Simple £4 product will stop foxes and cats entering your garden overnight (original) (raw)

Foxes are a common sight in built up areas, where they scavenge for food in bins and gardens. They can be a real nuisance to gardeners - but a simple and cheap solution could help

Foxes are common in the UK

They're the adorable intruders who rummage through bins, assault chicken coops and burrow holes in your cherished garden.

Despite their cuteness, foxes can be a nuisance to gardeners overnight. These nocturnal creatures will sneak around in the dark, prowling your garden, driveway or even your bins in search of kitchen scraps to feast on. While they're generally harmless, and don't carry rabies like their American counterparts, foxes can still dig holes and create a mess if they get into bins and scatter rubbish around.

For gardeners who aren't fond of local foxes wandering into their territory, it can be a constant struggle to keep them at bay reports the Express. Some attempt using high pitched 'cat scarers' which seem to lose effectiveness over time, others simply try shooing them away. But given their nocturnal hunting habits, it can be challenging to deter them.

Asda offers a cat repellent which its manufacturer claims is a natural, non toxic feline deterrent - and it may also deter foxes. The Doff STOP Cat and Dog Scatter granules are priced at £3.97 and pledge to repel and prevent cats or dogs from 'fouling' in your garden. They also assert: "Helps reduce cat scratching and dog and cat soiling of the areas. Scatter the product to mask odours in the area. This product is also a good toilet training aid for your pet.

"It is known that cats and dogs return to previously fouled areas be it them fouling the areas or other dogs and cats, with this product they can be trained not to foul in the area treated. Doff Stop scatter granules release a strong highly perfumed odour that lasts over several days, the goal is to mask odours left by previous fouling so the animals do not recognise the area.

"Cats and dogs also find this smell repulsive. This safe and handy scatter bottle has natural scatter granules containing natural plant extracts, they quickly mask the odours but also release slowly a scent that cats and dogs do not like. "Foxes operate in a similar way: they will mark territory that they like, and use the smell as a flag to return to fertile hunting grounds (like your bins). Remove the smell with the granules and you'll stop them finding their way back.

The RSPCA says other options include planting shrubs closely together, with prickly plants or small pebbles that make it difficult for foxes.