How to Keep Cats out of Your Garden

What is the best way to keep cats out of the garden? Get a cat yourself!

I know that is not the answer you wish to hear so don't stop reading. It just happens to be true.

Cats in the garden, much loved pets as they are can be a real pest. Any gardener will tell you they have experienced one or all of the following:

Using the garden as a toilet. They scrape a hole and leave a little reminder of their visit for you to find with your hand fork or trowel.

They may not bother scraping a hole but like many animals leave their sample on the lawn or path.

Tomcats mark their territory by spraying urine onto plants which can result in scorched foliage.

They sharpen their claws by scratching tree bark, shrubs or wooden garden furniture and fences.

They flatten your plants. Cats like to sunbathe in comfort and if your plant provides a comfortable bed, great. Ever tried growing Nepeta? It is not called Catmint for nothing. Once they discover it cats roll around in it. I don't need to tell you it does not do the Catmint a lot of good.

Solutions

By their nature, cats roam freely and it is difficult stopping them entering your territory. They are agile whether a kitten or full grown cat are have the ability to squeeze under or climb over a fence or wall.

Netting:

It is possible to create a safe area for your vegetables by using netting. Beautifully prepared seedbeds are magnets for felines.

Dense Planting:

If you plant up your flower beds densely, a style of planting I employ, you give the little blighters no room to find soft earth to dig in.

Water:

Another possibility for a seed bed area is to keep it well watered. Cats do not like wet soil or, if it comes down to it, water full stop.

Pepper Dust:

When scattered around gives short-term protection. It needs to be replenished frequently and is no use at all in wet weather.

Citrus:

You can purchase sprays and gel smelling of citrus that you spray on foliage or, in the case of gel, squeeze the jelly onto the ground where cats like to hide. Again, it needs to be refreshed at regular intervals.

The discomfort method:

If you know that a cat frequents the area under a shrub for example to sleep or pray on birds, keep your rose prunings or holly hedge clippings and lay them under the shrub. Cats have delicate paws and will more than likely avoid the area. Just remember that you have put them there the next time you do any weeding. It is not only cats who have delicate paws!

The plant solution.

It is possible to buy Coleus Canina, the foliage of which produces an unpleasant smell when touched. It is a tender perennial that needs to be lifted before winter sets in. I have to confess I tried this method but was not impressed.

Electronic Devices:

most electronic devices produce ultrasonic sound that is hardly audible to human ears. They are triggered by a motion sensor and it is said cats flee when they come within range. However, it is also said that some cats refuse to be beaten and just ignore it. The main problem with this solution is getting the coverage you need to protect your garden. If you have an open regular sized garden it will work better than if you have a garden with nooks, crannies, "rooms", and corners with dense shrubs that absorb sound.

Get Yourself a Cat:

I said I would never have a cat and stuck to it until my daughter asked that as a favour we would look after her cat for a few months. Our lodger never fouled our garden but did leave her claw marks on our garden coffee table. During her stay we did not have a problem with other cats; we did see them bypass our garden. She had a few big fights to keep a claim on her territory as we heard during the night. Although small she fought and did manage to retain her claim on our land.

Footnote

The footnote to this last tale is a sad one. Cammy the cat got run over in the early hours one morning. Being black the heat of the summer caused her some distress and she used to lie in a little spot that was shaded and cool. A stone cat lies there now in memory of our battler. The trouble is this cat cannot fight off any passing stray cats!

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