Feral Felines

There are certain things that should just not be allowed. Like the constant defecating of the neighborhood stray cats in my front garden area. The nice lady across the street feeds these nasty menacing creatures and then they slink over to our side of the street to relieve their bowels. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you; don’t poop on the property that nourishes you; don’t pee on the pants that bring tasty morsels. Or something like that. Almost daily for the last couple of weeks there have been flies buzzing about a newly sodden area looking for a moistly-warm spot to lay their yucky little eggs or whatever it is that nasty green flies lay.

The front landscaping is only about a month old and is still under construction. We have planted two beds so far and the one is a lovely mounded area with daylilies and an Arborvitae and it hasn’t been touched. The other spot contains mostly pachysandra and a stickly looking tree that my husband bought from a stranger for two dollars. A portion of this section seems to be ideal for mangy kitties to bury their doo-doo. I do not enjoy removing feces from my yard, but today was the kicker. It would seem that I missed some a couple of days ago because when I went to get rid of it the area was writhing with maggots. I have never before seen a baby-fly nursery and I am very impressed with myself for finishing the task without vomiting.

I found a long list of things to try in an online forum. This afternoon I stuck bamboo skewers in the ground at intervals. Hopefully there will be enough pointiness to discourage any crouching and pooping. Next time I go to the grocery store I am going to purchase a large container of super dusty black pepper to spread atop the mulch. I may also try some of the more pleasant suggestions, like planting lavender, but if I notice any cats roaming the area with a limp and a sneeze I’ll know they were using the public toilet in my front yard.