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There are a few neighborhood outdoor/indoor cats that frequent visit our yard. They come to the house's bay windows and visit with our indoor cat through the glass, and then they the go to our yard and garden - eat the plants and use it as a litter box.
Does anyone have ideas or suggestions on how to keep unwanted cats out of our yard and garden?
Last edited by geogirl82; 04-11-2008 at 08:16 AM..
Reason: typo
All in all, Im a cat lover so it wouldn't bother me. Is the cat destroying your garden or harming it? I can see that you don't want to be tramping around in doody.. but you could use it to your advantage. Couldn't you use it to strengthen your plants? I know, that may sound gross to you. Another idea, what if you just so happen to be watering with the hose when he's out there.. I don't mean to spray him directly-- but send a littel sprinkle the cats way, do it whenever you see him and he may not come back
"I can see that you don't want to be tramping around in doody.. but you could use it to your advantage. Couldn't you use it to strengthen your plants?"
The stuff is way too high in nitrogen and will burn plants. It can't be used around veggies because of health issues.
A sensor sprinkler might reduce the visits, but cats are sneaky and persistent.
All in all, Im a cat lover so it wouldn't bother me.
I too am a cat lover. I think our cat is more spoiled than some people. In any case, I want no harm to come to the neighbor cats (and I hope the fox in the neighborhood never catches them). However, I just don't want cat pee (etc.) all over my plants and garden. It's quite the strong smell, and I want to smell fresh flowers - not cat pee when I garden. I also want to grow veggies without the cat eating them before I do. And, veggies with cat pee on them doesn't sound tasty (or healthy) either. They always scram faster than I could get a hose. The cats are welcome to visit the yard, just stay out of the garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea
A sensor sprinkler might reduce the visits, but cats are sneaky and persistent.
Thanks Harry, a sprinkler sensor might help - I'll look into that for sure. Yes, cats are very sneaky and I'm sure they'd find a way around it.
Are there any plants that I can grow that will discourage cat's from coming into the garden to start with? Are there scents they don't like to go near (maybe onions or garlic?). I'd like some natural deterrents (in addition to water). I was also thinking about making a little cat sanctuary area that they are welcome to visit (with cat grass/wheat grass growing) so they won't want to stomp in my garden? I'm not sure if that would work or just attract more cats? I love the cats, I simply want them out of the garden. If only it could be as simple as putting up a scarecrow (that looks like a dog, or fox). Cat's are too sneaky for that though.
I dunno ... Two years ago, two little stray black and white kittens started hanging around in our back yard. They hid in the tomato patch, I'm sure they used the garden as their litter box.
Wouldn't you know ... I had a bumper crop that year! So many tomatoes, huge, strong plants. And the bunnies and squirrels didn't bother the tomatoes one bit.
Now those two little kittens are happy and spoiled indoor cats, and the squirrels are running rampant in the garden. *sigh*
There is a plant that has a smell that cat's don't like and I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. I'm pretty sure it's a perennial and you typically see it in a 4-inch container. I'll have to think hard about this one because the name is eluding me. You can try sprinkling cayenne pepper through out the garden- they don't like it- nor will dogs- and it might keep them away. You do have to replace it as it gets wet; it's not as potent so it could be a bit of a hassle.
You can't keep your neighbor's cats out of your garden. At a previous house I tried everything reasonable. There just isn't anything that works, not repellent products, chasing the cat, noisemakers, chicken wire fence, water, nothing.
The biggest mistake is talking to a neighbor about the damage their cats are causing. People do not want to hear that their cats aren't totally precious, entitled to own the entire world, pee on your front door, and leave their smelly dooky in your flower beds and vegetables.
The second biggest mistake is chasing the cats away. I soon realized if I had made friends with the cats I could have caught them in a burlap sack, driven them a hundred miles away and left them in someone else's yard. Problem solved.
I had always been somewhat indifferent or neutral toward cats and cat owners. Living next to a family with five cats changed that. I won't even visit with someone who owns a cat. I don't like leaving with their cat hair on my clothes, or eating their food when I can smell the litter box, and I know the cat has been walking in the litter box then jumping up on the kitchen table. Gross!
It's too bad so many pet owners are inconsiderate of others because having an animal friend is a great thing. If you can find an effective way to keep cats out of a garden you can become a millionaire.
Please let me know if you find a solution. I have a neighbor who feeds all the strays, they eat at her house and come to mine to use the potty and sunbathe on the roofs of the cars. Now I have to have the roof of my car sanded down and re-painted, and I have to go through the flower beds before doing any gardening to sift out the little "gifts" they leave behind. They also jump on the fence and drive the dog crazy teasing it.
I dunno ... Two years ago, two little stray black and white kittens started hanging around in our back yard. They hid in the tomato patch, I'm sure they used the garden as their litter box.
There are several zoonotic parasites humans can get from cat feces. You're lucky you and your family and guests didn't get feline roundworms or hookworms, etc., after eating the tomatoes.
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