I think I may have found a solution for the cat and the lawn "Scaredy Cat":
www.suttons.co.uk
In short the plant whiffs and both cats and dogs avoid it. So I think I'll probably get a 6 plug and plant them in the garden borders, steal a few leaves and leave them around the lawn in the problem area.
Coleus canina 'Scaredy Cat'
The neat grey-green leaves and small pale blue flowers make this half-hardy perennial an attractive addition to borders and containers. At it’s most effective when grown in full sun and when fully established, Coleus canina ‘Scaredy Cat’™ is undemanding and surprisingly drought tolerant. Cats...
In short the plant whiffs and both cats and dogs avoid it. So I think I'll probably get a 6 plug and plant them in the garden borders, steal a few leaves and leave them around the lawn in the problem area.



I also tried to manually push in one of those hollow tine tool and got stuck about half way in, tried oiling it etc to no avail. Manually dug a few weeds out with a hand fork and couldn't get that in far either.