This is Dave.
Meet Dave. Dave was a friendly stray who liked to hang out at a local restaurant and pester customers for their leftovers. Dave is actually a girl. She was named after the owner of the restaurant she frequented. (We knew she was female, but decided to call her Dave anyway.) Now days the only dining Dave does in on my back patio.
Dave (like most cats) loves to hang around in the garden and nap in my landscape beds. For the most part, I don’t mind her in there…just as long as she’s not using it as her litter box.
Your garden makes a great litter box.
When you are an outdoor cat, the world is your toilet. If you are unfamiliar with the toilet habits of cats…lucky you! Let me fill you in. Cat urine has concentrated amounts of ammonia that grow actually grows stronger as it sits. So its no surprise that when your cat pees on your tomato plant, it burns the leaves.
Cats have a natural instinct to bury their feces. In the wild, large cats use their waste to mark their territory. Dominate cats leave their feces unburied as way to lay claim to their land. Less dominate cats bury their feces as an act of submission. Nearly all domesticated cats will bury their waste (be that in a litter box or in the garden) as act of submission to their human owners. That’s right, Dave. I’m top cat ’round these parts. Cats will also bury their waste to prevent both predators and prey from learning the locations of their favorite hang outs.
So how do you rewire nature’s programing? You don’t. Your best bet is to make your garden a less desirable place for cats to do their business.
Dave is comfortable in my ugly make-shift garden bed.
I’m a little embarrassed to show you the picture above. I had three tiny blueberry bushes and I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to plant them. I planted them in the ground where they would be happy until I found a permanent home for them. I threw some bricks around them to keep my husband from mowing them. Its an ugly garden bed, but Dave didn’t mind.
A domestic cat’s sense of smell is almost 14 times as strong as a human’s. Certain smells are unpleasant to cats. I know what you’re thinking: Cats live in dumpsters. If it smells bad to a cat then I probably don’t want it planted in my yard. Wrong! These things smell great to us. I’m sure Yankee Candle can attest to that.
- Lavender
- Citrus
- Geranium
- Coffee
Planting things like lavender, rue, geranium, curry plant, rosemary, and citrus scented plants will deter cats from hanging around your garden. (Lemongrass seems to be the exception. Cats really like to nibble on lemongrass.)
Placing citrus peels or coffee grounds in your garden bed will also keep cats out. Go lightly with the coffee grounds. It can add a lot of acidity to your soil that many plants won’t appreciate. (Your azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries and hydrangea will love it though!)
There are a few deterrents that are said to work well that aren’t as pleasant to us humans. Coleus canina is a creeping plant that is sometimes referred to as “Scaredy Cat Plant”. When you brush against it, the smell is slightly skunky. That’s enough to scare anyone away. Predator urine is another tough, yet unpleasant way to get the job done. A handful of mothballs in a plastic bottle (with holes poked through it) is another way to keep the felines (and neighbors) at bay.
Mulch will keep cats from digging up your flower beds.
Its been said that mulching will keep a cat out of your flower bed. This is simply not true. My cats love to nap on warm mulch on a sunny day. While mulching doesn’t keep them out, it does keep them from using it as a litter box. The mulch makes it difficult to bury their waste. They don’t like digging through it.
Likewise, you can lay fencing, chicken wire or lattice over your garden bed. Your plants will grow through the lattice holes, but cats won’t be able to dig in the area.
Spray bottle: a handy training tool.
Spray bottles are my favorite tool for training indoor cats to stay off tables and counters. Give them a little spritz of water an they learn quickly not to repeat the behavior. Chasing cats around your yard with a spray bottle isn’t really efficient. Instead you might try a motion activated sprinkler. It will only come on when a cat (or other animal) walks in front of it. It’ll keep critters out and water your plants at the same time…awesome!
Cat proof seed tray
To keep the cats from laying in my seed trays I place toothpicks in the soil. Walmart and our dollar store sell wood kabob skewers. Stick them in your flowers beds and cats won’t lay on your plants.
I’ve heard someone suggest sprinkling jacks (the old toys) in your garden to keep cats from getting comfortable. I like this idea for potted plants, but I’m not so sure I want to pick them out of my garden beds when its time for re-planting.
The ASPCA suggests that instead of making your garden less desirable to a cat, create an area somewhere else that is more desirable for a cat. Find a small area and fill it with sand. They will be more apt to use it as a liter box than your garden.
Sassafras the cat loves being outdoors
Cats are smart.
Cat’s can be stubborn at times, but they really are intelligent animals. When you are training a kitten to use the litter box and it poops on the floor, you are supposed to scoop up the poo and put it in the litter box. This teaches a kitten where its supposed to go. If you create a sand area for the cats and find that they are using your garden instead, scoop some waste out of the garden and put it in the sand. The cat should catch on pretty quick.
