Cat Repellent

[Gwyn Nicholas]

First of all I have nothing against cats except when they come into my "postage stamp" of a garden, do their ablusions and scrape up my plants. Anyway I noticed in a friends garden, that he had three large Volvic bottles half full of water laying flat in his garden. (I had to ask!)
Turns out he had been told that cats (for some unknown reason) would avoid gardens with this addition. I of course laughed, as you do, and he said that was his initial reaction but tried it anyway. Turns out it worked, so far as he could tell ie no sitings or smelly evidence. I remained sceptical but thought what the hell give it go. After a week, I can honestly say that I have not seen either of my two Local felines enter the garden. They have walked along the fence but have avoided coming in. I have no explanation as to why it appears to work and I dont really care. Give it a try, think of it as recycling your plastic water bottles. I would be interested if anyone else has a go at it whether positive or negative results, or indeed if anyone has come across or tried this before.

You will notice that I have put this on the Notice Board not as a Sound Off so comments such as "I would just shoot, poison, nuke, strangle or any other method of disposal " are not really required. TA!

[5haron]

Will deffo try that, can it be Evian bottles??

Another tip we discovered works against slugs in the garden, place a small flattish container/bowl 3 quarter filled with beer in your flower beds or borders (or wherever you have a slug problem) and just watch the buggers congegrate into it and leave your plants alone. Really works and only a bit of beer required.

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Dont know if they can read Sharon LOL. I know that the labels are cut off the Volvic bottles so that the light passes through the bottle and the water unrestricted. Perhaps that has something to do with it. The slug and beer thing is better if you bury a jar to the lip and put 1/4 full of beer they go in and dont come out!

[tom8204]

Gwyn i have heard of this before, i believe it is something to do with reflection, and that cats think that another Simba is in the vicinity, not sure if mirrors work though.

[Cherry bee]

We have been using a long range water pistol, a sonic gun, and a motion sensor AND plastic spikes from the RSPB. It is war in our back garden!!!!!!!!

[chow]

cheers Sharon, Thank's for the tip, i shall try it out.. if i have any beer left. :biglaugh:

[John Turner]

Our cat is really clever; you'd never know our cat had done his business in your garden because after he's finished, he buries it.

BTW - I never buy evian water because it reads backwards 'Naive'!!!

Thinking of starting my own bottled water business, with a brand name of 'Rekcus'

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Our cat is really clever; you'd never know our cat had done his business in your garden because after he's finished, he buries it.

John your cat is a filthy creature that will not do "what it has to do" in its own garden. It will wander as the "free spirit" (legal term) and @@@P where it likes. That is why they are shot and poisoned by some keen gardeners who have their young plants "cleverly" dug up to bury the affore mentioned @@@p. This post actually was intended to suggest a humane method (that appears to work) to members who may have tried other methods without success. (something helpful-you should try the concept some time) Who knows it might prevent your moggie from being on the end of a silent but deadly Air Rifle.

[Keith Jones 989]

Gwyn, I have two bassett hounds who absolutely LOVE cats. Never managed to eat a whole one in one go but they do LOVE them. If you have any further problems perhaps we can arrange an exchange visit?

POSTSCRIPT: My bassets' ARE humane, the cats they get pass on VERY quickly and don't squeal very much, for very long!

POSTSCRIPT TO POSTSCRIPT: Anybody who has a bunny problem should know that apart from me, obviously, the only thing they love more than CATS is BUNNY RABBITS.

[Keith Jones 989]

Sharon, try malted bread - exactly the same result but it works in the daytime - they seem not to be able to resist the so much stronger essence of the malt in the bread, as opposed to the small amount in the beer!

[John Turner]

Sorry - I don't actually have a cat at all - I was just hoping someone would come back with "DUH - all cats bury their @@@p" So's I could come back with "Not with a bloody shovel they don't!"

We did have a cat though, my wife left the animal sanctuary that she used to run with him, plus 3 Irish wolfhounds! But we have a very large garden, with fields and woods beyond and the cat had a special toilet area in the garden. He hardly ever ventured out front of the house, maybe for the odd scrap!

Cats are indeed free spirits but if the owner provides an area more attractive to them than a neighbour's garden, they'll use it, and if the garden is large enough then maybe it'll be all the 'territory' it needs as well, so won't need to go spraying areas outside of it.
Even if there is no garden at all there are still things that can be done - like don't allow the cat out until it's used the litter tray - it'll get used to it.

If there is no owner i.e. the cat is wild or a stray there are cat protection league type organisations that will relocate/neuter the feral ones or home the strays. If there is an owner, s/he is responsible.

I'll see if my wife has any tips/knows why the bottles work - what she doesn't know about cats you can fit in your garden!


