling your garden you should grate some soap and put around the plants. Maybe lifebuoy or other antiseptic soap! Wash your cheese grater properly afterwards!! Sylvia