Will anything keep this cat from wallowing where it’s not wanted?

DEAR JOAN: The neighborhood cat is destroying my iris plants by lying on them at night after climbing my fence. Any suggestions?

— Sidney M., Los Gatos

DEAR SIDNEY: Controlling cats, even under the best circumstances, isn’t easy, and trying to stop the actions of a wandering cat that treats the neighborhood as its personal territory isn’t the best of circumstances.

But there are things you can try, and I’m confident one of them will have some success.

Whenever an animal...