[hubballi]

What is the point of doing anything at all. Yesterday I planted out my carefully grown young spring onions, kale, chard and beetroots and covered the whole bed with enviromesh with canes with pots on the tops to hold it up. Took me most of afternoon to set up so I won't get onion and cabbage fly as well as beet leaf minor. Also, it's a hard job keeping my cat from messing in it all the time (despite giving him clear patches of earth in other areas)
Well I got up this morning and found next door's cat using it as a bed and the whole thing had absolutely flattened and broken just about everything. Italian kale, beetroot, curly kale, spring onions, sweetcorn. Then all my tiny spring onions had been dug up and messed in adding insult. It's like I am not allowed to have anything growing successfully because there is ALWAYS something that has to spoil it. So far it's been leaf minor, onion fly, blight, cabbage fly, pigeons, slugs and snails, damping off, stunted growth and now cats. Because next door keeps their cat out all night (even in winter) it decides to use my netting as a bed and breaks everything. Now I won't have any winter greens AGAIN because I am foiled. I know folk kind of laugh at me here but it really is soul destroying.

Quite surprised at this thread...A cat owner complaining about a cat?..has it not occured to you Hubballi that your own cat is probably causing someone else as much grief as you are getting from next doors?I have every sympathy with you and everyone else struggling to grow their own at the moment,it's soul destroying....what with the weather and pests,but what goes around comes around.

That's a rather polarized way of looking at it. Yes, I send my cats out to willfully destroy other's gardens. It's always on my agenda 

[Flump]

What is the point of doing anything at all. Yesterday I planted out my carefully grown young spring onions, kale, chard and beetroots and covered the whole bed with enviromesh with canes with pots on the tops to hold it up. Took me most of afternoon to set up so I won't get onion and cabbage fly as well as beet leaf minor. Also, it's a hard job keeping my cat from messing in it all the time (despite giving him clear patches of earth in other areas)
Well I got up this morning and found next door's cat using it as a bed and the whole thing had absolutely flattened and broken just about everything. Italian kale, beetroot, curly kale, spring onions, sweetcorn. Then all my tiny spring onions had been dug up and messed in adding insult. It's like I am not allowed to have anything growing successfully because there is ALWAYS something that has to spoil it. So far it's been leaf minor, onion fly, blight, cabbage fly, pigeons, slugs and snails, damping off, stunted growth and now cats. Because next door keeps their cat out all night (even in winter) it decides to use my netting as a bed and breaks everything. Now I won't have any winter greens AGAIN because I am foiled. I know folk kind of laugh at me here but it really is soul destroying.

I can understand how soul destroying it can be.The last 2 years nothing has grown on my allotment.This year I am making rectangular beds out of old decking we have taken up.Just 2 planks high and then pulling debris netting taut over the top.Everything is doing well so far.Not only does it keep cats,rabbits and other animals off even though they weren't my main problem,it's stopping wind damage and reducing slugs and soil compaction.I wish I'd done it when I first took on the allotment.So,they are not raised beds as such and it is not a really expensive thing to do,just get some treated planks.Debris netting at our allotment costs about 90p a metre I think.Just a thought.



edit to fix quote

[radiohead]

What is the point of doing anything at all. Yesterday I planted out my carefully grown young spring onions, kale, chard and beetroots and covered the whole bed with enviromesh with canes with pots on the tops to hold it up. Took me most of afternoon to set up so I won't get onion and cabbage fly as well as beet leaf minor. Also, it's a hard job keeping my cat from messing in it all the time (despite giving him clear patches of earth in other areas)
Well I got up this morning and found next door's cat using it as a bed and the whole thing had absolutely flattened and broken just about everything. Italian kale, beetroot, curly kale, spring onions, sweetcorn. Then all my tiny spring onions had been dug up and messed in adding insult. It's like I am not allowed to have anything growing successfully because there is ALWAYS something that has to spoil it. So far it's been leaf minor, onion fly, blight, cabbage fly, pigeons, slugs and snails, damping off, stunted growth and now cats. Because next door keeps their cat out all night (even in winter) it decides to use my netting as a bed and breaks everything. Now I won't have any winter greens AGAIN because I am foiled. I know folk kind of laugh at me here but it really is soul destroying.

Quite surprised at this thread...A cat owner complaining about a cat?..has it not occured to you Hubballi that your own cat is probably causing someone else as much grief as you are getting from next doors?I have every sympathy with you and everyone else struggling to grow their own at the moment,it's soul destroying....what with the weather and pests,but what goes around comes around.

