So, I'm an animal lover. In fact, my whole family is. No surprise to anyone who's ever visited us, and encountered not only two perky pups and my much-loved, highly touted flop-eared rabbit, but step into my garden and it's a veritable Wild Kingdom. There are the 19 or so frogs that inhabit the pond, digging themselves into the mud at the bottom of it each winter and emerging with the daffodils in spring. And there are my beloved birds who come in droves--literally. Last week marked the first sighting of about 20 red-winged blackbirds to the mini bird sanctuary outside my kitchen window (we've planted barberry trees for food and perching, bird feeders for those who like to dangle when they dine, and a birdbath for those robins who can't resist the spa treatment). But the one animal ostentatiously absent from our yard was the cat--until now. Seems nature has seen fit to fill the void (as your grandmothers used to say: 'there's a lid for every pot,' but I will cease with the cliches because, as my husband so aptly points out, I always get them wrong!).
This oversight on our part was not intentional. In fact, at one point we had three cats, who were about as pampered as any pets could be. But as they passed on to the bigger, better beyond, other lovable critters found ways to burrow into our home and hearts. Dakota Fred changed all that. Big ole beauty that he is, all black and white and full of attitude, he struts his stuff around the yard like he owns the place (which, of course, he does. Every other creature gives him a wide berth). Our daughter gave him the unique name, which he proudly lives up to. A feral cat to the core, he earns his place in our space by feeding extensively on the brown field mice that abound, scattering the rabbits that would otherwise run rampant (check out my previous post) and tearing after even the largest gophers.
Lately a sweet gray tabby has taken up residence in the forsythia bushes. Although I believe she belongs to a neighbor around the block, she is happy to share herself with us, watching me pull weeds, take cat naps in the patio furniture or drink from our pond. She has a darling round face and large amber eyes, and having her around makes me smile.
Yet I seldom smile when I see how the cats have made use of my mulch, which appears to double as a kitty latrine. For these areas, I sprinkle cayenne pepper or powdered Chinese pepper around the perimeter of the beds. For the cats' favorite digging spot, I go all out and pour a couple ounces of white vinegar in a spray bottle and bomb the area. I'm always careful to keep this away from my plants though. As I've previously posted, I use white vinegar to kill weeds too. Vinegar is especially good because it smells so bad. If humans' 5-20 million olfactory cells can pick up the stench of the stuff, just imagine how horrible it must smell to cats, who have 60-80 million of these cells! In fact, cats have such a keen sense of smell that even scents we enjoy--like citrus--are horribly overpowering to them.
So, keep the cats coming, but lose the outside litter box by planting lots of citrus-scented plants (my favorite is 'Powis Castle' artemesia, which smells like citrus and also has camphor--a well-known deterrent). With any luck, they'll head to your neighbor's house to do their business!
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