How to stop cats pooping in your garden – Everything explained!
Having your carefully cultivated lawn or flower beds used as a litter tray by the neighbourhood cats is frustrating to say the least. Cat faeces is unsightly to look at and unpleasant to smell, plus there are considerable health implications should you come into contact with the substance.
Once a cat – or cats – have used your garden as a toilet, it can be hard to deter them, so it’s best to try to stop them from roaming in your garden in the first place.
There are several ways to make your garden less appealing to cats:
Mulch your garden
Cats like fresh, bare soil and they will head for this when they are looking for somewhere to go to the toilet. They dislike the feel of mulch, so mulching areas of your garden will act as a natural deterrent.
Use chicken wire
Cats dislike the feel of chicken wire on their feet, so they will avoid any areas where this is placed. You can either place it across paths to prevent cats walking on them, or alternatively place it across your flower beds and borders. This will prevent cats from clawing at the soil.
Branches or sticks
Branches placed in a criss-cross fashion in your beds or borders will prevent cats walking on them, as they dislike the feel on their feet, plus it is difficult for them to navigate around them.
Spike mats or strips
Similar to sticks, spike mats are a deterrent to cats as they don’t like the feel of them on their feet. You can place these mats or strips in your flower beds and borders, or along the top of your boundary walls to prevent cats accessing your garden.
Scatter herbs
Herbs such as rosemary, rue, lavender and lemon balm are natural cat repellents, as they dislike the distinctive scents. If you prefer natural ways of keeping cats away from your garden, herbs are the ideal choice.
Plants
Certain plants are repellent to cats as they dislike the smell, texture or both. Plant coleus canina, lemon balm, curry plant, or prickly plants such as hawthorn and holly to naturally deter cats from treating your lawn or flower beds as a litter tray.
Citrus peel
A natural means of deterring cats, citrus peel from oranges or lemons can be scattered across your flower beds or borders. If you do not wish to use fresh peel, a citrus scented spray will work just as well.
Coffee and vinegar
Strong scents deter cats as they irritate their sensitive noses. Coffee grounds, fresh tobacco or vinegar sprinkled on your lawn or flower beds your garden may keep them away.
Sound repellent devices
One of the most effective ways to stop cats from pooping in your garden, sound repellent devices emit a high pitched sound, which is off-putting to cats and other animals such as foxes, but undetectable to human ears.
Activated by an infrared sensor which detects any movement, the repelling sound is then triggered, causing the cat to avoid your garden.
Sound repellent devices are available as either solar powered or battery powered.
Repellent Spray
Treat your lawn with a specialist cat repellent spray, which contains aluminium sulphate. One bottle of cat repellent spray should be sufficient to cover an average sized garden for a year, so this is a cost-effective means of deterring cats from your garden.
If you don’t mind cats roaming into your garden but you wish to keep them away from your lawn, you can make another area of your garden more appealing.
Plant Catnip
The scent of catnip is extremely appealing to cats, so planting it in an area of your garden where you don’t mind them straying is an ideal way to keep them away from areas you don’t want them to visit.
Do bear in mind that this may encourage more cats into your garden!
Create a sandbox
Place a sandbox or sanded space in an area of your garden, away from your lawn or flower beds. The sun will warm the sand, creating an inviting space for cats to take a nap, plus they are likely to use this area as a litter tray, preventing them from going elsewhere in your garden.
Despite your best efforts, cats may continue to poop in your garden. If you can:
- Remove any cat faeces as soon as you see it. This will prevent the scent from lingering, reducing the chances of a cat returning to the same spot
- If you see a cat urinating in your garden, wash the area with hot soapy water as soon as you can to remove the scent
- If you catch a cat about to poop in your garden, pick it up and move it – if you can! This may deter them from returning to the spot in the future
