Gransnet forums

AIBU

My poor bulbs

(30 Posts)
BlueBelle Wed 20-Mar-19 17:23:46

I m not asking for a solution as there isn’t one This has been discussed before but I just need a five minute vent about the bluddy cat that has just scratched up a load of bulbs I planted and done a great big old whatsot in the middle for the second time in two days I don’t hate cats per sey but I could cheerfully strangle this one

BlueBelle Sun 24-Mar-19 15:37:00

I haven’t got an outdoor tap NfkDumpling so wouldn’t work for me bu5 that sounds good does it Keep the local cats at bay ?
I ve reinforced all the bulb areas today so we ll see what it’s like tomorrow I ve also hung some dangly things in the tree by the wall where I ve seen this big boy come over (might put him off). Fingers crossed

NfkDumpling Sun 24-Mar-19 12:50:13

This one:

www.amazon.co.uk/Primrose-PestBye-Repeller-Activated-Deterrent/dp/B004YCUT4W?tag=gransnetforum-21

NfkDumpling Sun 24-Mar-19 12:47:00

We have a gadget which fits on the hose. It has a sensor on it and directs a quick spray of water when the beam is broken. We move it around the garden to keep the cats on their toes. It works. It also provides entertainment for the DGC on hot days!

BlueBelle Sun 24-Mar-19 12:42:21

I bought a high pitch thingy from Amazon Bikergran A few days later I took a photograph of a cat with its tail up and bum a few inches from the ‘thingy’ doing a poo I sent the ‘thingy’ and the photo back to Amazon and got my money back So NO I don’t recommend them keep your money
The bulbs are back in (4th time ) whether they will sprout or not after all this disruption I don’t know but worth a try I ve found some temporary wire stuff I had for the sweet peas to climb up and that’s over them until I can get to the shops
Chewbacca I think I ll have to try the cats cradle I remember my grandads garden used to be like that

I m ok now I ve just had a text from my friend who Dad has just died so that puts everything into perspective doesn’t it

Kalu Sun 24-Mar-19 12:00:23

Foxes are the bane of my gardening life. Two large pots of tulip bulbs dug up and half chewed. They also wander through flowerbeds, decide to have a lie down and completely flatten anything growing well on that particular spot.

I have resorted to chopped up bamboo in the flowerbeds but knowing my luck I could end up poking an eye out as I bend over to weed. They now all have rubber thingys at the tip. Doesn’t look particularly attractive but stops me wanting to shoot the bloody things?

I put grit around an area a neighbouring cat favoured and that stopped any further visits.

MamaCaz Sun 24-Mar-19 11:19:02

The pest controller told us that the high-pitched sound can deter animals briefly, but that most soon learn to ignore it, but how true that is, i don't know.

bikergran Sun 24-Mar-19 10:33:51

My cat problem that I cannot solve is..........the cat/cuprit does it on my Lawn! grrrrrrrr harder to pick up and If I don't see it when mowing! well! yuk. not found a solution for this yet, i've tried dropping tea tree oil around the are but as yet no use. I have seen those sonic things that emit a high pitched sound no ide if they work.

cornergran Sun 24-Mar-19 10:27:13

Only sympathy I’m afraid BlueBelle, we have the same issue and so far no real solution. We’ve spent a Kings ransome on liquids and powders which are supposed to work - they don’t. A neighbour suggested dried tea bags soaked in very smelly muscle rub. Haven’t tried it yet but it’s next on the list. Like you we dont hate cats, just the mess and destruction.

Chewbacca Sun 24-Mar-19 10:24:43

The best solution that I found was to get some bamboo canes and snap them into various, irregular lengths and stick them in between the plants. Get gardening string and make a "cat's cradle" network around and through the bamboo canes, zigzagging back and forth. This makes it very difficult for the cat to get anywhere near a patch of soil to squat and poo on. The sticks and string do look a bit untidy at first but, as the leaves of the plants/bulbs come through, they hide it in a short while.

Angeleyes58xx Sun 24-Mar-19 10:15:41

Put some sticks facing inwards around the bulbs this will stop them. Good luck ?

RosieLeah Sun 24-Mar-19 10:09:26

With me, it's next door's chickens....they come in to hoover up the fallen seed from the bird feeder, and trample on my plants. (I didn't know chickens could fly. They actually fly over the fence).

