This might be a foolish question, but is this harmful? How can I deter my cat from using the garden as a toilet?!
I am not an expert on the subject, but I would think it would not be a good thing for a vegetable garden. In a flower bed, it may harm the flowers, or not... The smell and the mess are probably offensive also. My kitty goes outside in a gravel area under the deck, and I don't really like it much, but it can't hurt the gravel... I Googled the subject, and there are many opinions/ remedies for the problem.
Here's a plant that could solve the cat pooing problem you have in your garden MCD. Plectranthus ornatus/Coleus Canina or Scaredy Cat plant. It has a unique ability to deter cats from messing up the garden. How do I know - 'cause I've tried it and it works!! :-D This cat repellent also provides foliage colour and light blue flowers in the garden. It has a scent that Cats and Dogs do not like but which is non-offensive to humans. Coleus Canina is a perennial plant but is not frost hardy so would need to be brought indoors during winter months.
Thank You Eileen!!! I am going to try to find this! If anyone cares, this is how I protected a few of my plants: I bought a bag of the thin, wooden skewers that you use on the grill. I poked them in the dirt in the flower bed so that the cats couldn't get cozy!! Looked a little weird but it worked!!!
My only concerns would be damage to plants, and toxicity of plants to the cat. Thanks for the tip. I got plenty of chopsticks should I ever have a need to deter cats Hmmm.... I wonder if the same thing would work on rabbits. Now you got me thinkin'!
Scaredy cat plants are said to be a deterrent for rabbits, dogs and other mammals that are unwelcome in our gardens. I can only say, from personal experience, that they deter cats but it's worth a try. :-D
I'm having a hard time finding seeds in the States. Lots of sources in the UK. Anyone have any hints?
There is a cat named pumpkin that lives across the way in our condo area that loves my container garden and always jumps in the containers and digs up the dirt around the bottoms.What can i do for that?
I put little rocks, or pine cones in containers that my kitties have messed around in... That is too much work for them to dig in...
Here's a link for buying Scaredy Cat plants. I don't know if T&M ship to America or not though. :-? http://plants.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en ... /1?SA=1303 Glenda these are different coleus plants to the ones you have in your garden. Yours are much prettier but won't deter cats I'm afraid.
stratsmom, the skewer trick is a great idea to keep cats from lying in the flowerpots. I'll pass that on to my mother who's had that problem for quite awhile!
I use Moth balls for a cat/dog/deer/rabbit deterrent and it also works, just have to replace them every so often, especially after a long rain.
