I don't have any aunts by blood or by marriage, but I was lucky enough to have two by love (mum's best friends). One taught me Indian lore, and took my side whenever my bros ganged up on me; the other was a French seamstress who made beautiful clothing for me, although she never quite understood that dresses with lace-trimmed flounces really weren't suitable for a tomboy who thought climbing trees far more entertaining than sitting with Maryjanes demurely crossed while drinking tea and nibbling sweetcakes. Cookies always taste better when sitting on a branch at the top of a tree. It was my grievous loss that both ladies passed on before I was through the teen years. I love Sammy's story. And it says something wonderful about your Aunt that he felt secure enough to bring his sweetie home to her. I had a male Manx cat, ChiChi, who occasionally adopted stray kittens (having been fixed, I knew they weren't his). He washed them, played with them, taught them good manners and how to hunt mice, and had astounding patience with their antics. After a couple months, he would take the youngster walkabout, frequently returning alone. I met one of his protegés a couple years after walkabout, in the home of classmate - nearly five miles from my home. ChiChi himself had appeared literally on our doorstep, and I've often wondered if there was a cattish subculture which fostered homeless kits, and taught them how to live with two-leggedities.

rebrya, the motion activated sprayer does work, but the two I have are Scarecrow by Contech. I found them very customer friendly, when a small spring broke in one of them I called the company and they cheerfully sent a replacement spring free of charge, no proof of purchase or date purchased required and my product was a couple of years old at that point. Granule repellents can be effective although with newly installed plants it may have to be replenished somewhat often (thinking irrigation here, watering which will diminish the effectiveness). Critter Ridder by Havahart, the pet friendly people ;), is one I've found helpful. I feel your pain on having to spend gardening budget to control others household pets - having done the same and resented it. We've been at this location a year and a half now and have no wandering cats or dogs at all, it's wonderful. But, I've traded those for daily deer and chipmunks so think it must always be something that will need our attention, undo our gardening efforts....

Moth balls are highly toxic to the environment and animals -- please don't use them! Here's some info: Mothballs are composed of napthalene and/or paradichlorobenzene. Both are toxic substances (chemicals) and possible human carcinogens. >>>>>By law in the US, pesticides can not be used for purposes other than stated on the label. Mothballs are a pesticide. Scattering them over the yard for repelling animals is definately not on the label. Mothballs have been implicated in several poisonings of small children who mistake them for candy. The poison stays in the soil a long time. Do a search and learn more about mothballs, and hopefully you'll look for other, non-toxic ways to repel the cats or whatever animal is digging. Personally, I suspect skunks or squirrels; as someone else mentioned, cats don't tend to dig holes and leave them that open. If its your bulbs youÂre worried about, you might want to consider what I do: when I plant bulbs, I put about half the soil back over them, then a layer of chicken wire, then the remaining soil. In a few cases I put the chicken wire right on top of the soil  not attractive, but itÂs back in areas where we donÂt normally see it close up, and it saved my daffs from the squirrels. HereÂs a longer post from another GW forum about ways to repel cats IÂve tried some of the methods and although they mostly didnÂt work for me, some people have more success. Good luck!! Cat Deterrents for your Garden: Keep in mind that each cat is different (like people), a deterrent that 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. 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) * 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. She noted that once her cat has 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 mussinicultivars (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 This list compiled by Violet_Z6, email at violetgw@care2.com for comments and suggestions regarding this list.

Hey, don't knock cats. Yes they can be PITA's, but they can also be great fun. Story in a minute, but I want to third the lava rocks. I had two small trees inside that one or two of my cats decided to use as liter boxes because they were two good to go with the others in theirs. (I have 4 cats). So we put lava rocks in the pots, and both the plants, the cats, and their humans are much happier. As for cats...true story...my uncle, who lived out in the country, hated cats. He had a stray that wouldn't go away and threatened to shoot it the next time he saw it. After coming home from church late one night with my aunt, he saw the cat sitting under the carport. He honked his horn and it wouldn't move. So he got out and looked at what the cat was staring at. It was a 3 ft long rattler. If my uncle had of gotten out of the car where he parked it normally, he would've gotten bit. Needless to say, the cat got to stay after that.