A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Having trouble with stray cats

I'm having trouble with stray cats using my concrete flower boxes on my front porch as litter boxes. This is especially severe in the winter when I have no plants in them, but today I have them full of flowers and I caught a cat trying to dig around the plants. Last year I spent lots of money planting flowers in them and the cats still would urinate on them and kill the plants. What can I do to keep the cats away? I've been told of alternative measures of how to kill the cats and I don't want to resort to that measure..........YET!

If i didn't have the guts to shoot a cat, the next thing i would do would be to trap it alive. Some animal control agencies will loan live traps out to u for a short time or u might be able to buy them at a feed and seed store ($50 to $75). I bought mine at a feed and seed store. I get many stray cats. I have trapped many and shot a few. Most of the time they are so hungry, u can entice them to your trap with a dab of tuna. THERE IS ONE BIG PROBLEM...when using a trap, u might end up trapping another kind of animal!I have trapped not only cats,but raccoons,possums,and even a small dog (that's a story in itself!)!!! If u live in an area where there are a lot of skunks, u better watch it!!!

I suppose if u are just wanting to stop them from pissing in your flower boxes, u probably can buy some kind of bad smelling concoction that will discourage them.

Gardendreamer03@aol.com

[ May 05, 2003: Message edited by: floweraddict ]

Cats don't like things that poke their feet.
I have seen where you can purchase something that you can put in the box and it pokes up through the dirt and when they get in there and try to dig and or cover their feet get poked by this thing (Doesn't hurt them, they just don't like it) but I'm a stay at home mom with not an extra dollar to spare so sometime if you or a friend are pruning long canes from your rose bushes put a long stem in there for a bit... and they'll find a new place in a hurry. I have a shed in my yard animals like to use as a home, thoroughfare, etc. and I throw mine just under it where they've run a track through and it's been empty now for a while..... Who wants to hurt their paws when they can't see the stuff...
Hope this helps!!!
Weezie

I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression that i'm completely "heartless". I do own 2 cats myself! I did see my cat digging in the dahlia garden , but they (the dahlias :-)) seem to be doing just fine.
If i had a choice of shooting an animal or trapping , i prefer to trap it. Animal Control will come out and pick it up and the person who owns the cat or dog will have to pay the $35 fine if they want their pet back... hehehehehehe I know, i'm bad!
Gardendreamer03@aol.com

I have had excellent results using lemon peels. I chop them up, and throw them all around where I don't want cats/racoons/skunks. Haven't had a problem since. Hope this helps you, and you don't wind up with bad karma for killing a cat!

Check this out: http://www.victorsales.com/nuisance_animal/control_cats.htm

Came across it by accident.
Gardendreamer03@aol.com

K grant,
To keep my cat out my flower beds i just drop a few moth balls in the flower beds they hate the smell..It works for me..Good luck...

Bad Bob (well you expected that, didn't you
I have found that a long distance, noisy squirt gun -or water cannon- will really make them think 2ce about coming back. Harmless shooting should make you feel better too

Champagne, i've been called many other names before..LOL ;-)
I just wish people would be responsible pet owners. I'm tired of people just dumping their unwanted animals off. Animal Control will pick up unwanted pets at no charge ;so, i don't understand it...
Also, how about these people that walk their dogs on a leash and allow them to trample thru your flower beds and take a crap..... I'm not shy, and i will be very vocal when they do that--don't care if it offends them!
gardendreamer03@aol.com

Bob,
Im one those people that has a dog on leash.. Hes small..
But i just think if he craps in your yard hes just giving your grass some fertalizer.. lol.... But i don't let him trample gardens..Unless the little Devil gets off his leash..Then good luck catching him..
OOPS are we talking about cats are dogs..lol Got both..lol
Just had to put my 2 cents worth in ..
Bob is there any animals you like???? lol lol

I don't have a dog.....
But have walked a few dogs in my time.....
My rule for the walk,
NO MAIL BOXES OR GARDENS.......
That way when some one is getting their mail they're not walking in crap!!!
Or gardening in pee, yuck!!!!
Weezie
There's my 2 cents worth... :rolleyes:

