Uncool Cats

Q: Cats use the tilled soil in our flower beds as their litter box, which makes gardening rather unpleasant, to say the least. Commercial cat repellents are costly and have to be reapplied after each watering. What else we can do?

—G.E. Morris, Idaho Falls, Idaho

A: Roger Cook replies: How about adopting a dog? Okay, if that doesn't appeal to you, try this: Temporarily cover any loose soil with landscape fabric or hardware cloth. If the cats can't dig a little before doing their business, they just might stay away.

But the easiest thing to do is install a motion-activated water sprinkler, such as the ScareCrow, which sprays any animal that comes near. I've used them successfully to scare away deer and it should work great on cats. Just remember to shut if off before you start gardening, or you could get soaked.

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