Cats can be a menace in the garden, digging up plants or using soft spots as napping spots. Luckily, there are numerous methods available to keep cats away from your flower garden without inflicting harm or pain to them.
Rue, lavender, lemongrass, pennyroyal and geranium plants have all been shown to effectively deter cats. You could also try scattering dried orange, grapefruit or lemon peels around your garden as a deterrent against cats.
Tape
There are various cat repellents, some of which emit an unpleasant odor for cats to find objectionable. Citrus scents have proven particularly effective as deterrents; there are commercial products designed specifically to use as deterrents in flower gardens; or you could try the low-cost solution of scattering citrus peels around your garden to deter cats instead.
As another option, tape balls can help discourage cats from roaming your garden by sticking to their fur, irritating it and making it impossible for them to see where to go. They are inexpensive and available from most hardware stores.
Certain plants such as rosemary and lavender give off an aroma that cats find unpleasant. You could also spread a layer of fine-grained sand or catnip on the soil to discourage cats from coming near your garden, or cover it with rough rocks or material that will prickle their paws, dissuading them from venturing close.
Moth Balls
Moth balls are an effective means of deterring cats from flower gardens; however, they should never come into direct contact with cats or children; furthermore, their composition makes them potentially hazardous if ingested and may erode into the soil, damaging any plants growing there and even being mistaken by animals as food sources.
Filling small jars to the brim with ammonia and burying them in your garden is another effective method for scent-repellency; however, this should be repeated after rain or periodically to remain effective.
Some people also swear that scattering ground black pepper or cayenne pepper as a cat deterrent works well, without producing unpleasant odors like moth balls do. You could try washing down areas where cats like to congregate with a hosepipe to eliminate their scent while wiping their claim to them away completely. Motion activated sprinklers with spraying water can also work but be sure to turn them off before gardening!
Hot Pepper Spray
Cats can be an especially pesky garden pests, from digging in your flowers and frightening away your pets to leaving unwanted deposits in their wake. While some cat owners welcome felines into their garden spaces, others might prefer keeping felines away from plants they’re proud to display – home gardeners can use nontoxic solutions to deter cats from their plants without harming the creatures themselves.
Crushed red pepper can serve as an inexpensive, yet effective deterrent against cats. Simply sprinkle or spray crushed red pepper mixed with water around plants or any areas where you wish to prevent cats from accessing, according to University of Vermont Extension. The pepper irritates cats enough that it works effectively in keeping them at bay.
Other smelly solutions to deter cats include garlic and essential oils like peppermint, geranium and clove. Soak cotton balls in these scents and place them around plants you want to protect; or invest in a motion-activated sprinkler which sprays water only when motion is detected.
Physical Barriers
Just a little extra work with physical barriers will go a long way towards keeping cats out of your flower garden. Use chicken wire or similar mesh to cover planting beds before you plant, and lay mats of bristly material (like pine needles or holly leaves ) on soil surfaces after it has been planted – these surfaces make digging or pooping unpleasant for cats and encourage them to go elsewhere without harming them directly.
Others nontoxic methods for deterring cats include placing pointy sticks and branches around your garden or spreading dried cat-repellant dust on its surface. Some plants such as rosemary and sage have been said to repel cats with their scent; additionally, motion-activated sprinklers that release sudden bursts of water when cats approach are also effective deterrents.
Place an urn or window box over the soil in your garden to protect young seedlings and plants, or bend wire netting into a cloche shape to cover specific beds or patches of flower and vegetable gardens.