What are some ways to keep your cats out of the garden?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “will coffee grounds keep cats out of flower beds“
What are some ways to keep your cats out of the garden?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “will coffee grounds keep cats out of flower beds“
Befriend the cat.
We had to stop having cats, because my wife developed an allergy. I have suffered from cat deficiency syndrome ever since.
Unfortunately, the neighbour’s cat is a right little madam, and spurns my advances. Even her owner admits that she is a grumpy moggie.
Probably the only way is to make an enclosure outdoors to enjoy. Otherwise they will roam. Invisable fence may make a collar but not something I would consider on a cat. I prefer to keep my cats indoor only.
KEEP THEM INDOORS.
Electric fencing.
My recommendations are always to keep cats indoors during the garden growing season, baby bird season, baby bunny season, etc…
Q: What are some ways to keep your cats out of the garden?
Basically a bigger cat who regards the garden as their territory usually works. This solution has the advantage of providing an extra cat, which is always a good idea. If for some unholy reason you don’t want a cat, artificial ones are available,
though one imagines a real cat would be no more than vaguely and contemptuously amused. Certainly in my experience the various chemicals alleged to be offensive to cats (asafoetida &c) simply don’t work.
“Tried and tested since 1987”. I’d be more confident if it reported the results of the tests.
If you are a coffee drinker like me, used coffee grounds can help. I have neighborhood ferals that like to use my flower beds as a litter box. Putting out used coffee grounds us a safe way to keep the cats away, as most cats hate the smell off coffee. And bonus: it’s good for the plants!
The sonic pest repellers do work, but you have to place them strategically and have enough. Also the scat mat works great. (Not the electric scat mat, but the garden one) Make sure the repeller has a setting for cat.
you must be worried about your cat eating grass. Well, you can try dictating your cat that garden is a prohibited area. You can try creating a barrier and denying access to garden for some days.
you can also try punishing your cat for umwanted behavior ( entering garden)
Similarly, you can reward her for wanted behavior( staying away from garden)
Motion detection sprayer. Double duty, it helps water the garden and hoses off the cats.
Yes, absolutely. Just keep your cat indoors, where it’s safe and doesn’t pester people that don’t want it. Cats naturally roam and it’s not safe for them nor is is socially allowable to allow them to roam all over your neighbors property without permissions. Cats don’t require being outside, though they may enjoy it. If you insist in outside time, invest in a catio or some other containment facility.
Peet’s
I grow catnip. No problem, he has that and loves it. He does like parsley from time to time but does not damage the plant. Stay calm. He only selects what his body calls. for.
Ortho makes a spray that repells animals.
I have a motion activated water sprinkler — it works very well for dogs cats and other small animals —- it did not have much effect on our peahen though
If a cat has made his way into your garden, it may be hard to get him out. Most people choose to use dogs, simply because dogs are known to dislike cats. There are several dog breeds out there that completely dislike cats, such as pit bulls and Dobermans. Cats are completely fearful of these breeds, and will flee if they see them around.
All cats are known to despise water as well. If you spot a cat in your garden, water almost always gets him out. All it takes is a bucket of water or a well aimed squirt with a garden hose to make him run away. After you have hit the cat with water several times, he should get the hint not to come back anymore. If he comes back, simply squirt him or throw more water on him until he gets the idea.
Protecting your plants is a different story. Mothballs are said to be very effective, as cats don’t like the smell. You can use mothballs around your plants, garden borders, or even along the fence. There are other repellents that you can use as well, such as cayenne peppers, tobacco, lavender oil, citronella oil, mustard oil, and even lemon grass oil. For more information visit my blog
Interplant in the garden . Cats dislike the smell of rue, lavender and pennyroyal, Coleus canina and lemon thyme — so plant a few of these throughout the garden space. …
Cats steer clear of strong citrus scents. …
The scent of human hair
call animal control
Are you asking about a vegetable garden or a flower garden?
