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Hi,

Can anyone help? I have recentley built a polytunnel and the neighbours cat has decided it's a great place to climb and hang out. There are already loads of little holes in it and it's only a month old.

I'm starting to have dark thoughts!

I had seen some pest control device that emits a high pitch noise and scares them away. Would be interested to hear if anyone knows of a good deterrent?

cheers

We tried one of those sonic thingies and it only worked on one poor cat while all the others didn't react at all . I think the hosepipe idea from SusieGee is the best 'cos that does work, we've tried it .

We bought a 99p water pistol from the local Spar in a fetching shade of dayglo orange. After a couple of squirts our kitten, Siouxsie, stopped climbing the polytunnel.

It is a bit like a sieve now though!

Problem is I'm not usually here when the crime is commited. I get told by my father in law. His idea is for it 'disappear'! Problem is it's a really nice cat - and as a dog lover I don't often say that!

If I see it I will hosepipe the little bugger though.

I had a idea of using chili oil but not too sure how long that would stay applied to the tunnel or how effective it would be.

Thanks for the replies...

See if you can find some rabbit/chicken/pig netting lying around,and leave it lying LENGTHWAYS (ie. not upright) along the base of the tunnel.(cut lengths about 3ft long then imagine they're a swiss rolls an lay them end to end down the sides of the tunnel) You may have to secure them to the ground,but the cat ,all the ones I've had anyhow, don't like to climb on something that moves when they try to balance on it.

We had the same problem with squirels when the polytunnel was new, their claws ripped it to shreds as they seem to love sliding down it with their claws dug in. Fortunately they seem to have got over it now.

With our cats, smearing tiger-balm or Deep Heat around the rims of stuff did the trick: the smell really lingers and they don't like it and will find something else to climb on instead. Dh is threatening to rig up sprinkler to a movement sensor to dissuade cats when we really get going. We had a noise making thingy at our old house in Jersey and it was at its most useful at scaring cats when you threw it at them cos it made no difference just sitting there with them weeing on it!

Hmmm....

Thanks for the replies - some good ideas. I dont think i can do the chicken wire alll the way around as its far too big. It does have a favourite bit to climb so I might put that there.

I think I'll try outting tiger balm on it. That'd keep me away.

Saw the cat this moring hanging around near the tunnel. It knows we don't get on anymore and legged it before I got the hose near enough.

Next time...

Thanks again for the response....

I'd be worried about using a hose pipe if the cat's already on top of the polytunnel. If the cat starts to slip it might put it's claws out to try to get a grip, resulting in big rips. (When I had kittens they used to like to jump up on my back whenever I bent over. I had a choice - stay in that position until someone came to rescue me, or suffer the consequences. I stayed there.)

My wife has just found this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toolbank-STV610 ... 174&sr=1-2

at that price I might give it a go along with the other methods. It's just for cats and is pretty cheap. At least it doesn't need a power cable.

A neighbour of ours had something like that. It didn't seem o bother the cats much - bothered us tho! I'd go with a good squirt of water or something smelly that the cats don't like - tiger balm or orange oil are good. They learn quickly.

Cool will try that. Do you think deep heat will help in the same way that Tiger balm does. Might be a bit cheaper.

There's no way this could effect the poly at all?