Training helps... easier if your cat hates the spray bottle as mine does. They can be taught "no", just like a dog. Some are more stubborn than others though, so good luck. I make a loud "psst" noise, or clap my hands or stomp my foot as I say no firmly, the noise can help startle kitty into paying attention just like a spray bottle. I have glass shelves across most of my growing windows so plenty of space to keep plants out of reach... I also do not allow my cat on hard surfaces, like shelves and tables so that helps a great deal. It takes time, just be consistent. Eventually kitty should form the association of if I do this then that thing I dislike will happen. Dogs are easier, as praising them when you get home for not terrorizing your domicile goes a long way. One day when I have floor plants we may need a re-education session, but I often place my big ZZ plant on an end table near my couch and we havent had any trouble. I do also grow cat grass on occasion, and offer it to her next to her food dish so as to keep the message very clear that this one is ok.

Um, yeah, those cats will likely die since they will be no longer fed by somebody. I do understand how it is to have somebody's cat mess up your stuff, my own mothers cats do SO MUCH rotten and FOUL peeing on everything and using plant beds as litter boxes, I can't even have my room door open because they will pee on everything, as favorite is my computer monitor. I do love animals and really hope that somebody will feed them wherever they end up. I live at home with my mom, so, it is HER house, so, I just have to deal with it. I do feel bad for those neighbor feral cats, they will likely die if they are away from people who may feed them, cats that have been fed are used to it, and maybe most haven't got hunting skills at all. BTW, MULCH will attract kitties to pee and poo in it. My mom's have done it all the time.

Well Merryberry, I went the easy way out here and bought a galvanized steel trash can with lid for $22.00 at Home Depot. I am thinking that I can drill it full of holes on the bottom, top, and sides and then bury a foot or two into the ground. Nice tight fitting lid should keep those buggers out while the holes will let in air and moisturure (and earthworms at ground level). I am considering pushing the lid down in a concave manner so that what little rain we get in S TX will filter into the compost. One last thing- why not set it immediately adjacent to my tomato cage so that the compost will boost my tomato production? (I have seen sketches of a wire compost bin surrounded by tomato cages so that the nutrients could leach into the ground and feed the tomatoes) That may be a good idea for those of you who are fortunate enough to have the room to do it. I have already made the choice to cover most of my yard with fruit trees.

You could plant it in a hanging basket, or you could plant regular Catnip in an area away from your Catmint. It has a stronger scent than Catmint and would attract the cats first. However, Catnip is sometimes called Catmint, so you need to determine if what you have is really Catmint. Catmint will indeed have a more minty scent, whereas Catnip will have an almost skunky odor. Find some Catnip(that maybe a friend or neighbor has) or go to a nursery that has both and do a scent comparison.HTH