I think this fits. If you want outdoor cats, then you'd better put up with your garden being a cat litter box. It is, after all, used as a litter box by all the other outdoor creatures there. Yes, Toxoplasmosis is often carried by feral cats, but it's also carried by the majority of farm animals, and lots of rodents and birds. How much squirrel poop do you have in your garden? Cook your meat, and wash your hands and your veggies. Just because your cats aren't using your garden as a litter box doesn't mean that your garden is sterile.

Cat Deterrents for your Garden: Keep in mind that each cat is different (like people), what works for one may not necessarily work for another. On the plus side, most cats will keep pesty squirrels, moles and other critters out of your garden. They're great for keeping out moles, rabbits, squirrels, and other critters which can do more damage in your garden than a cat ever will. Birds aren't stupid, they watch for cats and stay away. Sometimes natural law comes into play and the quicker animal wins, it's natural law. If the cats have owners, talk to them without being confrontational. The cat owner who allows his cat to damage other peoples' property is as guilty as the cat hater who kills the cat for trespassing. Remember, cats will be cats, and it is unfair of us to blame them for being what they are and how nature intended them to participate in this world. After-all, we praise them when they catch mice or rats or other creatures we deem to be 'pests'. * amonia soaked (corncobs, etc) * aluminum foil * bamboo skewers * black pepper * blood meal fertilizer * bramble cuttings * Carefresh - "recycled" wood pulp * catnip - donated into your neighbor's yards (so they'll stay in their own yards) * cedar compost * chicken wire (metal or plastic) * cinnamon * citrus peels * citrus spray * cocoa bean shells * coffee grounds -fresh & unbrewed, not just a light sprinkling (highly recommended by MANY Gardenwebbers!) * dogs * electric fence for animals * essence of orange. essence of lemon, lime (citrus essential oils) * fresh manure(ditto) * garlic cloves * gumballs from the Sweet Gum Tree * gutter covers * hardware cloth * heavy bark mulch * holly leaves * keep the area damp, they like dry soil * lavender * liquid manure (good for your garden too) * motion sensor sprinkler * pennyroyal * pinecones * pipe tobacco * plastic forks * predator urine * red wine vinegar * river rocks over the exposed soil * rocks, crushed * rose bush clippings * rue, an herb (Ruta graveolens) (highly recommended in plant form only) Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler (do a froogle.com search or www.safepetproducts.com) Shake-Away Domestic Cat Repellent Urine Powder (do a froogle.com search or www.safepetproducts.com) * short twigs throughout the planted area about 6" apart * six-inch bamboo skewers (pointy side up) * Spray on your leaves (not the cat): fill a spray bottle with 1/2 t chili powder, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1 t dish soap and water * squirt gun with water * talk to your neighbors * tansy * thorny berry, lilac, hawthorn, rose clippings * toothpicks * upside down vinyl carpet * vinegar sprayed on areas where they roam * water bottle on "stream" NOT RECOMMENDED: *** chili powder, red crushed pepper, cayenne pepper (NOT recommended), it gets on the cat's paws then they wash themselves and they get it in their eyes, beware cats have literally scratched their eyes out because of this. Even if it's one cat out of 500 infected in this way, that's one too many for me. *** Don't ever use mothballs or flakes. Those little toxic waste pellets destroy cats' kidney function, could seriously harm people who handle them, and yes, contaminate your own garden soil. Their packaging even warns against using them this way. Give them their own areas: (To keep them out of where you don't want them) (If you don't mind them protecting your garden from other critters) + Pick the cat up and bring it to eye level with the plant to see and smell it up close. Usually, once a cat seen and sniffed at the plant, she usually doesn't bother with it later. + give them their own plants - i.e., pots of grass for her to chew on and a place in a large planted container on her balcony with some miscanthus grass in it (the cat likes to curl up in that for some reason) + if the cats are strictly indoors and attracted to your houseplants, grow catgrass for them. If someone forced you to remain inside one enclosed structure all your life, you might be attracted to the plants too. + Barley Grass + Any type of "catgrass" from the pet store + Carex elata 'Bolwes Golden' but put it in some shade + Catmint Nepeta mussini cultivars (Simply put, Catmints are Catnips without any culinary or feline use. In any case, they are, however, phenomenal, long flowering, hardy perennials that belong in every fairie or flower garden.) + Catnip Nepeta cataria (in your own yard) The oils of which also work as a mosquito repellent that works 10 times better than Deet! Catmint is the common name for all varieties of Nepeta. Catnip is the common name for the specific variety of Nepeta called nepeta cataria , which is the variety that cats are most attracted to. + Cat Thyme (Teucrium marum) + Flax + Oat Grass + Jacob's Ladder + Lemon Grass + Loose soil and mulch like small bark mulch + Mints + Purple Fountain Grass so the cat lays in the long leaves all day. Maybe put something in that the cats really like and - you know cats won't winky were they like to hang out. + Sandy area + Silver vine (Actinidia polygama) + Striped Ribbon Grass (can be invasive) + Sweet grass + Trificum aestivum (type of cat grass) + Various Varieties of Cat Mints (Catnips) + Wheat Grass + Wheat Berries + Valerian As a gardener, grow your indoor cat some catgrass and catnip. They're healthy alternatives for your houseplants and they'll much prefer them. Change the litter to something they prefer. If you don't clean it out everyday, consider it. Cat's appreciate a clean, comfortable place to go just as much as humans do.