If it’s a vegetable garden let them come in. I’ve gardened off and on for 66 years and I don’t ever recall cats damaging anything. In fact they were beneficial by keeping certain pests away.
A flower garden is different. Our cats here have never damaged flowers. If you want to keep cats away from the flowers there are many commercially available products available at pet stores or places like Walmart.
To be bluntly honest I tried some of those products years ago when we had stray dogs tearing up flowers. The dogs usually ignored anything I put down BUT… that was years ago and surely things have improved by now.
Commercial cat repellent containing predators’ odor could have them retreating, whilst spreading coffee granules or citrus like orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit peel around the backyard might also repel feline visitors via their noses.
If you do decide to use an approved cat repellent product on the market, please make sure it’s a licensed product and that it is used in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. Failure to follow these may lead to an offence being committed and could result in unnecessary suffering being caused to the cat.
One sure way to put off any cats from visiting your property is to have a loud and lively canine ready to greet them with an enthusiastic bark. Have a children’s water pistol filled and available to gently drive away any unruly cats that persistently invade the garden.
Please ensure it is low powered and is squirted near the cat, not directly at the cat. Introducing smelly plants that cats hate to problem areas could persuade them to head elsewhere; effective choices may include coleus canina or lavender.
You can create an garden products area specifically for cats to discourage them from exploring other parts of the backyard; pick plants like catnip and insert a sandbox, which will act as a toilet and contain the problem of cat poo.
Yes I have that problem also! I found that moth balls help! Add a few balls in the area you want to protect! And any time you catch the cats on a plant or pot, pick up the cats and say “ no “.
You can place motion detector aerosol cans that squirt a stream of air at the cat, around the borders. These are easy to find on Amazon.
I used to put the hose on them, pissed the neighbor who owned them right off, I told her I don’t let my dog in your garden keep your bloody cats out of mine.
Um … you keep them inside. Cats should be inside. Allowing them to roam opens them up for all sorts of horrible things. If you, or someone else, has lilies in the garden, and kitty chomps on them, it’s a quick death by shutting down their kidneys.
Cats need to be kept indoors with plenty of places to perch and look out, windows (or better yet a catio) to get fresh air, lots of toys and play time, and lots of love.
Letting them roam is not only dangerous because of what they can eat in your garden or someone else’s, but because of cars, coyotes, other cats, dogs, other predators, other toxins, and on and on and on.
Your first priority should be the safety of your cat, not the health of your garden. Ironically, however, when you make your cat more safe, so is your garden, if they are doing something to it, which I can’t even imagine what it could be that could be detrimental to the garden.
Growing a Citrus Tree: Cats dislike the scent of lemon and orange peels, so plant these trees around your garden beds to keep them out.
Motion Detection Devices & Pest Repellers: Motion detection devices can sense when a creature is approaching an unattended garden bed. The motion detector then activates a sound device that continually emits high pitched frequencies. Sometimes pets react sensitively to this noise or even find it unpleasantly loud; just as important, they’re discouraged from coming back into the area where it’s been activated by the sound device. Once this has happened for 1-2 weeks in a specific location, cats will feel wary about going near that part of your yard during daylight hours. Ssshhhhh
Spray bitterapple. Diluted vinegat works, too, but it will kill any vegetation it comes in contact with, without altering the doil chemistry.
You can put up a little garden fence they are smaller up to 5 feet tall usually and inexpensive,t hey dont require tools or digging holes in the ground, They are not very much work to set up and they can easily be taken down or moved because they are panels of a thin metal fence sections .I know they sell them in local “home and GardenStores for e here in Canada its “The Home Depot” or “Lowes”,I have seen them on Low Prices – Fast Shipping – Millions of Items also that you just push into the ground yourself Easy ! and that will keep any animals out of your garden
Just tell the rats and mice in your garden and maybe the snakes and spiders to keep it out. Or make friends with it. Obviously it likes you and think you must be a friend. The cat next door comes in when my door is open and we have a nice talk and it sits with me.
