pondrookie,

Some people like cattails; some don't. Depends on your preference...for me, I don't want any to get started because they can be very hard to control..as you apparently see. The best product for killing them that I have used (and I'm sure others have good solutions also) is Reward. It really knocks them out...but they come back over time and require re-treatment.

Kelly Duffie is the resident expert pro on this topic (or one of them) and perhaps he will offer you some suggestions...if not, call him at Estes Chemicals.