Do you have a problem with cats roaming around your lawn and garden? While they may seem like cute and harmless creatures, they can actually be a nuisance when they start using your lawn as their personal litter box. Not only is it unsightly, but it can also be dangerous for your own pets if they eat any of the grass or plants that have been exposed to their urine and feces.
Trying to keep cats off your lawn can seem like an impossible task, but with a few simple tips and tricks, you can successfully keep these pesky animals away. In this blog post, we will outline some of the most effective ways to keep cats off your lawn, so you can enjoy a beautiful, feline-free yard. Read on for more information!
Why Are Cats In Your Garden?
Cats are notorious for invading people’s gardens in search of opportunities to stamp their mark when homeowners aren’t looking. They can often use your garden because it offers a safe environment for them to relieve themselves, free from predators or loud noises like cars.
They also might be attracted to something in your lawn, like a potential food source, or a source of still water like a pond or non-chlorinated pool.
Ways To Keep Cats Out Of Your Yard
Here are a few simple tricks that can help you keep cats off your lawn.
Build A Fence
One way to keep cats out of your yard is to build a fence. This will require some effort up front, but it is an effective long-term solution. However, what you have to build is specifically a cat-proof fence.
Cats are incredibly adept climbers and can get over and around obstacles of almost any height. So, to make a fence that cats are unable to get over, you need to slant the fence so that it faces outward.
That way, the cat can’t hold on the fence well enough to climb up over it. It also needs to be tall enough that the cat can’t simply jump over it as well.
Cat-proof fence is costly, but if you have the ability to buy it, it’s very useful. It may be bought separately as a standalone fence or as an addition to the top of an existing one.
Plants That Cats Dislike
There are multiple plants that produce scents that cats find unappealing. Some of these are Scaredy-Cat plant, or Coleus Canina, lilies, lavender, rue, and pennyroyals. Simply plants these around your lawn and garden and watch the cats disappear to a neighbor’s garden that doesn’t have these plants!
Protect Your Potted Plants
Plants that are newly potted, or recently replenished containers that have been topped up with fresh compost are particularly susceptible to cats. These offer your cat a dry, clean place away from the open ground. You can easily protect these plants by spraying a natural or commercial cat repellent, or by covering with a netting. Sprinkle a little of the container around the soil and plant pot to keep cat intruders at bay. Repeat every week for a few weeks, until the compost in the container has settled and becomes less appealing to explore.
Noise Deterrents
Cats very much dislike random loud noises. A motion sensor that emits a noise can be a very effective deterrent to keep cats out of your yard. Many of the ones commercially available are ultrasonic as well, so you can’t hear them, and they aim in a specific direction.
However, these noise machines can also be annoying to dogs, as well as your own pets, so be sure to only use them when you know other pets aren’t around.
You can also place physical objects around your yard that make loud noises when cats step on them. This could be aluminum foil, or twigs, and when strewn about your lawn randomly, or placed specifically around an area that you always see them going, the can be very effective.
Motion Sensing Sprinklers
If you’re having a hard time finding cat repellent, consider investing in motion-activated sprinklers. Cats despise getting wet, so a motion-activated sprinkler that activates when an animal walks by and shuts off after ten minutes is an excellent option if you’re tired of chasing cats away from your home.To frighten cats away, the sprinkler will release a sharp burst of water and a loud noise every time one of them enters your garden.
This method of keeping cats away is likely the most expensive, but it is also the most effective, and it comes with the added bonus of watering your lawn!
Homemade Cat Repellents
You can use objects or odors that are found around your home to keep cats at bay. These include cinnamon, peppermint, bananas, and citrus fruits.
Cats are extremely sensitive to smell, and strong odors such as lavender, peppermint, or cinnamon are effective deterrents. Select one of these scents and combine it with water to create a spray that you can use around the garden. While this is merely a stop-gap measure, it is both cost-effective and not harmful to the cats.
Cats dislike the scent of bananas as well, so another approach to keep them from relieving themselves in your garden and flowers is to finely chop bananas and scatter them about. Bananas emit a strong odor that cats find repulsive.
This is also true for citrus. Citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, and oranges, may be finely chopped and placed around the garden to deter cats, or you can use a spray bottle with a solution of water and squeezed lemons, limes, or oranges.
Commercial Cat Repellents
There are also cat repelling products that you can purchase, and you can easily find them at any pet store, home improvement store, or online pet shop. These are often sold as granules, pellets, or sprays, and contain smells that cats dislike or are naturally inclined to avoid. Simply spread the granules or spray the canister throughout your lawn and garden, according to any user directions on the label.
In Conclusion
Cats are curious creatures and they will explore their surroundings. This often means that they end up in yards, gardens, and other areas where they’re not supposed to be.
There are a number of ways to keep cats out of your yard so that you can enjoy your outdoor space without having to worry about them, and now that you know how to keep cats off your lawn, it’s time to put some of these methods into action.
If you’ve been struggling with keeping cats off your lawn, try some of the tips we’ve shared in this post. As always, we suggest starting with the easiest and least expensive options first and then progressing to more complex solutions if needed.
And if you still have problems after trying all these methods, consider investing in a commercial cat repellent. And finally, don’t forget to enjoy your garden – cats or no cats!
