This guy is not my cat. But he seems to have made his home in my new raised beds. Anyone have any suggestions to keep him out of there? I’ve already sprayed him with the hose a few times. But he keeps coming back.
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If you have ‘leash’ ordinances…call the animal control folk. If not, get some castor oil…or some diatomacious earth and try those.
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I’ve used the green plastic short fence you get at box stores. It rolls up. Small bamboo poles to attach it. It about 2.5-3 feet tall.
It’s not rigid enough for the cat to climb, though it’s not particularly pretty.
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Have read mothballs work??
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Where feasible pieces of cheap welded wire fence (comes in rolls at hardware stores, not the good stuff) can be laid on top of the beds. That has worked for me.
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I used to alternate spraying citrus oils, peppermint extract, and ammonia. All diluted in water of course with several drops of soap to emulsify in a pump-up sprayer. Usually the trespasser would get the message fairly quickly. Cats, racoons, squirrels, woodchucks, etc.
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So you keep them there and let the plants grow through it?
That would look better than what I’ve tried…
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Yes, I leave it in place until the plants are big enough that the cats find the area less attractive. They’re particularly attracted to freshly turned soil, seed beds, the like. They like an area where they can cover their scat, and the wire ruins it for them that way, I guess.
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I may do the same this winter. There is an outdoor cat that loves my yard…
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Do invisible fences work for cats?
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…
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Feral cats tend to die of lead poisoning around here
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But how do you get other peoples’ cats to wear them? 
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I have had a similar issue. I put rough wood mulch over the top of the bed then put rocks, bricks, and pavers over that (similar to your picture). I put plants (peppers in my raised beds) between the stone, as they can benefit from the heat released overnight. I also have some mycelium growing very strongly in the bed. I am not sure if it due to old Oyster mushroom that was near or the recent winecaps that I inoculated near the bed this year.
In another raised bed I planted opuntia/prickley pear in in too. It works too well- it keeps me away too.
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I like that idea. I’d rather not put a barrier up that makes the area look less attractive. This seems like a good solution. It would also help if I kept the area consistently planted. They seem to avoid the area if it is full of plants.
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Haha, I do have a feeling this cat is someone’s pet. But it spends way too much time in my yard. It would be fine if he would catch some gophers every once in a while.
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Paintball gun, if the cat doesn’t get the message perhaps the owner will and they’ll keep their critter indoors.
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Is that because they get shot
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@marknmt … i have new neighbor’s… about a half mile down the road from me. Their two dogs were allowed to run free… and found their way to my house…
They were doing some things… i did not agree with… and i texted them and recommended the invisible fence (really and in a nice way)… that included a pic of a nice hot steamy pile of dog poop.
He replied that they would take care of it… and I have not seen the dogs again.
Worked out nicely for me. Worth a try if you know the owner.
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Free-ranging dogs aren’t a problem here anymore, but at least when they did run free we didn’t have the whitetail problem we have now!
I have mixed feelings about the two-three neighborhood cats that like our yard. I’m sure they keep the small rodent population down, but they also prey on birds, and there is the poop-in-the-garden issue. I like it if they patrol our garage because I don’t want mice taking up residence in the car that’s in there.
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In the US alone it’s estimated cats kill over a billion birds a year…
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