cat pee problems

one the homes that i work at has a cat problem ... the lady owns 2 cats

the garden is small and has been landscaped in a 'japanese theme' style and the garden is fairly new

intially, there was a convolvulus cneorum planted on the ground .... this did not last long as one of the cats pee'd on it on a daily basis

replaced it with another, and used cat repellent pellets around the plant ... no success.... same problem

then replaced the plant with a french lavender ... that too did not last very long

i told the lady, that if she wanted a plant in that specific spot, perhaps we should plant it in a pot, but she is not interested and states the plant should be in the ground

Is there any plant (evergreen low growing) that will survive cat pee? ...

here are a few photos of the area (the dead lavender is in the 1st photo):

 

here is a better photo of the whole garden:

 

Hello *dim*

You could try providing the cats with somewhere to pee. It looks as though there are no patches of bare soil in the garden. Could you give them a discreet corner with some nice, raked soil or sand? Or suggest that your client gives them a litter box.

 

thanks Clare ... you are correct, there is no soil as it is all covered in loose stone ... will make mention of your suggestion ... she is admant that something must be planted there, as it's a focal point from the kitchen window

I personally would place something in a pot as there are a few potplants dotted around the garden ... she said that if we do this, the cats may target one of the other plants that are planted in the ground, and would hate to see the star jasmines destroyed as they will be the main plants in the garden when they cover the trellises

I have landscaped the garden next door to this home and will be gutted if the cats target that garden aswell

:(

 

looking at the last photo that shows the kitchen, there is a white box next to the hosepipe .... that looks like a cat litter thingy, so obviously they don't use that?

was hoping for an 'acid' loving plant to do well there

 

I have this type of problem with having the 2 cats, and the most effective thing to do is put a barrier around the plant for some time, until ....
a) the cats no longer have the habit of doing it there
b) the plant is better established and can rejuvenate better after foliage squashing and the 'chemical attack'.

Think of those bird feeders that have wire mesh around to stop the squirrels ....... apply the same logic here.
I use small bamboo canes and make 'cages' around plants or areas that i want my cats to avoid - it works - it might not look pretty but for a few months ugliness it works brilliantly

I have to say though that Claralou's suggestion is the most sensible.
Cats want an area of soft ground/earth that they can dig easily, do their business and then cover up.
They are clean animals and responsible owners need to think this through.
You must provide your cat with a loo/earth area or it'll just find/make do with something/someone elses !

 

Many people in my road have now paved their gardens completely, leaving nowhere for their cats to 'go'. Unfortunately this tends to mean that they all end up in one nearby garden which has been covered in pea (no pun intended) shingle. It's most unpleasant, but you really can't blame the cats; to them, it looks like a convenient feline superloo. It's the fault of the dumb owners who don't provide their pets with any facilities.

 

Hear hear

 

Hmmm .... like I said previously, I will be gutted if they ruin the neighbour's garden as I have spent a lot of time landscaping that one .... I may have to try some of those cat repellent pellets

:(

 

Don't !
They won't work,
Nothing will !!!

The simple answer is the ones we've outlined, you can spend a lot of time, and money, on the answer, but it'll come back to what Claralou and i said, every time.

 

I see big fights coming soon ... at the moment, the neighbours don't really see eye to eye due to 'noise levels' when they have parties ... if the lady's cats are going to ruin the other garden, there will be fireworks

I'm staying out of this one, and will be buying a big bag of popcorn

 

Looking at the plant, I don`t think it`s cat damage at all. Who`s responsible for watering the garden when you are not there? In the first pic, is that a trachylospermum in the background? If a cat was spraying in the area THAT is the plant that would be marked.

 

I water during summer / spring once a week (I water the few plants that are planted in the ground... many of the plants in this garden are in pots and don't need additional watering as there is a computerised drip irrigation system to feed the potplants ...

all nozzles are working and there is a filter system to ensure there are no blockages

the lady wanted a low maintenance type garden and she has the belief that 'less is more' ... hence the few plants (I personally prefer a 'fuller garden' )

so , I doubt that it is a watering issue ... and I was very carefull with the lavender as I know they don't like to be overwatered

the lady has noted that one of her cats pee's on the plant on a daily basis, ... this is the 3rd plant in the same position, and all 3 have died ...

everytime I have replaced the plant, I have moved the planting hole a few feet away from the original (incase the cat pee contaminated the soil in the immediate surrounding) ...

the only solution that I see is that another potplant be positioned in that area, but she is adamant that it has to be planted in the ground