"Broadback" wrote in message
...
much as I dislike cats I would not wish to harm them. any suggestions to
an alternative to stop them crossing the gates and fencing?

Buy a Jif lemon (concentrated lemon juice).

Squirt it lightly around the whole area (you can dilute it by 50% and it'll
still work) and especially across the routes that your feline visitors
regularly walk.

They don't like it at all and it is quite harmless. Even refreshing it after
heavy rain or when it wears off is no big chore.

--
Brian
"Fight like the Devil, die like a gentleman."