Kitchen Garden Forum

Marigold wrote:
We protect our newly planted beds from cats by simply laying 2 " chicken wire over the top. The plants grow through it and cats will not use that part...Cats have to do these things...Easy to protect. When they see a new bed of course they think we have dug it for their use. One of ours started when I turned my back to fetch the netting.

I accept that I'd have to take precautions if I had my own cat but shouldn't have to make the garden a mess of chicken wire when I don't have a cat.

glallotments wrote:

Marigold wrote:
We protect our newly planted beds from cats by simply laying 2 " chicken wire over the top. The plants grow through it and cats will not use that part...Cats have to do these things...Easy to protect. When they see a new bed of course they think we have dug it for their use. One of ours started when I turned my back to fetch the netting.

I accept that I'd have to take precautions if I had my own cat but shouldn't have to make the garden a mess of chicken wire when I don't have a cat.

Hmmm. I was simply offering a solution to your pain in good heartedness. We get other cats too and I have no issues with that. And it is not in any way a mess! It is invisible once the plants grow.. Sad that you prefer to suffer, but that is freedom.

A few weeks ago my landlord's cattle got in to my garden. Cats are preferable any day to that.

And this is simply what cats do. God bless them all

Marigold wrote:
And this is simply what cats do. God bless them all

You could say that magpies are only doing what magpies do too

Please - I've biting my tongue for days now and it is getting sore. Go back to talking about magpies before I give in to temptation and post something that will make me hugely unpopular with cat owners everywhere ...

Tony Hague wrote:Please - I've biting my tongue for days now and it is getting sore. Go back to talking about magpies before I give in to temptation and post something that will make me hugely unpopular with cat owners everywhere ...

Suck something sweet then!!

Nothing you could say would be anything new, believe me. After boards ie....

Just is that it seems sad to get so upset re a garden. ie re cats.

In the scale of things, I mean.

Which is why I suggested a simple remedy, which I use here because I want the garden to grow.

As for magpies; I dislike their noise and their ways. And thus deter them, helped by my cats and by the crows who live here and who are better company. My choice simply. NB I was caring for feral cats once and a magpie took and killed a kitten.

We all have our choices and our experiences.

So I repel and discourage them very successfully.

One survey decided that magpies are more numerous in some areas than in others. Typical compromise.

Interesting that magpies have such a strong connection with old folklore too..

Parsons Jack wrote:

Marigold wrote:
And this is simply what cats do. God bless them all

You could say that magpies are only doing what magpies do too

Of course; but as I protect my plants from cats.. so I deter magpies. Leave them to all of you to enjoy!

Just is that it seems sad to get so upset re a garden. ie re cats.
Which is why I suggested a simple remedy, which I use here because I want the garden to grow.

We all have our choices and our experiences.

Sorry Tony and Marigold for harping on about this but I just wanted to respond.

I'm not getting so upset but do get annoyed when plants that have cost me a lot of money are destroyed by cats sitting on them or urinating at root level. Also it isn't pleasant to pick up cat mess by accident when gardening especially where children are concerned with the risk of toxocariasis or come across piles of cat sick. If my pet was to blame I would accept it but the problem is other people's pets. I do know of cats that are more like a house pet and don't roam across other people's gardens so it isn't necessarily what cats have to do. In a farm situation it's different and cats roaming freely are an asset.

The suggestion you made isn't a remedy as I would end up with an ornamental garden covered in chicken wire. Some plants just never grow tall enough to cover wire. Fortunately I don't grow edibles in my garden!

As for choices - I can't choose not to have cats in my garden can I? I just wonder if such tolerance would be called for if instead of cats spoiling gardens it was dogs that were allowed to roam across neighbours plants. At least where dogs are concerned decent fencing would solve such a problem but you can't fence against cats can you?

As for the magpies v cats - although we may not like it - magpies take other creatures in order to survive but cats are subsidised predators. They are usually well fed and do not need to kill to survive so the balance is tipped in their favour.

glallotments wrote:

Just is that it seems sad to get so upset re a garden. ie re cats.
Which is why I suggested a simple remedy, which I use here because I want the garden to grow.

We all have our choices and our experiences.

Sorry Tony and Marigold for harping on about this but I just wanted to respond.

I'm not getting so upset but do get annoyed when plants that have cost me a lot of money are destroyed by cats sitting on them or urinating at root level. Also it isn't pleasant to pick up cat mess by accident when gardening especially where children are concerned with the risk of toxocariasis or come across piles of cat sick. If my pet was to blame I would accept it but the problem is other people's pets. I do know of cats that are more like a house pet and don't roam across other people's gardens so it isn't necessarily what cats have to do. In a farm situation it's different and cats roaming freely are an asset.

The suggestion you made isn't a remedy as I would end up with an ornamental garden covered in chicken wire. Some plants just never grow tall enough to cover wire. Fortunately I don't grow edibles in my garden!

As for choices - I can't choose not to have cats in my garden can I? I just wonder if such tolerance would be called for if instead of cats spoiling gardens it was dogs that were allowed to roam across neighbours plants. At least where dogs are concerned decent fencing would solve such a problem but you can't fence against cats can you?

As for the magpies v cats - although we may not like it - magpies take other creatures in order to survive but cats are subsidised predators. They are usually well fed and do not need to kill to survive so the balance is tipped in their favour.

I hear you/ However, given that cats do roam, protection is up to you.

Many cats are not well fed either.

Feral populations are great.

Up to you entirely. And you lay the chicken wire atop the soil. No height needed. It works.
Last summer, magpies stole strawberries so I made the choice to net the plants.

Just as a few years ago in a different house, when I kept and bred peafowl, I knew I either had to cage them or cage the garden. So I caged the garden. And we were all happy.

It is simply facing the reality.

Peace.

our garden is invaded by cats, I net and try to deter ..Alas
Magpies I delight in them,I know they are "naughty boys" I witnessed one stealing and hiding a blackbirds eggs .but they are being magpies and I love to watch them strutting their stuff.

One squeal from that black and white feathered criitter and wee dog goes ape..

Jack Sprat has the answer of course.

Over and out...