Im going to do the same in the next few days Scottish, didn't think of cats! not mine but the local moggies lol. Ill have to get my thinking cap on! sorry im not much help..

Can't think of a solution Scottish but thank you for making me laugh - its just the sort of thing our cat would do.

Hi. Angie, I seeded a 2m square with grass seed, last October, although the birds did seem to be on it most days, once germinated they don't touch it and it didn't deter from the end result. I spread it a little more per square meter than recommended. Rake it lightly and keep it moist, using a watering can with a fine rose on it. The other thing I have heard people do is, mix the seed and some slightly moist soil for a couple of days, in a bucket, then just as you start to see the grass seed germinating, rake it over the required area. A lot depends of course on the area that you are seeding. Hope this helps.

Thanks all for your comments.
YDD, it's my own cats have been the worse offenders! It's not so bad this morning as there is not much wind. Maybe the novelty has worn off
Stera, glad to make you laugh :)
Alan, Ill see how it goes and if I've any patching up to do I might try that idea.
Snoop, I was going to use net originally but decided string was better, Ill rig something up and see how it goes.