I've been waiting for MONTHS to give a really good answer to a question...I've finally found the right question!

I had a serious problem with cats for a long time. But at the same time, I had a serious problem with voles- so I NEEDED the cats, I just didn't need what the cats left behind.

I bought a 'Scarecrow', which is a motion-activated sprinkler. Just like a motion activated light, but it shoots water instead.

It's easy to set up- just put a battery into it, and connect a hose. That's about it.

When I first put it out in the garden, I would hear it activate 15 to 20 times a day as the cats tested the system. But the cats get pretty smart, and they start avoiding the area. After a few weeks, I would just use it occasionally. Now I can go months without having it in the garden and still no presents.

I have yet to meet a cat who would be willing to deal with a spray of water from a sprinkler.

I *really* *really* like this product. I bought mine from Amazon for about $60. I just did a search on Amazon for 'scarecrow sprinkler' and the price is down to $45. I've been using it for about 3 years now and everything still works fine.

I am not a shill for this product- I am just an extremely satisfied user of it. A completely effective and natural, organic, homeopathic (whatever term you want to use) solution to a common problem.

Whoops, a little follow up to my response-

The cats still take care of the voles. They just don't go into the garden. The voles actually come from a field next door to my house, and that is where I see the cats all the time now...instead of making little kitty piles of dirt in my lettuce bed.

Cats like open, loose soil. A fresh turned garden just looks like a giant litter box to them. Cover that litter box with mulch and the cats loose interest.

If you want to plant seeds, you can puts sticks into the ground or lay chicken wire over the area until the seedlings get established....then mulch.

I have several barn cats. With a chicken coop in the yard and a hayfield next door, I couldn't be without them to take care of the mice and voles.

I've had cats leave scat even in my wooden mulch. Rock mulch seems to keep them out. I hear chicken wire works too.

I once had a problem with cats in an area newly planted to buffalo grass. Except for the nights following the seeded area being watered (cats don't like muddy feet?) every night they'd move in and destroy a section to leave a "pile". The magic trick, I layed down that netting people throw over fruit trees and berry beds to keep the birds out, just layed it flat on the ground and pinned down the edges. Guess cats can't scratch when their little devil claws get stuck in the netting and they can't leave a pile uncovered. Problem solved! After the soil settled and the seed was coming up I removed the netting.

Michael

I read of a guy using and electric cattle fence set up a few inches off the ground he said it only needed to be up for a short time

I use window screen rolled out, cardboard, and sticks laid flat on the dirt. My neighbor uses indoor/outdoor carpet.

I use a plastic mesh pinned to the ground with pegs a bit like tent pages. It actually performs 3 important functions - keeps the cat from digging, reduces, but doesn't eliminate, the blackbird digging (much worse than the cat in my experience) and stops the mulch from blowing away in the wind (worse than both cats and blackbirds in Wellington).

It is a bit of a pain, but you can plant seedlings between the mesh and you don't need to pull it up while the plants are growing.

I've attached a link to a picture of my garden with the mesh down. It's ugly, but nothing else seems to stop the blackbirds (there probably are other solutions to the cat though).

Here is a link that might be useful: Picture of my garden mesh.

WOW,,Thanks for all the great ideas. I think I have enough now to definitely keep the cats out this year.
Thank you everyone !!

The Scarecrow motion-activated sprinkler and cats.

The Scarecrow motion-activated sprinkler and pigeons. [This clip is probably better since you can also hear the noise, while the other one has a rather silly Tweety Bird run-on about cats.]

I plan to get one this year myself, though I'm not sure about its best placement to keep the deer AND chipmunks out of my garden. karlkrist, is it mostly a matter of trial and error?

I have a similar problem where certain neighbors encourage feral cats to populate the area. Human and dog presence does cut down on their entry but they always just seem to adjust their routine.

One problem I have with most of the solutions is they cost. It shouldn't cost us anything. Imagine how my cat owning neighbors would complain if I trained my dog to relieve herself in the shrubs around their house.

One solution is trapping the cats and turning them over to animal control. Chances are they're not even owned and if they are the owner would have to pay a fine each time to get them out of jail.

Last year I have some success with natural barbwire. We have these thorn bushes growing in the woods. I used to attach them to the back fence to keep cats out. Although they still managed to sneak in over places that were not covered.

a lot of people don't realize this but cat feces is dangerous to humans and dogs. They eat raw meat(birds, snakes, mice etc)and because of their weak digestive tracks spread deadly bacteria. It's really a public health threat. Unlike a dog where you can see where they went a cat leaves a surprise for later.

Any costly solution to me is self defeating. My dog has a standing order to deal with the problem should an intruder be present.

One suggestion I haven't seen is to provide a sandy area for the cats. If you have cats and want to keep them from the garden, it can be as simple as getting a yard or two of sand and spreading it 6 inches deep in an area the cats can use.

DarJones

I use a Zareba electric fence charger setup with wires set at 6 & 12 inches to keep small animals out of the garden, including our cat. It's not a cattle fence charger like mentioned above. My charger delivers 1350 V whereas cattle chargers are (I believe) in the 5000 V and above range.

I purchased the complete setup (wires, insulators, fence charger) at Home Depot for about $45 about 6 to 8 years ago. I don't remember the charger model number but it looks similar to the one in the link below. It was and still is a wonderful investment.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zareba Fence Charger

We had no cat problem until recently, when the neighbors down the hill (about 1/4 mile away)decided to have a bunch of cats "to take care of the mice problem". We lost one hen to one of their "mousers" and I've encountered the cats' leavings in the garden. I use rose trimmings, nice thorny rose trimmings! There is now a barrier around the garden and between the plants, and also around the hens' outside coop.

Walmart sells motion sensors (for a driveway light) for about $10. Connect that to a sprinkler transformer, ~$20 and run the output of that to a sprinkler valve, $10, and you've got the same thing for about the same price. However, you can chain together a LOT of sprinklers and also add parallel motion sensors for $10 a pop (plus wiring). So if you need more than 1 you can build it from components for less.

If you have an existing sprinkler system, you could add a motion sensor and transformer to make it motion activated as well as using the existing timer. You could also make it activate a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man, which I can't imagine any animal getting used to seeing rise out of the garden when they approach.