Herb garden with cat?

[sweetandsoursauce]

Looking for suggestions please as we have lots of packets of seeds to sew and plant out but we have a cat. We can't put seedlings in a ground level bed / similar as the cat will toilet there. Being quite senior the cat can't jump very high. Does anyone have any suggestions please? Nothing plastic, needs to look nice.

Can I leave them in a cold frame?

Stick cocktail sticks in the ground around the seedlings

Don't plant cat mint.

Any twigs about 4 - 6 inches long stuck vertically in the ground quite densely across the soil will deter the cat.

Make somewhere else more appealing for your cat to go to the toilet - leave a patch of nicely raked soil.

Then put sticks all over your herb garden.

I've heard a carpet of holly leaves on the ground will deter cats.

Alternatively, plant cat mint somewhere else!

I have always had herbs and the cats have never gone for them because the ground wasn't soft or appealing. I put holly clippings over new seedlings to deter pigeons; it works well for cats.

I do feel your pain though. I moved a large shrub this weekend and all the local cats (my two, plus various intruders/passers-by) came, froze, and telegraphed horror. Then every single one of them went and dutifully wee'd on the new shrub. My two came running to me for praise, delighted they'd bravely neutralised the terrifying new thing.

I interpret this question as ground soil being out of the question for OP. Lots of half whiskey barrels on ebay for reasonable price - I think they look nice and rustic, reuse of an old item and plastic free.