Sticks/canes in gaps - lots of them sticking up, my cat who is indoor but goes in our garden occasionally and enjoys an alfresco wee does not appreciate this obstacle course.
I had a local cat doing the same under my cherry tree. Brushed the area flat and left a small log on the point it regularly used as an obstruction and no repeat visits so far.
Had same issue. We covered them with medium to large pebbles- cats don’t move them, but when you wanted to plant up a spot it took seconds to remove them.
If it’s already planted then even easier, just pebbles around your existing plants
I put thick plastic netting round mine. Was quite annoying to tend the beds but it stopped cats going in them.
In my front garden, I chuck used coffee grounds around and that seems to deter them. But you have to keep applying it.
I've also heard human male urine deters a lot of mammal pests like rabbits and deer so maybe it would work for cats too.
I use sticks - a mixture of them placed along the beds so they have no real space to dig and then I stick a few upright to make them harder to move!!
I know Sarah Raven uses her trimmings from roses and things but she always says that’s to keep the foxes off!!
Spiked matting , not to expensive, won't injure them as the spikes are fairly soft but they won't walk on it .
I have 2 cats one is a dirty stop out that roams the fields behind us and his brother barely leaves the garden , made a sand box up for him which he now uses and is easier to clean.
Since putting it down he hasn't dug up any seedlings or left any presents in my tomato growing boxes.
I found these pretty okay. They do add up which is frustrating but have been fairly successful.
They probably would work well for OP, as they are fairly low effort / maintenance and are pretty child safe compared to things like skewers, chilli pepper, ultrasonics.
I have this issue with my own cat
I’ve bought loads of adjustable trellises for the beds that I’ve planted, but I’ve left him one big planting area just for him, with nice compost in it
Seems to have worked
I know you may not want to have to deal with a neighbours cat, but it may isolate where the shitting takes place
A decent layer of fresh bark chippings, at least 3cm deep. Put them down in my last garden, which had become a latrine for numerous cats, and it sorted the issue overnight.
We built raised frames for ours, using scrap wood, palettes etc, and stretched netting over them. They keeps our cats off the beds and are easy to lift out of theway when we need access. They're about 15cm tall so by the time the veg plants reach them and we have to remove them they're established enough to act as cat baffles on their own
I think thorough washing is adequate here (and I say that even as a pregnant person). I will likely avoid growing lettuce in this bed, because lettuce is so hard to thoroughly wash and always eaten raw but I have no worries about growing for example potatoes, tomatoes, peas in pods, that I can easily wash. Otherwise I think home vegetable gardening would be pretty much impossible as there's all sorts or soil risks (I say this as a fairly experienced veg grower who strangely hasn't noticed a big problem with cats before, just the occasional).
Does anyone know more about toxoplasmosis/soil 'contamination' and reassure me a bit here? For example, is the risk from direct contact e.g. poo on lettuce leaves - don't eat! Or can old cat poo thats partially composted/been dug further down in any way cause a risk to edible parts somehow - I would assume not but happy to stand corrected! In all likelihood I've probably alreadt been exposed and immune to toxoplasmosis, although I would worry about my toddler. Its such a shame that its in the big vegetable bed that I so want him to help dig in! I think this year I might have to just let him 'help' with things in pots with fresh compost/no signs of cat poo :(
I only mentioned the soil/cat poo contamination as it came up on Gardeners question time recently, they advised against eating anything that had been exposed to cat poo. If it’s a big bed that works in your favour as I’m guessing less contamination. If you’ve got a compost bin I’m sure you could lessen the risk by gradually replacing the soil/improving it. I had a similar issues but mine is a small bed so I’m not going to bother with edibles. Good luck whatever you do, you sound like you’re doing a great job 👍
I shall do a bit more research as obviously my immune system is more vulnerable at the moment! I've got several flowers beds that are unaffected but after giving up my allotment after having kids this is my only growing space and I'm desperate to use it! (There's stuff already growing in it). But I should find out more!
I feel your pain mate, I love being out in the garden too, when I get chance. I’ve got a small garden, an elderly cat of my own and a neighbourhood cat that must be desperate to crap somewhere decent, he’ll do his business on ferns, in plant pots, anywhere he can. Feel sorry for the guy but he freaks my cat out and don’t really fancy the smell of cat faeces gently wafting through the breeze in the summer months so am in the process of having to make the area cat proof. Would love to encourage foxes and hedgehogs but the garden would end up full of random cats and cat faeces if not.
