Cats are among the most popular pets, but if your own cat or that of the neighbor uses the garden as a toilet, even staunch cat lovers will be angry. Read here about the animal-friendly cat scare tricks you can use to keep cats away. Use animal-friendly methods to keep cats away from beds and flower pots.
It is particularly unpleasant in the vegetable patch when a cat does its business there regularly – after all, you still want to eat the fruits of your labor.
But even in the lawn and in the flowerbed, most garden owners can safely do without the “step mines” and flattened plants that were used for a nap.
Fortunately, there are many animal-friendly cat frightening methods that put animals off certain areas of the garden.
Basically, cats are very clean animals who like to keep their territory clean. So once your cat has chosen the garden as a toilet, the first thing you should do is check what is causing this behavior.
Perhaps the litter box is in a place where the cat cannot rest and feels vulnerable. It could also be that the litter box is too small or that the cat finds the litter uncomfortable.
Cat fright: keep cats away, naturally
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Cats are very intelligent and headstrong. In order to successfully drive away a cat, you have to make the walk or stay in the garden or the beds so difficult and uncomfortable that the cat makes the decision on its own not to relieve itself in the garden.
Many manufacturers offer ultrasonic transmitters that drive away cats with unpleasant noises. Scented clay granules that smell away cats are also available in stores. However, there are also a variety of home remedies that you can use to drive away cats in an animal-friendly manner.
For example, various plants are suitable as a cat fright. Mint, lemongrass, rosemary and the “piss off” plants have their own smells that cats are unpleasant. Planted around the garden, they can serve as a cat frightening.
You can also sprinkle coffee grounds or peeled garlic cloves to spoil your beds for cats. Spices with a strong odor, such as pepper or cloves, have also proven to be effective as a cat fright.
Cat fright: make your own cat spray
You can also make your own repellent spray for cats that uses its odor to drive away the culprits. For this you need:
- 100 milliliters of liquid soap
- 100 milliliters of apple cider vinegar
- 100 milliliters of water
Place all of the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake it to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Use it to spray stones, soil and decorations in the garden area from which the cat is to be driven away.
Alternatively, you can just add a few drops of essential oil to a spray bottle of water and shake well. This cat spray is also suitable for indoors. Suitable oils are, for example:
- mint
- lavender
- lemon
- cinnamon
- rosemary
Regardless of which defense spray you choose – be sure to test the mixture in an inconspicuous place first to see whether the spray leaves stains on furniture or floors.
Animal-friendly cat fright for beds and flower pots
However, once the cat is used to using your beds and flower pots as litter boxes, it can be difficult to dissuade them. A reliable method, however, is to make digging in the ground more difficult.
Cats prefer beds and pots with dry, loose soil. To drive away cats in an animal-friendly way, it can be enough to cover the soil in the bed with mulch or pine cones.
These are not so easy to dig up and do not have the consistency the cat prefers. In addition, the soil in the bed stays moist longer and weeds cannot grow back, which also benefits your plants.
Another option is to put obstacles in the soil of the beds that will prevent cats from digging. Poles made of wood or metal, which you simply place between the plants and on the ground, are particularly suitable.
Immediately after sowing, you can also place a wire mesh, for example rabbit wire, on the bed to prevent cats from using the bare bed as a toilet.
To protect your flower pots, it is a good practice to block access to the earth for cats. To do this, you can put large stones in the flower pot or cut or buy plant protection mesh from rabbit wire yourself.
Keep cats away with hawthorn hedges
If you want to prevent the neighboring cats from entering your garden at all, a hawthorn hedge is the first choice: The dense growth and thorns make it very unpleasant for cats to get through, but the plant is non-toxic for cats.
Hawthorn flowers are an important source of food for wild bees and other insects in spring.
Water as a cat fright
The advice to use a spray bottle or spray gun to spray water on your cat is also widespread when it begins to ease itself in the beds or on the lawn.
However, this method is not effective, as cats quickly learn that the water jet is related to the presence of humans. This can damage the relationship with your own cat and unsettle the animal. It is better to research the causes and make the litter box attractive again for the cat.
