ASK DIARMUID

Q

Can you help me stop cats leaving their mess in my garden. There are two cats next door and another next to them. They go everywhere – flowerbeds, vegetable patches and on the lawn.

It is so disheartening. We have tried everything the garden centre offers and nothing works.

A

Joyce Spurgeon

Well, this is a perennial cry for help from so many gardeners. I see that you have already tried traditional remedies – among these are motion sensors that will spray the cats with a bit of water when they enter your garden and putting down smells they don’t like, such as citrus peelings or even plants such as Coleus canina.

It’s also a good idea to try and avoid bare patches of earth which are ideal places for cats to relieve themselves, so cover them with piles of twigs.

My personal favourite is putting a plastic bottle half filled with water on the lawn – this seems to deter cats, though it’s unclear why.

I’m putting the call out now to all of our readers – anybody who has any other tried and tested method, please write in and we will share them on this page.