Now that our neighbors are up to three cats and three dogs (don’t get me started on the three kids and the non-working element in the house), and let the damn cats run the neighborhood, our flower/veg beds are subject to being used as litter boxes even more. Passing dog-walkers let their dogs pee on plants and flowers. Does pepper (or peppercorns) work as a deterrant? How about cayenne?
It may. You could try it and report back. I would check the lawn and garden supply for special made dog and cat repellents.
I have decided I am going to confront my neighbors about taking their dogs for a walk and standing there while the dogs crap in my lawn.
Anecdotal, but I’ve used cayenne pepper to keep our dog from digging in the yard.
He’d start a hole, we’d chase him off and pepper it. He’d come back to it, sniff, and go away very quickly.
He’d then start another hole, and rinse, repeat. After a few weeks of this, he got out of the habit of digging holes in the yard.
As for stray cats, you might want to check into motion activated yard sprinklers. Just cross connect them to motion activated cameras and put it all up on YouTube for our entertainment.
some cats dislike lemon smell, you might spray the beds with a lemon scent.
I spoke to him twice about his two barking mutts, but instead of training them, they just yell at them when they bark. Imagine my joy when, two days ago, his pregnant, unemployed daughter and equally pregnant-looking unemployed SIL (now with shaved head and braids!) moved in with their own Special Precious that is completely untrained and a barker. I’m thinking family tradition here. The process for getting the city involved is onerous and lengthy and I really fear this is going to become confrontational before it’s over.
But for now, I need to get the roaming cat and passing dog problem under control somehow, without expending huge amounts of cash. Dog urine on my strawberries is not a taste treat.
I’ve had limited success using blood mealagainst wild rabbits in my garden.
I have no idea if it is effective against cats and dogs.
Dogs, with their discriminating palates, would probably consider it heavenly. They eat cat shit like it’s candy, after all.
We have had good luck with lime sprinkled on the leaves to keep rabbits from eating beans as fast as they sprout.
Just to be sure, you’re referring to calcium carbonate as lime, and not squeezing the fruit over the beans, right?
Some relatives used an old electric fencer, connected to some wires run in and around their garden plot. (Hint: be sure to turn it off before the wife goes out to pick something!)
For cats, the best may be to sacrifice a small plot as their outdoor litter area. Till & rake it so the ground is nice and loose. You want this more attractive to the cats than your garden areas. Uses up a bit of land, but worthwhile if it keeps your garden areas clean.
I think an electric fence for the pee area to be the best idea. Shrivel those dogs nuts right up.
Spray the front area by the sidewalk with doe in heat rut scent or skunk scent so doggy takes the smell home.
Take the stray cats to the pound.
They’re not strays: they’re neighborhood cats that are let run free. Problem is, the people next door have three of them, so I get a concentration. I don’t think skunk scent is going to work out.
Ca(OH)2
Hadn’t thought about the juice, but many people claim citrus repels dogs. Mine steal grapefruit rinds out of the compost.
They go on your lawn they’re strays.
Blood meal works against prey animals but would *attract *carnivores.
I can verify that finely ground black pepper or cayenne (or hell, both - whatever’s cheaper at your market) is helpful against animals that sniff around a lot during their digging. Squirrels, with their highly sensitive noses, tend to avoid the stuff. But cats often don’t sniff before squatting. We care for three local ferals, and I’ve had to go with bonham’s suggestion.
Are all the beds in question fenced in? We cat-proofed our back yard so our cats can’t get out; I suppose it would work the opposite way, to prevent cats from getting in. It wasn’t too expensive - just a bunch of fine-mesh wire.
That would work on the veggie beds in back, but would kind of defeat the purpose of having nice flower beds in front. We’ve put a huge amount of work into these. I bought some bulk cayenne today and sprinkled it liberally, so hopefully dogs will take notice.