Mike declared:

"mich" wrote in message
...

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"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.



Strap some lengths of carpet gripper up the tree, points up. 4 or 5
lengths about 3 ft high should do the trick.

BTW, they don't come over my gate since I put a few lenghts along the
rail
and put nails along the top sticking up a couple of inches.

Re the gate. you may find yourself with a public liability issue and
personal injury matter if someone hurts themselves coming to your house.
In fact I am not sure its legal to do what you say you have done.



Sorry, must explain. This is the back gate, some 5ft high and people
shouldn't be climbing over it. They should come round to the front door.
(The back of our garden goes through to the road running behind us)

Mike

It is not legal in the UK to use anything on a property boundary line to a
public highway or right of way that could injure a person - regardless of
any motivation for crossing it. Local bye-laws may also prohibit the use of
deterents on party boundaries as well...

......"if the wall/fence borders the public highway, then the local
authority has powers to protect the public by having the deterrent removed
if it thinks it could cause a danger to highway users. If the deterrents
causes a nuisance or by your negligence injures a passer by, then they may
be able to sue you."......
http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/walls.html

A neighbour of ours placed hundreds of 2inch long panel pins in a line
about half an inch apart along his back fence to deter the local natives
from using his garden as a short cut, when one tried to get over one night
and ripped his hands to shreds we all applauded, but his parents called the
police and after months of legalese and wrangling, the fence owner was
succesfully sued - the injured 'intruder' was awarded substantial
compensation, as well as being able to taunt our neighbour about the
victory....

Jon
--
Never argue with an idiot.....
They drag you down to their level, then beat
you with experience