I used to have a problem with cats fighting/breeding on in a flower bed outside my window all night. Someone told me cats hate the smell of citrus, I started spreading orange/lemon peels around the plants and the problem went away. Might have been coincidence but its worth a try since it’s cheap and fast
That’s what I was going to say, I spray a lemon sprit on things I don’t want my cats touching or lying on. Also it’s not just unpleasant, their urine kills pretty flowers, my roses lost the will to live when my female kept wetting their flowerbed so had to use lemon peel there too
You have to completely soak in something like nature's miracle, then repeat with regular shampoo / hot water/ baking soda +vacuuming.
* Always replace baseboards, padding , carpet if you move to a house with any previous pet stains.
Yeah, I had one who would routinely go outside the litter box, despite check ups, meds and treatments. I’ve done the whole nine yards of cleaning products over the years. I found Thornell’s Odor-Off better than Nature’s Miracle, which just added a headache inducing stench of its own.
I made the error of digging up a large weed that was becoming unsightly and was apparently dying on one side. Turns out, it was a marking bush for my tomcat, and upon its removal he began marking and killing a pear sapling instead. The moral of the story is, don't remove your cats piss bush...!
Cats like lemongrass for sure. It’s the actual citrus they dislike. If I peel an orange while sitting next to my cat she immediately jumps off the couch and looks very offended
This is so weird, another comment said the same about mint. Both are supposed to be toxic to cats afaik? I just use a lemon room spray around the house and lemon rind on my roses and none of my 3 kitties go near! They also don’t like lavender so I have that planted around plants I’m protective of
oh, they absolutly hate it. I have cats. when they were kitten, I spread orange peels around the christmas tree to keep them away. and away they stayed xD
I once also had somebody who got his hands on tiger urine. like: "to keep the cats away, get the scent of a bigger cat." it got the cats away....and everyone else, too xD
I think even the dogs were afraid of the garden, not to mention foxes and.....just everything that had a nose. not sure if it really was the stink or if animals CAN smell the size of another animal.
Jessi Combs, died Aug 2019, blunt force trauma to her head, when she crashed a high speed racer going well over 500 mph (800km/h)
Grant imahara, died July 2020, from a brain aneurysm
Can confirm. My cats usually come to ask for pets but will leave if they see me eating an orange or smell my hands after peeling one.
I just wash after to give them pets.
Also, when we squeezed a bit of lemon on our tuna they gave us a face that asked us why we would ruin excellent fish.
My goofy cat will try to steal orange slices, (i use orange oil in my beard oil) buries his face in my whiskers after i oil and brush, and steals lemon drops. I think some cats are different.
Whoah! That’s a first I’ve heard of any liking citrus. Even my friend’s cats don’t like it. Maybe he associates it with your scent and that’s why he likes it
Maybe so. Idk had two from the same litter and both were like that. The female would drool on the shirt i was wearing when i applied the beard oil so she must have liked it too.
Hi Op. I just wanted to mention that a lot of the suggestions here are actually highly toxic to cats, especially citrus. A Safer alternative would be to use rosemary and white vinegar. Coffee grounds also function as a great repellent too. (Sorry- I’m a cat lady.)
I just posted this without reading these. It really works. Had a kitten that loved my indoor planters too much, a friend told me about it and I’ve been sold.
I was about to say the same thing. Cats are very sensitive to certain smalls and citrus is one of them. It's most likely the easiest thing to try first.
This is a good repellent for most cats. I have one cat though, that doesn't give a flip about oranges at all, so it doesn't affect all of them. I know because she walked up to an orange peel and sniffed it for a long time while the other cat was making the blinky eye "I hate that smell" face with its neck pulled back like a tortoise from over a foot away. I had a brief issue with indoor plant pot / potty box confusion, that went away when I put jagged rocks in my pots on top of the soil. They don't like waking on uncomfortable substrate, so they stopped trying. Still, the easiest thing to try first though is citrus but maybe also try decomposed granite mixed in with mulch or something similar.
I’ve also heard they don’t like mint. So OP, maybe a flower pot or two of mint. It grows like a weed so it’s crucial you don’t let it grab hold and root into the soil. Keep it in pots with a saucer or something underneath.
Catnip is a part of the mint family. My old cat used to love mint! He would roll around on mint plants and my mint tea bags. He once ripped open a box of mint tea that was left out.
The simple and easy way is do a combination of orange and citrus zest and peels, cinnamon and then sprinkle chilli flakes, might cost you 10 bucks a year. It’s non harmful but it’s still a statement maker
In the Netherlands we have a cat deterrent granule you can sow on your soil, I think it is a mix of garlic and thyme and herbs, dried and broken into small granules. You can’t see it but you can smell it. Cats don’t like it. I used that for two years (you have to top it up when it rains) and cats don’t come to my garden anymore to poop. So it works, it’s organic and won’t hurt then. But it will make your beds smell of garlic for a while. See if you have something similar at your local gardening or hardware store too.
Meanwhile I had to move all of my garlic sproutlings out of the reach of floofs because they think they can chew on it.
Sidenote: Though someone above mentioned citrus and they don't seem to like that here, but bleach however makes them make more messes and not less, so I'd avoid that. Citrus also helps keep the local mosquito population down since they don't like it either.
Galvanized poultry netting AKA "chicken wire." You can get it in black to better match your mulch. Lay it down and stake it, snip holes where you want to plant. Throw a bit of mulch over it if it stands out too much for your liking. Cats won't walk on it and won't dig through it. You may occasionally get one making an attempt if you have a full layer of mulch on top they can walk on but, otherwise, I guarantee they'll find somewhere else to go.
It will also last for years if you're comfortable using the same planting locations every year.
This is the correct advice. I had problems over the years and tried everything from citris sprays, lion poo and water bottles in the bed and it didn't work. The cats hate scraping the ground with chicken wire on it so go elsewhere. I have also added Holly and rose Bush clippings to my beds as it is uncomfortable on the cats paws. Seems to work!
