Stop Cats from Leaving Calling Cards

Question from Derrick:
There is a raised bed in my garden which smells like cat poop, but there are no cats….fenced off yard.

Answer from Pat:
Cats are undoubtedly climbing the fence at night and leaving their calling cards when you are not around. Raised beds are an invitation for this perfectly natural but unpleasant feline activity. One way to prevent cats from such annoying behavior is to cover the ground around plants with chicken wire or bird netting laid flat on top of the soil and pegged down. Another way is to save seed capsules of liquidambar trees and use and re-use them as mulch on top of the soil. Cats are repelled by them since they are prickly and hurt their paws. Cat Scat from Gardeners Supply is a plastic product you press into soil to keep off cats in a similar manner.