(something helpful-you should try the concept some time)

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_17_206.gif

[Keith Jones 989]

John, last word second paragraph:

'scrap' or 'cr*p' or perhaps even '(s)****'?

[nasher546]

Gwyn,

Not into nuke, poison or strangle myself. However, my Jack Russell (Charlie) is just as good as the above methods of death.

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Gwyn i have heard of this before, i believe it is something to do with reflection, and that cats think that another Simba is in the vicinity, not sure if mirrors work though.

Cheers for that Tom. I think you are right! After my unfortunate over-reaction and tirade against John T (Sorry John, and i'm saying sorry because I want to and I think it is appropriate and not because I have to.) this morning, I noticed one of my regular feline "friends" sitting on the fence looking into the garden towards the general area of the bottles. Every few seconds it looked away from the bottles only to flash its head back towards them as if something had moved and caught its eye. It started to move forward as if to climb down the fence and into the garden then quickly changed its mind and moved back. It was like the hokey cokey, hilarious. It eventually decided next door was a better option and sloped off. I have not yet shared this information with my neighbours but I will...if they asks. LOL By the way I'm told by my mate to move the bottles at regular intervals so that they dont get used to seeing them as just a part of the garden. I dont know about that but it will stop your lawn being damaged.

[5haron]

Sorry - I don't actually have a cat at all - I was just hoping someone would come back with "DUH - all cats bury their @@@p" So's I could come back with "Not with a bloody shovel they don't!"

PMSL ....really :))

[John Turner]

Issa no problem Gwyn,

Things don't flow on a forum as they do in normal conversation - where that joke would have been over in a flash and I'd be dodging things thrown at me.

Anyway, just asked the wife how to keep cats out of the garden, she's not read this thread, nor have I mentioned it to her. She said "Coke bottles full of water" But she's no idea why it works, and says it doesn't always.

Then I put 'How to keep cats out of the garden' in to Google - there's pages and pages of stuff there.

One idea was for keeping your own cat out of your own garden so that it WOULD use someone else's, which is a bit off!

[Gwyn Nicholas]

I know someone who has a huge black hairy Tom that could pass for the "Beast of Bodmin" at night. It has not been neutered to keep it aggressive. @@@Ps where it likes and takes no prisoners on his turf. That is the reason he keeps a cat. I doubt if you threw the bottles at that one it would not begger off!

[Glen]

Anyone ever tried albas oil.....deters cats any size shape or form!!
PS dont laugh until youve tried it.

[John Turner]

Cat poop cookies - yum!



http://images.allrecipes.com/site/allrecipes/area/community/userphoto/small/9851.jpg

[Rog Ball 01]

We have a few around us here, and they are use the garden as a lesure area, and drinking from my ornaments. As far as the plant beds are concerned, we use moth balls, and it does work.

[5haron]

Anyone ever tried albas oil.....deters cats any size shape or form!!
PS dont laugh until youve tried it.


It's funny you say that because Pat bought this gel stuff to deter our neighbour's cats. They sleep on my garden furniture cushions when we forget to bring them in, I'm allergic so it's not fun. He rubbed it into the decking and on the furniture and it really smelled of menthol or eucapytus......and now you mention it, it smelled like diluted Albas Oil.

[ap1]

Tiger Poo...Good luck getting it Gwyn, a decent set of trainers, some new knees and a good ladder would be useful!!!

[Ianto 10]

Hi Folks,

A combination of Whippets and a .22 Air Gun pellets works wonders, my garden is cat free as a result. It's the only way folks!

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Tiger Poo...Good luck getting it Gwyn, a decent set of trainers, some new knees and a good ladder would be useful!!!

Al, new knees now that would be a dream come true!

Thanks to everyone (well nearly everyone) for your participation and indeed suggestions in this thread. I think now that the "Guns are out" and the testosterone is starting to flow, it is time for the thread to be closed before WW III starts on cats everywhere.

[Keith Jones 989]

Oh Gwyn, my bassets are not happy with your latest post. They take it to mean we won't be setting up an exchange?

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Oh Gwyn, my bassets are not happy with your latest post. They take it to mean we won't be setting up an exchange?

Ok, a bit worried now Keith. You actually discuss the Forum with your dogs and they give you an opinion? No Keith we will not be setting up an exchange but I will meet up with you (as long as there are others present) when you get a weekend pass

Seriously, I started the thread to find out if other people had come across the the subject. It has been interesting (for me at any rate) to read other peoples thoughts and ideas (which I will try) for coping with our feline visitors. I did not want to stir up trouble for cats in general. I have read a lot of horror stories on the net about cats that have been shot with air rifles and would not want to be a party to that particular method of control. (I hope that any Drayton locals who are missing a cat, read Iantos post LOL ) I suggested the thread be closed but it is not for me to make that call. If it runs,it runs.

[5haron]

I'm laughing...but I'm closing it :))