need advice from cat people please

[Mia001]

Hello all,
despite of my avatar and every cat cartoons pics around in my profile, i might surprise you by telling i'm not really a cat fan.
i do allow the neighbour'S cat in my backyard cauz hi seems to be a good mice hunter (don't appreciate the bird hunter hiding in him though) and he is fun to watch.
but what bugs me the most about him is, when he decide that my flower bed or the fresh garden soil i'm 'playing' in is his litter....and cat poop smell...well you know 'cat poop' ....taking it out of my playground isn't my cup of tea.
so
any good idea how to prevent that to happend.....i don't want to do any bad to him, just some trick to keep him off my playground
thank'S

[FallenPixels]

Not much you can do if you are letting him come into the garden to mouse hunt (and by letting him mouse hunt you are helping him hone his bird hunting skills too). there is something called ssscat / sasscat that makes a sound in areas you don't want him but I would just discourage him from coming in at all

[Mia001]

well to tell the truth, i wanted to not allow him at all in my backyard but DH told me
'if you don't want mice at home, let him work'....so it'S all his fault if now the cat poops are everywhere in my garden

[Natalka]

Oh, I feel sorry for you - that's one of the reasons only indoor cats are allowed in our city!

Cats don't like orange peel - but I've only experienced that with fresh, don't know how effective it would be once they dry. Citrus essential oil would work, too.

I've read about using cayenne pepper - found this idea online -
It’s two parts cayenne pepper, three parts dry mustard and five parts flour. Mix together and sprinkle on areas where you don’t want cats.

Cats don’t care much for tea leaves, so save the tea bags and sprinkle the leaves over the beds you want to keep him out of.

Other ideas -
http://www.ehow.com/how_5048716_make...s-gardens.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...573219629.html

[Nelzy]

fix your mouse problem and you won't need the cat

[TheOriginalTruffles]

You can put black garden paper down as a mulch over your soil. Kitty can't get to the dirt then. As a bonus, you won't have weeds, either.

[Mia001]

fix your mouse problem and you won't need the cat

i live in a country town with woods in the neighborhood.....i don't know if you have a name for them in english they are woods mice ( in french 'mulots')....pretty hard to get rid of them without some predators help

[Kelebek]

Apparently these plants repel cats:
lavender, Coleus canina (scardey cat plant), geranium, lemon thyme & pennyroyal.

[35angels]

We bought " the scarecrow" It worked really well.

http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=scar...2&_from=&_ipg=

[KK7]

if you spot it alot try the shaking of a can with a few penny's the noise scares them away. I have my neighbors cat who thinks it is great to sit on my chair on the front porch whenever he see's me now he runs lol

[KK7]

Also I had to do this with Simba when he was getting on my counters is give him a little squirt with a water gun(and no I am not talking about the full force ones people breath)

[abbasgirl]

Try the plants or recipes that you would sprinkle in your garden first. Scare tactics, like water guns and noise makers that depend on you being there to use them will only be partially effective. Cats are very smart. They will just wait for you to leave and then come back and do the same things when you aren't around. The "scarecrow" would work because it's a motion detector. But you might need more than one if it's in a large area and they do seem kind of expensive.

[Kalmel]

I used the ssscat cans and it solved my problem. My cats were climbing on my kitchen counter and digging up my plants so i bought 2 cans and scared the crap outta them..lol!!

[Patty Smyth]

My friend had some stray male cats peeing under her porch and she got wolf pee. You can buy it at hunting places. It keeps EVEYTHING away, cats, squirrels, skunks. You put it on a rag and place it where you want. It does not smell.

[sarajk]

Apparently these plants repel cats:
lavender, Coleus canina (scardey cat plant), geranium, lemon thyme & pennyroyal.

Don't do lavender!
We have had multuple cats love lavender.
Not sure about the rest but I know mine will sit right beside
pots with geraniums in them.