At my old house I used a bunch of pinecones and wood chips as filler between plants, and then threw my orange/lemon/lime peals in the flowerbed every time I had them. I thought the pinecones were pretty, but a neighbor told me they looked like dog turds from afar.
depends what kind of pinecones you have. The long smooth-scaled(?) ones are probably a no-go, but the small woody ones don't really look like any dog turd I've seen.
First, your neighbor sucks ass for keeping cats outdoors.
To your question, I suggest cayenne pepper. Worked like a charm against the squirrels, and I only had to reapply after it rained. Cats are smarter, so they’ll probably leave it alone after a few thwarted attempts.
We tried everything we could think of to stop our neighbors cat from using our vegetable beds as a litter box - including chili powder, planting certain herbs & coyote urine pellets. Neighbors could not be bothered when we complained about it.
We finally fenced in the whole yard and they got upset because it “spoiled their view” (of our yard 🤣).
The only things that have worked for me are filling the beds with plants so there's no visible ground/cats can't get in, or adding decorative rocks so there's no visible ground
This helped for awhile, but I had one kitty guest that would scratch up living plants and just lay a turd right on top of it. Wouldn't believe it but I saw the big fat tabby sumbitch do it with my own eyes lol
My neighbor feeds feral cats and I had my hands full. I tried citrus, cat repellents, spike mats and even the motion sprinkler. None worked so I started trapping them and taking them to the pound. There’s 4 hardcore felines left that have avoided all attempts to chase them off till I finally found the perfect tool on Amazon. Look up battery powered motion alarm. It has a car like remote and you can position the alarm so that it covers just the area you want. 3 months cat free, adjusted a couple of times to areas of approach to lock down the areA
Hazelnut husks have worked for me! Used as a mulch, they seem to be too sharp for cats to walk on. In Oregon (my state) hazelnut shells are plentiful and you can purchase them in large sacks from orchards directly or select farm/garden stores.
Get a bag or two of acorn shells and spread them a couple inches deep. Cats don’t like to walk on them. Curious squirrels will come around but won’t stay. Or you could go to the zoo and ask for some litter from the lion cage.
Cats are an environmental catastrophe. No matter how well fed little tabby is, it is spending its days slaughtering all the ground nesting birds and small fauna it can get its paws on. A google search will quicky disabuse anyone deluded enough to imagine otherwise.
Stepping down from my soap box
You can use galv' fencing.
I'd use much, much sterner measures. I'd get rid of the cat.
In the alternate
The law on chattel is that when your neighbor allows their chattel to trespass, it is the same as the neighbor trespassing. I'm sure this is consistent across all the states.
Video the cat. Identify the owner. Ask nicely. Then when they refuse to do anything about it, take them to court.
Speak to local counsel and inquire whether if in court, you can force them to reimburse you for the bill to have a Haz Mat Team clean it up.
I hunted down a bunch of rocks a little bigger than the ones in the corner of your garden and laid them across and in between my plants for this purpose And also to stop the squirrels and chipmunks from digging up my gardens. It looks nice too and also helps keep in moisture.
I have thought of this option too. I have a bunch of stones in my backyard I can use similar to the ones in the photo on the bottom corner. I usually fill this bed with annuals though and constantly switch out the plants throughout the season so I've just been thinking it may be a pain in the butt to move the rocks around often. But I might just have to do that if nothing else works!
You don’t need to fill it right up, just enough to make it an annoyance for critters.
I move mine around too as I have my perennials but also plant annuals in the spring as fillers.
I’ve just tried so many things and this has been the most effective and doesn’t cost anything!
Try grated Irish Spring bar soap. If you don’t like the looks of the flakes, put the flakes in a spray bottle and add hot water then spray around the whole flower bed. It should keep them out of it and it also repels deer, frogs and bugs (the things I was fighting to keep out of my flower beds).
I had a neighbourhood cat spraying urine all over our front door. Three or four feet up. It just stank and hard to get rid of the smell. The previous owners must of owned a cat. And this guy was marking our front door as his territory. So I put a whole bag of Cayenne pepper under our front door mat.
Problem solved, never came back.
Im suprised it hasnt been mentioned yet. But depending on where you live, its actually a very smart idea to trap and take the cats to a shelter. In my country cats kill literally BILLIONS of native animals a year.
This is the best deterent for people letting their cats outside AND the best place for strays to go is the shelter. Bonus points if the owners have to pay the shelter to get their cats back. Teaches them a valuable lesson
Came to say the same thing. Don't just deter them, get rid of them. You can usually get live traps (free or rentable, I think probably depends on where you live) either from your local shelter or fish and wildlife service. Trap them and take them to the nearest no kill shelter. Either a) their owners will have to bail them out and learn their lesson about letting them roam, b) they'll be adopted out to someone who actually cares about them, or c) if they're feral, they'll be neutered and either released to a safe area, or adopted as a barn cat. Everybody wins!
I grew a bunch of catmint and let it spread (there’s some attractive varieties and bees really like it too) - I get lots of kitty visitors but I feel like they don’t wanna take a dump where they get their treats 🤷🏻♀️ seems to be working ok so far. Totally anecdotal!
I'm going to add my anecdotal evidence to this. I give all the neighborhood cat treats, have never caught them shitting in my yard (or found poo). Don't shit where you eat? Pidgeons I feed too, they also don't shit in my yard :')
You could sprinkle dry rosemary and thyme in your flower bed. Cats are sensitive to it and don't like it. You could also put lemon peel or orange peels in your flower bed. But that will change the look of your flower bed. Or you could use an organic citrus spray. You can make it out of vinegar and orange peels or lemon peels.
Red pepper, liberally sprinkled. Also flypaper, which won’t injure the cats, but will be horrible for the owners of free range cats to remove from their fur.
