We currently have a stray cat who has set up shop in our back yard. I
actually enjoy his company as I stroll around the garden. He follows
me everywhere, examining the latest blooms with me, and has become a
bit of a chum. However, he's using my raised beds as his litterbox
and the stink is getting bad. What are effective deterrents to keep
him from using my garden beds as a bathroom? I don't want to shoo him
away entirely, but instead, inspire him to poop somewhere besides my
garden beds. Is sprinkling Cayanne Pepper in the beds effective?
What about a cocoa mulch? I'd rather not put down netting, as it
seems it'd be difficult for thicker-stemmed flowers (like dahlias) to
grow through it.

wrote:
We currently have a stray cat who has set up shop in our back yard.
I
actually enjoy his company as I stroll around the garden. He
follows
me everywhere, examining the latest blooms with me, and has become a
bit of a chum. However, he's using my raised beds as his litterbox
and the stink is getting bad. What are effective deterrents to keep
him from using my garden beds as a bathroom? I don't want to shoo
him
away entirely, but instead, inspire him to poop somewhere besides my
garden beds. Is sprinkling Cayanne Pepper in the beds effective?
What about a cocoa mulch? I'd rather not put down netting, as it
seems it'd be difficult for thicker-stemmed flowers (like dahlias)
to
grow through it.

Google "cat garden". If he's got his own cat-friendly place then he
may not use the beds.

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--John
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(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

yeah.. big planting of catnip somewhere else. you might try chicken wire laying flat
as they may not like the sensation of their paws going thru the chicken wire. Ingrid

On Wed, 2 Apr 2008 00:30:03 -0400, "J. Clarke" wrote:
Google "cat garden". If he's got his own cat-friendly place then he
may not use the beds.

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Thanks for the input.

-F