A few weeks ago I described the situation here in otherwise idyllic interior Waldo County. A situation borne of one innocent cat’s bodily needs. A situation of one gardener’s frustration keeping freshly cultivated garden beds free of offensive feline material. A situation that prompted otherwise normal blood pressure levels – mine and his – to shoot off the charts!

Poor Harry. He has no clue. After all, his brain is just a bit larger than a plump cherry tomato. He means no harm. His soft, shiny black fur glistens in the sunlight. His emerald eyes glitter with unconditional love. His graceful legs propel him across my garden beds. His cute, white-mittened paws! They dig! They scratch! And other bodily parts commit highly offensive acts!

“This is a battle not of one woman against one cat, but of all gardeners against the collectively infuriating and dreadfully criminal contamination of perfectly good garden soil,” I wrote.

Seems I was right! Advice came from near and far, proving my theory that these feline acts are not minor misdemeanors, but crimes against humanity! To help conquer in The War Against Unsuspecting Fury Critters, read on!

Advice came from April in Colorado Springs: “We have 10 cats, all indoor-outdoor, who have two large outdoor sandboxes for their bathroom needs. These sandboxes are cleaned and deodorized weekly. In spite of this, they use our flower beds. When I find an area that they are frequenting for this purpose, I do the following to thwart repeat offenses: Clean the area of offensive material, mulch over the area, place chicken wire over the mulch and anchor with garden staples.

“This method is time consuming but extremely effective. It is best done in the fall/winter/early spring, before perennials begin to come up. You can always cut around the wire mesh if it is constricting a plant.”

Another reader wrote:

“I can tell you a couple of things that might help against cats. One is that cats hate two scents – citrus and mint. In the past, with less civilized felines, I have found that placing opened jars of Vick’s VapoRub around the garden to be quite good at keeping cats out. Another time, lemon juice was particularly effective.

“Another thing that works is placing cat food around. Small bowls with small amounts. Cats will not relieve themselves around their food (this is also a good method for getting cats out of places where you would rather they not stay). There is a place where our cat goes that is rather dangerous for her to stay when we are not around. Simply placing her food bowls there gets her out in a jiffy.

“Anything I have bought that purports to repel cats have resoundingly failed.”

One common household item might prove effective in pesky cats. Several readers offered this solution:

“I have heard, many years ago, that some people would use mothballs lined around their gardens to fend off critters (groundhogs, raccoons, etc. I imagine the odor of the mothballs keeps them at bay. I don’t know how true that is. I would think that any (safe) odor that offends the felines would work for a while. At least until they acclimate to the smell.”

Another reader had the same idea, adding, “If there are young children around who might think the mothballs are candy, put them in old stockings first. Mothballs also keep deer away from fruit trees. Put them in stockings and tie them on.”

Speaking of deer, last week I responded to a reader’s question with a list of garden plants that deer avoid. A Winterport reader wrote to add: “Living on the lower reaches of the Penobscot River for more than a dozen years now, we have had exceptionally good fortune with significantly reducing predation by deer of cedar, hosta, tulips, by applying human male urine after each rainfall from April to October to the ground surrounding these plants. Specifically, some Globe Cedar that were out of direct eyesight from the house had begun to look more like “Candle Cedar” until this technique was initiated!”

Finally, another vexed and perplexed gardener wrote with news that may dwarf cat and deer problems. “I must take exception to your statement in today’s column that ‘Nothing is quite as aggravating as deer damage.’

“You haven’t experienced the week we just have had – combating the marauding beavers! The damage list, to date, includes one 8-foot red oak removed from our front lawn; a second smaller red oak taken from same location; a 15-foot paper birch, newly shining in its white glory, lost from a clump of three; a 41/2-foot sand cherry planted on our fifth wedding anniversary gone; two major branches of my deciduous holly; and two small trees removed from adjacent city property. “Next door, another white birch was completely girdled around its 3-foot circumference. The gnaw marks extended over a band 15-18 inches in width. We have now enclosed 30 trees and shrubs in chicken wire and hardware cloth.

“We called the Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Department and while waiting for action, have tried leaving on yard lights, applying bottled coyote urine, and patrolling the yard.

“Our cost has reached nearly $300 in supplies, replacements, and tree-care service. Our property is within the city, with a city pond approximately one block away. The beavers’ construction site is close to two blocks away. Again, I cannot agree that ‘Nothing is quite as aggravating as deer damage.'”

Hmm … this might be a bit more of a problem than mothballs can handle. Any ideas?

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, RR1, Box 2120, Montville 04941, or e-mail them to dianagc@midcoast.com.