Victor Allen’s
Who’s cat is it. If it’s yours it should not be outdoors. If it’s someone else’s then put some lemon and orange peels all over your garden. They don’t seem to like citrus.
Get a sensor water sprinkler, when the cats come near the garden the sprinkler goes off and cats will run away/ harmless to cats and the garden gets a drink.
As another person suggested, if you’re referring to your cats, keep them inside. Put up an outdoor enclosure.
If you are referring to other cats in the neighborhood, go get some cat repellent and spray it around the perimeter of your garden.
Make them indoor cats. They’re safer and better off that way.
Trap them and put them in the pound; eventually, your neighbours will despise you. It’s perfectly legal as well
How about a nice fence with barbed wire on the top?
Ask the ex East Germans – they had fences, barbed wire, automatic firing devices and minefields. Cats should be a doddle for them!
Metal fencing, for starters. If that doesn’t appeal to you, layer gravel over the garden. You can also collect old plastic forks and “plant” them tine up in the garden around things you want to protect (don’t use metal as those could seriously hurt a cat).
Get a big dog! That should do it.
Cats are free spirits, so any open space you have that a cat finds comfy you’ll probably have a cat using the area as a place to laze. It might be an old wives tale but in the UK people fill plastic clear bottles with water, one to keep cats out of one area so don’t carpet the area haha. Some people use netting to cover areas like veg patches and stuff, ponds too. They’re not fans of citris smells so perhaps some citrus spray on nets and stuff may help. I’m not about to pretend that I know the answer, because truth is I really don’t, cats enjoy areas of comfort. So use netting to cover areas you really don’t want them and use the bottle of water for other areas like next to taller plants. Small enclosed areas are areas of comfort so try to avoid those becoming available or make them less comfy
You can pound some stakes into the ground and put up a chicken wire fence.
I talked to a lady who said sprinkling cinnamon (she got a big container of it at the dollar store) and sprinkled it around. She said it worked well.
Some people have also suggested moth balls and orange peels. There is also a deterrent available at garden centers that can be applied to keep critters out.
Motion sensor’s in the neighbours garden that trigger a spray of water work well. Your own garden can also be “cat-proofed” to keep them inside, using something like this:
There are certain plants most cats don’t like the smell of them that usually will keep them away from your garden. These include geraniums, lavender and lemon balm. There’s are several others that you can look up on line. Just be very careful not to use anything poisonous in your garden. It’s a good idea for cat owners to check which plants are safe for cats before they plant anything. Cats are not trying to be bad, they are just doing what is natural to them. There is also something called a scar Matt which you can put under your soil when you plant your garden. It’s sort of along the line of a chain link fence pattern but make of plastic. Cats won’t like it but it won’t hurt them either. It will block their digging. It’s not expensive and I think there are similar products in different sizes. The cheapest thing is probably to look up plants cats avoid, but which won’t hurt them, then experiment to see which ones work best with your cats. I’ve switched to a lot of container gardening. They are off the ground, yield a lot , are easier to care for and way less bugs, which I don’t like. The cats don’t even notice them.
You can buy things at the hardware store, to put on top of your fence at your house and it makes your fence into a cat proof fence so that your cat can’t jump out and other cars can’t jump in, they are like rollers that go on top of the fence
Do you and your cat a favor – KEEP THE CAT INDOORS! Much safer in terms of parasitic infection, FIP, FIV, Lyme’s Disease, etc. (even if they are vaccinated), not to mention car hits, attacks from other animals.
Eight O’Clock
keep them in your house.
Dunkin’
I’ve only had problems with cats in my yard once. Now I am not a cat hater as matter of fact I like cats. Some women up the street thought that she was a wonderful person because she put out food for stray cats. The entire neighborhood was inundated with stray cats. I found dead cats in my garage and a couple of cats lived under some trees in my front yard. They would spray to mark the territory and it smelled awful by our front door. I had inherited an old BB gun. It was spring loaded and not very powerful. If took only one shot each to convince the cats to move out of my yard. I’m sure it did no damage to them and I got rid of that awful smell. I’m sure some people think this was cruel but I considered it minimal force. I have been shot with that gun so I know.
