Cats/Flower Beds

cayenne pepper works for cat, raccoons, possums, and any other animal that might want to enjoy your flower beds. (It burns their little paws and discourages them from walking in the area) Get a big container of it (I got mine for $6.50 at Kroger) and sprinkle till your heart's content. You'll have to reapply after you water because it my wash away or soak into the ground.

Get on some rubber gloves and remove the poo. Others come along and say, wow, the cat comode. Put down a couple of bags of fresh potting soil and mulch with wood chips or bark. Then, cover the place with cayenne pepper. This will not hurt your plants. It will take a couple of times, because watering will wash some of it away. As a last resort, mouse traps work well too. These may not be strays, my neighbor's cat used to do this and he was a fat and lazy house cat. Also, have a household spray bottle filled with diluted vinegar, for those moments when you catch them in the act and put it on "stream." If you have boys, let them do it, if they are young enough to play, tell them to play like they are perched in a hunting blind. We have used this training tool with our dogs and it works like a champ. As a last resort, call your local animal control, they will trap them and haul them off. Best wishes.

I have an outdoor cat at home (we are allergic), and the best trick for keeping them out of your garden entirely is to make it uncomfortable for them to walk on. I personally stick long bamboo skewers with the pointed end up in the areas I don't want our cat in, and he stays out. I've also heard that cutting up one of those super scratchy plastic door mats and laying pieces around does the trick, too. As far as the aesthetic is concerned, just lay a thin layer of finely shredded mulch on top of it, and you'll never see it. If you're concerned about a kiddo getting into the garden, I'd go with the door mat. I've fought a long battle to get my kiddo to stay out of the beds, but if your's are used to roaming free, a bamboo skewer in the foot is no fun!

We had to set up a cat trap. I think you can get them at your local shelters, but my in-laws had one so we didn't have to go get one. It's disgusting to work in your flower beds like that!

Hi W.,
We had this exact same issue, the neighbors cats were pooping EVERYWHERE and urinating on our front door, car tires, etc. and ruined the finish on our front door and garage door. We tried moth balls and pepper spray to no avail. My 2 year old picked up a piece of cat poop and that was the last straw!

We had to call the city for help, this solution might seem cruel but it is a solution. In the city of Fort Worth, there is an ordnance that basically says that you need to keep you pets on your property or on a leash (including cats) and once they are on your property, you can take appropriate action. The city will temporarily give you a Have-A-Heart trap for the cats. You have to sign paperwork that states 1) You will check the trap daily and call if you have captured anything 2) You will not do anything mean to the cat like pull its whiskers :-)

When you have captured something, all you will need to do is call the city and they come out and get the little darling and take it to the humane society. If these people really cherished their cats they would either be inside with them or they will be smart enough to call the shelter when they are missing. Please let me know if you need additional information.

Bottom line is, we have our own animals but don't let that do this to our neighbors!

Good Luck!
E.

Cayenne Pepper. Got to the $ store and buy bottles and bottles of it.