Cats can be an issue in flower beds, but protecting your garden doesn’t need to be costly or difficult. A combination of measures such as installing a cat fence, mesh cloth coverings and scent repellent herbs and flowers will help keep the cats away.
As another option to keep cats out of your garden, try using objects with strong odors such as citrus peels or mothballs to deter them. Coffee grounds may also work, though this method needs to be repeated frequently for maximum effect.
Covering Your Flower Beds With Mesh Cloth
Have you worked tirelessly to design landscaped flower beds? Now it’s time to reap the fruits of your labor without fear that stray cats are making this area their personal lounge or urinating on your plants. Although keeping cats out may seem impossible, humane approaches exist that can keep unwanted felines from digging up and ruining your flowers.
One way to keep cats out of your garden is to cover it with mesh cloth, which will make it unattractive for them to walk through. Another effective tactic is covering beds with coarse mulch – making it more challenging for cats to dig into the soil.
Placing a scarecrow in your flower bed is one way to deter unwanted cats. Additionally, placing chicken wire beneath it creates an additional obstacle which will deter felines from digging up your flowers.
Scent Repellents
Pepper flakes can be an effective deterrent against cats from flower gardens. Plastic carpet runners equipped with long, flexible plastic spikes that won’t hurt cats but will annoy them when walking over them may also work; place these strategically in areas where cats tend to dig and lounge around.
Cats don’t appreciate the smells of citrus peels, vinegar, cayenne pepper, eucalyptus oil and menthol either – which is why soaking cotton balls or strips of fabric in these oils before dispersing them around your garden or flower beds may help prevent cats from digging, damaging or destroying them.
Be patient; cats will likely need some time to adjust and begin staying away from your gardens and flowerbeds after becoming familiar with new smells. Experiment with various deterrents until you find one that works effectively in your area.
Cat Repellent Sprays
Cats can be beneficial garden companions by keeping away pests. But they can also destroy flowerbeds by digging (and leaving unwarranted deposits), using plants as soft napping spots, and chewing. For optimal garden results use safe, natural methods to keep away unwanted cats.
Employ a spray bottle to repel cats who come too close to your plants, using it only to teach them that such behavior will result in negative consequences and avoid that area. It won’t harm them but instead will teach them not to approach plants again in future.
Spread objects that emit strong scents such as citrus peels, essential oils, mothballs or crushed coffee grounds to repel cats. You could also plant repellent ground-cover plants like pyracantha or perennial geraniums which have strong scents and thorny leaves; cover your soil with tin foil as an effective means of discouraging cats from digging in your flowers; motion activated sprinklers may give cats enough of a scare that they’ll move on to other things!
Motion-Activated Sprinklers
Cats are beloved companions to any family, yet they can also be destructive when it comes to gardens and flowerbeds. Cats love digging in the dirt, using flower pots as makeshift litter boxes, and playing havoc with garden beds and flowerbeds; thus making it hard to keep them away from your plants.
Protecting plants requires two methods. One way is to cover them with a layer of gravel, which will deter cats from digging into the soil. Another solution would be installing a cat fence made from plastic chicken wire or fruit cage netting with thick enough slats that prevent cats from climbing over and digging underneath it.
If you want to take things one step further, try installing a motion-activated sprinkler that sprays water whenever a cat comes near your flowers or plants. This can serve as an effective deterrent; cats often find it quite frightening when hit with an unexpected blast of water!