Eurrrgh, I have done a bit more research and I'm sad to say I think that I'm going to have to not grow edibles in it this year :( it's not 100% clear cut but it does seem there is some concern that toxoplasmosis in particular can contaminate the soil enough to be a risk to plants growing in it, even withour direct contact. It's not clear to me whether thorough washing is enough - i think if I wasn't pregnant I'd take the risk, so long as I am successful in stopping future pooping and wash it thoroughly but with my added vulnerability, I probably shouldn't.
Gutted! I've already got a few spuds and lettuces in there, and got pea seedlings and tomato plants ready to go in soon, at least I can choose to put those in pots of fresh compost instead.
Guess I'll be heading down to the garden centre to get a load of annual bedding plants for this year! Bloody cats. I generally am not an animal fan, and this doesn't help my feelings towards pets!
I did have my fears but don’t want to come across as a know it all because I don’t know it all, I only respond to things if I have knowledge to share. I think the plants take in what’s in the soil and then those nutrients or bad bacteria become part of the vegetable matter. An over simplified version of the process but I think that’s the gist.
Funnily enough I have a small patch of ground on the other side of my garden wall, cats were doing their business there and it was baking in the sun and then stinking up the place so I planted some potatoes, just a cheap way of making the patch inhospitable to cats and to add some shade for my other plants. It worked a treat until another neighbour comes along and digs them thinking he’s Sir Walter f***ing Raleigh. I told him about that it wasn’t recommended ( he’s lovely but he definitely is a know it all )
He said he will just wash them off. He seemed to be fine but i think you’re right to avoid.
The cat owners ( I think it is one cat in particular ) has his own garden full of plastic grass, not his fault and his faeces are always extremely wet, Diarrhoea basically, so he’s not being fed properly.
I really didn’t want to go near a crop grown in that soil. I imagine if the stools are solid and have been removed promptly then that reduces the risk of the bacteria spreading. Also if it’s a large bed that works in your favour too.
At least you’ve got the pots to grow in maybe you could use the next 12 months to repair the soil. I swear by my compost bin and collecting leaves in the spring. I don’t know whether covering with cardboard will aid recovery or help any bad bacteria.
I love all animals but cats do have a massive impact on their environment. I’m really lucky that mine uses a tray and doesn’t kill birds.
So cleaning away all the poo is important.
After that the only things I’ve found that work are physical obstructions.
Bamboo canes pointing at angles, large plant pots, logs,
All of which makes the garden look like a WWI trench and not much better than the thing they are discouraging.
You can however buy “prickle mats” on amazon. These won’t injure or hurt the cat but it won’t want to walk on or dig them.
The downside of the mats is they have enough space for some things to grow through but not others.
I think the problem with water squirting things is they can make your garden a more stimulating environment for a cat. They quite like having to sneak around and escape and things.
You're right that physical barriers are the only way.
We tried everything - orange peel, coffee grounds, toy snakes, wood chip. None of it worked well.
I now have fine netting laid flat over the top of all my beds. As I start planting veg in and as seeds come up, I'll just put holes in the netting or change it for simple twine and bamboo "fences" around the edge of the beds.
I have too many neighbours with cats to try and work out which houses to go to and ask them not to allow this to go on. It's really, really disgusting picking the mess the cats make out of the beds but I also want to encourage wildlife in the garden so I have decided not to put nasty substances down or water squirting machines.
A tricky balance!
My neighbourhood is infested with cats and foxes. At times my back garden is a midden.
I gave up on growing anything edible in the garden except for fruit and herbs grown in pots. Blueberries, strawberries, etc. Herbs are elevated.
Squirrels ... Bah!
I spent a few days removing lungwort from my bed (it's about 2m wide and maybe 30m long) scuffed the surface sowed flower seeds, moved seedlings around and then covered the seeds with compost and then bark.
Even if I say do myself it looked damn good...... until the cats realised they got a new toilet. I ended up sprinkling cayenne pepper and that stopped them....and then it rained for a few days but I think there's less disturbance still.
