Gardenforge, I need your help!!

OK. I'm not the most competent gardener, but I've really taken pride in the seeds that I've so far managed to grow into plants; plants that are now being systematically dug up and eaten by a fucking cat

This morning is the last straw as I've been in the garden and lost yet another Bolivian Rainbow pepper plant so I'm coming here for any tips, advice or feline killing/skinning/disposing of evidence help any of you fine people can give me.

Preferably advice that won't get me a knock from the RSPCA.

Oh, I've got some green gel type stuff that you're supposed to populate the area with to train cats and dogs to stay away, but that's not yielding any results so far. I've also been told to liberally use lion turd to scare the cats off, but I'm as yet unconvinced that the person in particular isn't on a ruse and is trying to make me look a berk asking for it in a garden center

I heard this problem on a different forum before. What they say works is line the dirt around the flower with ground red chili peppers. It will bother the cat's sensitive nose.

To Scorp and Dan:

Yeah, Bear pretty much gave the same advice, along with some other helpful tidbits, so I'll be giving them all a try today when I get a chance to get to the shop to get some bits.

You never know, chili or pepper around the plants might make the peppers a bit more spicy when they're ripened

My cat goes out to eat grass (for his digestion I suppose) but he's never eaten garden plants. I never knew cats would do this.

Do you know the owners of the cat? Send them a bill for lost produce.

Get a dog?

Orange zest works too, at least in our patch. As does anything citrus-y.

Alternative is a Supersoaker 5000 aimed from a first floor window.

My parents put orange peel out around the garden, seemed to do the job.

I'm finding this business about plants being dug up and eaten really quite interesting. My parents have had four cats over the years and mother dearest is a keen gardener, but to date the cats have left the plants alone, well at least so far as I hear anyhow. I think they have managed to instill a sense of pride in them so they go to other other peoples' gardens when taking a shit, and presumably that's where they dig up plants.

I must admit I would be against chilli powder myself as if it gets in the cat's eye it'll hurt like hell.

Umm, well, the powder kinda gets in their eyes when it flakes off of the plant......

Thanks for the advice all. I shall be giving various suggestions a run out and if anyone in the SE area catches anything on Meridian news about a man being taken to court for the slaying of beloved pets, you'll know I was alas, unsuccessful.

I tell you another problem I have with my neighbours' cat and why I wish it would stop parading in my garden -- it's killing my baby birds

I adore cats, I really do. But I could have throttled the stripey thing from next door as I saw it skulking up the path with a baby blackbird in it's gob, the poor little chick crying out to be saved. I ran to rescue it, out but the cat was faster than me and disappeared.

It really upset me, so much so I came in the house in tears. I blame my unsettled hormones

Wtf????? You have Superman's hearing now?

I've heard that babies and the very young can hear those type of sounds. Perhaps whatever it is that we lose (more sensitive hearing I guess) Dan still has.

As to the thread topic, sorry hun, if I had any useful advice you wouldn't have needed to start the thread.

I've seen dog and cats eat grass. They don't seem to be enjoying it either, but as you said, I think they do it to aid in digestion. Kinda like me...I don't like eating veggies, but I know it's good for me.

I went to a zoo last year, and I saw a tiger eating grass. That was surprising.

Motion detector machine guns.

Call animal control and tell them you think there's a rabid cat in the area and give it this animal's description.

This is England. We don't do rabies. I think if I called up the RSPCA and said that, they'd be a lot more than them turn up on my doorstep

I wonder how the Sport could spin that to include WW2 bombers and scratchy munters with their lils out

I got nothing for you then that doesn't involve killing and a shovel.

Of course, all my ideas eventually involve killing and a shovel so there you go.