My answer to the cat problem raised by Shirley Weir in Issue 272 is wire netting – I buy small 1m x 15m rolls of green plastic coated chicken wire. If you cut netting into 1m wide pieces (or whatever width you need), you can make ‘tunnels’ by bending it over to protect vegetable seeds or rows of new plants.
Block the ends with wire pins (or No 8 fencing wire or the like) or the cats can crawl through. For a special plant, cut netting into a square and shape into a ‘hat’. Place this over the plant and peg it down – you will need two pegs. When plants are big enough and well rooted, remove wire or you can leave it in place with plants like bulbs that can grow through it.
For borders edging lawns, you can also buy narrow wire mesh in rolls for keeping leaves out of roof gutters. Just roll this along the edge of the lawn and peg it down. Lovely thorny rose prunings laid on the ground are also very useful but do need to be pegged down.
I hope someone will find this approach helpful. It works for me and I think I have tried every cat repellent going all to no avail. A great magazine. Keep it coming.
Pam Reilly, Tauranga.
Congratulations Pam and thank you for your letter. You have won a pair of Fiskars PowerGearTM pruners. – Susie.