I know this post is very old, but I just had to comment. I’m an animal lover. I have two cats and a dog. I also have a garden with many neighborhood cats wandering around. If the owners are concerned about their cats, then they can go pick them up at the Humane Society after I trap them and drop them off there.. My dog has been sickened from sneaking little cat poop treats when I’m not looking, costing me $ in vet bills. And the cats that dig in my garden have cost me a lot of money in ruined seedlings, not to mention the urine that kills some of my plants. People that let their cats wander are rude, inconsiderate, and should not be pet owners as they clearly have no concern for their cats safety wandering around the neighborhood
No one has mentioned that cats ARE train-able. It’s tough, but it can be done! They aren’t stupid, Our area passed a bylaw stating that cats need to be tied up or on a leash, the same as dogs. I, and our cat, hated it for the first summer but now there is no problem with being on a long leash. Keeps everyone in the neighbourhood happy. The birds are back at the feeders and I don’t cringe at weeding my own gardens. So stop being lazy people. If you want an outdoor cat, then tie it or train it. Both are possible.
My neighbors cat digs through my mulch to crap and pee on my lavender plants…
Glad to see I’m not the only one with this exact problem. We have 2 wild cats and our cats. And I know for sure 1 of our cats keeps using the mulch. 😒
OMG! That was the first comment I read and it cracked me up!!
My father worked in a profession that involved the use of compressed air to clean small parts. When the neighbor’s cat became a problem killing birds and messing in our flowerbed, he hooked a tank of compressed air to a hose and let that meandered across the bed. When ever he saw the cat get near the flower bed, he would open the valve on the tank. The hose would jump and jerk around. The cat, thinking it was a snake, would take off like a bullet. It didn’t take long for the cat to avoid crossing our property line.
Ann,
Actually this is a pretty good idea. There are few things as startling as a blast of air let along a wiggling hose. I think you can buy motion activated water sprinklers as well. ????
Oh…I can just see it. I just watched the ‘neighbor’s’ cat spraying – for an incredibly long time – my most beloved shrub. I was already amazed this arborvitae (can everyone else read this text, but me? How about some text contrast – or darker type?) I like the cat, if not the clueless neighbor… but that cat cannot ruin that shrub with its spray. The irony here is that the ‘neighbor’ hasn’t been staying in his house most of the time, and takes the cat with him – wherever it is he is staying. I get the “benefits” when he decides to hole up. He has NOTHING in his yard, so it is no wonder the cat comes here where there is a sign of life,
but …. Last year, that same cat was destroying another shrub, one that I planted to mark the grave of a dead cat pet. I took dried thistle and put it all around that shrub… but more thistle is months away.
Unbelievable!!! Most of you people are either neurotic or hysterical, either way you’re NUTS!!!
We in the UK do NOT de-claw our cats because it’s a cruel practice. You wouldn’t find a vet in this country to do such a wicked thing to an animal. The vitriol on this webpage towards cats is almost palpable, and I bet if you have children not a one of you thinks about your imperfect, rowdy, forward and often obnoxious kids whose lack of manners are appalling. You ought to spend time teaching them boundaries and grooming them into being more socialized human beings. If I owned a cat in your country and anyone of you arrogant sods hurt my cat, then I’d drag you into court and sue the asses off you. Here in the UK the law states that cats have the freedom of the land and, do you know why? A cat is an animal and it doesn’t understand that your garden is off limits to it. Neither can the owners sit the cat down and tell it not to go in your garden. To keep a cat indoors against it’s will is cruel and wicked. They love to explore…. get it!!! Your neurotic behaviors and hysteria over a cat shows that you are the kind of people who are intolerant and must have it all your way or no way. Leave the darned cats alone and chill out. What a sick bunch you are.
Maybe those who feel we are cruel for not wanting cats pooping in our yards..Should come to our homes and pick it up.When approaching the bad animal owner next to us he said its not his cat yet he chases after it in our yard. HMMM..If cat owners would build a outdoor space like most dog owners do to protect the animals and the neighbors yards, the urge to trap and carry to the pound wouldn’t be there.
True! Thank you for communicating the feelings of millions !
Exactly says the person who’s 5 neighbors cats take turns pooping in my flower beds, sleeping on my car., and stalking my bird feeders 😡
You’re right. I don’t believe in the feral cat that people have going on. In San Antonio there’s a neighborhood that says all their ground nesting birds are dead because the feral cat population. So they are altering nature.