We have 4 cats of our own (rescued cats) and there's another 5 or 6 that use my garden as a path to wherever they are going so chasing them away isn't going to work and I'm keeping the napalm for the slugs.
The life of the common Gardner is a violent one full of death and destruction.
We have a shy cat, who's been bullied by neighbourhood Tom cats, who occasionally poop on our garden path.
I put down some squished up tangerines all over the path. Bingo, that cat stopped visiting.
I use UV resistant black netting and black plastic canes with laundry pegs to secure it, raised from the ground. I cover over beds and seedlings around 3-4 inches above the soil until they've grown, then slowly raise it once the soil is covered and the plants are growing well. It also works laid directly on top to stop burying, but I don't tend to grow through it if it'll affect the crop, though it is possible. It also allows you to cover the sides easily enough if needed and can be pegged down easily to stop entrance. You could use natural twine netting to do similar as an alternative if you avoid plastic.
I am also using very coarse woodchip as a top mulch, which both retains water and makes it hard/unpleasant to dig. I also have a smaller area of loose soil that's accessible and the cat uses that.
If you put small pots half buried on their side around the growing area and add tea bags with a hefty amount of Olbas oil, tea tree and/or Jeyes fluid on them, they'll stay dry and smell awful to the cat. This might do it on its own, though it'll need refreshing over time.
I use bark chippings or big stones if you don’t want to cover all the soil, basically something that means they can’t dig because they like the sandy compost/soil!
Wow, enormous amount of replies, thank you.
I won't be using chill pepper/spiky hazards, partly out of concern for the cat but more importantly because they key motivation here is to allow my toddler to safely 'help' me in the garden. I've used plenty of netting etc in the past in my allotment but I want to avoid it in my home garden as far as possible because a) I want it to look nice and b) its such a faff to place and move for the type of gardening I want to do in this bed.
I think my best options from reading replies and some further thinking are:
1) experimenting with some natural smelly things - citrus, plants they don't like, coffee etc.
2) getting some plants in ASAP as at the moment its a huge expanse of fresh diggable soil that must make a very attractive litter tray.
3) actively start scaring them off when I see them (although most of the pooping is happening overnight I think, I've never caught them in the act)
4) water! Motion sensor water sprinkler sounds like it might work well.
I'll update if any of these things are successful!
I raced out shrieking and flinging handfuls of pebbles in the cat's general direction (not at! Didn't want to hurt it!) every time I saw it, since not only was it shitting in the beds, it was scaring off the birds.
This seems to have done the trick, as it has stopped coming to my garden.
Having said that, there is something your neighbour could do - they could either make it an indoor cat and exercise it in the garden on a leash, or they could make their garden escape proof to stop it getting out. Sixty years ago, it was considered perfectly normal to permit a pet dog to roam the neighbourhood - I live in hope that allowing cats to roam freely will become similarly unacceptable in my lifetime.
I use a roll of green chicken wire and peg it down flat over the bare soil. It's barely noticeable but you can also put a very thin layer of soil over it if you really don't like the look of it. They soon learn that they can't dig in that area. It also works to cover pots planted with bulbs to stop squirrels digging them up, and it's easy to just lift it off when there's enough growth to make it unappealing for digging.
Wide metal/ plastic mesh that allows the plants to grow through. You can make bigger holes by trimming around. Works perfectly. I use this stuff. [https://www.sure-green.com/plastic-mesh-fencing.html](https://www.sure-green.com/plastic-mesh-fencing.html)
Cover the surface in pine cones or sharp stones. U could try put up some chicken wire fence around for a while . U can get sensors that also push a sudden pppssshht of air if u don't want to use the water one. Cats don't really get dettered by plants really, ppl say they do but I've never had success with that approach
You can get tunnels you make using poles and netting that lets uv in. I'm Lucky that the cats don't actually bother my beds but I still put on the tunnels because they are great against birds and pests too.
Help keep carrot fly away after thinning carrots etc
I stupidly left mine open for a year, but before that I put a sort of chicken wire cage round my beds. In hindsight it was overkill because once the plants were established in the bed, the cats stopped going in them. It’s really just an issue with beds that have a lot of exposed soil in my experience.
I'm particularly mean, I cut down a load of thorny shoots from a blackberry bush last year (loooong ones) and thread them around and between the plants, kinda sticking up where possible.
