My neighbour’s cat is using my herb garden as his litter tray. What can I do?

Q: I am trying to grow a herb garden in a raised corner bed of my garden, where rhubarb is already going well every year. However, my neighbour’s cat has decided this is his litter tray and try as I might I can’t deter him and his friends from dropping in. I have used catsaway gel pellets and plastic water bottles to no avail. It is killing all my herbs and I really don’t want to grow edibles in this space currently. Any advice would be much appreciated. FD, Dublin

A: I’ve experienced similar problems in the past with our family cats, who have regarded any freshly dug or weeded ground as an invitation to use it as their own private loo. I eventually discovered, that by far the best solution, as well as the cheapest and the most nature-friendly, is to place a loose, light nest of fine, spiky twigs and slim branches over the bed until the plants are well-established. If you can find thorny ones, all the better.

Alternatively, some gently crumpled-up sections of chicken wire placed over the ground will do a similar job. This barricade instantly discourages most cats, while still allowing light and water to reach the plants. Once they can no longer easily access the area, your unwelcome visitors will almost certainly soon lose interest and go elsewhere. After a few months, you can then try removing the stick/wire altogether, especially as your herbs will at that stage have grown to the point where they’ve covered the bare soil, that was so inviting to the cats to begin with.

But first put on a pair of rubber gloves and then carefully remove, bag and bin any cat excrement that may be shallowly buried in the ground. Obviously, this is a potential health hazard, especially in an area where you’re growing edibles, while