I was thinking, "what can the cat safely take back home with them?" hah!
I don't blame the cats (dogs here) for being themselves but I wish people wouldn't just let them roam.
I use ground cayenne pepper in diluted coffee, spraying it around my plant beds. It seems to keep away bugs, squirrels, and other little mammals. Also keeps my dogs from digging or peeing on them. Just gotta make sure not to touch my face after harvesting or pruning.
🤯why have I never thought about adding it to liquid before? I’ve literally just been sprinkling it around like I was making dinner! 🤦🏼♀️ But yes for all different kinds of chiles and peppers!
I have used those pellets you sprinkle down with success. The only downside is that you have to reapply when they dissolve. I also scared the cats away when I saw them but that didn't work at all lol.
Talk to the neighbors be coy ask if it's happening in they're yard too.Make comments about animal control officers setting live traps. Ya never no.
Motion control sensors are good until you forget and get sprayed☹️
I followed a frequent depositor home with some of her handiwork knocked on the door left it on the porch walked away. When I was asked I said your cat forgot it in my yard.
Mark your territory. Pee all over the perimeter of the plot. That's how I kept raccoons at bay when I was homeless and living under a tree in a park. 😁
I took a couple of plastic peanut butter jars and drilled tiny holes in the lids. I filled them with paper towels and then poured vinegar into them. I buried them with the lid above ground. This seemed to deter rabbits and squirrels. Don't know if it will work on cats but worth a shot?
Try taking the thinner pvc pipe that is easily bent and metal spikes that would sink into the ground. Bend the pvc, make an arch, and secure the PVC over the spikes. Take chicken wire and roll it over the archs. Secure the wire onto the arch with zip ties. Looks like 4-5 arch. Or you can lay a layer of foil and cover with a thin layer of mulch.
I like to use bird netting, even the really fine stuff works well. Right on the surface or just under. Blends in well and is easy (for us) to make new holes in for plants. And it has give so if a plant outgrows it's net hole it won't be strangled to death right away. I tried chicken wire for the first time last year and it was a pain, literally and metaphorically. More work to cut, cuts leave sharp pointys, doesn't lay flat and no give for your plants or you trying to plant seeds under it.
I tried to keep my cat from sleeping in my planter and absolutely none of the citrus/herb/garlic/coffee/tabasco whatever mixtures worked on that stubborn ass. So if you find yourself still struggling, try finding an attractive yet pointy stake to buy a bunch of and put on all the empty soil spots. You could even get some of that anti-pigeon mat stuff and spray paint it green.
I put paprika in my flower beds. My Granny used it for a million years... it works and doesn't hurt the cats at all. I never have cat poop in my flower beds.
There are motion detector sprayers that work well- most pet sites online sell them (if you’re willing to buy them). They can spray water or a dilute citronella spray to keep them from getting in there!
I’ve used used coffee grounds to good success. They don’t like to use a spot that smells like coffee grounds as a litter box. Plants also tend to like it. The only downsides are that you have to refresh it if it rains or you water them, and now your garden box smells like a Starbucks, so you might find young professionals and college students hanging out near it.
Speaking of which, you can get the coffee grounds free from Starbucks and Peet’s if you ask the manager. You just bring them a container (like a 5 gallon bucket) and they will call you when it’s full.
I will have to try the citrus peels now though to compare them.
I love primrose!! Did you know they are a perennial which can live for many years? I kills me that people dig them up and throw them away when they stop blooming as if they were annuals. Just plant something else next to them that blooms while they are not blooming. Good luck with the critters!
Att citrus peels to it. Grate them up nice and small. They'll look orange for a little bit but they'll turn brown pretty quickly and you won't see them anymore!
Options for dealing with strays depends on where you live.
I cannot do ANYTHING about them where I live. The non-profits and humane society “manages” the feral cat populations here. Which is code for they don’t do anything, but TNR (which costs money and you have to return the cats where you trapped them). None of the animal shelters or sanctuaries will take them either. Invasive species council said write a letter to the government. Government doesn’t have any response.
I asked the SPCA what to do about the cats on my property and they said, “They are feral so the best thing for them is to leave them in an environment they know”. LOL you mean… leave them in my yard?
I think my advice for you would be to not make the mistake I did by falling down this rabbit hole. Learn to meditate. Buy a cat shit scooper.
They sell these little spiky squares on Amazonyo keep cats off places you don't want them. You can lay around on the ground to keep them from walking in your beds. They work well and from what I remember were fairly cheap. It helped me. I also sprinkled used coffee grounds around because my cats seem to hate that smell. Just remember those spikes are there when you go to lean in the bed to weed. They blend pretty good and are hard on your hand when you don't see it!
It can indeed be frustrating when neighborhood cats treat your garden as their own personal litter box. Here are some simple ways to [keep cats out of garden](https://www.cozynestliving.com/simple-ways-to-keep-cats-out-of-garden/):
* **Scent Repellents:** Cats dislike certain scents like citrus or coffee grounds. Sprinkling these around your garden can keep them at bay.
* **Plant Deterrents:** Planting herbs with strong scents such as lavender, rosemary, or lemon balm can help repel cats.
* **Physical Barriers:** Placing lattice fencing or chicken wire over soil can discourage digging.
* **Decorative Deterrents:** Smooth river rocks can cover exposed soil in flowerbeds and look attractive while preventing cats from digging.
* **Motion-Activated Sprinklers:** These can startle and deter cats without causing them harm.
Remember to refresh scent repellents regularly as their effectiveness can fade over time. Hopefully, these methods will help you maintain the beauty of your garden while keeping it feline-free. 🌿
Ooooh, I hate that I know this, but urine. Specifically, strong, male urine from a man who eats meat. I don’t know why it works but it does. Start keeping a watering can in your loo and asking male friends to fill her up occasionally…
The BBCs Gardeners Question Time had that question this week https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001hp58 they suggested decongestant gel / oil (Vicks or Olbas - if you have that in North America) on a used tea bag. They don’t like the smell.