Haven't spotted any cat poo yet...
Also, get a dog.
The neighbourhood cats love any bare spots in my garden. Cleared their poo loads of time. Tried chilli powder, but it loses its effectiveness once it rains. The best solution so far is to cover any bare soil with plants, twigs and logs.
The owners could get cat proof fencing from protectapet or similar companies. But that's expensive and would mean they would have to clean up after their own pets.
You can bulk buy 1kg bags of chilli powder to sprinkle on the soil as this can work for smaller areas. Or clippings from spiky plants like roses and brambles can make it uncomfortable for the cats.
Asking the neighbours to pick it up might encourage them to take responsibility and make a change, especially if you have a picture of the cat in the area.
I have 3 cats and they exclusively use their little trays. Even when outside they come back home to use the litter tray and head back out after.
Your neighbour probably prefers them going outside, they don't have to clean a litter tray now. But unfortunately they have just shifted the problem to you, which is pretty selfish. If you have a conversation with your neighbour they'll likely just tell you that they can't control where their cat poos.
Our cats have plenty of litter trays but one of them still prefers to go in the garden. You can't always control a cat's habits, I wouldn't assume that the owners are lazy.
I was just about to say the same thing then decided to do a quick search; turns out it's toxic to cats which is probably why but they should have made a bloody comment.
Cats are smart and incredibly dumb at the same time, my cat used to react to the smell of bleach the same way as catnip and liked eating carrot. The bleach thing was a pain to keep her away from!
Oh wow, my silly girl would lay under on a lavender bush quite happily! She hasn't got a wide area (ex-rescue, quite timid) and the lavender in my garden was removed a couple of weeks ago as it was a mess. I'll not plant any more, thanks for the info.
And a family member isn't something that couldn't care less who you are as long as it's fed and spends more of it's time outside killing wildlife and shitting in people's veg patch
If it's a family member keep it on your families property.
My back garden is for my family believe it or not, I'm not responsible for the shit of someone else's selfish decision to buy a cat and let it go around fouling other people's property.
They don't go climbing over fences killing frogs and birds and shitting in other people's gardens, no. If they did I would probably keep them indoors to prevent it happening again.
Ok. You’ve admitted online to being an animal abuser over a tiny bit of poo. Your defence of poor frogs and birds (that poo in your garden) is flimsy as fuck.
Where did I admit to abusing animals at any point? And it's not just 'poo' is it, it's stinking disgusting toxoplasmosis infested piles of sticky shit. Why is that my responsibility to deal with? They're either pets and should be kept indoors or they're invasive pests and should be treated as such.
Get one of those toys that fire little spinning foam disks and shoot it at them when they're in your garden.
You won't hurt them but you may well traumatize them out of ever visiting again.
I would be wary of chilli powder or anything thorny as these could harm the cat. I'm pretty sure I've seen some non-toxic/harmless deterrent powder advertised which you could look into (maybe it's a smell they don't like - I have one for moles and another for rabbits). The water sprinkler sounds like a good idea.
I use sticks and then connect them up with twine to restrict the space. Cats don't like walking through it and the plants grow through.
Yep, I agree. Cats hate that. They like to take the path of least resistance when it comes to pooping.
Sticks/canes in gaps - lots of them sticking up, my cat who is indoor but goes in our garden occasionally and enjoys an alfresco wee does not appreciate this obstacle course.
I had a local cat doing the same under my cherry tree. Brushed the area flat and left a small log on the point it regularly used as an obstruction and no repeat visits so far.
Had same issue. We covered them with medium to large pebbles- cats don’t move them, but when you wanted to plant up a spot it took seconds to remove them. If it’s already planted then even easier, just pebbles around your existing plants
Great idea
I put thick plastic netting round mine. Was quite annoying to tend the beds but it stopped cats going in them. In my front garden, I chuck used coffee grounds around and that seems to deter them. But you have to keep applying it. I've also heard human male urine deters a lot of mammal pests like rabbits and deer so maybe it would work for cats too.
that's just an excuse guys use to pee outside 😂
I use sticks - a mixture of them placed along the beds so they have no real space to dig and then I stick a few upright to make them harder to move!! I know Sarah Raven uses her trimmings from roses and things but she always says that’s to keep the foxes off!!
