Dirt bath solution found!

I'm happy to report that we seem to have found a solution to the cat dirt bath issue: mulch. We put mulch on all the patches of what I thought might be particularly tempting dirt. It's been almost two weeks, and so far no more dirt baths!

I had already tried to clean the cat off, after the fact, with wet paper towels and brushing. Neither worked very well. Prevention is definitely better!

We used eucalyptus mulch. Probably any chunky type mulch would do the trick. Mulch is also good for improving the soil, suppressing weeds and conserving moisture.

For more on mulching see:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/688/
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/FEATURE/backyard/mulching.html