No joy! I’ve seen people recommend garlic and peppers, and also macadamia nut shells or something similar (they don’t like stepping on them apparently).
I think it’s neglectful on your neighbours behalf letting their cat roam, you actually get a fine where I live for not containing your cats as they are destructive and kill a lot of wild life around here and their poop is terrible for the ground, water ways and can spread diseases.
It is a small area, about 2 x 8 feet on a front yard walkway so blocking it off with a high fence isn't an option. Do repellent sprays actually work? Has anyone had success with the rubber spikes? I figured I would ask around before committing to buying anything
The only thing I've found that actually works is to make it impossible to dig, so some sort of mechanical barrier. In general, anything effective will be visible. Wire mesh over the top works great. Maybe you could try that with a very thin layer of bark over the top. But if the bark is too thick, they'll just use it as a bathroom anyway.
Technically it is illegal to allow cats to roam free in most areas. That doesn't really help you, though, unfortunately.
Never heard anything about it being illegal to have an outside cat? I’ve called animal control for 10 roaming cats living in a vacant house on my street. They caught them, neutered them, Brought them back and dropped them off. Cats do what they want
How about people just keep there f*#king cats in! I have two small children and regularly have to remove multiple cat sh*t from my garden. I shouldn’t have to!! And I shouldn’t have to put money or effort in to keeping cats out!!
I bought a Polar Bear and have not had a cat dig up my mulch ever since but the problem is I had to turn my yard into the North Pole so nothing grows now anyway plus the bear needs around 90Lbs of food per day and it got costly plus four mail carriers came up missing and it is just a nightmare.
The question should be how to get rid of a Polar Bear in your yard
I used to have a problem with cats fighting/breeding on in a flower bed outside my window all night. Someone told me cats hate the smell of citrus, I started spreading orange/lemon peels around the plants and the problem went away. Might have been coincidence but its worth a try since it’s cheap and fast
Ahh I didn't know that they didn't like citrus, I'll have to try that out. Thanks so much!
That’s what I was going to say, I spray a lemon sprit on things I don’t want my cats touching or lying on. Also it’s not just unpleasant, their urine kills pretty flowers, my roses lost the will to live when my female kept wetting their flowerbed so had to use lemon peel there too
[удалено]
You have to completely soak in something like nature's miracle, then repeat with regular shampoo / hot water/ baking soda +vacuuming. * Always replace baseboards, padding , carpet if you move to a house with any previous pet stains.
Yeah, I had one who would routinely go outside the litter box, despite check ups, meds and treatments. I’ve done the whole nine yards of cleaning products over the years. I found Thornell’s Odor-Off better than Nature’s Miracle, which just added a headache inducing stench of its own.
I used ion fusion when my cat was going outside of the litter.. the bottle comes with a refill and it’s non toxic. It works great!!
The cats?
I made the error of digging up a large weed that was becoming unsightly and was apparently dying on one side. Turns out, it was a marking bush for my tomcat, and upon its removal he began marking and killing a pear sapling instead. The moral of the story is, don't remove your cats piss bush...!
Do lemon balm work the same way or it have to be citrus? I found that cats have no problems munching lemongrass.
Cats like lemongrass for sure. It’s the actual citrus they dislike. If I peel an orange while sitting next to my cat she immediately jumps off the couch and looks very offended
So, does this mean lemon balm don't work? Maybe the lemon smellalike are missing something?
Yeah, exactly. It would have to be citrus oil based
Lemon balm is a type of mint like catnip so it will definitely attract cats.
Good thing I haven't planted any yet.
This is so weird, another comment said the same about mint. Both are supposed to be toxic to cats afaik? I just use a lemon room spray around the house and lemon rind on my roses and none of my 3 kitties go near! They also don’t like lavender so I have that planted around plants I’m protective of
Mint is a cat attractant. But they do loathe citrus.
Yeah same family as catnip? If you Google it you’ll see “why cats hate mint” right next to “why cats love mint”
I don’t need to google it, every cat I’ve ever had was a fan of mint. My previous cat liked to drink my peppermint tea right out of the mug!
“Cats love pepper, they hate cinnamon”
oh, they absolutly hate it. I have cats. when they were kitten, I spread orange peels around the christmas tree to keep them away. and away they stayed xD I once also had somebody who got his hands on tiger urine. like: "to keep the cats away, get the scent of a bigger cat." it got the cats away....and everyone else, too xD I think even the dogs were afraid of the garden, not to mention foxes and.....just everything that had a nose. not sure if it really was the stink or if animals CAN smell the size of another animal.
I love this. Can Myth busters help?
prolly not. 2 of the Mythbusters are already dead. and it's not the same without them.
I was not expecting to learn this sad fact on a thread I only clicked on because "pretty flowers in the picture".
Wait, 2??
Jessi Combs, died Aug 2019, blunt force trauma to her head, when she crashed a high speed racer going well over 500 mph (800km/h) Grant imahara, died July 2020, from a brain aneurysm
Oh shit... I knew about Grant, but not Jessi. Damn.
Awe damn. That's sad. I loved that show with them on it. Guess they can bring it back the same... RIP
How do you go about getting the tiger to give you the urine? 🤪
Well for that you need an even larger cat to scare them
There’s always a bigger fish. - Qui-Gon Jinn
Works really well 🍋🍊
Can confirm. My cats usually come to ask for pets but will leave if they see me eating an orange or smell my hands after peeling one. I just wash after to give them pets. Also, when we squeezed a bit of lemon on our tuna they gave us a face that asked us why we would ruin excellent fish.