BlueBelle Sun 24-Mar-19 08:17:35

I could now cry
I ve done the Jeyes fluid ( Blimey that’s expensive £6 ) I ve putt a circle of little sticks around the newly planted bulbs with some sticks on top and this morning got up to find them all lying on the surface a few inches away from their homes
I ll have to go and buy some netting but I could strangle that fecking ginger bleddy moggy
Sorry but I m either going to swear or cryand at the moment it feels better to cuss

Synonymous Wed 20-Mar-19 19:10:38

We found that the batteries needed regular replacement. I can remember when we were still using the cat scarer, pre Smokie's arrival, when we saw one cat which ignored it completely. Himself was incandescent and stalked the cat which ignored him completely until he was in sight and then the poor old cat jumped out of his skin. Clearly he was stone deaf poor thing. We never saw him again so I hope he didn't die of fright!

Synonymous Wed 20-Mar-19 19:00:35

Ellanvannin it is the rabbits which have a good go at our front garden, they bomb over from the golf course. You can tell by the scats and the way they scrape the soil from the plant roots. angry

BlueBelle Wed 20-Mar-19 18:57:58

That’s the very thing I sent back I think Synonymous supposed to emit a high sound that is unpleasant to cats hearing they pooed an inch in front of it
The only thing I haven’t tried is lion poo and I really draw the line at buying poo to prevent poo

Synonymous Wed 20-Mar-19 18:52:34

We bought a battery powered cat scarer from the RSPB which proved very effective when we first moved here and the garden was the local cat toilet. Expensive but effective!

BlueBelle Wed 20-Mar-19 18:51:20

Sorry CrazyH done that, in fact that was the first thing I tried, it made no difference I even put an old mirrow lent up behind one trough not a scrap of help

I don’t get any wild animals in my town garden and I ve seen two neighbours cats both ginger one smooth, one very fluffy jump over and I ve frightened them off, but obviously they call back when I m not around

I just wish people trained their kittens on a litter tray and just moved the tray outside the back door, cats like to be clean and habitual and it would make a big difference

EllanVannin Wed 20-Mar-19 18:40:12

It's the squirrels with me. I have 3 cats a neighbour has 2 or 3 and another neighbour with 3, but there's never any problems with them as regards the gardens/plants/bulbs but the squirrels must smell the bulbs a mile off and I can tell they've been around because not only the pots or ground is disturbed but there are no bulbs ! A bit disheartening.

The cats aren't fazed by the squirrels and must watch while damage is being done.

I'm wanting to take a chance on some lily of the valley and freesia so I'll have to bring them in for a while.

crazyH Wed 20-Mar-19 18:26:18

Fill a large empty lemonade bottle (remove the label that goes round) with water, screw the top tight and lay it flat near the flower bed. Apparently the cat will see its reflection in the bottle and scamper away.

BlueBelle Wed 20-Mar-19 18:19:15

Synonymous that requires sitting by the window all day, I work, I go out, I shop so can’t rely on spraying them or else they d have had a bucket of water over them, does the apple cider vinegar hurt the bulbs and flowers if I spray it round them? I ve tried curry powder around the edges, one of those electronic sound things, sent that back with a photo of the cat pooing inches from it. I ve put prickly branches all over and round the plants and bulbs and watched the littlebuggers tip toe through the prickles
I don’t hate cat I just hate them pooing and digging in my precious little garden Everyone aroun£ me has concrete gardens mines small but my oasis

Cherrytree59 Wed 20-Mar-19 18:18:06

Last Autumn my little grandsons and I planted tete a tete daffodils and grape hyacinths. The squirrel has eaten most of the daffs but not the grape hyacinths.
Daffodils are obviously taste must be the preferred choice for squirrels daffodil

glassortwo Wed 20-Mar-19 18:09:19

Well the resident sheep have eaten all my daffs and snowdrops!

CanadianGran Wed 20-Mar-19 18:06:10

Wire mesh over the garden area works. We call it 'chicken wire'. The mesh is large enough for plants to grow through, but keeps out animals.
We have a lot of deer, and they eat the crocuses as they start to come up. My hubby made a cage over them with the mesh. It isn't very visible from a short distance.

travelsafar Wed 20-Mar-19 18:05:36

Oh don't get me started on cats...........

Synonymous Wed 20-Mar-19 18:01:41

You could try spraying the cats with a squirt of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar and water in equal parts. You will probably only manage to do that if they are not wary of you which they could be given your frustrations. Failing that spray it on the bulbs as it will make the cats feel pretty sick and they will steer clear. The problem is the rain but I would keep spraying if they were my bulbs!
We used it to stop the cat misbehaving when he was little and only had to use it a couple of times, now we shake the spray bottle and he rapidly desists!
My problem is the beastly crows who pull out my plant labels! No idea what deters crows though although come to think of it I haven't tried that spray on them. hmm