HELP!!! How do I keep stray cats from using my garden as their litter box? I have heard NOT to used animal waste in your gardens due to parasites, harmful bacterias etc. Also I think we have a possum "visiting" our garden on occasion as well. I have not planted anything yet because I'm very nervous about using this "contaminated" soil. What should I do to rid my soil of harmful "elements" and make it ready to plant without any risks to my vegetable plants and especially my family?

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), April 03, 2001

Answers

talk to HOOT,, hes contraption outa work,, I, personnally, trap the little buggers

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 03, 2001.

There is a garden sprinkler you can buy and put on your hose and when it senses motion it turns on.If you like i will trake down cataloge and tell you how much and adress.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), April 03, 2001.

Stan, what do I do with em once I catch em? Especially if it's a possum! Don't forget you're talkin' to a city-slicker here too. LOL

Kathy, I would love to know where I can purchase something like that. I think that just might be a clean, safe, humane deterent to them.

Thanks folks! :o)

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), April 03, 2001.

Kathy I'd love to know about the sprinkler, also. I have two adopted cats, two I'm babysitting for my daughter and two that's adopted us. My catnip and I would appreciate it. Thanks.

-- kelly miller (kellys_plants@hotmail.com), April 03, 2001.

Greenthumb,Possums look like all teeth but they are all show and no go.You just turn em loose.I run em down all the time and pick them up.I grab them by the neck at the base of the skull.They go limp and well....play possum.There was a post that will be in the archives regarding a nasty parasite they carry.I don't have horses and I can't bring myself to kill the furry little buggers.The fur is so soft and I am a sucker for that imbecilic possum grin.A suggestion would be to put an electric fence around the garden like a fido shock fence.don't buy one make it yourself.(look at one in the store and you will see how easy it is)

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), April 04, 2001.

if it eatin outa your garden,, then , it has to be good eatin itself,, possom and taters :)

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 04, 2001.

aawwww Greg - a man after my own heart...soft for critters (me too)

And Stan - you're killin' me man!! LOL Eatin' possum! Reminds me of "Granny" on the Beverly Hillbillies - LOL Unfortunately Stan, I haven't planted anything yet. I'm afraid my soil is contaminated by the waste these critters have left behind. What should I do? I want to plant NOW but I don't feel comfortable with the fact of not knowing if there is something dangerous in their "fertilizer". Please advise. Please tell me what you would do.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), April 04, 2001.

I've eaten damn near anything you might name including possums.Never ever again.There are five of them living inside an emu carcass on my place at the moment.I'm sure you understand why I've lost my appetite for them.I used to think I was hard core.........

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), April 04, 2001.

Don't worry about a few critters - even the cats. We all eat worse from the grocery store! We've had cats for as long as we've had gardens, and we're still kicking. I wouldn't dump the litter box in the garden or compost, tho.

Wish I could start planting - have to wait for the snow to melt.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), April 05, 2001.

Well here is the info on sprinkler, it turns on and off automaticly. has up to a 365 degree sensing radiase and senses motion up to 35 feet.It is offered through gardeners supply co, 1-800-427-3363 or gardeners.com.it is 84.95 [ they used to have a cheaper model but it isnt listed now].

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), April 05, 2001.

I used to take the humane approach to garden predators. Squirrels, racoons, 'possums, etc.. After ten years of spending more time working on humane gadgets than the garden, I relented and got out the old .22 rife and air rifle. Didn't have to use them after a while. Those critters are not dumb. They seem to know where it's safe and where it's not.

-- John James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), April 06, 2001.

My Neighbors male cat kept, "marking his territory" under my deck. What a stench! We solved that by sprinkling crushed red pepper. (The hot kind.) You could try that. It's totally organic. But I do use the 22 for gophers. My first year here I had one in the garden she liked it so much last summer there where 5.

-- Albert Mutascio (albertm@psouth.net), April 10, 2001.

the sprinkler on a motion detector is a good idea. along the same line a motion detector could trigger a low volume alarm. i like to hang a piece of sheet metal nearby and shoot into it with a air rifle to scares them off (crows too) and does no harm. It's also easier to hit, just point and shoot.

-- paul mccloud (vonmantik@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

Hi All, I just wanted to tell you that just last night I was lookin' through a catalog and saw a little motion dector. Actually it was an owl and whenever it detects motion, it "HOOTS" - (Ole Hoot oughta get a "hoot" outa that one - LOL). It's cheap and runs off batteries (probably won't work for long - but if it works awhile and the critters get the message maybe they won't wanna come back). I like Kathy's idea (about the sprinkler that detects motion and turns itself on) better, but I can't afford the $84.95 right now. This little owl gadget is $7.95 plus tax and shipping (and batteries of course). So what do you think? Should I give the ole owl a try? Thanks for your input.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), April 10, 2001.

It seems to me, that we are overstating the problem. One cat is not really such a big deal as far as soil-contamination. If you make raised beds, the cats will walk and doo doo in the walking paths between rows. Its a simple matter of cleaning the rows once in a while. There are cat repellants on the market such as ROPEL, that also work well on possums, dogs, and other animals. If youre really, really upset about them, and maybe want to try something sadistic, roast a large turkey... then enjoy dinner with your family. When you are finished and down to just the turkey rack, stick it outside in the pan with some LIQUID warfarin sprinkled on it. (mouse/rat poison) Wait three days. PRESTO. No more cats. Problem solved. This is not one of the normal things you discuss with your neighbors, though. There may be negative repercussions. Okay, I'm ready, and my tomato shield is up. Start throwin. Nyuk, Nyuk.

-- Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

Cats using gardens for litter boxes - it's disgusting. It annoys me most when I want to tend my garden and have to smell it. I get regular visits from strays (or others that wander the neighbourhood at night). Not only do they defecate in my garden, they have great fights, or love making sessions. Plants get broken and this is so disappointing. They also wake me up in the middle of the night.

Lee Valley catalogue offers motion detecting sprinklers for about $80 Canadian. I have not tried them but am thinking about it and would like to know if it works well enough for the price. I will try crushed red chili peppers.

-- Joanne (jfloyd@nnet.net), August 14, 2001.

Sorry, I don't have a solution for you. I just couldn't help noticing how barbaric some of your responses have been. The men always want to shoot things - animals or otherwise. I assume these are American males, as they all seem to own guns. We in other countries don't. My approach to critter problems is more sporting, where the animal is simply deterred and not killed or injured. I had a problem with squirrels last winter on a bird feeder. They're clever and agile. It took a while but I solved it in a very humane way. In my books, if you have to resort to guns and poison, you've lost the battle. And worse, you've been outsmarted by a creature with a brain a hundredth the size of yours. Good luck, and may your solution be humane, effective, and creative. Cheers from Canada! Arne

-- arne (arne_ca@hotmail.com), September 05, 2001.