No matter if it is your pet or the neighborhood stray, cats can be a real problem when it comes to flower beds. Luckily, there are several effective and inexpensive solutions for keeping cats out of your garden.
One method involves using scents that cats find offensive, while another employs motion-activated sprinklers which spray water when cats approach flowers.
Motion sprinklers
Motion-activated sprinklers can be an easy and efficient way to deter cats from your flower garden. Simply activated when they approach, the spray will send off an alarm that scares them off – helping protect your blooms from being dug up accidentally or watered upon. However, this method can be costly as regular replacement is required.
An effective way to keep cats out of your flower garden is by creating physical barriers. Mulching can help deter cats from digging up your blooms while improving the soil and warding off weeds – just make sure it won’t harm their paws – try heavier options such as bark or stone mulch, river rocks or even holly leaves as possible choices.
Try placing items around your garden that have strong scents such as citrus peels, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds or pipe tobacco that may make walking through it uncomfortable for cats. While these methods might not fully deter cats, they can make walking through your flowerbeds less desirable for cats.
Cat repellent spray
Unwanted cats in flower gardens can be an annoying distraction. Not only can they dig up flowers to use as toilets, but their scent leaves an unpleasant odor behind. You can deter cats by employing various deterrents ranging from physical to scented options; using multiple approaches increases your odds of success.
One approach involves adding a thick layer of mulch to your flower beds, which will not only maintain even moisture levels but also deter cats from digging holes in them. You can choose from various options like chicken wire, wooden lattices, river rocks and heavy bark mulches that will prevent cats from digging holes.
Your garden should also contain cat-repelling plants such as rue, lemon thyme, rosemary, pennyroyal and Coleus canina to protect it from unwanted cats while providing pleasant fragrance for you and your visitors. These will not only keep unwanted felines at bay but will also smell nice!
Mesh cloth
Cat fences are one of the best ways to keep cats away from your flower garden. A cat fence consists of a small, sturdy fence at least three feet high that features too-large-for-cat-climbing slats and features an infrared motion-sensor which sprays water when an approaching cat approaches – this method is particularly useful if there are numerous roaming cats or feral animals roaming your neighborhood.
Another way to prevent cats from using your flower beds as litter boxes is to cover the soil with mulch or other materials that make it less appealing for felines, such as using cat repellent sprays containing natural ingredients that produce scents that could be unpleasant for felines. However, this may prove challenging since cats often gravitate toward loose, sandy soil. You could try various approaches including installing cat-proof fencing around them or trying a cat repellent sprays which use scents which repel cats away.
Bird netting
While cats may seem hard to keep away from your flower beds, there are steps you can take to protect your flowers and reduce damage from cats. Some strategies require more work than others but most are relatively cost-effective and user-friendly – they might even provide something fun for all members of the family to enjoy!
One effective method for discouraging cats from your garden is using scarecrows as visual reminders that this space is off-limits to felines. Other deterrents might include twigs, eggshells or even cuttings from holly shrubs – and scattering ripe bananas around flowerbeds can prove particularly deterring to cats!
Physical barriers are another great way to deter cats from digging in your flowerbeds. Chicken wire, wooden lattices, and river rocks all make excellent options for creating dig-deterring barriers which can then be covered up by mulch to be hidden from cats’ eyes. You could also install motion activated sprinklers which spray out sudden bursts of water along with startling noises when cats enter your garden space.