[Caralou]

Just a gentle warning as at the moment this thread is fine but please no one post any prevention methods that could harm animals. If anyone does post inflammatory or harmful posts not only will the topic sadly have to be locked and the offending posts removed but you may also be banned for advocating harm. Gentle warning, don't make me set Aunt Sally on you if it does degenerate  

[penance]

Well said Caralou.

The netting method works well for me. We have 4 cats and so once a year when i dig over i create a wonderful toilet for them. Netting does the trick and stops the digging and mess.

Occasionaly our eldest cat will still poop on top of the netting, but that is easy to remove and at least it isn't a hidden landmine for when i am planting out.

[hamstergbert]

Some have found chicken manure pellets to be effective. And they fertilise the beds.

Interesting.... what sort of rate of application works best in the feline deterrent aspect d'you know?  (Always liked the two birds with one stone solutions)

[andtiggertoo]

I also agree with the netting method. I have 2 cats of my own and the house next to my back garden has several cats !!

I have 4 raised beds and I put roofing nails every few feet around the top edge of my wooden beds. I put green coloured pea netting on each bed hooking it onto the nails. This keeps off the cats, stops birds pulling out my onion sets & garlic and keeps the squirrels off too.

I also agree that the cats lose interest when growth takes off and they can't easily get between the plants. My onions and garlic grow through the netting for a bit until the stems get too thick.

I have never found gels, citrus peel or other smell repellants to be effective on cats.

Good luck, I love my cats but their poo is disgusting !!

[Elcie]

I have this problem with my square foot front garden (lots of squares, there is a pic on here somewhere!) for the squares that are newly dug or where I have sown new seeds.  I laid some prickly twigs over them and this seemed to do the trick.  Like others have said there isn't much of a problem once the plants start to show, although it can be quite annoying when you have planted lots of seeds and a cat comes along and digs it up!

[noshed]

Chicken manure pellets whiff quite heavily when you first put them down - so the usual rate of a handful per square metre or so would be a start. After heavy rain you would probably have to refresh (!) They might be a useful addition to the spiky twig method.

[Swing Swang]

Just a thought - are chicken manure pellets as effective at attracting foxes as they are at repelling cats? I wouldn't want to swap one 'pest' (careful here!) for the other.

SS

[peanut]

I have had this problem for some time and tried all manner of methods including netting, bamboo canes, Silent Roar lion poo and we put our own chicken's manure on after a year but no real change, so this winter I went with the 1/2 filled lemonade bootles and it seems to have made a real difference.

[dexyblue]

I certainly dont advocate the harming of cats in anyway at all, I just wanted to know the best deterrent used by you all to stop them doing their toilet in the beds.
I have now bought netting so will give this a go. Thanks for your advice everyone

[Caralou]

Not for one minute did I think you were advocating harm Dexyblue  It's just sadly in the past posts have degenerated on topics such as this so we have to keep a very close eye on it!

Hope the netting works for you 

[dexyblue]

Thanks Caralou, netting now in place so fingers crossed 

[JayG]

Relax dem digits!  It will work! (If your catties are particularly dumb then a couple of short canes with upturned plastic cups on them to support the netting in the middle will definitely do the trick; will keep pesky pigeons off as well!)

[monsta]

carpet grip along the top of the fence usually keeps them out! 

[Poolfield2]

carpet grip along the top of the fence usually keeps them out! 

That is the sort of post Caralou meant!

[Aunt Sally]

Thank you monsta. I don't think we want any more advice like that.  Topic is now closed.