How To Keep Cats Out of the Garden

The best way to keep cats out of the garden is to keep them indoors. If that is not the ideal situtation for you and your cats, or if the cat is a feral or belongs to your neighbor, the following ideas should help you keep cats out of your garden beds.

If your flower beds are being used as a litter box by cats, one of the most fool-proof ways to keep cats out of your garden is to purchase a motion-activated sprinkler system, such as the ScareCrow. True, this isn't the most frugal way to keep them out. But, much like keeping deer out of your garden, cats will quickly get used to most deterrents or just find another spot in your garden beds to use as their personal litter box.

If you just can't afford to purchase any more garden equipment at the moment, you might try using pine cones to deter cats. Not only are they inexpensive (free), most everyone has a friend or family member with a few pine trees in their yard that they can borrow some from. Another option would be to give the cat an outdoor litter box of its own. Dumping some bags of sand in a far corner of the yard might help keep the cat from using your flower beds as a litter box. If the cat is friendly, let it know that it is welcome in that spot by placing it in the pile of sand and petting it. Maybe even show the cat how wonderful the sand is to dig in by demonstrating with your hands. Let the cat know, with a garden hose, that it is not wanted in your flower beds. Cats can learn quickly to stay out of certain areas of your yard with a quick spray from a garden hose.

If you're trying to keep deer out of your vegetable garden, you have a few more options available to keep cats out. Chicken wire attached to t-posts around your vegetable garden is one of the best ways to keep cats out. Make sure the chicken wire is stretched tight though, because kittens love climbing the chicken wire if it is left loose. If you already have a fence around your vegetable garden, it could be that the cats are finding their way in either by the wooden posts that are holding the fence or the wire openings may be stretched towards the bottom of the fence, allowing the cat(s) entrance to your garden. Patching any holes with spare wire should prevent you from having to re-fence. Chicken wire around the bottom should keep even the smallest kitten from gaining entrance to your garden. If cats are getting in your vegetable garden via the wooden posts, you should be able to fashion some chicken wire around the posts to deter cats from climbing.

 Cats in the Garden

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