I haven't seen a slug indoors for two days now but my doorstep looks rather a mess. Cming from the North where housewives used to scrub their steps with a donkey
stone (no I don't know what it was) I find that a bit of a no-no in terms of cleanliness. Still I'd rather have a gritty doorstep than slugs in the house.
(gosh this site is slow and lagging this morning!).

 

This thread has reminded me of the time I nearly got sacked due to my slug problem!
I used to work in a big London restaurant and did occasionally take a large ice cream tub or two filled with used coffee grounds home.
One such night after a late shift we were hit with a surprise visit from our GM who was casually checking out what went on out of hours. Unfortunately, pilfering and theft is quite common in such restaurants and I could see he was visibly disappointed as he pulled me aside and asked to inspect what I was carrying furtively out of the restaurant. I guess he was expecting to find a stack of fillet steaks in my bag but the coffee grounds took more explaining!

 

Thank you for that list of flowers Chillminx, I've saved them for next spring when I'll be making a change in my planting.
I brought some coffee grounds back from the Tea Bar this afternoon and have scattered them all round the doorframe and step (goodness knows what the postman will think - I'll tell him its to warn off evil halloween spirits) and I'll let you know what happens, with the snail problem, not the postman.
I found another of those pinky brown slugs on the hall carpet this morning

 

My cat brings in slugs from the garden in her coat!

 

I became a blood brother with a slug when I was about seven. I cut a slug in half then sliced into my hand.
I also once became a blood brother with a sheep, but that's a different story.

 

The only really successful way to deter slugs from your garden is to grow plants they don't like eating. That way they will go elsewhere and you won't have to kill anything.

Some slugs are in fact a gardeners friend, e.g one example is a big black slug about 5 inches long, that eats other slugs. Of the 25 types of slug in the UK only 5 species are plant eaters by preference. In fact many slug species are carnivores who eat up to 20 slugs a day!

The real slug enemies for the gardener are the little black and brown slugs hiding under the leaves, munching at tender shoots and going underground after tubers and roots.

Slugs provide much needed food for a number of species, e.g. birds and hedgehogs so it is best not to kill any slugs if you can avoid it.

These are plants that slugs do not like:

Scented leaves, leathery leaves, leaves with rough textures, furry leaves as in lamb's ears, lavender,
Mediterranean shrubs such as rosemary,
large begonias,
antirrhinums, rock rose, mullein, aubretia (although they like to hide under it),
basil, alliums, alyssum, fennel, foxgloves, Artemisia absinthium (wormwood),
chicory, ferns, camellias.

Slugs adore:

Delphiniums, lupins, tender green seedlings, marigold leaves,
orchid flowers, busy lizzies, pansy and primrose flowers,
daffodil flowers, hostas, tulip shoots, iris, tubers such as dahlias.

By removing many of the plants from my garden that slugs like I have over a couple of years reduced the number of slugs to very few. However this summer we have had a visiting hedgehog and no slugs for him to eat! So now I am planning to grow slug attracting plants next summer. Dahlias especially, as I know from previous experience slugs love'em.

 

Probably a tracking link then. No bother. Just wondered.

 

Had me thinking then - it's probably the Easyfundraising thing I use for the Arc

 

Hedgehogs are a good way to control slugs, but numbers have crashed.
Cutting little holes at the bottom of fences can help to remedy this.

 

@ExD the grounds don't make for an effective barrier, it's the caffeine that repels and kills them.
I have a huge slug problem in my garden but never ever get them in the several outdoor litter boxes that I use, so I think the litter itself is attracting them....I use clumping clay in mine.

 

I volunteer in a hospital coffee bar and I often take the used coffee ground home but I'm not sure how effective they are. I think the idea is that they won't crawl through the gritty grounds but if they're managing to get several yards into my hall on carpet before, admittedly, expiring they can obviously manage quite a long way in the dry.
But lets get back to the original problem - slugs in the litter tray. BTW thats a wonderful run for the cats but I can't see where the litter tray is - you say in a dog kennel - would the cats tolerate it if you moved it somewhere higherup? I know the slugs would climb but it may make life that bit more difficult to reach their goal.
Does anyone know what slugs eat (apart from my plants) is it the poo they're after?

 

I am leaning toward copper tape. What is Oki?

