How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden

Stray cats often use soil-rich areas as outdoor litterboxes since they prefer to relieve themselves in places where it’s easy to dig. This can cause two problems for your garden: It can create messes with cat urine and poop that you may find yourself cleaning up, and the cats may inadvertently crush tender seedlings or dig up roots, ruining your veggies or flower garden.

If your garden has a cat problem, here are some safe, humane ways to keep feral cats out of flower beds and gardens:

• Repelling smells. Since cats and other critters have many more smell receptors in their noses than humans do, they’re much more sensitive to powerful smells. You can incorporate repelling smells into your garden in several ways. For example, you can plant specific strong-smelling herbs or flowers that cats dislike (lavender, rue, lemon thyme, geraniums, pennyroyal, or coleus canina work well); spray a concentrated essential oil (like citrus, rosemary, lemongrass, eucalyptus, or citronella); or even scatter citrus peels (like grapefruit and orange peels), cayenne pepper, or black pepper around your garden. However, avoid using coffee grounds or mothballs—while these can be cat repellants, they can also be toxic for cats and dogs to ingest.
• Physical barriers. If you put up a physical barrier near your plants, outdoor cats may find that your garden beds just aren’t worth the trouble. You can install a garden fence around your beds, or you can lay plastic mesh, chicken wire, plastic carpet runners, or a lattice over the top of your soil before planting. You can also lay out uncomfortable objects over your soil to repel cats, like pinecones or chunky mulch.
• Distractions. If you can attract cats to a nearby area that could also serve as a litterbox, cats may choose that spot and leave your garden alone. Consider setting up a small sandbox somewhere else in your yard, and even planting catnip around it to attract cats away from your vegetable garden—a win-win for you and the felines. This method can work especially well around your garden beds when combined with other cat deterrent techniques, like repelling smells or physical barriers.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.