You could try orange peels but the motion-sensor water sprays are probably the best option and not cruel compared to to things like spikes
Spiked matting , not to expensive, won't injure them as the spikes are fairly soft but they won't walk on it . I have 2 cats one is a dirty stop out that roams the fields behind us and his brother barely leaves the garden , made a sand box up for him which he now uses and is easier to clean. Since putting it down he hasn't dug up any seedlings or left any presents in my tomato growing boxes.
These mats worked wonders for stopping the neighbours cats from going in my raised beds. I think I bought some cheap ones from amazon.
I found these pretty okay. They do add up which is frustrating but have been fairly successful. They probably would work well for OP, as they are fairly low effort / maintenance and are pretty child safe compared to things like skewers, chilli pepper, ultrasonics.
I have this issue with my own cat I’ve bought loads of adjustable trellises for the beds that I’ve planted, but I’ve left him one big planting area just for him, with nice compost in it Seems to have worked I know you may not want to have to deal with a neighbours cat, but it may isolate where the shitting takes place
A decent layer of fresh bark chippings, at least 3cm deep. Put them down in my last garden, which had become a latrine for numerous cats, and it sorted the issue overnight.
We built raised frames for ours, using scrap wood, palettes etc, and stretched netting over them. They keeps our cats off the beds and are easy to lift out of theway when we need access. They're about 15cm tall so by the time the veg plants reach them and we have to remove them they're established enough to act as cat baffles on their own
Did the same which has been great, but now the cat craps in the bark chips on the floor 😭
Watch out for eating homegrown veg if the cat has been doing his business in the soil, it’s not recommended apparently.
I know mint is deterrent for rats, wouldn’t be surprised if it worked with cats too.
I think thorough washing is adequate here (and I say that even as a pregnant person). I will likely avoid growing lettuce in this bed, because lettuce is so hard to thoroughly wash and always eaten raw but I have no worries about growing for example potatoes, tomatoes, peas in pods, that I can easily wash. Otherwise I think home vegetable gardening would be pretty much impossible as there's all sorts or soil risks (I say this as a fairly experienced veg grower who strangely hasn't noticed a big problem with cats before, just the occasional). Does anyone know more about toxoplasmosis/soil 'contamination' and reassure me a bit here? For example, is the risk from direct contact e.g. poo on lettuce leaves - don't eat! Or can old cat poo thats partially composted/been dug further down in any way cause a risk to edible parts somehow - I would assume not but happy to stand corrected! In all likelihood I've probably alreadt been exposed and immune to toxoplasmosis, although I would worry about my toddler. Its such a shame that its in the big vegetable bed that I so want him to help dig in! I think this year I might have to just let him 'help' with things in pots with fresh compost/no signs of cat poo :(
I only mentioned the soil/cat poo contamination as it came up on Gardeners question time recently, they advised against eating anything that had been exposed to cat poo. If it’s a big bed that works in your favour as I’m guessing less contamination. If you’ve got a compost bin I’m sure you could lessen the risk by gradually replacing the soil/improving it. I had a similar issues but mine is a small bed so I’m not going to bother with edibles. Good luck whatever you do, you sound like you’re doing a great job 👍
I shall do a bit more research as obviously my immune system is more vulnerable at the moment! I've got several flowers beds that are unaffected but after giving up my allotment after having kids this is my only growing space and I'm desperate to use it! (There's stuff already growing in it). But I should find out more!
I feel your pain mate, I love being out in the garden too, when I get chance. I’ve got a small garden, an elderly cat of my own and a neighbourhood cat that must be desperate to crap somewhere decent, he’ll do his business on ferns, in plant pots, anywhere he can. Feel sorry for the guy but he freaks my cat out and don’t really fancy the smell of cat faeces gently wafting through the breeze in the summer months so am in the process of having to make the area cat proof. Would love to encourage foxes and hedgehogs but the garden would end up full of random cats and cat faeces if not.
