Polar said:
story of strong-willed cat

To the point: Would coffee grounds be (a) a deterrent
and (b) not harmful to the veggies? Not a huge coffee drinker,
moi, but I could ask at a coffee shop (has anybody done this?
what success?)

What seems to help keep the neighborhood cats away from the
flowere beds (the veggie garden has more rigorous protection):

cocoashell mulch (straight)

cocoashell mulch mixed with leaves and coffeegrounds

any kind of mulch topped with ground-up citrus peels (needs to be topped off
more often than the cocoashell mulch mixes)

fencing in a very low arch over the plants (particularly useful over winter,
close to the house)


Pure coffeegrounds tend to clump and stink.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)