Cutworms. Scratch around the plant stem in a circle usually no more than an inch or so deep and maybe 4 to 6 inches away from the stem and you should find an ugly gray worm an inch or more long. The usual method for me is to put a cardboard "collar" around the stems of transplants such as broccoli, eggplant, etc. I use toilet paper rolls cut in half to form two collars. I push the end of the tube into the soil no more than an inch and it always works. I don't bother protecting the beans since I plant them pretty densely and if I lose a few, I would hardly notice the loss. When the stem starts to get tough, the cutworms move on. Wayne

I was told by a begonia expert when I was just starting out, many years ago, that the plant will waste energy trying to repair damaged leaves instead of growing new ones. I'm not sure that's true, but I know they can't succeed and I always take them off. If quite a few are damaged it's probably best not to take them all off at once. She also told me to leave a bit of the leaf petiole (stem) and let it dry off by itself as sometimes if you cut it too close rot can set in in the wound. Some begonias are recommended for adding to salads and such, so I guess it's not surprising your kitty thought it would make a good snack!

A dime huh? Now is that a dime round wise or flat. I have baseboards around all the rooms and inside the closets. I'll have to recheck everything again. I haven't seen the little bugger in two days now. Hopefully he went back to wherever he came from. I still have yet to find any droppings so I'm hoping that's a sign that those two, now one since the other got electricuted by my nice box, where just passing thru on their way to never come back! If moth balls would help keep them at bay what about that ammonia. I imagine that smell would be much worse. I'm glad my be is up high if it weren't you would have me scared to death! Please no more talk like that! LOL It sits a full 38 inches off the ground and the legs are large so not easy to wrap around to climb. The wood side board is a full 15 inches from the ground. Anyway did laundry today and just removed the bedskirt and won't put it back on until I've had three months of no sitings. The men that came out to rodent proof the house are exterminators. My building is in like a little community type thing with shopping etc. They have regular maintenance that clean and such and then other departments for pluming, cabinetry, painting, exterminators. I actually had to wait over the weekend because the exterminators don't work weekends. Anyway thanks for all the great advice and I will be doing another check and visiting Home Depot for some steel wool and that foam stuff. Just in case I find anything. I've seen them do it so I can take care of it myself instead of waiting for them to come out. I actually got my phobia later in life( recently actually) My job had the biggest RATS I have ever seen except in the subway. I stepped on one coming out of the office once and well it was a scene for Americas Funniest home Videos. I was running in a circle trying to get away and it was runnign in a circle I ended up running into a pole because I was looking behind me to make sure it wasn't going my way. The thing that got me was they were around the office and didn't seem to mind us seeing them. Why come out when there are so many people around. Made me think they are not scared of us. Didn't help that a coworker then told me a story how a place were he worked a big RAT was on its hind legs screeching at them. She was protecting her babies. Yup since then I've got the big time fear!

Pack rats are everywhere in rural and suburban areas. They like to build their nests under a slight shelter (under an overhanging rock, under the broad stiff leaves of a big agave, even under the slight shelter of a shrubby plant. And they do climb anything and everything, and can jump quite high (for their small size). They run up trees onto roofs, up shrubs onto windowsills, up vines onto walls. The best defense is just keeping after them. Oh, and if you find a nest, tear it apart (wearing a facemask and gloves) and discard it. If you kill the rat and leave the nest, other rates will promptly move in. One sign to watch for is nibbling on the edges of succulents during the driest season when they are seeking moisture. If it is rats, good luck with them.