[bigsprouts]

hi i have a new menace on the plot it poops every where and has wrecked my water melon plants short of shooting them(which i wouldnt dream of coz i have two of them)how do i stop their destruction? its a cat btw

[Little Miss Muffet]

mustard powder sprinkled around the plants as cats sniff first and they hate it although not wise with all the rain

male urine around the plant is a good deterrent just dont get any on the plant as it will kill it.

you can now get cat detterant liquid from a garden center

filled clear blottles of water around the garden (not really sure why this works but the uy in this house before me did it and he recomended it)

if your by a sarfari park or zoo some sell cat dung which puts the smll demestic cats right off.although its about 10 pound a bag

[brucesgirl]

Yes - tiger poo keeps them away!! Also they hate the smell of orange peel.
But really nothing will stop a determined cat - I know cos I have two of them. Mind you, mine are ladies and will walk home to use their cat litter rather than go outside.

[richyrich7]

Mind you, mine are ladies and will walk home to use their cat litter rather than go outside.

My Tom sits by the back door cross legged, but my girlie cat uses a large plant pot  :roll:  Quite funny to see her perched on the edge trying to look innocent.

The water in clear plastic works really well BTW, also a water pistol if you catch em in the act.

[nicky]

You can buy tiger poo from garden centers or something that is ment to smell like it at least. If that dosen't work you could cover them in a fine net (the palnts not the cats) if your plots not too big.

[jennyb]

some suggested holly bush cuttings around  the plants to me - you have to watch they don't root themselves mind you!

[Plum]

Wooden skewers( the ones we use for marshmellows on the barbie). The cats stay away and the they are big enough to see. Have see cocktail sticks used in pots, foliage grows past them eventually

[Oscar Too]

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=4683&highlight=jeyes+fluid

Check this link out, or search for Jeyes fluid on the search form.

It really does work - we are getting almost no deposits since doing this, despite digging and planting - usually two things that attract them.

I'm relieved that Jeyes works - if it didn't, I had resolved to use a .410

[wellingtons]

... and a water pistol is a perfect deterrant.  But the lil devils also learn that when you're not there the water pistol doesn't work!

The only deterrant I have ever found that is pussy proof is prickly cuttings stuck in the ground at angles quite close together.  Don't lay them on the ground because they'll just move them out of the way!

I've rooted several roses this way!

And I used to keep a bag of rose clippings for just that purpose.

[Fat Hen]

Twelve bore, definitey twelve bore, works like no other cat deterrent.  They never come back again.

Bang, Bang Pussy!

[Oscar Too]

I absolutely categorically disagree with that last post - I don't know what you are thinking.  How can you recommend shooting a cat with a twelve-bore?  You must be out of your mind!

A .410 is much, much better.  The cartridges are cheaper, the bang is quieter and so it doesn't frighten the rest off, you can salvage enough of the pelt to make slippers or mittens, and the gun will usually break down small enough to fit into your welly.

(No animals were harmed in the making of this post.)

[bigsprouts]

                                                 

[brucesgirl]

You orrible lot!!!!!!

[Fat Hen]

I absolutely categorically disagree with that last post - I don't know what you are thinking.  How can you recommend shooting a cat with a twelve-bore?  You must be out of your mind!

A .410 is much, much better.  The cartridges are cheaper, the bang is quieter and so it doesn't frighten the rest off, you can salvage enough of the pelt to make slippers or mittens, and the gun will usually break down small enough to fit into your welly.

(No animals were harmed in the making of this post.)

[CODE]

Yeh but a .410 can't compare with the absolute joy in the way a 12 guage despatches the feline foe and releases frustration.  I used to use a 9mm "garden gun" for vermin until introduced to the pure magic of watching pussy dissapear into a red cloud, it's sheet art man. :twisted:

[Oscar Too]

Well, I agree that there is a certain fascination with the Jackson Pollock splatter effect that a 12 guage delivers, but with a .410, you can usually find the head afterwards and put it on the owner's doorstep or car.