How can I keep the neighbor's cats from using my raised rose beds as a litter
box? I hear that moth balls work but I have several questions:

1. Does anyone know if this will actually discourage cats?

2. Moth ball is a generic term for three very different compounds: 1,4
dichlorobenzene, camphor, or naphthalene. If the answer to question 1 is yes,
do all three compounds work (as they obviously do for moths) and if not, which
do? Is any one preffered for this use?

3. Does their use in a rose bed adversely effect the roses? If so, can any
soil treatment offset the adverse effects? Are the effects worse than the
ammonia in urine (in relatively large quanity)?

Any other methods to discourage the cats will be appreciated.

posted for Sandy.

"Corepaul" wrote in message
...

How can I keep the neighbor's cats from using my raised rose beds as a
litter
box? I hear that moth balls work but I have several questions:

1. Does anyone know if this will actually discourage cats?

2. Moth ball is a generic term for three very different compounds: 1,4
dichlorobenzene, camphor, or naphthalene. If the answer to question 1 is
yes,
do all three compounds work (as they obviously do for moths) and if not,
which
do? Is any one preffered for this use?

3. Does their use in a rose bed adversely effect the roses? If so, can
any
soil treatment offset the adverse effects? Are the effects worse than the
ammonia in urine (in relatively large quanity)?

Any other methods to discourage the cats will be appreciated.

posted for Sandy.


Hello Sandy and Paul,

Do not use mothballs around your house or garden, period. There are two
different types of moth balls used to combat the moths. In one type, the
main ingredient is naphthalene, and in the other it is paradichlorobenzene.
Ingestion of naphthalene or p-dichlorobenzene mothballs is a frequent cause
of accidental poisoning of children (Siegel and Wason, 1986). Infants
exposed to naphthalene vapors from clothes or blankets have become ill or
have died (U.S. EPA, 1990). The effects in infants have been associated with
maternal naphthalene exposure during gestation (U.S. EPA, 1990).

The best thing we have found so far is to get several feet of chicken wire
and cut it into small squares and then bend them at the middle. Place them
around the beds where the cats usually
do the damage and make sure they are not covered by any soil, mulch or bark.
They are difficult for the cats to move and impossible to get away from.
They will not harm anything, and children are not curious about them as they
would be about mothballs.

We have found that also spraying the same anti-deer mixtures like DeerOff
works well to keep the cats from the beds. But that may have been in
addition to the cut screen.

Hope this helps and good luck keeping the strays away,

Allegra

Corepaul wrote:

How can I keep the neighbor's cats from using my raised rose beds as a litter
box? I hear that moth balls work but I have several questions:

1. Does anyone know if this will actually discourage cats?

2. Moth ball is a generic term for three very different compounds: 1,4
dichlorobenzene, camphor, or naphthalene. If the answer to question 1 is yes,
do all three compounds work (as they obviously do for moths) and if not, which
do? Is any one preffered for this use?

3. Does their use in a rose bed adversely effect the roses? If so, can any
soil treatment offset the adverse effects? Are the effects worse than the
ammonia in urine (in relatively large quanity)?

Any other methods to discourage the cats will be appreciated.

posted for Sandy.


Some years back, I found (in a pet shop) an aerosol can

of, believe it or not, cat repellent. It's called "Boundary

indoor/outdoor dog and cat repellent", and it works. I first

used it to keep my cat away from a place I didn't want her to go.

I found it about 15 years ago, and still have the original can.

I don't know if you'll find it anywhere now, but it won't

hurt to ask around. Lotsa luck.

Rich in Denver

"rich sharp" wrote

Some years back, I found (in a pet shop) an aerosol can

of, believe it or not, cat repellent. It's called "Boundary

indoor/outdoor dog and cat repellent", and it works. I first

used it to keep my cat away from a place I didn't want her to go.

I found it about 15 years ago, and still have the original can.

I don't know if you'll find it anywhere now, but it won't

hurt to ask around. Lotsa luck.

Rich in Denver

Hello Rich,

a quick look at Google brough this:

http://www.macpet.com/boundary-14oz.html

Based on your experience I will order a can to keep around just in case.
Thank you for the tip.

Allegra

In Corepaul wrote:
How can I keep the neighbor's cats from using my raised rose beds as a
litter box?

There is a cat and dog repellent gel and granules he

http://www.multicrop.com.au/animal.htm

Other than that, your choices may include

(a) A dog
(b) An air rifle loaded with those silver cake decoration balls
(c) A hose
(d) A motion-detecting sprinkler - http://www8.smarthome.com/6120.html

Good luck!

The best way I have found to discourage cats from using my flowerbed as a
bathroom is to gather "pokey balls" from one of the trees in my yard and
spreading them out on top of the soil. I don't know the real name of this
tree, but it sheds little balls about 2-2 1/2 inches big with spikes on
them. Cats do NOT like walking on these, so they will avoid your
flowerbeds!!!

"Daniel Hanna" wrote in message
home.com.au...
In Corepaul wrote:
How can I keep the neighbor's cats from using my raised rose beds as a
litter box?

There is a cat and dog repellent gel and granules he

http://www.multicrop.com.au/animal.htm

Other than that, your choices may include

(a) A dog
(b) An air rifle loaded with those silver cake decoration balls
(c) A hose
(d) A motion-detecting sprinkler - http://www8.smarthome.com/6120.html

Good luck!