If you have a garden you spend a lot of time working on and you’re proud of. You probably want to keep cats out, or at least off of certain areas you most cherish.
In this article I will explain a few different methods as to how to keep cats off certain areas of your garden.
Cats love exploring and roaming around in people’s gardens. They are particularly good at exploring those areas you don’t want them too, that’s just cats for you.
Some plants are toxic to cats, and need to be sectioned off. Maybe you are trying to grow some new plants, and they need to be left alone. You’re going to need some tactics to keep these areas off a cat’s radar.
In this article I will look at six pretty solid solutions to this problem. All are kind and safe measures, no cats shall be traumatized or harmed, and you can sleep easy knowing your prized flowers are safe.
How to Keep Cats off Certain Areas of Your Garden
Using Fencing and Wires to Keep Cats Out
I know what you’re thinking, fences are not very effective at keeping cats at bay. There is seemingly no fence that a cat can’t find a way to scale and get over. So building up fencing isn’t the option.
Instead, if you have some seeds planted or fresh soil, you can lay some wire netting over the top to make it a lot less appealing to walk over.
Or, you can build a very low fence, with some mesh or wire over the top. A cat should realize this isn’t going to be easy to walk on, and leave the area alone.
Cats like freshly turned soil, so bear this in mind when working in the garden. Some cats like to sleep on this soil as it’s warmer and more comfortable than hard soil, others like to use it as a litter tray.
So if you have been working in the garden, some fencing or netting may just be enough to deter them.
Motion Sensitive Sprinklers
A nice way to deter cats from being on areas of your lawn while not harming them is to use motion sensitive sprinklers.
It’s a well known fact that cats do not like water. So using water is an obvious deterrent. This also makes the area wet, which is also a great way to keep cats off.
If you don’t, or can’t get motion sensitive sprinklers. Just regular sprinklers on a timer will also probably do the trick. Just make them come on periodically, and the local felines will get the message.
Handheld Water Sprays
If you are a little more obsessive and can patrol your garden in person, you can walk around armed with a spray bottle or a hose.
Now, don’t go shooting at the cats as you see them like it’s a game of some sort. Just a gentle spray in their direction when they step a paw on your prized area is all that’s needed.
Cats are quick to learn when something happens that they don’t like. They will soon start to fear stepping on your lawn.
Cat Repellents
There are cat repellents for sale and they can be effective at repelling cats as advertised. Most are small pellets that you spread around the area of the lawn you want to be kept clear of cats.
Some are scented sprays, that use a scent cats find highly offensive, but your plants will not. Always check these products are safe for the garden and cats before using.
Scented Plants
If the sounds of sprays, repellents, and other products sound a little harsh to you there is a more natural option. Scented plants.
There are some plants that cats will not go near because they do not like the smell. Penny Royal and Lavender are two such plants that cats find offensive.
Try planting a couple of these in your flower bed, or on the outskirts of your prized area of grass. They smell nice to us and look pretty good too, so it’s not going to make your garden unsightly. It’s going to improve it if anything.
Make an Area in the Garden for the Cats
There is some logic to this. If you want to keep cats off a certain area in your garden, why not make a different area more appealing?
Put some of the above in motion on the area you’re protecting too. Kind of like a two pronged attack. A way of guiding where the cats are going to be.
A little catnip or some unsettled soil in the desired area might do the trick.