Foxy foxy

[caddyman]

The foxes at home, probably the family that lives under the decking in jfs’s garden are getting bolder and are on the verge of crossing the boundary from ‘cute’ to ‘annoying’.

That is, I think it’s the foxes rather than the local cat population that are to blame.

I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of them for some months, but we hear them quite often at night. The back garden – particularly the part furthest from the house - has shown signs of digging, which is a rather more dogly activity than it is a cat one. The two large pots we have been trying (unsuccessfully) to grow sunflowers in have been pretty much excavated in their entirety and other, smaller pots are on their sides, with the plants still in them. On Monday, in our only and rather brief foray outside, we found a carrier bag down there that had clearly been looted from a bin and the contents strewn around the lower flower beds.

We also noted (on Sunday) that stuff had been disturbed (but not damaged) in the conservatory. The rug had been partially rolled back and items from the shelves been knocked to the floor, but not otherwise damaged. Excluding the rug, I have to admit that the displacement of items from shelves feels a rather more feline pass time, but after we had closed the outside door and locked it, I did notice the big male fox at the top of the steps on the patio looking wistfully in the direction of the conservatory door.

Anyway, we are used to the cats. They tend, when they venture in at all, to walk around, look at the place, exude dislike for the décor and leave. Ruffling carpets is not something they tend to do.

Come the summer proper, we shall have the doors open more often to keep a breeze blowing through the place. I hope that we are not going to have to get creative in keeping the foxes out.

Comments

[nortysarah.livejournal.com]

There are a bunch of things that you can plant to deter cats: geranium, pennyroyal, rue, lavender, garlic, lemon thyme, lemon verbena but nothing for foxes. Unfortunately there's not a lot you can do to deter foxes except remove their food - make sure you and your neighbours have secure bins lids. Of course, easier said than done especially in urban areas like ours.

When my parents moved to their house, they acquired a number of local cats and their poo. They planted most of the smelly stuff above and it helped. Not entirely, but there was a lot less poo! Lemon verbena is amazing to look at and smell but it can get quite overgrown very quickly, so be careful.

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

"which is a rather more dogly activity than it is a cat one". Oh I disagree and you know that I have...*issues* with my local cats. The little buggers'll dig, there are many things people claim cats don't/won't do and most of the claims are nonsense.

[littleonionz.livejournal.com]

Cats will dig flowerpots up/out to poop/pee in. Foxes wouldn't be interested in digging up a plant pot, unless there was food in it. Cats, especially feral cats, also bin raid.