Thx GG

Figuered just as much. Not sure how fast or large these compact species grows......and or I was leaning on just double a secondary transplant when it got too close to the wall. Doing it ~right~ the 1st time around would just require a full shift of things and or another shrub than the Let's Dance. Figured the prickly canes are not welcome feature to those pesky felines.

Chicken wire set on the mulch surface works well to discourage cats, and you could roll it up and store it when you plant your annuals. Or plant a groundcover such as Veronica 'Georgia Blue' which in my garden is happy in sun or shade and will run around but not over other plants with which it shares space.

I've tried laying 2' x 5' chickenwire. Some pinecones. Some rocks....They just skirt around it and just do the business where there is a free spot. Almost every day now, I'm looking for evidence of disturbed mulch. Kinda gross ya know ;-(

I have used a combination of crumpled chicken wire and orange peelings - the cats hate the poky wire (which is almost invisible against the mulch) and dislike the scent of the oranges (which lasts for a decently long time). But since a recent encounter with a coyote, my old tom is now an indoor kitty and no longer bothers my planting beds.

The problem with bare spots is easily remedied :-)) Just add more plants!!

When it’s bare and barren, I can see how how mulch can be interpreted as kitty litter ....On day 1 of when I noticed this was a new pooping spot, I took a bunch of branches , made a bunch of x’s in the area, even took 2 lemons , spread the rinds out and for good measure , put the cut lemon halves out as well. They just came back as to their new -toilet- spot- the same night

I planted rosemary and lavender at my last house to repel the cats, as I had read that would work. While they no longer dug up and used those areas, because there were plants there, they napped under the plants all the time. Good luck!

LOL cooper. I was about to ask NHBabs does the groundcover really work. While it's barren and free, I do enjoy the annuals. It's the only item that's not a fixed item in the yards, so I can experiment with things seasonally ya know. Sorta gives me a way of switching things up.

IME having plants in a spot means that cats don't try to dig there, but I don't live in an area that has really high numbers of loose or feral cats. Perhaps after the holidays are over, you could cut branches from Christmas trees left by the curb and spread them anywhere there is bare soil.

Another possible option - we also had a gizmo that was motion activated and battery operated that gave off an ultra sonic pitch that we set in places like the stove top where we didn't want our cat. Ours worked really well, and the cat soon habituated to not going in those places. Although ours was not weatherproof, when I just did a web search (ultrasonic cat repellent), I see they now make outdoor ones. This might make them find someone else's yard more appealing and get out of the habit of visiting yours. You could also try one of the sprays designed to discourage cats. It is an unpleasant aspect of having bare garden soil or mulch!

Re. your gizmos. reminds me of my friend who put mousetraps ! all over his place to tame his little kitten. Esmerald has gotten a lot tamer now that she's no longer a kitten.

Lo and behold, this morning when I stepped outside to dump out our morning espresso grounds, there was one I interrupted in mid-business.....and I spied another spot of disturbed much with bizness in it probably.

Anyone got a coyote I can borrow for a couple of weeks ;-0

Can't win'em all I suppose.

I wouldn't use mouse traps for cats (ouch!); the ultrasonic gizmos provide an unpleasant atmosphere rather than pain. Rather like me and heavy metal music. ;>)

I actually recall the 1st time I was at their place and said, you got one helluva mouse problem. Then it was clarified it was their way on training the little one . Ouch indeed

What kind of mulch is it? Maybe if you use something different they won't see it as a suitable setting for their squatting.

Good point, Embo. I wonder if one of the types that knits together would work better. IME both 'Gorilla Hair' or chipped utility line trimmings (if they are clean of disease and problem plants like J. Knotweed) work well to knit together.

All I use these days is bark mulch. The primary reason why is, is that it's the only product I know that at least to a certain degree won't have arsenic wood, etc. I've got 3 toddlers and they run around and touch everything . I'm trying to keep things as clean free as I can.

Bark mulch come see in various textures. Neither of the two I cited should have anything extra. Gorilla Hair is a description of the texture of the shredded bark.

The BM I use tri ground. Never have use GJ but I presume it's even more finer ?

Passing rain shower followed by sub-freezing temps. Touched the mulch on the way out today. It's like a hard brittle candy interlocked with frozen moisture from the rain. Maybe it will stay this way until spring, and then I'll be asking ya'll about groundcover deterrents again. One can only wish