Cats make wonderful companions, but they can also be destructive to your garden. To deter their destruction there are several methods available that should work effectively.
Motion-activated sprinklers are an effective solution, spraying cats with cold water when they disturb the garden. Hot pepper spray is another deterrent which does not harm plants but does give off an unpleasant aroma to deter cats from damaging plants and disrupting gardens.
Install Motion Sprinklers
Cats can be beneficial to gardens in terms of controlling pests like rabbits and voles, yet can also wreak havoc by digging, leaving deposits, chewing and using flower beds as soft napping spots. Luckily, there are safe solutions available to deter cats from visiting your garden or flowerbeds.
One way of countering their sense of smell is to scatter orange and lemon peels around your garden or sprinkle talcum powder lightly, and to use chicken wire in the soil or on mulch or lay sheets of plastic over it – either alone or together with motion-triggered sprinklers which squirt cats with water at regular intervals can also work; just be sure that their spraying pattern doesn’t harm them too badly!
Place Stakes
Cats do not like being challenged, so any obstacles that keep them away will help deter their return to your garden. Use repurposed chicken wire or plastic fencing laid flat on the soil as bristly barriers to create bristly barriers that make walking through difficult for cats.
Add plants that deter cats, like rosemary, lavender, rue and lemon thyme to your flowerbeds that will act as deterrents for them – such as rosemary, lavender, rue or lemon thyme. Coleus caninus is another potted option with pungent scents known to deter cats from using flowerbeds as litter boxes.
Remove any evidence of cats in your garden by spraying the area with water from a hose or scattering cat-repellant powder. This will erase any scent markings left by cats and encourage them to go elsewhere for toileting purposes.
Lay Chicken Wire
Chicken wire makes an effective visual deterrent against cats, and installation is straightforward. Cut a length that covers your desired area for use as a visual deterrent before wrapping tightly with duct tape until all corners have been wrapped and secured tightly enough.
Planting pungent flowers in your flower garden is another effective way of deterring cats. Coleus caninus, for instance, smells similar to urine and makes an effective natural deterrent; other great choices are lavender, rosemary and the scaredy cat plant as well as lemon thyme.
Tape the Flowers
While cats can be beneficial to gardens in many ways, they can also cause havoc by digging up flowers and leaving behind unauthorised poop, using soft spots as napping areas, or disturbing soil. There are a few steps you can take to deter these pesky felines.
One way is to erect chicken wire fences or netting around your flower beds to act as barriers against cats. Another strategy is planting scent-producing plants like Coleus Caninus that smell strongly of urine to deter cats.
One effective and nontoxic option is to wrap your flowers in plastic cling film or tape, which will surprise and scare away cats from damaging or eating your flowers. This solution is quick, inexpensive, and nontoxic.
Stinky Plants
There are various non-toxic ways to keep cats out of your flower garden that don’t involve mothballs or chemicals that could harm both pets and people, including growing cat-repelling plants such as rosemary, lemon thyme and rue as well as using natural repellent sprays containing essential oils that contain deterrent properties to deter cats from visiting.
An electronic device that emits high-frequency sounds to irritate cats and drive them away may also prove helpful, or consider planting roses or pyracantha as protective plants to safeguard your flowers from being nibbled by felines.
Another effective technique involves invading cats’ sense of smell with orange and lemon peels or vinegar around flowers – cat’s dislike these scents while it remains humane and straightforward for you to implement.
Bird Netting
Plastic bird netting can be an effective deterrent against cat nests in flowerbeds. Drape it over seedbeds, urns or window boxes where cats like to perch. Tape balls made of duct or masking tape may also be placed on the soil surface to stop cats from jumping up and pecking at flowers.
Planting unpleasant, off-putting plants that make cats uncomfortable may help to discourage their presence in your garden and flowerbeds, such as perennial geraniums, holly bushes or twigs.
Any measures you take to keep cats out of your garden must be undertaken humanely and not cause them any pain or distress. It may take some time for cats to adjust to new habits.