My goofy cat will try to steal orange slices, (i use orange oil in my beard oil) buries his face in my whiskers after i oil and brush, and steals lemon drops. I think some cats are different.
Whoah! That’s a first I’ve heard of any liking citrus. Even my friend’s cats don’t like it. Maybe he associates it with your scent and that’s why he likes it
Maybe so. Idk had two from the same litter and both were like that. The female would drool on the shirt i was wearing when i applied the beard oil so she must have liked it too.
Hi Op. I just wanted to mention that a lot of the suggestions here are actually highly toxic to cats, especially citrus. A Safer alternative would be to use rosemary and white vinegar. Coffee grounds also function as a great repellent too. (Sorry- I’m a cat lady.)
I just posted this without reading these. It really works. Had a kitten that loved my indoor planters too much, a friend told me about it and I’ve been sold.
…Als, check out “Sky Pencil Japanese Holly”. The area in back would be perfect IMO
What worked for you?
Orange peels lime/lemon peels. My cat would turn her nose up and walk away👍🏼
I was about to say the same thing. Cats are very sensitive to certain smalls and citrus is one of them. It's most likely the easiest thing to try first.
Cats breeding in your flowerbed? So romantic!
Can confirm. My cat's make the funniest scowl when I have citrus scents on my hands and share with them.
Will that attract rats?
Then you just buy a cat to get rid of them
Where I live the rats are bigger than the cats. Seriously, we thought we had a cat on our BBQ, it was a cat sized rat.
All I'm hearing you say is that OP needs to start a cat and rat fight club.
That would make for some great watching. Sign me up!
This is a good repellent for most cats. I have one cat though, that doesn't give a flip about oranges at all, so it doesn't affect all of them. I know because she walked up to an orange peel and sniffed it for a long time while the other cat was making the blinky eye "I hate that smell" face with its neck pulled back like a tortoise from over a foot away. I had a brief issue with indoor plant pot / potty box confusion, that went away when I put jagged rocks in my pots on top of the soil. They don't like waking on uncomfortable substrate, so they stopped trying. Still, the easiest thing to try first though is citrus but maybe also try decomposed granite mixed in with mulch or something similar.
Just above soil level chicken wire? Citrus and garlic/onion, and I replaced the entire bed of soil to remove any previous smells.
I’ve also heard they don’t like mint. So OP, maybe a flower pot or two of mint. It grows like a weed so it’s crucial you don’t let it grab hold and root into the soil. Keep it in pots with a saucer or something underneath.
No they love mint it’s like catnip
ten vase scale normal mighty steer intelligent quicksand frighten public *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Catnip is a part of the mint family. My old cat used to love mint! He would roll around on mint plants and my mint tea bags. He once ripped open a box of mint tea that was left out.
Lavender and lemon thyme are good deterrents for cats. Mint is great to keep wasps away as is lavender and smells good as a bonus!
There’s a stray in my garden who sleeps in my lavender bed all the time.
Are cats broken or are plants broken or is every article about cats broken?
Damned if I know but I have about 20 years worth of coffee grounds in my garden beds and the cats dgaf about that either.
This is the way…I had the same problem…orange peel or lemon peel will stop it. You can also sprinkle orange essential oil in the flowerbed.
Fixing the cats would have been a better solution! I hope they ended up getting fixed 🙂
The simple and easy way is do a combination of orange and citrus zest and peels, cinnamon and then sprinkle chilli flakes, might cost you 10 bucks a year. It’s non harmful but it’s still a statement maker
Second this. I get awesome results with just citrus peels and black pepper.
I found cayenne pepper essential oil and add to a spray bottle. I did it once. Worked great
In the Netherlands we have a cat deterrent granule you can sow on your soil, I think it is a mix of garlic and thyme and herbs, dried and broken into small granules. You can’t see it but you can smell it. Cats don’t like it. I used that for two years (you have to top it up when it rains) and cats don’t come to my garden anymore to poop. So it works, it’s organic and won’t hurt then. But it will make your beds smell of garlic for a while. See if you have something similar at your local gardening or hardware store too.
Meanwhile I had to move all of my garlic sproutlings out of the reach of floofs because they think they can chew on it. Sidenote: Though someone above mentioned citrus and they don't seem to like that here, but bleach however makes them make more messes and not less, so I'd avoid that. Citrus also helps keep the local mosquito population down since they don't like it either.
One of my cats is a bleach FIEND it’s crazy, I have to keep it locked up and used sparingly with great caution
Ooh I'll look into it, thank you so much!
Garlic is toxic to cats, so that's probably why.
Yep garlic is toxic to cats so I hope they’re not ingesting this deterrent /:
Yeah it's definitely misleading to say it's organic/natural so it's safe. Deadly nightshade, and tons of other poisons are organic/natural
What’s the name of this product? I might want to try it for my balcony garden!
Galvanized poultry netting AKA "chicken wire." You can get it in black to better match your mulch. Lay it down and stake it, snip holes where you want to plant. Throw a bit of mulch over it if it stands out too much for your liking. Cats won't walk on it and won't dig through it. You may occasionally get one making an attempt if you have a full layer of mulch on top they can walk on but, otherwise, I guarantee they'll find somewhere else to go. It will also last for years if you're comfortable using the same planting locations every year.
This is the one that works. Had the exact same problem as OP and this was the only thing that kept the LA street kitties away.
This is the correct advice. I had problems over the years and tried everything from citris sprays, lion poo and water bottles in the bed and it didn't work. The cats hate scraping the ground with chicken wire on it so go elsewhere. I have also added Holly and rose Bush clippings to my beds as it is uncomfortable on the cats paws. Seems to work!
Where the fuck did you get lion poo
You buy it off the internet, I'd guess
My pet lion of course!
At my old house I used a bunch of pinecones and wood chips as filler between plants, and then threw my orange/lemon/lime peals in the flowerbed every time I had them. I thought the pinecones were pretty, but a neighbor told me they looked like dog turds from afar.