You love your garden and, unfortunately, it seems like all the neighborhood cats love it, too. If you notice cats using your garden as a litter box or gnawing on some of your plants, you are probably all too eager to figure out how to keep those frisky felines out.
You can choose to create a physical barrier, make your garden unpleasant to cats, or scare them away. If all else fails, you can try to make peace and strike a truce with the cat by giving its own area to use.
If cats do not have enough room to move around, scratch, and dig, they will seek another area for a litter box. Insert plant spikes, forks, chopsticks, or similar materials every 8 inches in the soil to thwart cats. Lay standard chicken wire down before your plants poke through the soil.
Plants can usually grow in between the gaps, but cats will find the texture of the wiring unpleasant to walk on. The chicken wire will be soft enough not to hurt the cats, but strong enough to discourage them from digging in your garden.
Lay the lattice fencing over your soil before you even plant your seeds. The gaps in the fencing will make the area unappealing to wandering cats. Press the lattice fencing into the ground gently so that it is partially covered by the soil.
Transplant seedlings and plant seeds into the soil exposed by the gaps of the fencing. Over time, many common garden plants should grow around the fencing without much difficulty.
Scat mats available at garden products supply stores are plastic mats covered in flexible plastic spikes. The spikes are soft enough not to hurt cats, but they will not like the texture and will keep away.
Not quite an exact answer but in the past, I planted catnip around the garden and basil inside the garden. It did help keep them off the tomato and pepper plants but I now have catnip springing up all over the garden, all over the lawn. Which for me is fine
Cats do not like citrus so things like orange or lemon peel.Also there are some things like green pellets available from most garden shops that you sprinkle around the ground.Quite harmless to the cats but it keeps them away
Why do you want to keep your cats out of your garden? What are they doing that you object to?
If you are worried about them eating something poisonous then you should research the plants you have in the yard and if they are poisonous, you should dig them up.
My cats are indoor/outdoor cats and they love to go in my backyard and explore the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and textures. It helps to make their life experiences richer.
Why would you want to? Cats are good for a garden. They kill rodents and rodents kill plants.
If you really must though, buy a cheap child’s water gun…nothing with too much pressure…and spray them when you see them there. Eventually they’ll understand that you are a prick and stay away.
Cats hate the smell of anything citrus. Like orange peels, lemon peels etc. You
could try putting some of those peels on the edges of the garden. The other thing
you can try is moth balls. Get some moth balls and put them around the edge of
the garden. With both the peels and the moth balls you have to replace them when they lose their potency. I would go with moth balls because they last longer.
Cats prefer to walk on soft, loose soil and will avoid prickly surfaces. Make your garden beds less inviting, or less like a litter box. Cover garden soil where cats frequent in twigs until your spring plants get established. Place them a couple of inches apart throughout the bed.
Bundles of twigs help wild bees. Push pine cones or other prickly yard trimmings down into the soil around your plants. Stone mulch, eggshells, holly cuttings or repurposed plastic carpet runners with the nub side up are other options.
Repurpose wooden chopsticks as garden stakes. Experiment with spacing. The idea is to put them at close enough intervals so kitty has a hard time turning around. Lay chicken wire or pieces of plastic fencing over soil. Many plants will grow up through this.
Pieces of lattice on the ground may also work. Upcycle mesh produce bags from onions or potatoes by spreading them on the garden and anchoring with twigs or stakes. Increase the hole size around your budding plants if necessary. Keep an eye on any plastic materials you add to the garden so they don’t blow away and become litter.
