How to keep neighbor cat out of my veggie garden

jax mom I don't know a solution but if you don't mind a suggestion why not also start a thread in Pet Lovers? I bet you'll get great tips here & there too. Sounds like you have a great guard dog-- I love chihuahuas (:

Cats generally won't poop where they cannot scratch or dig. You can pick up some cheap chickenwire and peg it down flat to the ground between the plants.

On 6/20/2014 grandkidsrgreat said: Kachina624 I don't have any outside cats but I am still very thankful you are not my neighbor. It is not the cat's fault. He is doing what cats do. Every bit of the blame here goes directly to the owners. Please don't punish the poor, defenseless animal. It must be very frustrating for the gardener but have a heart and please don't hurt the cat.

Very nice post GKG.This is why I thought a thread in Pet Lovers would be good too (:

On 6/20/2014 kachina624 said: Roaming cats are one of my pet peeves. They do as much or more damage than dogs. Pooping in flower beds, yowling at night, walking all over cars and I had one that broke an expensive fountain trying to get a drink from it. I'd start by talking to it's owner; if that doesn't work I'd trap it (our animal control loans traps) and take it to AC.

Totally agree. We have a colony of feral cats in the neighborhood. Once they choose your yard it's nearly impossible to keep them out. They have cost me a bundle of money and work this year to repair the damage. Over the winter they completely destroyed the dirt in my flower beds. I had to shovel out about a foot depth throughout the beds and throw away the dirt. Then buy more to replace it before I could plant again. I've tried all the deterents people say keeps them out, but none of them worked. I did citrus peels, moth balls, coffee grounds, etc. The only thing that worked was to roll out chicken wire.

I would talk to the owners first. They need to know that there's a problem so they can control their pet. If that doesn't work I'd trap the cat and either take it to the owners in the trap and let them see it if they need proof, or take it to animal control. It usually costs money to get the animal back and that may be all the neighbors need.

The ten plus ferals around here have tried my patience. The dirt is just one issue. I'm in the process of replacing all my basement window screens because they sharpen their claws on them. Fix the problem before it gets worse.

If you have a smaller garden, you can put down weed-proof plastic with decorative rocks on top between the rows. My brother-in-law uses mulch in his flower beds to keep the animals from digging.

Buck-i-Nana has a great idea too.

I have also read that you can use egg shells because cats don't like to walk on anything rough.

I was watching this video from the small town gardener and he placed popsicle sticks in to keep his new kitten out of the garden bed. He claims they work.

In his youtube video for how to plant cilantro from seed, you can see him putting in the sticks with his kitten hanging around at around minute 2:07.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh5bGcYyfp4

For larger areas you might try making a portable netted hoop to fit the area. Here is a video on how to make one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWdVEmbqDQs

Wikihow also has some other good tips.

http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Cats-Out-of-a-Garden

Happy Gardening and please don't hurt the kitty.