I totally agree with PJ...and Carrie. It depends on where you live. I have fits everyday (my DH heads inside when he hears me say the word "cat") because the neighborhood cats poop and dig and lie around in my flower beds, killing and flattening my plants. I always wear gloves for this specific reason - eeeww!! Also, they kill my lizards, toads and birds. I get sooooo mad!! And then there's the occasional cat that gets creamed by a car (no matter how mad I get at them, I can't stand that to happen!!). I think that's irresponsible and cruel on the owner's part. Actually, it's the owners I get angry with. I think it's inconsiderate to allow your animal to run loose in a close neighborhood. I have threatened to take my dogs (I have two very large Rotties) walking around to every neighbor with a cat running loose, and let them poop in their gardens a few times......my DH doesn't like this idea. :-) It's just so frustrating to work so hard, spend your hard-earned money, and have someone "invade your space" and destroy that time, effort and money. I've had cats too. They stayed inside (no de-clawing!!) and were very healthy happy animals. I did have them spayed/neutered which probably helped with the "urge to roam". And they were best buds with the dogs. My vet (he's awesome!) has always told me that indoor pets (especially cats) live longer lives. Anyhoo...this is one of my biggest pet peeves - no pun intended!! :-) Kat

This is for anyone who thinks less of someone for putting down a cat or dog. My grandfather was a vet. I grew up around animals -- dogs, cats, farm animals. It is never an easy decision to put a pet out of its misery. We just had our lovely black cat of 15 plus years put down today. We had him treated for a urinary tract infection and he was still peeing and pooping outside the box. He started to hide. He could not jump up on the bed as well as he used to. He was in pain, if for no other reason, arthritis in his back legs and spine. My husband is disabled and was very distraught over his special bed buddy having to be put down, but he made the ultimate decision. My husband and I could no longer clean up after our aged cat. The vet said that our "Junior" was in pain. For the one person who commented something to the effect that when one gets old (a person) I hope he gets put down, I just wish someone would do that for me. We treat our animals, our pets, many times more humanely than we do people. My grandfather would have been the first to say that Junior is hurting, his quality of life is not as good as it has been. Would you want him to continue to suffer? This is what the vet told us today. It is never easy, but as people, as the so-called image of God, we have a responsibility to animals to relieve them of suffering. Junior had bladder problems, and possible liver failure and for a 15-plus year cat, he lived a good life. Can we or should we judge those who are faced with this decision? For anyone who is facing this issue, please assess the quality of life of your pet. Does he enjoy the same things he used to do? Has his litter box or potty habits changed? Does he eat, drink, and play ( at least a little)? When you go to work and come back home, is your beloved pet in the same spot as when you left in the morning? If so, you may want a vet's impartial opinion. I only hope I have someone who will make such a decision for me when the time comes. We are all God's creatures and deserve the best that life can offer and that includes a painless and humane exit to our respective heavens. I only hope I meet all my pets when its my time to check out.