Cats dislike the smell of rue, lavender and pennyroyal, Coleus canina and lemon thyme. Plant a few of these throughout the garden. Interplanting can attract pollinators and other beneficial insects too. Cats steer clear of strong citrus scents. Throw peels directly onto garden soil.
Sprinkling brewed coffee grounds over the soil may also help. Get free big bags from most local coffee shops. The scent of human hair is said to deters cats. Empty your brushes onto the garden products and reclaim your territory. Avoid mothballs; they’re toxic to cats and humans.
They aren’t deer, or rabbits. There is nothing in your garden to attract them, except mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters, who will damage the garden. Instead of worrying about the cats, wonder what is attracting them?
Try planting a large bed of catnip away from your flower beds. What you say? You want to deter cats, not invite them?
I’ve found the best way to keep various animals away from my plants, be they flowers or vegetables, is to plant up an area away from the planting I want to protect with plants the critters like better. So, to keep the rabbits away from my bush beans, cabbage and other tempting veggies, I plant a wide row (about 2 feet) of rape plants between the woods in the back of our property and our veggie garden. The bunnies like the rape (a relative of canola) so much that they never make it to the veggies.
If you can plant beds of catnip near the edges of your property, the cats in the neighborhood will stop to chew and roll in the nip (and then probably nap in the sun) and be much less likely to bother your flowers. Of course you will want to avoid placing other cat attractions near your flower beds (like bird feeders and bird baths) as that would defeat the purpose.
12 bore shotgun, crossbow, bolos, lance, boomerang, 20ft moat, Katushya guided rocket, jet hose, tomahawk, pipe gun. The list is incomplete. Take yer pick….but….why would you want to keep the kitties out. They’re not an invasion force.
Get a dog. (Couldn’t resist) not sure if bars of ivory soap or Irish spring hanging in the garden would deter them. Or maybe plant catmint and they’ll leave the rest alone.
There’s not much you can do – aside from installing spikes along the wall that separates your property from next door. That might stop them jumping into your garden, but I wouldn’t guarantee it.
Cats are naturally nomadic. They have a ‘territory’ of about two square kilometres around their home.
A motion-activated hose that sprays water at kitty. Kitty runs away very quickly.
Simple table pepper sprinkled around an area will keep cats away and not hurt them or any other animals. The cat will smell the pepper, it will get up their nose, and they will retreat. No need for anything expensive.
The only sure fired way that I know to really keep cats out is a tall fence and wire cover.
There are some cat deterrents on the market. Some work fairly well. Check that they are not going to harm the cats, and that they are safe on edible plants.
You can also try citrus peeling. Cats do not like citrus. These will have to be replaced every so often because the weather will make them less effective.
Another trick that will make the garden less appealing as a litter box is to lay 2 inch chicken wire over flower bed, then plant thru the holes. Digging is no fun when the wire stops you. If course this will make the flower bed all hand weeded. You can’t use a hoe or tiller with the wire in the way. Remove the plants in the fall, and take up the wire. This works for annual flowers.
Heavy mulches, like stone or large bark chunks can be used too. These help keep down weeds around bushes and perennials and will make the area less of a litter box. Shredded bark or small bark pieces don’t work. Cats will just dig in them.
You can mark the garden with coyote urine. The predator smell will help keep cats away. It might keep you away too. Very stinky. Don’t use near your house or your neighbors house. You can buy it at hunting and trapping stores.
Lastly, don’t plant anything that cats like. If you plant catnip, every cat in the neighborhood will be in your garden. Many other herbs are liked by Cats. You may want to plant your herb garden in a fenced or caged area away from your main garden.
Many of the cats that are visiting your garden probably belong to someone. Please be kind. Don’t poison or shoot the cats. They are just doing normal cat stuff.
It is possible apparently. At least ,there are products for sale that claim to be deterrants. I cannot vouch for their efficiency, never having used them,, but I am sure that there are plants which cats do not like.
Never. Ever. Under any circumstances, plant catnip. No guarantee to keep cats out, but at least you won’t be attracting any