[Jay The Digger]

Firstly I will say that I am (or recently was) and owner of 3 cats.

Only after a close association with cats do you understand what they do and why.  They are doing what comes naturally, which is kill birds/mice/anything that moves and do thier business in nice tilled, clean and convenient patches.

They are creatures of habit and are quite persistant.  The first thing to do is remove any smell that they have been there before.  Then the best thing to do is watch like a hawk for a few days.  The best thing to do to scare them is to shake an empty bin liner.  After a few days they give up (they have to go somewhere after all).  If you have a really persistant one, then you HAVE to resort to water.  Hose, water pistol, whats left in your cup of tea, anything.  They get the message real quick after a soaking.

I am not one for harming any creature but I am certainly one for scaring the living hell out of one   

(I am also very aware of what misery my cats could cause my neighbours.  I provided mine with a clean litter tray and a bell round their necks, but they still killed birds, and they still left presents in neighbours gardens)   

[mumofstig]

I'm lucky   in that my cat still comes running in at breakneck speed, crashing through the cat flap on the way,  if she needs to use the litter tray 

So cat poo roundabouts is nothing to do with my cat.........and everything to do with 'misty'
a feral cat that lives along the terrace. Unfortunately my freshly dug veg beds have to be covered, and the greenhouse door has a screen across otherwise she flattens everything in there as well ..........but I still feel a bit sorry for her when she's out in the cold

[rachelr]

we use orange or satsuma peel if you eat enough it wards of colds too. Two birds with one stone so to speak lol

[JayG]

Whilst we're on the subject of digging activity not performed by oneself ( ) has anyone found deep (at least a foot), sloping, tapering holes dug in their soil?

I've always assumed it was foxes as the problem was much worse when I used Fish, blood and bone fertilisers, and although my garden isn't animal-proof by any means I've never seen dogs wandering about.

The recent holes (about 1 a week) have contained "number twos" at the bottom of them which makes me think these are toilet holes rather than food-digging holes; never seen a cat dig a hole that big and they usually make some sort of attempt to cover it afterwards.

Any ideas?

[arugula]

JayG,

Are the "number twos" are similar size to those of a cat? I'm wondering fox, but I've never come across their "number twos" in a garden, so I'm not sure if they would dig a hole in that situation as they wouldn't out in the field.

[evie2]

I didn't think foxes dug holes but if it was a fox you'd smell it

[arugula]

I didn't think so either evie. Must be a cat using only one paw to dig then!

[evie2]

 

[JayG]

JayG,

Are the "number twos" are similar size to those of a cat? I'm wondering fox, but I've never come across their "number twos" in a garden, so I'm not sure if they would dig a hole in that situation as they wouldn't out in the field.

There's a big danger of providing too much information here; let's just say that Chris Packham would not have been able to handle it very easily! 

I'm wondering whether the hole was originally dug by a fox and then a cat came along thinking "Hmm, nice handy toilet!" 

[evie2]

Are you sure it's from a 4 legged animal?  I wont go any further on grounds of decency

[arugula]

Hm, interesting....... 

[tode]

Never heard of snakes digging holes . . . . .     

[joyfull]

Never heard of snakes digging holes . . . . .     

 

[evie2]

 

I was alluding to a 2 legged variety of animal; Homosapien.

See, now you've made me say it

[JayG]

What's up with you lot? 

I will confess to having added wee to my daleks (discreetly disguised in a watering can, of course!) but I have never (either personally, or allowed anyone else) to poop near my parsnips!)