[pdblake]

I've just covered  some of my soil with berberis prunnings hoping the thorns will deter them

Just done the same with gooseberry prunings and it seems to have stopped them on that bed.

[JayG]

My garden is definitely on the daily itinerary of most of the local cats because it has no gate, and also has several well-worn passageways at the far end to and from other gardens.

They usually avoid messing where there are plants growing, but a freshly-raked patch of soil is regarded as an open invitation to poo! Anything freshly planted or sown I loosely cover with garden netting until it comes up - they don't try to dig through netting and if they can't scratch the soil they don't poo (well, not there anyway!)

If you do try "teaching" them to avoid your garden using a water pistol make sure they don't see you doing it - you will just receive a feline glare, and an unspoken commitment to come back after dark to cr@p on your garden to teach you a lesson! 

[Aunt Sally]

I have a CatWatch.  They are expensive but I think it works in my garden.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/catwatch-cat-deterrent.html

[madcat]

PS  your neighbour's are good and kind people to take on a blind cat.  They can so often be left, but as John will attest - they are amazingly good at adjusting to their environment and enjoying life.

[Pilko]

If the cat always comes over the same fence you could dab the top with orange oil, it’s used in cake making and can be found at most supermarkets.  Also a length of cotton thread positioned four inches away from the fence and running level with the top will hinder it as it leaps up to land on the top (cats never choose to leap right over a fence in one go if they can help it). 
Maybe not suitable for you with having kids but the absolutely best deterrent I've found (and it’s also great for feeding crops) is urine from a meat eating man. Get some in the watering can and use it to scent mark your beds or form a barrier by pouring a continuous line near the fence so that cats and foxes get the message there’s a bigger dog on the block.

[Marcus10]

Last year I tried this and it seemed to work. Spray used tea bags with Ralgex or cheaper supermarket substitute and bury them just below the surface around the offending bed. They last longer than the cat repellant gel which tends to be washed away by rain. I got this idea from a tip from a gardenning guru on you tube. Incidentally ,he also recommends using fluff etc from  the hoover bag as a feeding mulch for Toms!

[Totty]

Thanks for all the replies. Aunt Sally, your idea looks good but do you have any idea how far it picks up movements?
Madcat, although taking on a disabled animal seems like a kind thing to do, I think in this situation it was more a case of, blind cat, novelty value, get it home as a small kitten then let it out straight away and do as it pleases. Same as the chickens, still in the coop at 10 in the morning because they can't be bothered to get up, or the piles of dog mess in their garden because letting them out there for five mins is easier than taking them for a walk.
 May be forced into investing in the sonar unit, until then, the trowel fulls of Felix mess will be flying over the fence to join the dog mess, hope the Washings not hung out!  

Totty

[al78]

If you have any brambles growing near you, cut some branches and lay them on the areas you want to keep the cats away from.

[bravemurphy]

I have a CatWatch.  They are expensive but I think it works in my garden.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/catwatch-cat-deterrent.html

I got 2 of these and they are great.

Another good thing i find is chickens the cats around here hate them.

[allot2learn]

My ginger Tom keeps the neighborhood cats out of our garden. 

[moose]

I've got a couple of the sonic type and they are effective but you need to move them around a bit so they cover different areas.

[NorthEast Old Newbie]

It's an awful problem. It seems to be the soft newly turned over soil that attracts them.

Silent Roar does the trick and nothing wrong with a bit of pepper around as well, but the pepper doesnt last long.

Dont touch the Silent Roar pellets with your hand as you will leave a scent on them. Use a plastic glove

Somebody close to our allotment has the biggest tabby in the world judging by the size of the "offerings" it leaves us.

Problem was it lifted all of our Japanese Overwintering Onion Sets in the process   Grrrr

[3759allen]

i had this problem on a newly laid drive, not a vegy patch but same principle i guess.

i used cheap pepper sprinkled on the offending area, no nasty cat lumps since. been at least a month now. i'm guessing they remember the peppery sniff they get and go else where.

prob the cheapest way at only 30p or so a pot.

[Rampant_Weasel]

i find a mixture of chimney soot and my own wee keeps them off.think the wee is the most effective one.fill a bucket as much as you can and sprinkle it about. 

[mobilekat]

We use Cayenne Pepper at the point where the local cat comes in.
Not just to protect our garden but also to protect the cat- as we have 2 lurchers, and one of them whilst being good around cats when he is on the lead and they are sat will chase them, and I dont want to have to explain to someone that their cat has met a nasty end.
We have raised the fences- with a 'floppy top thats harder to scale' to try to prevent the cats coming in and also use water pistols too if we see them!