That's a rather polarized way of looking at it. Yes, I send my cats out to willfully destroy other's gardens. It's always on my agenda

As does your neighbour it seems!........It's not a polarized way of looking at it at all,by having a cat you are knowingly contributing to the damage and misery cats inflict on others,as is your neighbour.

[Beetroot queen]

Here we go again, so what no one can have a moan or keep cats and grow veg. For goodness sake, what is it about cats.
 

Not all cats cause mischief like not all teenagers are thugs. I have soon to be two teens who are coming along nicely just like my veg.

Honestly nice helpful ideas would be better rather than all the cat arguements. Sorry but six pages on its wearing thin.

[GrannieAnnie]

Well said BQ.  We all have a moan about cats doing what cats do naturally.  I used to have a cat and she was lovely, but she would still dig up my plants whenever she could! 

What is needed is to convince Hubs that he has to work harder to cat proof his veg beds.

Hubs, I don't know personally how you feel about all this, but it must be soul destroying for you.  And if you feel that this year is now wasted, why don't you try to concentrate on those ideas people have given you for making more rigid coverings for your little beds?

So what if next door's cat sleeps on top of it?  It will mean that your veggies are safe.  Also, if you have your own cat, doesn't it keep the neighbours cat away from your garden?  Our cat wouldn't allow another cat into its garden! It didn't even like our dog being in the same garden! 

[New shoot]

Agree totally with you both 

I don't believe anyone owns a cat with the purpose of inflicting damage and misery on their neighbours.  Anyway, who ever heard of a cat that took any notice of anything its owner wanted it to do 

 

[Beetroot queen]

Agree totally with you both 

I don't believe anyone owns a cat with the purpose of inflicting damage and misery on their neighbours.  Anyway, who ever heard of a cat that took any notice of anything its owner wanted it to do 

 

Not mine thats for sure. I didnt tell her to run off with my beautifully cooked roast chicken that i had just taken out of the oven  i couldnt believe it when the meat and her dropped into the wash basket sat below. She isnt even allowed on the work tops and she knows it. 

Seriously though we have to live with cats and dogs and foxes and badgers we just have to be one step ahead of them and the roast chicken as it runs out the door.

[radiohead]

Agree totally with you both 

I don't believe anyone owns a cat with the purpose of inflicting damage and misery on their neighbours.  Anyway, who ever heard of a cat that took any notice of anything its owner wanted it to do 

 

Quite right....I'm sure cat owners dont want or intend their pets to inflict misery upon their neighbours,but it is inevitable that it will,because they are selfish they choose to have one anyway.

[Beetroot queen]

  

Not a cat fan then radio head, lets hope your neighbourhood is cat free or do you own a house on the moon. 

[DD.]

because they are selfish they choose to have one anyway.

Yes, I see.

I apologise for being so selfish. Five times over in fact. After seeing your side of the story I certainly won't take any more in.

I also pass on to the site owner, John as to how selfish he is also, as I know he has quite a few cats. I'm sure that he'l be more than happy to be put right by one of his members.

[Dave Mack]

I cant believe people are falling out over moggies or any other animals , if you cant protect your crops from things that eat them or damage them ... give up and go the supermarket for your goods .
Sorry i like to read these forums ... but this subject is getting tiresome , its every week a post comes up  about it .

Ps I cant stand cats ... but i dont say a ill word against them 

[Rampant_Weasel]

dont lem beat yer! i had the same trouble ( and still do - poo everywhere!) i made stronger cages out of wood.these have even had a pheasant landing on them to try and squash it and it stood up fine.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.griffin100/pics/IMG_2609%20(Medium).JPG

[hubballi]

Agree totally with you both 

I don't believe anyone owns a cat with the purpose of inflicting damage and misery on their neighbours.  Anyway, who ever heard of a cat that took any notice of anything its owner wanted it to do 

 

Quite right....I'm sure cat owners dont want or intend their pets to inflict misery upon their neighbours,but it is inevitable that it will,because they are selfish they choose to have one anyway.

You are very aggressive in your posts aren't you.

[Aunt Sally]

He is ! and it has been noted, Hubballi.

[hamstergbert]

THREAD RECENT SUMMARY

gist of point in the thread: "Shocking, Let's not start going on about cats, for and against"

gist of umpteen posts after each appearance of the above: "grump grump ruddy cats grump", "my cats are saints how dare you grump grump", "grump digging up my veg grump", "grump just doing what cats do grump", "grump well so that makes it alright does it grump"

Oh for goodness sake folks, please put a sock in it.
Keep it simple.  If you hate cats simply post the text "GRUMP ANTI-CATS" and if you think they are misrepresented little loveable scamps post the text "GRUMP PRO-CATS" that way it avoids getting personal, besides if you cut and past the relevant text it reduces the chances of RSI....