Yep, deer poop. I got a recipe for a mix that works great at keeping deer and everything else away from my plants. Take a few crushed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup veg. oil, 3 eggs and mix them in a gallon jug of water. Let it sit in the sun for a few days to rot then strain it into a sprayer. It needs to be reapplied about every 10 days. It stinks to high heaven and you can smell it for a few hours after spraying the plants but it's the only thing that's worked for me so far. Karyn

Just saw this reply...they ate some hostas, and left most everything else alone, but ate every single grouping of SS I have. And I have a lot of it, probably fifty or so groupings. They are all native, I didn't plant any of it, and doubt the previous owners of my wooded lot planted it either, since they didn't do much clearing of the natural habitat. The deer fence probably wouldn't work, since my gardens almost surround my corner lot. But I did find success with Deer Fence spray. (isn't that what it's called?)

I agree with Marlingardener about trapping the cat in a 'Havahart' humane trap. Then take it to your animal shelter. They are not cheap. Our local humane society which contracts with various surrounding cities for animal control and sheltering even has a few traps which can be rented. The daily rental cost is inexpensive but the deposit is high to ensure people return them. So, check with your local animal shelter first to see if they rent them out before buying. As for buying one, my local pet store does not carry them but the nearest feed store which is geared more to farmers and ranchers does. Here is a link that might be useful: HAVAHART Humane Animal Traps

Yes indeed, my neighborhood often has "lost little pet" signs on the phone poles and I always assume a bigger critter got them (one friend watched an owl fly away with her small dog!). I always supervise my dog when out at night, and usually she only gets to go into the pool enclosure, not the whole big yard. That's partly to keep her out of a tangle with a bigger critter and partly to keep her for rousting too many bunnies, twice she's gotten the better of a bunny and I _really_ hate having to deal with that. I guess the scat was a big coon, maybe a coyote although it didn't resemble coyote poo very much. We must have a new critter around, last night something stole a large bone that the dog had left in the ivy near the house.