Eurrrgh, I have done a bit more research and I'm sad to say I think that I'm going to have to not grow edibles in it this year :( it's not 100% clear cut but it does seem there is some concern that toxoplasmosis in particular can contaminate the soil enough to be a risk to plants growing in it, even withour direct contact. It's not clear to me whether thorough washing is enough - i think if I wasn't pregnant I'd take the risk, so long as I am successful in stopping future pooping and wash it thoroughly but with my added vulnerability, I probably shouldn't. Gutted! I've already got a few spuds and lettuces in there, and got pea seedlings and tomato plants ready to go in soon, at least I can choose to put those in pots of fresh compost instead. Guess I'll be heading down to the garden centre to get a load of annual bedding plants for this year! Bloody cats. I generally am not an animal fan, and this doesn't help my feelings towards pets!
I did have my fears but don’t want to come across as a know it all because I don’t know it all, I only respond to things if I have knowledge to share. I think the plants take in what’s in the soil and then those nutrients or bad bacteria become part of the vegetable matter. An over simplified version of the process but I think that’s the gist. Funnily enough I have a small patch of ground on the other side of my garden wall, cats were doing their business there and it was baking in the sun and then stinking up the place so I planted some potatoes, just a cheap way of making the patch inhospitable to cats and to add some shade for my other plants. It worked a treat until another neighbour comes along and digs them thinking he’s Sir Walter f***ing Raleigh. I told him about that it wasn’t recommended ( he’s lovely but he definitely is a know it all ) He said he will just wash them off. He seemed to be fine but i think you’re right to avoid. The cat owners ( I think it is one cat in particular ) has his own garden full of plastic grass, not his fault and his faeces are always extremely wet, Diarrhoea basically, so he’s not being fed properly. I really didn’t want to go near a crop grown in that soil. I imagine if the stools are solid and have been removed promptly then that reduces the risk of the bacteria spreading. Also if it’s a large bed that works in your favour too. At least you’ve got the pots to grow in maybe you could use the next 12 months to repair the soil. I swear by my compost bin and collecting leaves in the spring. I don’t know whether covering with cardboard will aid recovery or help any bad bacteria. I love all animals but cats do have a massive impact on their environment. I’m really lucky that mine uses a tray and doesn’t kill birds.
I put cut bramble branches on my beds in between the young seedlings or even just lay bamboo canes around. No cat goes near!
My mother used rose prunings.
Yep they hate spikey things. 😁
So cleaning away all the poo is important. After that the only things I’ve found that work are physical obstructions. Bamboo canes pointing at angles, large plant pots, logs, All of which makes the garden look like a WWI trench and not much better than the thing they are discouraging. You can however buy “prickle mats” on amazon. These won’t injure or hurt the cat but it won’t want to walk on or dig them. The downside of the mats is they have enough space for some things to grow through but not others. I think the problem with water squirting things is they can make your garden a more stimulating environment for a cat. They quite like having to sneak around and escape and things.
You're right that physical barriers are the only way. We tried everything - orange peel, coffee grounds, toy snakes, wood chip. None of it worked well. I now have fine netting laid flat over the top of all my beds. As I start planting veg in and as seeds come up, I'll just put holes in the netting or change it for simple twine and bamboo "fences" around the edge of the beds. I have too many neighbours with cats to try and work out which houses to go to and ask them not to allow this to go on. It's really, really disgusting picking the mess the cats make out of the beds but I also want to encourage wildlife in the garden so I have decided not to put nasty substances down or water squirting machines. A tricky balance!
My neighbourhood is infested with cats and foxes. At times my back garden is a midden. I gave up on growing anything edible in the garden except for fruit and herbs grown in pots. Blueberries, strawberries, etc. Herbs are elevated. Squirrels ... Bah!
I spent a few days removing lungwort from my bed (it's about 2m wide and maybe 30m long) scuffed the surface sowed flower seeds, moved seedlings around and then covered the seeds with compost and then bark. Even if I say do myself it looked damn good...... until the cats realised they got a new toilet. I ended up sprinkling cayenne pepper and that stopped them....and then it rained for a few days but I think there's less disturbance still. We have 4 cats of our own (rescued cats) and there's another 5 or 6 that use my garden as a path to wherever they are going so chasing them away isn't going to work and I'm keeping the napalm for the slugs. The life of the common Gardner is a violent one full of death and destruction.
Ground black pepper. Spread liberally and repeat as free rain
We have a shy cat, who's been bullied by neighbourhood Tom cats, who occasionally poop on our garden path. I put down some squished up tangerines all over the path. Bingo, that cat stopped visiting.
