What can keep cats out of my garden?

Have you ever asked the question – what can keep cats out of my garden? In this guide, we talk about the best techniques to deter cats from your garden.

Keeping cats out of your garden and outdoor areas is a tricky but important quest. You shouldn’t let any cats have complete control over your garden even when they are domesticated. Cats are known for their habits of urinating, defecating, and digging up gardens. They might even bring some ‘dead presents’ to your yard from time to time, causing an unpleasant sight all around. This is why one question you might ask when you have a cat problem is – what can keep cats out of my garden?

Feral versus stray cats: how they affect your deterrence strategy

The type of cat you are trying to repel might influence how quickly your deterrence strategy works. When feral cats find good shelter and food sources in your garden, they will likely visit there permanently. Discouraging them will involve a very patient approach as they won’t be deterred easily. Stray cats, on the other hand, may visit your garden periodically depending on the available territory. However, you can stop both feral and stray cats entirely from visiting your garden by combining several cat deterrents. Multiple strategies help you take advantage of the best of each solution and will increase your chances of success in a short time.

Steps to keep cats out of your garden

Now you realize that the different kinds of cats you deal with will heavily influence the results to expect, we can move on to answering the question; what can keep cats out of my garden? Here are some proven techniques that can work with neighborhood cats, strays, and feral cats.

Avoid attracting them with food

It’s much harder to deter cats from your garden, if they have already established your garden as a food source. This is why you should take steps to avoid that. Besides protecting your plants, also ensure you secure the trash in air-tight containers to avoid attracting cats and other pests.

Wash up to discourage garden cats

Cats mark their territory by urinating on permanent structures there such as trees, doors, and other outdoor structures. If these urine spots are left alone, that cat might return to that same spot to repeat the same act. Hence, you should wash the area well with a hose to remove the scent or urine spray. Also, consider using eco-friendly liquid castile soap when washing areas such as your patio furniture and doors. You should always wash off these markers even when you choose to use cat repellent sprays.

Invest in water sprinklers

Consider adding a motion-activated sprinkler to your property to keep cats out of your garden. Even your regular water sprinkler can be fitted with an automatic timer to release water at certain times of the day when you witness cats visiting your garden. The surprise and water will keep cats away.

Use scare tactics

Old fashioned scare tactics may also deter cats from visiting regularly. You can consider installing a sensitive bell near your fence to stop jumping cats. However, you shouldn’t use an aggressive dog as such a method is unpredictable and can lead to negative circumstances.

Use landscaping to discourage cats

You can stop cats from coming into your garden through the plants you cultivate. Consider cultivating sharp foliage with strong odors, sharp-edged mulch, stinging plants, and thorny bushes. You can also push pine cones or other prickly yard trimmings into the soil around your plants to stop cats from digging. Repurposed plastic carpet runners, Holly cuttings, eggshells, and stone mulch are equally great additions to the soil in your garden.

Use scents they don’t like

Cats have a powerful sense of smell. So you can consider using smells they don’t like to deter them from your garden. Nevertheless, be cautious of the substances you use as some products are toxic to cats. Some examples of potentially toxic materials include citrus fruits, especially lemon, white vinegar, lavender, coffee, and pine.

In the case of plants like lavender and citrus, you could use them outside the borders of your garden to keep strays and feral cats away. Regardless, plants like rosemary and thyme are excellent for deterring cats without harming them. Peppermint may also be used to deter cats as long as it’s used cautiously. That said, you should avoid essential oils made from any of these plants as they can be harmful to cats.

Now you have answers to the question – what to keep cats out of the garden – you might wonder about the first thing to do to start deterring them. A scent-based cat repellent like Nature’s Mace Cat Mace is always the best first line of defense against cats. This product comes in both granules and sprays and can be easily applied over large spaces alongside your outdoor furniture. Nature’s Mace Cat Mace combines several natural ingredients to form a superb odor and taste barrier that can stop cats from marking, scratching, pooping, and destroying your garden. With Nature’s Mace, you can protect your precious garden without harming yourself or your uninvited feline friends.

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