I'd agree you'll need some sort of containment to keep the cat from getting at them. Every year there are some posts about "cat destroyed my seedlings". A simple screen or even sheet plastic enclosure can work but keep in mind they can climb and jump quite high so you may need it covered on top too.

Dave

I have heard of using mouse traps. They only need snapped once. After that you don't even need to set them.

I know I have set myself up, so go easy on me.

If anyone finds anything that actually works, I'd love to hear it. My grow shelves are in my bedroom because it's the only place I can close the door and keep Satan...I mean the cat, out.

I'm lucky that my cat never did anything with my tomato seedlings but if you are able to do the wood pieces with some kind of mesh fencing or something around it I say go ahead and do it.

I can't think of the name of it off the top off the top of my head right now but there is a product that you can place them in certain areas and if the cat goes near it it will sound the horn or spray water or air at the cat I can't remember what it is exactly. But I think that product might not be so cheap so I think your idea of the wood and the some kind of a mess fencing thingy around it is a good idea.

Spray the area with something that cat wont like. chili pepper, cinnamon etc.

Sey

I found the motion detected spray thingy (it is air that it sprays) :

http://www.amazon.com/Ssscat-PDT00-13914-SSSCAT-Cat-Training/dp/B000RIA95G

"mouse traps"

A less sadistic alternative might be inflated balloons. After my cat popped one with its claws, it was afraid of balloons.

Why is the cat relegated to the basement? Might be a good time to let him/her join the family and keep your seedlings safe.

Btw, I've successfully used Ssscat to keep kitties off the kitchen counters and away from the Christmas tree.

I lost a whole tray of pepper seedlings to a newly adopted kitten a few years back. He has grown up to be absolutely crazy about eating grass and plants. I should have known.

My seedlings are locked up in my home office nowadays, but you might try getting sterilite tubs to put the seed trays in. The low profile ones are perfect for tiny seedlings because you can set the light right on the tub and it's plenty close. I suppose once they grow up a bit you can use a taller tub if necessary. Weight it down with a rock if needed. The lights should provide enough of a "top" if you're giving it full coverage.

I hope the previous poser misread what you wrote and that you don't actually have the cat living alone by itself in a basement! I assume it's just that they can get down there for the litterbox or such. Good luck!

Many cats hate the sound aluminum foil makes. If your cat is one of these, you can spread foil over some slats (or anything that will allow the foil to come up off the floor a bit so that it will make a lot of noise if the cat walks on it). If not enough space for something like this, you could figure out a way to erect a foil "fence" around the seedlings. It doesn't have to be super high--just high enough that any attempt by the cat to get over or past it will result in that tinny sound that cats seem to hate. The latter method could be a bonus if you can rig it so that the foil reflects additional light onto your seedlings. Not all cats have an aversion to foil, though.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! And yes, wildhaven is right: the cat isn't shut up in the basement, we were just thinking of putting its litter down there once it's acclimated to trotting all over the house. I'd love to just shut the grow lights off in a spare room, but due to the layout of our house all that workshop-type stuff is limited to the basement.

Judging by the first few weeks here, he's a very mellow cat who isn't curious enough to jump up on anything that's not a cozy bed or couch. So hey, maybe it's a moot point. But I'm thinking a Sterilite box or a simply constructed wooden barrier would be enough to do the job. I'll have to keep the secondary items in mind: mesh, wire, foil, hot pepper spray. Will post pics/updates next month perhaps!

I think its important to keep seedlings inaccessible to cats not only for the sake of the seedlings, but for the cats! Many plants are poisonous (I think tomato foliage is, in fact). So even if your cat doesn't seem interested, you don't want to take any chances. I have a 3-tier plant cart, and here's what I did. First, I took a clear plastic shower curtain liner and duct-taped it to cover the entire back side of my cart, top to bottom. Then, on the two sides, I duct-taped additional shower curtain liner, so that the sides are not accessible to the cats. For the front, what I did was make a kind of "curtain" of bird-netting. I attached it to the top, and then put a dowel rod at the bottom. So when I need to get in to care for the plants, I just lift the dowel rod; when its closed, I snug watering cans and the like against it so the cats can't push it up. The shower curtain liners keep things nice and humid on the cart, but having the front covered with the bird netting ensures good air circulation. So far this has worked great! Hope this helps, and good luck with your seedlings and your kitty!

I have 4 cats in this nut house I call a home. 2 were kittens when I started plants. None have ever eaten plants. Though one will push the seedling trays off to have a place to lay down in the warm bright area if I do not keep the closet closed. I have make shift catch lips so that she can not push the trays off the shelf. I also have made a nice warm high up spot in another place for them, and they seem to like that one better.

Also try a couple of flat planters with some cat nip planted in them. I have one of our cats that likes to sleep in the middle of one.