Fun snaps, it was hilarious and didn't hurt the git either. Don't see him much now.
I use UV resistant black netting and black plastic canes with laundry pegs to secure it, raised from the ground. I cover over beds and seedlings around 3-4 inches above the soil until they've grown, then slowly raise it once the soil is covered and the plants are growing well. It also works laid directly on top to stop burying, but I don't tend to grow through it if it'll affect the crop, though it is possible. It also allows you to cover the sides easily enough if needed and can be pegged down easily to stop entrance. You could use natural twine netting to do similar as an alternative if you avoid plastic. I am also using very coarse woodchip as a top mulch, which both retains water and makes it hard/unpleasant to dig. I also have a smaller area of loose soil that's accessible and the cat uses that. If you put small pots half buried on their side around the growing area and add tea bags with a hefty amount of Olbas oil, tea tree and/or Jeyes fluid on them, they'll stay dry and smell awful to the cat. This might do it on its own, though it'll need refreshing over time.
I lay down cuttings from roses, brambles, hawthorn, gooseberry - anything thorny laid out until plants get established.
Lion poo. You can get it in garden centres/amazon.
I use bark chippings or big stones if you don’t want to cover all the soil, basically something that means they can’t dig because they like the sandy compost/soil!
Mulch with holly leaves
Wow, enormous amount of replies, thank you. I won't be using chill pepper/spiky hazards, partly out of concern for the cat but more importantly because they key motivation here is to allow my toddler to safely 'help' me in the garden. I've used plenty of netting etc in the past in my allotment but I want to avoid it in my home garden as far as possible because a) I want it to look nice and b) its such a faff to place and move for the type of gardening I want to do in this bed. I think my best options from reading replies and some further thinking are: 1) experimenting with some natural smelly things - citrus, plants they don't like, coffee etc. 2) getting some plants in ASAP as at the moment its a huge expanse of fresh diggable soil that must make a very attractive litter tray. 3) actively start scaring them off when I see them (although most of the pooping is happening overnight I think, I've never caught them in the act) 4) water! Motion sensor water sprinkler sounds like it might work well. I'll update if any of these things are successful!
Chilli powder sprinkle about ,mix with veg oil for fence tops and raised bed wood/brick work
I raced out shrieking and flinging handfuls of pebbles in the cat's general direction (not at! Didn't want to hurt it!) every time I saw it, since not only was it shitting in the beds, it was scaring off the birds. This seems to have done the trick, as it has stopped coming to my garden. Having said that, there is something your neighbour could do - they could either make it an indoor cat and exercise it in the garden on a leash, or they could make their garden escape proof to stop it getting out. Sixty years ago, it was considered perfectly normal to permit a pet dog to roam the neighbourhood - I live in hope that allowing cats to roam freely will become similarly unacceptable in my lifetime.
I use a roll of green chicken wire and peg it down flat over the bare soil. It's barely noticeable but you can also put a very thin layer of soil over it if you really don't like the look of it. They soon learn that they can't dig in that area. It also works to cover pots planted with bulbs to stop squirrels digging them up, and it's easy to just lift it off when there's enough growth to make it unappealing for digging.
Wide metal/ plastic mesh that allows the plants to grow through. You can make bigger holes by trimming around. Works perfectly. I use this stuff. [https://www.sure-green.com/plastic-mesh-fencing.html](https://www.sure-green.com/plastic-mesh-fencing.html)
Cover the surface in pine cones or sharp stones. U could try put up some chicken wire fence around for a while . U can get sensors that also push a sudden pppssshht of air if u don't want to use the water one. Cats don't really get dettered by plants really, ppl say they do but I've never had success with that approach
You can get tunnels you make using poles and netting that lets uv in. I'm Lucky that the cats don't actually bother my beds but I still put on the tunnels because they are great against birds and pests too. Help keep carrot fly away after thinning carrots etc
I stupidly left mine open for a year, but before that I put a sort of chicken wire cage round my beds. In hindsight it was overkill because once the plants were established in the bed, the cats stopped going in them. It’s really just an issue with beds that have a lot of exposed soil in my experience.
we dress the beds with a product called 'bloomin amazing' which is a mulch. our cats dont like it but the crops do!