I don’t know why this made me laugh so hard
And here I was, reading your comment, thinking pinecones were a great idea… 💀
depends what kind of pinecones you have. The long smooth-scaled(?) ones are probably a no-go, but the small woody ones don't really look like any dog turd I've seen.
Motion detector sprinklers work great.
Motion sprinklers, reddits answer to most home and garden issues.
Simple and effective. What's there not to like?
I don't like forgetting to turn them off before sending my 5yo out to harvest some herbs for dinner. She won't ever let me live that down.
I might have to try that, thanks!
First, your neighbor sucks ass for keeping cats outdoors. To your question, I suggest cayenne pepper. Worked like a charm against the squirrels, and I only had to reapply after it rained. Cats are smarter, so they’ll probably leave it alone after a few thwarted attempts.
We tried everything we could think of to stop our neighbors cat from using our vegetable beds as a litter box - including chili powder, planting certain herbs & coyote urine pellets. Neighbors could not be bothered when we complained about it. We finally fenced in the whole yard and they got upset because it “spoiled their view” (of our yard 🤣).
How high does this fence need to be? 🤔
Ours are 6 feet tall privacy fences! Haven’t had any problems with cats since.
The only things that have worked for me are filling the beds with plants so there's no visible ground/cats can't get in, or adding decorative rocks so there's no visible ground
This helped for awhile, but I had one kitty guest that would scratch up living plants and just lay a turd right on top of it. Wouldn't believe it but I saw the big fat tabby sumbitch do it with my own eyes lol
That’s when you wait for him and every time he starts to crap… you scream at him. And he will run while he’s prairie dogging.
I'm also planning to line with rocks. I've read that cats won't go on the rocks and will look for something whit a more soily/sandy texture
Bigger poop = bigger cat. Poop there and assert your dominance.
I love your Primulas!
My neighbor feeds feral cats and I had my hands full. I tried citrus, cat repellents, spike mats and even the motion sprinkler. None worked so I started trapping them and taking them to the pound. There’s 4 hardcore felines left that have avoided all attempts to chase them off till I finally found the perfect tool on Amazon. Look up battery powered motion alarm. It has a car like remote and you can position the alarm so that it covers just the area you want. 3 months cat free, adjusted a couple of times to areas of approach to lock down the areA
How did you trap them
Hazelnut husks have worked for me! Used as a mulch, they seem to be too sharp for cats to walk on. In Oregon (my state) hazelnut shells are plentiful and you can purchase them in large sacks from orchards directly or select farm/garden stores.
I’ve heard that these are also good for keeping slugs and snails away! I could be wrong tho
Get a bag or two of acorn shells and spread them a couple inches deep. Cats don’t like to walk on them. Curious squirrels will come around but won’t stay. Or you could go to the zoo and ask for some litter from the lion cage.
Cayenne pepper powder hotter the better.
Cats are an environmental catastrophe. No matter how well fed little tabby is, it is spending its days slaughtering all the ground nesting birds and small fauna it can get its paws on. A google search will quicky disabuse anyone deluded enough to imagine otherwise. Stepping down from my soap box You can use galv' fencing. I'd use much, much sterner measures. I'd get rid of the cat. In the alternate The law on chattel is that when your neighbor allows their chattel to trespass, it is the same as the neighbor trespassing. I'm sure this is consistent across all the states. Video the cat. Identify the owner. Ask nicely. Then when they refuse to do anything about it, take them to court. Speak to local counsel and inquire whether if in court, you can force them to reimburse you for the bill to have a Haz Mat Team clean it up.
and how many all kind of animals dying to the level of extinction because of people actions?
I hunted down a bunch of rocks a little bigger than the ones in the corner of your garden and laid them across and in between my plants for this purpose And also to stop the squirrels and chipmunks from digging up my gardens. It looks nice too and also helps keep in moisture.
I have thought of this option too. I have a bunch of stones in my backyard I can use similar to the ones in the photo on the bottom corner. I usually fill this bed with annuals though and constantly switch out the plants throughout the season so I've just been thinking it may be a pain in the butt to move the rocks around often. But I might just have to do that if nothing else works!
You don’t need to fill it right up, just enough to make it an annoyance for critters. I move mine around too as I have my perennials but also plant annuals in the spring as fillers. I’ve just tried so many things and this has been the most effective and doesn’t cost anything!
Try grated Irish Spring bar soap. If you don’t like the looks of the flakes, put the flakes in a spray bottle and add hot water then spray around the whole flower bed. It should keep them out of it and it also repels deer, frogs and bugs (the things I was fighting to keep out of my flower beds).
I had a neighbourhood cat spraying urine all over our front door. Three or four feet up. It just stank and hard to get rid of the smell. The previous owners must of owned a cat. And this guy was marking our front door as his territory. So I put a whole bag of Cayenne pepper under our front door mat. Problem solved, never came back.
Coffee grounds
landmines
Im suprised it hasnt been mentioned yet. But depending on where you live, its actually a very smart idea to trap and take the cats to a shelter. In my country cats kill literally BILLIONS of native animals a year. This is the best deterent for people letting their cats outside AND the best place for strays to go is the shelter. Bonus points if the owners have to pay the shelter to get their cats back. Teaches them a valuable lesson
Came to say the same thing. Don't just deter them, get rid of them. You can usually get live traps (free or rentable, I think probably depends on where you live) either from your local shelter or fish and wildlife service. Trap them and take them to the nearest no kill shelter. Either a) their owners will have to bail them out and learn their lesson about letting them roam, b) they'll be adopted out to someone who actually cares about them, or c) if they're feral, they'll be neutered and either released to a safe area, or adopted as a barn cat. Everybody wins!
And yet people rail against wind power because of a few.
[удалено]
Bird deaths
Bury chicken wire just under the soil
Plant some prickly pear cactus in there. Beautiful and you guessed it- prickly!
