Always finding your neighbour’s cats in your garden?
Even though we all love animals, we are not always fans of other people’s cats doing their business in our gardens. Luckily, there is a handy, and animal-friendly, trick for this!
Cats are wonderful and cute animals, of course, but they’re a bit less cute when they pee, poo and dig all over our garden. This can cause a lot of trouble for you and your garden, so you might be looking for some tips to help prevent this! Because we are animal lovers, we don’t like the idea of scaring off cats with chemicals or nasty methods that aren’t animal friendly. We believe keeping cats out of your garden can also be done in a natural way.
There are several ways to discourage cats from coming into your garden that are in no way harmful to the cat but do give the required result. For instance, cats don’t like certain scents, which means you can use those to keep them out.
After asking around for a bit, we found out that a lot of people have trouble with neighbourhood cats in their garden. Some people love seeing those cute animals wandering around their garden, but other people would rather chase them away immediately. Everybody has their own methods for this as well. The most common method seems to be trying to scare the cat by yelling and waving your arms. Others go outside with a glass of water to try to pour over the cat. Of course, these methods don’t have the desired result. Some people get so frustrated that they end up in the newspaper because they tried shooting at the cats! That’s not what we want, so we’ve got a few tips for you instead.
Cats don’t like the smells of vinegar and citrus peel.
So, you can keep cats out of your garden pretty easily by putting bowls of vinegar or citrus peel in various places around the garden (in particular those places the cat likes to visit). The cat will then definitely stay away from those places. Another thing cats hate is cayenne pepper. So, it may be worth scattering a generous amount of cayenne pepper in places the cats like to visit. Then again, this may cause the cat to start sneezing violently, which make us feel a bit sorry for it.
If you don’t have any of these products at home and don’t feel like going to the supermarket, you could also try using garlic, ground coffee or chili pepper. Did you know about these natural, cat-resistant tips? Share them with your friends!
Poll: Does a savoury scone require cheese on top, or folded inside?
Help settle the great kiwi debate ... cheese on top, or folded inside?
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76.3% Inside!
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23.7% On top!
Mr Minit in Chartwell: Be wary
Hi all,
Just sharing my experience. I had the battery for my car key replaced in March 2025 at Mr. Minit in Chartwell. I was given a one‑year warranty, which seemed impressive at the time.
However, the battery stopped working early Mar 26. With the warranty card, I brought the key back to have it checked and replaced. What I didn’t realise was that the battery was *not* actually replaced. He only tested it with a meter. When I asked whether he had replaced the battery, he said “yes,” but that wasn’t true. He then said he had tested the battery level and there was no need to replace it. When I asked to see the meter, it showed the battery was in the green zone which means it was ok.
I was then advised that I might need to replace the entire key unit. I asked whether he had properly troubleshot the issue to confirm it was the battery and not the key itself. His reply was that he normally doesn’t do that, but I was a “special case.” That means, the warranty card was a misrepresentation and there was no real intention of replacing the battery when it was faulty.
After he finally replaced the battery with a new one, my key worked perfectly again.
**Lesson learned:**
Make sure you take a photo of your warranty card. I feel like the warranty is mostly for show — if I had lost it, I would have been charged another $20+ for a battery. Worst still, I would have to pay more to change the key unit unnecessarily.
Make sure you witness that they replace your old battery with a new one if it's still under warranty.
Got more greens than you know what to do with? 🥦🌱🥕
Whether it’s a courgette takeover or a feijoa frenzy, don’t let those garden gems go to waste!
Our suggestion to you: Did you know you can grate and freeze excess courgettes to use in chocolate cake later? It sounds a bit dodgy, but it makes the cake incredibly moist ... and hey, it counts as a serving of veg, right? 🍫
What’s your go-to move for a bumper harvest? Drop your best "glut" recipes or preservation hacks in the comments below! 👇
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