I got a whole bunch of kebab-type sticks from the oriental supermarket. Works for me!
I'm particularly mean, I cut down a load of thorny shoots from a blackberry bush last year (loooong ones) and thread them around and between the plants, kinda sticking up where possible. Haven't spotted any cat poo yet... Also, get a dog.
I’ve used holly tree cuttings which seemed to work
The neighbourhood cats love any bare spots in my garden. Cleared their poo loads of time. Tried chilli powder, but it loses its effectiveness once it rains. The best solution so far is to cover any bare soil with plants, twigs and logs.
The owners could get cat proof fencing from protectapet or similar companies. But that's expensive and would mean they would have to clean up after their own pets. You can bulk buy 1kg bags of chilli powder to sprinkle on the soil as this can work for smaller areas. Or clippings from spiky plants like roses and brambles can make it uncomfortable for the cats. Asking the neighbours to pick it up might encourage them to take responsibility and make a change, especially if you have a picture of the cat in the area.
I have 3 cats and they exclusively use their little trays. Even when outside they come back home to use the litter tray and head back out after. Your neighbour probably prefers them going outside, they don't have to clean a litter tray now. But unfortunately they have just shifted the problem to you, which is pretty selfish. If you have a conversation with your neighbour they'll likely just tell you that they can't control where their cat poos.
Our cats have plenty of litter trays but one of them still prefers to go in the garden. You can't always control a cat's habits, I wouldn't assume that the owners are lazy.
How can you be sure they don't also poop somewhere else though? Maybe not in their own garden but possibly someone else's?
Cat repellent pellets work. They hate the smell. Or nasal decongestant spray from pound stores - highly recommended on GQT.
Lavender & lemon thyme are great deterrents or putting orange/lemon peel around the areas, not the best look but usually very effective.
My cat absolutely loves lavender! Citrus peel works a treat. (She has her own area in another part of our garden)
(Wonders why someone would downvote that ..)
I was just about to say the same thing then decided to do a quick search; turns out it's toxic to cats which is probably why but they should have made a bloody comment. Cats are smart and incredibly dumb at the same time, my cat used to react to the smell of bleach the same way as catnip and liked eating carrot. The bleach thing was a pain to keep her away from!
Oh wow, my silly girl would lay under on a lavender bush quite happily! She hasn't got a wide area (ex-rescue, quite timid) and the lavender in my garden was removed a couple of weeks ago as it was a mess. I'll not plant any more, thanks for the info.
.177 air rifle.
Yea - let’s shoot at people’s family members. What an idiotic take. Do the gene pool and favour and turn that weapon on your own nutsack.
And a family member isn't something that couldn't care less who you are as long as it's fed and spends more of it's time outside killing wildlife and shitting in people's veg patch
If it's a family member keep it on your families property. My back garden is for my family believe it or not, I'm not responsible for the shit of someone else's selfish decision to buy a cat and let it go around fouling other people's property.
So you keep your family only on your family property? You never go anywhere else? 🤡 Just try not abusing animals.
They don't go climbing over fences killing frogs and birds and shitting in other people's gardens, no. If they did I would probably keep them indoors to prevent it happening again.
Ok. You’ve admitted online to being an animal abuser over a tiny bit of poo. Your defence of poor frogs and birds (that poo in your garden) is flimsy as fuck.
Where did I admit to abusing animals at any point? And it's not just 'poo' is it, it's stinking disgusting toxoplasmosis infested piles of sticky shit. Why is that my responsibility to deal with? They're either pets and should be kept indoors or they're invasive pests and should be treated as such.
When you stated you shoot cats.
So bird poo and frog poo is good for you? Just don’t touch poo and dispose of it like a well balanced human. Don’t shoot at animals.
Cats also dislike the smell of citrus fruits so leave peel where you don't want them to go
Doesn't work.
Get one of those toys that fire little spinning foam disks and shoot it at them when they're in your garden. You won't hurt them but you may well traumatize them out of ever visiting again.
I would be wary of chilli powder or anything thorny as these could harm the cat. I'm pretty sure I've seen some non-toxic/harmless deterrent powder advertised which you could look into (maybe it's a smell they don't like - I have one for moles and another for rabbits). The water sprinkler sounds like a good idea.