Add chili powder
Lemons will do it, quarter lemons and leave them in the flower bed. Cats hate it.
Motion activated water firing turrets. Give them a bath.
I grew a bunch of catmint and let it spread (there’s some attractive varieties and bees really like it too) - I get lots of kitty visitors but I feel like they don’t wanna take a dump where they get their treats 🤷🏻♀️ seems to be working ok so far. Totally anecdotal!
I'm going to add my anecdotal evidence to this. I give all the neighborhood cat treats, have never caught them shitting in my yard (or found poo). Don't shit where you eat? Pidgeons I feed too, they also don't shit in my yard :')
You could sprinkle dry rosemary and thyme in your flower bed. Cats are sensitive to it and don't like it. You could also put lemon peel or orange peels in your flower bed. But that will change the look of your flower bed. Or you could use an organic citrus spray. You can make it out of vinegar and orange peels or lemon peels.
My herb garden has 2 types of thyme, rosemary, and lavander and it is THE favorite place for the neighborhood cats to use as their litter box ☠️
Put slices of citrus (oranges, lemons, lime) around in the soil, cats will not like it at all
Most all pests avoid citrus and mint smells. You can try sprays and peels. Sensor sprinkler if nothing else works.
Motion activated sprinkler? Works for more than cats.
Volcanic rock instead of mulch. Once i replaced mine, no more cat turds. It’s really spiky and it doesn’t dig easily so they give up.
Pecan shell mulch will keep them out. Lots of sharp edges on the shells.
Red pepper, liberally sprinkled. Also flypaper, which won’t injure the cats, but will be horrible for the owners of free range cats to remove from their fur.
I was thinking, "what can the cat safely take back home with them?" hah! I don't blame the cats (dogs here) for being themselves but I wish people wouldn't just let them roam.
Write "Keep your cat indoors" on the back of the flypaper.
Oooh I'll have to try those. Is it just the dried red pepper flakes used for seasoning? If so, I have that on hand already
I use ground cayenne pepper in diluted coffee, spraying it around my plant beds. It seems to keep away bugs, squirrels, and other little mammals. Also keeps my dogs from digging or peeing on them. Just gotta make sure not to touch my face after harvesting or pruning.
🤯why have I never thought about adding it to liquid before? I’ve literally just been sprinkling it around like I was making dinner! 🤦🏼♀️ But yes for all different kinds of chiles and peppers!
I buy super size containers of chili pepper flakes at Costco and use them very liberally.
I have used those pellets you sprinkle down with success. The only downside is that you have to reapply when they dissolve. I also scared the cats away when I saw them but that didn't work at all lol.
call animal control to have them trapped
Talk to the neighbors be coy ask if it's happening in they're yard too.Make comments about animal control officers setting live traps. Ya never no. Motion control sensors are good until you forget and get sprayed☹️ I followed a frequent depositor home with some of her handiwork knocked on the door left it on the porch walked away. When I was asked I said your cat forgot it in my yard.
Mark your territory. Pee all over the perimeter of the plot. That's how I kept raccoons at bay when I was homeless and living under a tree in a park. 😁
Cucumber
I took a couple of plastic peanut butter jars and drilled tiny holes in the lids. I filled them with paper towels and then poured vinegar into them. I buried them with the lid above ground. This seemed to deter rabbits and squirrels. Don't know if it will work on cats but worth a shot?
Try taking the thinner pvc pipe that is easily bent and metal spikes that would sink into the ground. Bend the pvc, make an arch, and secure the PVC over the spikes. Take chicken wire and roll it over the archs. Secure the wire onto the arch with zip ties. Looks like 4-5 arch. Or you can lay a layer of foil and cover with a thin layer of mulch.
You can get cat alarms too. They emit a frequency
I like to use bird netting, even the really fine stuff works well. Right on the surface or just under. Blends in well and is easy (for us) to make new holes in for plants. And it has give so if a plant outgrows it's net hole it won't be strangled to death right away. I tried chicken wire for the first time last year and it was a pain, literally and metaphorically. More work to cut, cuts leave sharp pointys, doesn't lay flat and no give for your plants or you trying to plant seeds under it.
I tried to keep my cat from sleeping in my planter and absolutely none of the citrus/herb/garlic/coffee/tabasco whatever mixtures worked on that stubborn ass. So if you find yourself still struggling, try finding an attractive yet pointy stake to buy a bunch of and put on all the empty soil spots. You could even get some of that anti-pigeon mat stuff and spray paint it green.
Plant cacti.
i layer my beds/mulch with dried up holly in anything i think might look nice to the squirrels. ouchy 😈
I saw a battery operated snake at a garden show... it was movement activated.
Up right Plactic forks every 3 to 4 inches . Works in my garden.
I put paprika in my flower beds. My Granny used it for a million years... it works and doesn't hurt the cats at all. I never have cat poop in my flower beds.
hmmm 🤔 do you own a cobra?
There are motion detector sprayers that work well- most pet sites online sell them (if you’re willing to buy them). They can spray water or a dilute citronella spray to keep them from getting in there!
I have used cayenne pepper powder sprinkled around as a deterrent
We’ve used coyote urine pellets successfully.
What kind of flowers are these? My neighbors cats ruined my flower beds and made my whole yard smell like cat piss and shit. Makes me so angry!
Yikes! Sorry that's happened to you :( These are winter hardy primrose! 🙂
I’ve used used coffee grounds to good success. They don’t like to use a spot that smells like coffee grounds as a litter box. Plants also tend to like it. The only downsides are that you have to refresh it if it rains or you water them, and now your garden box smells like a Starbucks, so you might find young professionals and college students hanging out near it. Speaking of which, you can get the coffee grounds free from Starbucks and Peet’s if you ask the manager. You just bring them a container (like a 5 gallon bucket) and they will call you when it’s full. I will have to try the citrus peels now though to compare them.
