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10 Ways To Keep Kitty From Using Your Garden As A Litterbox
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There is nothing more rewarding or relaxing then working in a garden: Eating your own fresh produce, cutting vases full of fresh flowers from your own garden. But what happens when your cat, or a neighbor’s cat, decides that your flower garden or vegetable garden makes the perfect outdoor litterbox?
We love cats, don’t get us wrong, but no one wants the dangers of cat poop in their garden. Yes, cats, especially outdoor cats, can transmit disease through their poop. Cats that might catch wild rodents can pass on parasites through their poop. Also, cat poop itself harbors a pathogen that can lead to a serious disease for humans called toxoplasma. New research has even tied cat poop to schizophrenia and other types of mental illness.
And let’s be honest here: Cat poop stinks. Nothing puts a damper on outdoor activities like stepping on cat poop or digging out weeds and finding one of these little treasures.
Cats are best kept inside, but especially in more rural areas, many people like to let their cats run free to keep away rodents. No point in getting angry at a cat for doing what they have to do — we have to simply convince them to go do their business someplace else!
Want to keep cats out of your garden humanely and safely? We have 10 terrific ways to keep kitty from using your garden as her own personal litterbox.
1. Ultrasonic Pest Repellant
These are nifty little devices that emit a sound that only kitties can hear. This sound is annoying to them, but humans don’t hear a thing. Some of them have a flashing blue light that other animals, such as mice, find scary. Most of these devices work in a 40-square foot area, so if you have a small garden, one of these might be exactly what you need. Some work on batteries, so you don’t even have to worry about running an extension cord!
The problem with these is that if you have a large garden, you will need several of them. At about $40 bucks a pop, this is not a cheap option for those with large gardens.
2. Mulch
Now, cats love some types of mulch as much as your plants do. The trick here is to try things that they don’t like. Cats are pretty fussy about what they walk on, especially when they are scratching to find the right spot to “go.” Sometimes, simply putting stones, such as river rock, is enough to make them go elsewhere. They also do not like sharper types of mulch, such as pine cones.
3. Orange Peels
Cats don’t care for the scent of citrus fruits. This is fairly easy: Start throwing your citrus peels, like the peels from oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes, around the garden. If you have mulch, you can mix it in with the mulch. Perhaps the only drawback to citrus peels is that they aren’t especially pretty. If you have some beautiful roses or other flowering plants in your front yard, leaving enough citrus peels around to deter the neighbor’s cat can leave your front yard looking like that cat went through the trash.
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