I don't walk my dogs in other people yards ..I have a big enough yard i do try keep him there.Hes inside doggy so..I know where hes pooping most time..Thats my yard..lol But if he gets lose from the leash its hard to stop him from using others yard.. If i seen him poop in someone else yard i would make sure to clean it up..End of the doggy talk for me..lol Wasn't trying to be a smarty pants are nothing ..Not that way.. :rolleyes:

Hey, TX.... Sure i like animals... Chickens taste good deep fried...Squirrls are tasty served with gravy, and buttermilk bisquits... Rabbits too... I don't eat cats or dogs, but the foxes enjoy them...
Bet u didn't know that Lewis and Clark just loved eating dogs!That's your history lesson for today, okay?
Seriously, i like dogs, as long as someone elses has to care for them. Hate their barking and their crap... We live in a warped society.. It's ok for people to walk their dog and crap on my yard. If i "relieved" myself on your yard, u would call the police and they would lock me up!!!

I have 2 cats. They are pretty good pets. They don't bark. They stay clean. They don't stink. Just don't like it when they kill birds. One of mine jump up on a fern that had a nest in it (chasing the bird) and knocked the eggs out. They were purple finches.They had such a beautiful song. Guess they r gone for good now.
I had chickens 2 years ago, but my wife kept leaving the coop open and they very swiftly got eaten. I would like to get some more- maybe next year.
That's the "pet story" of my life!!
Gardendreamer03@aol.com

i do not have any problems with cats, my trouble is with dogs....do you have any solutions for dogs that will not interfere with cats, as i have one.

Gypsy,

I would either:

1)complain politely to the pet's owner

2)complain forcefully to the pet's owner!

3) catch the dog and call animal control to pick it up

4) call animal and complain

5) as a last resort- kill the dog.....
(the law in my county give me the right to do that if an animal is destroying my property) Matter of fact,the person that owns the animal my face criminal charges even after i shoot their pet)
Gardendreamer03@aol.com

Too bad more can't be done to the disrespectful owners before these problems start! We have a nasty dog that lives across the main street and he wanders around digging up the lawn and scaring me from getting my mail. Sadly, the owner is as crazy as the dog and even the cops stay away! :rolleyes:
First thing I did when we moved in was introduce myself and my outdoor cat to the neighbors on both sides. They have my # if he decides to get into mischief. Not sure what I could do about it - I guess I would but them squirt guns
I asked the horse owners to move their manure pile further from my porch .. and they did. Haven't noticed much of a difference yet though!

A house a street up from me has 4 or 5 "outdoor" cats....this is a residential neighborhood and I hate it....they pee everywhere....I don't understand why people have "outdoor" cats.....if you have a pet and it is outside it should be on a leash--ex-a dog....My belief is that unless you live in the country then your cats should be indoor pets, otherwise what is the sense in having them....My best friend lives next to the house I mentioned and she has caught them up on her new truck and has found scratches on it....She's ready to trap them and take them to animal control...I hope that she does.....

Okay everybody... If u let your pets loose, then u r taking a chance of letting your pet come into contact with oher animals or other pets that are NOT vaccinated, have diseases,flea,worms,or even rabies... U are also allowing them to infringe upon the privacy of other home owners, chitting in sand boxes,on yards and fighting with other wild animals or other pets. Cats and dogs torture and kill birds and other wildlife (some good;some bad).By letting your pet loose (without supervision) you might be endangering your pet's life!
Gardendreamer03@aol.com

Will have to give the lemon peels and moth balls a try. I live in the country and have two outdoor kitties. Soon as I started planting flowers this spring they started their own planting. So I placed rocks on the dirt not covered by flowers. Didn't fill the bed, just placed them around so there was no room for them to do any digging. Has been working for me so far. They don't have to be large rocks, anything from a couple inches around and up should do.

KGrant during the winter cover the planter with a board. Loosening up some soil somewhere else on your property away from the house may deter them from using the planter and use that instead. Maybe a motion detector with a loud dog bark would help. Like the idea of the rocks in the bed also. Catlover Karen

Not sure how it is in other states..But here in Texas you have to have license for your pets..If there caught and you have no licenses you get a mega fine..Im a owner of both animals (CAT & DOG).I found if you keep a liter box outside for your cats keep it clean..You want have as much problems of the cats digging up the flower beds..
Some people just don't have respect for others. :rolleyes: