"aj" wrote in message
...
my neighbour has 7 cats (seven) & my birch tree which stands about 12 feet
tall is scarred from top to bottom with them using it as a scratching
post,will this cause permanent damage & is there anything i can do to stop
them damaging it?
thanks.

Maim the cats surreptitiously by whatever means you can.
Catapults are illegal but very effective.
A bicycle pump filled with water makes a reasonably accurate long-range
water cannon.
Persuade your hunt club to go for cats instead of foxes.
Lobby your MP to ask for the keeping of cats as pets to be made illegal.

Franz Heymann