 

Sorry, meant Oko. cat litter http://www.bitiba.co.uk/shop/cats_accessories/cat_litter/cats_best/cats_best

 

In my run I've used copper tape which is effective but you do have to keep replacing it.

I have the basic wood pellets litter in there now and they're not attracted to it. Are you using Oki? I had a slug problem with that so switched.

I am leaning towards copper. What is Oki?

 

Caffeine guys, caffeine!

 

sprinkle it around the run like slug pellets?

 

You'll find it on Amazon, places like Wilkinsons and poundshops have it in Spring/Summer but not sure they'd have it at this time of year.

In the run I put cat food in deep dishes with slug tape round them so they can't crawl up the dishes. They're a nightmare and you have to be really careful because of lungworm.

At least it will soon be too cold for them.

 

I have this same problem but as I don't know how they're getting in I don't really know what to do about it . I get them everywhere too, mainly I see trails but I sometimes see massive gross slugs in the kitchen. they are attracted to bagheera's food bowl too and that worries me a lot.

They (the slugs) are really horrible, especially as my husband has a habit of walking around barefoot and has been known to step on them. They do love the cat's food. They are also attracted to the birdseed I put out (yes I know - two cats and feeding the birds) and gobble up any that falls to the ground from the feeding stations. I did try nematodes but they were very expensive and only effective for a couple of months, so I gave up on that idea.
The cats seem to ignore them, they are fully outdoor cats and don't have litter trays any more so I don't know iff they are attracted to the litter - could it be the smell of urine or poo they follow? (Not the best thought I ever had, seeing that they come into the house too!!!)
I'm looking for copper sticky strips as the next form of attack.

 

In my run I've used copper tape which is effective but you do have to keep replacing it.

I have the basic wood pellets litter in there now and they're not attracted to it. Are you using Oki? I had a slug problem with that so switched.

 

If you have slugs in the kitchen, then it's likely that they live and reproduce there. Somewhere will be their eggs, and they come out at night to hoover up food.
Underneath the sink is a prime spot for them to reproduce due to the moisture.

 

For slugs I use nematodes, they are a natural parasite that kills the slugs under ground. They are safe for pets (much better than slug pellets etc). They don't really work on snails as snails don't go under ground, but if you have a lot of slugs I find that these make a big difference:

https://www.nematodesdirect.co.uk/

 

Thankyou for all the suggestions, I am glad my post brought out the humour in some. I might try the beer I hope the cats don't decide to have a tipple I wonder if they would prefer bourbon.? In my old house I had big fat slugs in the kitchen. Disgusting things

 

Crushed dried out eggshells along the edge of the run. They don't like sharp surfaces. Salt will kill grass and if it rains it will also get into the run, if it is strong enough it might harm the cats.

Gravel might do the same job if you can find sharp enough gravel.

 

Place a thick line of salt round the tray. Any slug or snail crossing it will shrivel up and die. I used to get them coming in the porch from God knows where till I put down salt. I then found a few corpses, then they went elsewhere.

 

I found beer traps did trap the slugs well, but the trap was then difficult to empty and clean, so use a disposable container you can throw away.
I've been finding slugs inside my house recently (I don't how on earth they're managing to get in) and they are horrible. Usually they are dead, dried out by walking (slithering) across the hall carpet - the cats avoid them like the plague and they leave their horrid silvery trail across the floor. I may try a trap outside the door - I don't want to encourage them to come in by leaving the trap indoors.
I think it sounds like the best way of keeping the litter clear, along with the copper tape.

 

I found beer traps did trap the slugs well, but the trap was then difficult to empty and clean, so use a disposable container you can throw away.
I've been finding slugs inside my house recently (I don't how on earth they're managing to get in) and they are horrible. Usually they are dead, dried out by walking (slithering) across the hall carpet - the cats avoid them like the plague and they leave their horrid silvery trail across the floor. I may try a trap outside the door - I don't want to encourage them to come in by leaving the trap indoors.
I think it sounds like the best way of keeping the litter clear, along with the copper tape.

I have this same problem but as I don't know how they're getting in I don't really know what to do about it . I get them everywhere too, mainly I see trails but I sometimes see massive gross slugs in the kitchen. they are attracted to bagheera's food bowl too and that worries me a lot.

 

Could you maybe try a different type of litter for the outdoor run? I’m thinking some types maybe less attractive to them.

 

Try watering the perameter with a weak solution of tea or coffee ( recycling used tea bags or coffee grounds)