My crazy neighbor feeds every cat, squirrel, raccoon, etc. in the neighborhood and it is annoying to all of us because they eat all the flowers. I am looking for a humane way to keep the cats (snails too) from eating my flowers.............any suggestions??? Don't want to hurt the cats just want them to stop coming on my property, going to the bathroom, then having a snack at my expense. NO talking to the neighbor, he has 'special needs'.
I have the same issues with neighbors feeding cats...Here are my secrets to get ride of them:
I have a stuffed fake cat on my front porch, I am amazed it keeps the cats away!
Cayenne pepper sprinkled around the areas (do not sprinkle on plants)
Any citrus plant peels
For snails BEER in a bowl-it works. Leave it out at night.
Um, cats don't eat flowers. They may pee/poop in your flowerbed but they they're not eating your flowers. Do you have deer? That's more likely.
I've heard sprinkling coffee grounds in the dirt around your plants deters cats, and as far as the snails I just pick them up and (gently) toss them into the ivy. I do NOT put down snail repellent because it's poisonous to pets. My dog was poisoned that way and almost died!
i've got 3 cats, and while i do occasionally have to take measures to keep them from pooping in my flower beds, i can honestly say they NEVER 'snack' on the flowers. cats are carnivores.
try sprinkling mothballs, or cayenne pepper, around the outside of the beds.
khairete
S.
We've had lots of cats, and so have our neighbors, and I've never seen one eating flowers outside. (Our inside house plants - that's different.) They do other things in flower beds, but not flower-munching. Try sprinkling cayenne pepper in the flower beds. Either it will keep the kitties away or it will give them a liking for cayenne pepper.
As for the snails, I have no idea. It's generally too dry around here for snails.
I have never had the cats bother my flowers. Jerry Baker suggests a few things you can do to keep the cats out. #1 "Fill an empty 2-liter soda pop bottle half full of water. Put a couple of long, thing strips of aluminum foil into each bottle, and add a bit of bleach, just to prevent stinky algae from growing. Set the bottles strategically around the problem area. The foil's changing reflections will scare off any feline who tries to lay claim to your turf, and your catty problems will be a thing of the past." #2 "5 TBSP of flour, 4 TBSP of powdered mustard, 3 TBSP of cayenne pepper, 2 TBSP of chili powder, 2 quarts of water. Mix these together and sprinkle the solution around the areas you want to protect. #3 1 clove garlic (crushed), 1 TBSP of cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp of liquid dish soap to 1 qt of warm water. Puree "the heck out of it" Use around where you don't want the cats.
Snails Use the wood ashes from your fireplace around your plants. Should help. Need to replace it every time it rains. You can use diatomaceous earth. Its a powder made up from ground up fossils and sharp to the slugs and snails. Place hollowed out citrus rinds or upturned clay flowerpots around where you've seen snails. Set them out in the evening. Next am pluck out any captives and put in a pail of salty water . Hope these help.
I have heard to use coffee grounds for the cats... it's also actually good for your flowers. For the snails you can put broken eggshells around your flowers and/or leave out a bowl of beer. You do have to replace the beer regularly.
There is also a commercial cat deterrent.
I found this link too... http://landscaping.about.com/od/pestcontrol/a/cat_repelle...
Good luck!
Thanks for looking for a humane way and no poisons, since snail poison i toxic to other animals too. My cats will munch on flowers and because of this I have to remember no lillies or any other toxic flowers in the house. They also love grass, granted they are all indoor cats only. No idea on suggestions other than something that may make the area not as comfortable to walk, but that doesn't always deter cats unless there is a lot of it. Good luck!
Cats don't eat your flowers. Snails probably eat the leaves, but rabbits eat the flowers. I have always had problems with wildlife, but it's the stupid rabbits who destroy my flower beds. I get bags of cut hair from a local beauty salon (yes, they'll give you a bag) and sprinkle the hair on and around the flowers. The smell of humans keeps the rabbits away.
put pine cones around your plants/in your flower beds. they look decrotive and will keep the cats out. You can also use rocks.
