Often though, just a single product used correctly can be enough to solve the problem, but from my experience these deterrents do have to be used in the correct way for them to be anywhere near effective. The FOXWatch contains an infrared sensor that detects a fox’s movement and body heat to emit sharp bursts of ultrasonic noise until the fox leaves the protected garden or area. Following the banning of the popular, but environmentally-questionable, fox deterrent Renardine in 2005, Scoot has become an incredibly popular alternative. Whereas Renardine was banned for concerns to health and to the environment, Scoot is biodegradable and non-toxic, making it a very safe option for use in gardens. You might have a fox that enters your garden by walking along a fence or wall before jumping down onto your lawn or a flowerbed. If this is the case, you can make the route into your garden much more difficult to navigate by installing some fence spikes.

Ensure you fix the rows down with tent pegs to stop inquisitive foxes from pulling them up, as the included plastic fixing pegs are surprisingly insufficient. Places the fox has dug up previously. If digging holes has been a problem in your garden then spraying Scoot on these areas will ensure the fox smells the new scent and may also help prevent the fox digging again. Installing them is really straightforward. Just place them a little below ground level so that the spikes are facing up and then cover the strip in a thin layer of soil. To make it very clear that foxes are not welcome in your garden, it’s worth using at least two different fox deterrents. It’s important these two deterrents target different senses from one another. However, the sensors don’t appear to be infrared and only get triggered by motion, so you might get some false alarms from trees and such blowing in the wind.

Within a short space of time, the fox visits to your garden will reduce until the fox begins to completely avoid your garden, dropping it from its territory altogether. Older models of these fox deterrents used to work on just motion sensors but were often triggered by things other than animals and this led to dead batteries, so IR sensors are definitely a step up.

With the different types of products out there all vying for your money and promising to get rid of your fox problem, it’s tempting to buy them all and carry out an all-out assault on that craft critter. The undiluted Scoot powder should be kept out of reach of children and normal precautions should apply, as with any garden-related product.

Deterring foxes successfully is not an exact science, nor is it something that happens overnight – they are wild animals after all and won’t suddenly change their behaviour just because you’ve had enough of them. Of course, cats have their squabbles with neighbouring cats, which can be upsetting to owners who feel their cat is getting bullied. However, in the grand scheme of things, the battle for territory is not a life and death situation for a cat like it is with a fox.

We recommend using a product called ‘Scoot’. Used as directed, this works. Rather than get caught out, foxes just stay away.It’s a completely reasonable thing to say. Of course you don’t want to accidentally harm your cat in your attempts to keep foxes away.

I am so deeply grateful for your help. My poor cat is terrified to go out, but an angry neighbour has threatened to have the ‘orange hell beast’ shot! I would hate to see the cheeky b*stard murdered since it’s only doing what’s in its nature“Each box of Scoot contains 2 x 50g sachets of powder. Each 50g sachet diluted with 9 litres of water covers an area of 16m 2. So, it’s very important that you spray Scoot multiple times – ideally every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks. This will maintain the concentration levels of the scent and give the fox the impression that the new intruder is a serious and permanent threat. An unusual but effective way of making foxes believe humans are in the area. Conversational stations only. For example: “I’m not sure about that fox repellent. I don’t want to harm my cat trying to get rid of the fox.”