We have a leash law for cats but rarely enforced.
Neighbor has a paint ball gun. Cat goes home and rubs paint on the o owners furniture. No more outdoor cat problem
yes
Says the insane lady with 20 cats. Lmao good lord
Omg I’m laughing so hard
I agree and I usually pay the neighbors hundreds of dollars a year for the problems, assassinations, and poop that my cats cause to them. Money is just money and if my neighbors let my cat kill birds, poop everywhere, destroy their children’s sand boxes, etc, I just think that’s just a few hundred bucks, so what the problem? We all just gotta pay for our pet’s messes. That’s simple. Just a few hundred dollars a year and everyone is happy. I also send money to the birds sanctuaries since I recognize that my cats have killed and continue killing hundreds or thousands of birds. That’s no cruelty, that’s just their nature. Cat’s goal is to kill and they don’t care about how we feel. Get over because that’s the way cats are, their nature & goal is to kill. None of of can change that.
I haven’t yet seen the comments you are referring to, but rational people in the U.S. do not have their cats declawed, and it is not true that in the U.K. cats can do what they want. I wonder what brought you to this website, and I am surprised your comment remains.
Ever hear of toxoplasmosis? Ever stick your hands into your pea bed only to have them covered in cat feces?
GROSS
Wow! What a narcissistic post! I have been an animal lover all my life. Try to rescue any injured animal I’ve ever seen. This being said, I have a mulch/flower bed in my front yard. I take so much pride in the work I’ve done. My neighbors have 2 outdoor cats that they let in occasionally. I have been so happy to be able to share working in my garden with my grandchildren. Issue is, the cats use my garden as a litter box. I’ve tried chicken wire, moth balls, vinegar, a automated spot light and sprinkler to no avail. I’ve spoken to the neighbors about it several times. Have had to replace my mulch on multiple occasions because of the smell. I can’t even enjoy sitting on my rocking chair and enjoy my deck and yard due to the smell. Why do I have to risk the health of my grandkids and myself along with spending hundreds to continuously replace mulch because my neighbors decided they wanted cats that they don’t even have to take care of. I’ve gotten to where I now personally scoop up the cat poop and put it in their flower beds right next to their front door.
For Angus Mac Pherson to say “ To keep a cat indoors against it’s will is cruel and wicked” is so hypocritical. Why keep a “pet” and not take any responsibility to what that pet does? Why create problems for people who want no part of taking care of what your cat does or needs. DO NOT get a pet that you take no responsibility for. Get a hamster. Stop bringing cats to homes just to let them be outside and wreak havoc for others. It’s not fair to home owners that choose not to have outdoor cats. It’s irresponsible and amoral and wrong!!!! It’s all about you in your world. What a narcissist!!!!
Try sprinkling some Epson salt in your flower bed and gardens.
YOU, angus my wacko friend, are seriously demented! MY property is MY sovereign land. I have a neighborhood domestic cat problem. Kitties crap in my yard are gonna die, via poison. or bullet. And it is the cat OWNERS fault. I have also shoveled my own human crap over the fence. Turnabout is fair play, eh?
Cats do use mulch as a liter box. That is my problem! This article simply not true.
Ok I hear alot of remarks from lovers and haters of cats.
For those who think that deliberately killing or poisoning animals (other than rats) is an answer,be ready to spend some money and /or time in jail-so while you may induldge yourself in online bullying of animal lovers,acting out could cost you big time.Most states have laws against animal cruelty
I have had both cats,and cat issues,The best way to keep cats from doing their business in your nice,soft beds is A)to use decorative gravel or stone instead of wood mulch-too hard on their paws.
B.)
Sprinkle cinnamon around the area the cat frequent-cats HATE cinnamon!Its environmentally friendly and can also deter other critters
CPlant low growing evergreens around borders and fuzzy leaved plants like pumpkins around stuff you dont want bothered-theyre tough and deter alot of other animals
D Keep kitty inside as much as possible if not all the time-lots of nice cats have come to tragic ends left to the outside and they DO decimate bird populations-and spay or nueter them!
Thats what the author said
Sounds like the people complaining are clearly DOG lovers. We all know you have no problem walking your dog and letting them “ potty” in people’s yards.
You must not know anything about dogs. Dog urine doesn’t have the paint-peeling ammonia odor that cat urine does, we also pick up their poop. Your outdoor cat kills birds and shits everywhere. Be responsible, build a cat patio.
Right on and fortunately because of rude cat owners who consider neighboring flower beds to be convenient toilet spots, many cities have enacted ordinances for unleashed cats.
These people are very ignorant and have no respect for other people’s rights and property.
we can’t blame the cats as. Take the people to small claims court under a nuisance law.
