Because cats like soft, dig-able soil, every year my flower gardens were at risk of my cat using them as a litter box and digging up my new seedlings, flowers or plants, but I found an answer!
Last year I bought sand (nothing fancy, just two of the cheapest bags I could find) and made an outdoor litter box by dumping the sand into a small pile, behind a stand of plants growing up a trellis, so she would feel safe to go out in the open.
I brought kitty outside and placed her in the 'kitty sandbox' and she immediately knew what to do and went to the bathroom! Occasionally we will go out and scoop up hard pieces, but the weather makes it largely self cleaning and there is no smell! This saves us time and money since she goes more outside than inside in the nice weather and reduces our buying of as much litter as in the past.
I have never seen her go in the garden again, to use it as a litter box, but she does check out the rabbit that lives in there. :) I have never seen any other cat use the box either since I think they avoid another cat's fecal scent.
Now my plants can grow unimpeded by my kitty!
How can I discourage the local cats from defecating in my veggie garden? Obviously I need to do it without harming them so that means pepper is out and I have a visiting hedgehog so I think that rules out the ultrasound gadgets.
Someone has moved in the street with three cats and I'm one of the few here who hasn't paved it over so they all head here. I love cats, but I do want to grow things too.It is probably too late to do this, but if you plant lavender around your garden and the cats will stay way.
Please do not use pepper of any kind or mothballs. Pepper can burn the sensitive eyes and paws on ALL animals and mothballs are just toxic and they can leach into you soil and garden items. VERY dangerous.
You can try to sprinkle dried lavender around, but that will get washed away after a rain.
Is it possible to put up fences?
Also, is it possible to express your concern to the cat owners, that you have concerns for the kits safety and can they be sure their cats are safe at all times. I know that probably won't go well, but that would be my big concern--keeping these kitties safe and out of your garden at the same time.
Citrus is a great way to stop any animals from peeing in your yard. You can put down citrus peeling from limes, oranges, or even lemons in your garden. Spread them around your plants.
Citrus peels helped at first but the cats eventually became immune to it and.
I would do a rotation of citrus peels and coffee grounds.
How do I keep cats from using my garden as a litter box? Is there anything I can put in the dirt that won't harm the cats or my roses?
By Christina
I have heard of sprinkling cinnamon or cayenne pepper around to deter cats from coming into the garden. There are some organic gardening websites that sell organic cat and pest deterrant. Best of luck!
Please help, my neighbour's cat is using my garden as a litter box. I've cleaned it once but the cat returned. If I put moth balls out will this keep the cat out or will the cat eat them?
Well, if your cat is as determined as the stray cats that get into my yard, then you've got your hands full! This sounds completely nuts, but it actually works. Spread coffee grounds, citrus peels (lemon, lime, orange) or citrus oils all over the area you want "protected".
How do I keep cats out of my flowers in pots on my porch?
By Jodi
Find some pine cones at least 3 inches long. If you can't find them under a tree you may be able to buy them in a craft store. Completely cover the surface of the pot with pine cones. The cats will not be interested in digging through the pine cones. This has worked for me.
When we had a garden (and there were lots of feral kitties around us in that neighborhood which was near a park), we just scattered fresh orange or lemon peels throughout the areas and that seemed to do the trick.
To keep cats out of the garden, make some small holes in the bottom of an old plastic milk jug. Put some mothballs inside the jug and put lid back on it.Hang it on your garden fence or close to the garden.
I keep cats out of my raised veggie beds by placing bamboo skewers about 8 to 12 inches apart in a grid pattern. You want them to be close enough, so that cats are uncomfortable digging or even walking through the garden.
I've tried many methods to keep my cats from digging up my flower garden in early spring, from cayenne pepper sprinkled in the soil (doesn't work) to adding broken sea shells (also doesn't work).
Cats like soft soil and will make a bee line for where you've just been digging. Dig a hole, blow up a balloon, and bury it in the hole.
Currently, I have two lovely cats who love to use my garden as a bathroom and I do not like it. It makes it smelly at my entry way into my home for visitors and I grow my veggies that I ingest, there too. I had a thought that maybe if I plant some catnip and cat grass to encourage their enjoyment in the garden it would keep them from eliminating it my garden.
I say this because I know cats do not like to play and eat near where they go to the bathroom. What are some thoughts and ideas that would be better or do you agree with what I am saying?You can plant mint and citrus. Cats don't like the smell. You can also disperse coffee grounds in the area.
When some cats aren not deterred by scents and you don't want to use chemicals, chicken wire might be one of the best solutions.