Finally some sunshine! It has been very cool and rainy here in California for much too long. I got out in the garden today only to find an unspeakable crime, that despicable act of barbarism that only a cat can do.
Yes, a cat pooped on my garden bed!
It was horrific! The creature had dug a hole and then arranged dirt in a pile like some ritualistic funeral mound. There is no reason I am aware of for this most fiendish practice, and all for the burial of a stinking cat turd.
Well...I did what any right thinking American would do and got my telescopic handle spade and removed the offensive deposit. I admit it, I tossed it in my neighbor's yard. But I know it was not one of my cats who did it.
For one thing, my cats are trained. Well, I know you can not train a cat; let us say then, that they appreciate the fact that their Daddy is the owner of that most fearsome of weapons; the garden hose!
Now, it is not enough to simply spray a cat with a hose when he thinks it's time to take a dump in your tomato patch. That only delays the inevitable.You must take a page from Colin Powell's military playbook; use overwhelming force. A cat must know that you are crazy enough to actually chase him into the house with the garden hose in hand and even when he hides under the bed and considers himself safe, you will still come in there with the hose and soak him!
Cats respect this. It's the only way.
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Comments: 21
It's on its way! Thanks.
I think they allow me the illusion of control.
With cats, it is a process of mutual understanding. If, as an example, I get my hair clippers out and shave all the dingleberries from my cat's butt, he will bide his time and shred my last pack of cigarettes when I'm in the shower. That is where we are forced to find a platform of coexistence.
Cat and dog waste is pretty toxic stuff for most plants. I even keep a cat box outside for them. It's one of those flat plastic storage containers with a locking top, so I can keep it covered if it rains.
My cats still are allowed some time in the backyard and sometimes a mouse or rat is caught. My oldest cat, Bob, is a bit on the heavy side and I sometimes have to use those aloe baby wipes for his, uh, shall we say "unreachables."
I'm happy you enjoyed my little story.
I hope you don't mind if I preserve this little typo... "I use cayenne pepper or Hungarian paprika around my pants. It won't kill the cat, but they rarely come back :)"
I think Cayenne Pepper would keep me out of anyone's pants!
Take care,
Carl
It's just too dangerous to let a cat roam free, even though many around here rarely leave the neighborhood and everyone knows everyone else's cat.
I hear that the mint idea works very well, however then you have to deal with the mint which can be quite invasive. As long as the cats think of me as the "Uber Cat Daddy" I can use my tried and true methods of fear and intimidation. But gently.
We wouldn't have breath issues.
Proactive gardening. I like it !
candy and her minty peppers. YIKES! :) what a hoot.
I also use the hose on squirrels. They really need it in the spring. I just will not allow those filthy, disgusting, sweating beasts to copulate in my fruit trees. And all that chatter! I t's bad enough they do the nasty in public, but then they talk about it for weeks!
Try the hose on that dog. Or borrow some Cayenne Pepper from Candida.
Take care,
Carl