If that does not work, become the ultimate weapon and fix the people with what they hate the most that they can’t charge you with anything.
Do not tresspass, get caught as you pay the price.
Been stuck with this problem about cats for several years. Laws need to be changed so the a person does have the right to privacy and enjoy your property by defination of the Constitution which exists today. Use the Constition law if you can and do not get a judge that is a cat lover. You lose !!!
Cats are God’s creatures.
I think that the people that act as if a cats life is more important than a human’s liife are the ones truly sick. It’s okay to harm or shoot a human but you can’t deter or touch a cat for distroying your property,??? I don’t get how they think. You earned and work hard for that. Homeowners should have rights.
Ronni,
Feral cats are a problem but so is animal abuse. One doesn’t make the other right.
I actually don’t mind the cats being in the yard, I just don’t like the crap in the vegetable garden. The cats help to keep rodents at bay.
I’ve had success with laying cedar planks spaced about 2-3 inches in the vegetable bed. If I place them too far apart, the cats find a way to crap. I also have a bunch of chopsticks from take-out that I stuck in the garden, it’s worked so far (it’s been about 6 months). I also put a mason glass jar full of water – I read somewhere that this worked, so I figured why not try it. So far so good. Shake-away never worked very well and it’s expensive.
When I plant the veggies, I plan to lay out rolls of chicken wire with stones to weight it to prevent cats from crapping. I need the ability to clean under the veggies, so I need to be able to remove the chicken wire.
I thought about a mild electric fence but my raised bed is so small that it seems too expensive for the space. I also thought about cayenne pepper but I don’t want to burn them plus, do they really associate it with not going into the vegetable bed? I don’t know.
Brainstorming as I read the article … it occurs to me (I just bought a bunch yesterday to keep some new clematis happy till my trellis is built) that lots of roughly-broken-off bamboo stakes stuck in the soil might work and be pretty inexpensive.
This is an untested method, however. Probably best for pots and small-ish raised beds. 🙂
I tried dozens of spiky raspberry canes but it didn’t deter the neighbors cats. Best thing I’ve found is laying lots of sticks down horizontally on the soil surface. Easy to remove and the pesky cats can’t move them. Definitely the best method I’ve found.
I had a laundry basket full of tomatoes that I had in the kitchen to be canned today. When I was putting them in the sink to be rinsed, I noticed cat pee at the bottom of the basket. That means our cat peed on the tomatoes. I almost want to cry because we are talking about a LOT of tomatoes, and I have no idea which ones were peed on. Does anyone know if they are okay to can still? I know they get blanched and then boiled before being canned, but I don’t want to eat canned tomatoes with a side of cat urine on them this winter. Does anyone know what I should do? This was the first canning attempt I was going to make. I am very sad. Thanks, Julie
Nevermind. We ended up throwing them all out. I don’t want to take the chance of the urine absorbing in the tomatoes and it only makes common sense that is exactly what happened. Thank you though. No need to post my above question.
Was it cat pee or did the tomatoes weep? It looks like pee ad its that color….
We use rose bush clippings cu about 2″ long. The clippings all have thorns that deter visitors, cats and male dogs. The clippings are large enough to weed around and usually free where ever roses grow. Thanks
John,
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
None of these tricks work. Not for long anyway. There is only one way to keep a cat out of your yard and that is a bullet through it’s annoying little brain. Works a treat. It will never bother you or anyone else again. Just save one for it’s selfish owner too.
Cats are an abomination! Their owners are even worse. They actually believe that their cat has the “right” to in your garden. There is no reasoning with them. They say there is nothing they can do about it, so they left you no choice. You have to make that thing disappear…
I am with you on this, but, it is hard for me to do that. I hate that people use the words “they are a free spirit and need to be outside” .. well, then I wish people would keep them on their own property some how.. I am going to try some of these.. but if they do not work, My hubby has no problems doing what you said ..
I tried dozens of spiky raspberry canes but it didn’t deter the neighbors cats. Best thing I’ve found is laying lots of sticks down horizontally on the soil surface. Easy to remove and the pesky cats can’t move them. Definitely the best method I’ve found.
)
Get a dog. Preferably a rottweiler. That should put the cats off. For a bonus you can take it for walks and let it poop on the cat owners front lawn. Note the cat owner will suddenly take a very different view from their “free-for spirited” cat. See how they like it. If the dog then happens to attack the cat while it’s trespassing in your property you can say the dog is a”free-for spirit”. They can’t argue with that, right?
This person is sick….
NO! not sick, just true! cats are good for one thing;;;CATSAROLLS!