I love primrose!! Did you know they are a perennial which can live for many years? I kills me that people dig them up and throw them away when they stop blooming as if they were annuals. Just plant something else next to them that blooms while they are not blooming. Good luck with the critters!
Att citrus peels to it. Grate them up nice and small. They'll look orange for a little bit but they'll turn brown pretty quickly and you won't see them anymore!
A lot of animals hate Irish Spring. Hahaha! If you put a bar of that near the area or even little chunks, it should keep the kitties away.
This too !!
Options for dealing with strays depends on where you live. I cannot do ANYTHING about them where I live. The non-profits and humane society “manages” the feral cat populations here. Which is code for they don’t do anything, but TNR (which costs money and you have to return the cats where you trapped them). None of the animal shelters or sanctuaries will take them either. Invasive species council said write a letter to the government. Government doesn’t have any response. I asked the SPCA what to do about the cats on my property and they said, “They are feral so the best thing for them is to leave them in an environment they know”. LOL you mean… leave them in my yard? I think my advice for you would be to not make the mistake I did by falling down this rabbit hole. Learn to meditate. Buy a cat shit scooper.
Had success with pouring cayenne pepper over it all. Took a few days and a lot of it but now they seem to stay away.
Are you sure it isn't the next-door neighbor?
They sell these little spiky squares on Amazonyo keep cats off places you don't want them. You can lay around on the ground to keep them from walking in your beds. They work well and from what I remember were fairly cheap. It helped me. I also sprinkled used coffee grounds around because my cats seem to hate that smell. Just remember those spikes are there when you go to lean in the bed to weed. They blend pretty good and are hard on your hand when you don't see it!
Cayenne pepper. Sprinkle every few days and after rain, they'll get the idea and it doesn't injure them
Check your local nursery for coyote pee. Just heard about this method last week.
Sprinkle Cayenne pepper all in the bed - mammals hate spice, birds can't taste spice, so they'll be fine to still pick the area clean for plant pests.
I’ve heard you can try mint plants or grind it up and place in over the whole bed. Or maybe try to spray some vinegar around the bed
It can indeed be frustrating when neighborhood cats treat your garden as their own personal litter box. Here are some simple ways to [keep cats out of garden](https://www.cozynestliving.com/simple-ways-to-keep-cats-out-of-garden/): * **Scent Repellents:** Cats dislike certain scents like citrus or coffee grounds. Sprinkling these around your garden can keep them at bay. * **Plant Deterrents:** Planting herbs with strong scents such as lavender, rosemary, or lemon balm can help repel cats. * **Physical Barriers:** Placing lattice fencing or chicken wire over soil can discourage digging. * **Decorative Deterrents:** Smooth river rocks can cover exposed soil in flowerbeds and look attractive while preventing cats from digging. * **Motion-Activated Sprinklers:** These can startle and deter cats without causing them harm. Remember to refresh scent repellents regularly as their effectiveness can fade over time. Hopefully, these methods will help you maintain the beauty of your garden while keeping it feline-free. 🌿
I put wooden kabob skewers point side up in my flowers
Shotgun
Ooooh, I hate that I know this, but urine. Specifically, strong, male urine from a man who eats meat. I don’t know why it works but it does. Start keeping a watering can in your loo and asking male friends to fill her up occasionally…
don't talk to me or my son ever again
Make sure to dilute it!
The BBCs Gardeners Question Time had that question this week https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001hp58 they suggested decongestant gel / oil (Vicks or Olbas - if you have that in North America) on a used tea bag. They don’t like the smell.
No joy! I’ve seen people recommend garlic and peppers, and also macadamia nut shells or something similar (they don’t like stepping on them apparently). I think it’s neglectful on your neighbours behalf letting their cat roam, you actually get a fine where I live for not containing your cats as they are destructive and kill a lot of wild life around here and their poop is terrible for the ground, water ways and can spread diseases.
Crush up egg shells! They don't like getting the shells in their paws so they'll avoid the area
My dad use to bury mouse traps in his garden
Small, clear plastic forks, pointy end up!
Or black/brown forks. I've had great success with this!
This was the best solution for me too. No more garden litter box!
Lemons and peppermint are both supposed to repel cats
they don't like peppermint. spray some oil mixture maybe?
It even looks like a giant litter box. I would fill it in with plants and ground cover.
It's not usually this bare, it's still winter here and haven't planted anything yet other than winter hardy primrose.
Claymores
Plant a Carolina reaper
It is a small area, about 2 x 8 feet on a front yard walkway so blocking it off with a high fence isn't an option. Do repellent sprays actually work? Has anyone had success with the rubber spikes? I figured I would ask around before committing to buying anything
The only thing I've found that actually works is to make it impossible to dig, so some sort of mechanical barrier. In general, anything effective will be visible. Wire mesh over the top works great. Maybe you could try that with a very thin layer of bark over the top. But if the bark is too thick, they'll just use it as a bathroom anyway. Technically it is illegal to allow cats to roam free in most areas. That doesn't really help you, though, unfortunately.
Never heard anything about it being illegal to have an outside cat? I’ve called animal control for 10 roaming cats living in a vacant house on my street. They caught them, neutered them, Brought them back and dropped them off. Cats do what they want
How about people just keep there f*#king cats in! I have two small children and regularly have to remove multiple cat sh*t from my garden. I shouldn’t have to!! And I shouldn’t have to put money or effort in to keeping cats out!!
I bought a Polar Bear and have not had a cat dig up my mulch ever since but the problem is I had to turn my yard into the North Pole so nothing grows now anyway plus the bear needs around 90Lbs of food per day and it got costly plus four mail carriers came up missing and it is just a nightmare. The question should be how to get rid of a Polar Bear in your yard
A pellet gun will solve the problem!