Domestic cats are a cruelty. They were bred to be domestic, not born that way. By nature cats DON’T LIKE PEOPLE. Again, they were bred to be pets and that is cruel.
What really pisses me off are that people like you are the ones that move somewhere else and leave their domesticated cats outside to fend for themselves. They go feral, attack kids and other pets cause guess what, they revert to their ancient instincts.
the best thing for a stray cat is to put it out of everyones misery!!!!!
I think I might make it my goal in life to find you and put a bullet in your sick little brain
Okay I am going to assume this comment is not aimed at me but probably some stupid comment made by somebody else. Probably somebody that posted anonymously. Anonymous people always have the most wonderful things to say.
I’m with you on this!! Y’all are some sick cruel people!! You need to be treated like that!! Bunch of sick FU**S!!
Did you know that Jeffrey Dahmer started his serial killing spree by killing cats and small animals? Who are you to delegate what animal is useless and which is not. I’d love to lick your ass.
Thanks everyone for the hints, going to try the coffee grounds and orange peels. Will let you know.
Has anyone tried milarganite? I have the neighbors mouser using my garden, that I wasn’t aware if until today. My husband said to try milarganite fertilizer. Cats don’t like the smell
Lori,
Milorganite is actually a good organic fertilizer, but not for a vegetable garden. It’s actually made from sewage sludge. http://www.milorganite.com/
a stray mommy cat is teaching her babies to use my tomatoe plants as a potty.can i still eat the tomatoes?
Suzie,
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t.
I wouldn’t listen to this sick in the A** hole!!!
Just because you don’t agree with Mike, and assumably see no problem with cats ruining other people’s yards, doesn’t mean you have to childishly reply to his replies. He’s correct…cat pee and poop are toxic and full of bacteria. Do you have any factual argument, or were you just being a crazy cat lady?
I like the pinecone idea and then thought of all the sweetgum cuckle burrs that I rake up. They would work perfectly I am sure. I hate those things and would love to have a purpose for them.
I’ve found nothing that works!!! My neighbor’s will stand there and watch their cats do it!
throw the cats poo in there yard
let Me guess, your a DOG lover?
Lay chicken wire on top of any bare soil, and around the stems of plants. This definitely works, though needs adjustment as plants grow.
Tried Shake Away for cats. My dog started barking and I looked out the window and two strays were laying on the porch. Ones head was almost laying in the Shake Away. What a waste of money!
You are right Mike, mulch won’t do the trick. I completed my front yard design this summer, all plants, no grass. Then I mulched the whole yard. The cats are having a great time using it for their bathroom. Never had a problem until I put down the mulch. grrrrr.
I use pecan shells in all my bed’s and pot’s…Does the trick! They don’t like to step on those pointed broken shells…of course you have to have a reasonably priced hook-up on the shell’s. I got lucky, and the place I take my pecans to get cracked and shelled, the owner sales me 50 gal barrel loads for $5.00 a full barrel. Can’t beat that! And I take as many as he has,usually 4-5,barrels& he empties them in the bed of my truck. 🙂
The bit about cats not digging in mulch is rubbish. My front yard is mulched in refeood bark and the neighborhood cats think it’s a giant litter box. Will try the citrus peel and see if that does any good.
Hi Mike and Pam. About keeping cats from urinating in your garden. I’ve learned, and this does work, throw out fresh orange pealing’s . Cats hate the smell. I let my cats out daily, supervised, to stay in the yard, and I’ve watched them with the orange peal, and they won’t go near it. Where I use to have cat urine smell, especially in my patio full of plants, now, no more. They do use their litter box in the house, but I’ve had a few strays come through at night, while my dogs are inside, but with the orange pealing, this doesn’t seem to happen anymore.
Lemon peels also work for me. I buy small bags of lemons on sale at the supermarket and just place them in the garden in the “chosen” spots. They last between 6-8 weeks 🙂
How often do you have to replace the orange peels? The feral cats kill all my potted plants by pissing on them, not to mention outdoor decorations during the holidays.
I’ve used pine cones to deter cats from using beds as litter boxes.
Hey, this is great. Now do you have any ideas on how to keep raccoons out of your garden?
Use human hair it seems to work well
Thanks for these tips on how to keep cats out of my
flowerbeds
This is what I did to scare my neighbour’s cat away:
1) Hide an airplay enabled speaker (a very loud one) under a bucket with a brick on top
2) Connect an iphone to the speaker
3) when you see the cat, play the sound of machine gun fire at full volume
4) clean up the waste as the cat defecates from terror!
your an idiot.
But a funny one
Thanks Mike… information about how to keep neighborhood cat happy and me to was useful….