How to stop cats pooing in my garden

How to stop cats pooing in my garden or worse still, how do I stop my neighbours cat from pooping in the garden? I will give you tips and best practices to stop this happening.

Before I get into how we can try to prevent them from doing there business in our beautiful flower beds. I should point out that I am not a cat fan personally. In truth they don’t like me very much either. In episode no13 of Master My Garden Podcast I tell a story that backs up that point.

I would never like to see any harm coming to them or any animal. The usual comment suggested online is, get a pellet gun. This is obviously not the answer.

Understanding cat behaviour in your garden 

To find out how to stop cats pooing in the garden, firstly we need to understand why cats use our gardens as a toilet. The reason is cats like to be able to cover their deposit after leaving it in the garden. They want to do that in an easy manner with no distractions or obstructions. (A bit like humans in a way).

Flower beds & veg patches which are usually loose well tilled soil, or mulched flower beds . Make it easy for them to bury their poo with ease and without much effort.

When cats poop in an area. They will go in the same general area again and again and again (sorry you get the picture). So understanding this is the key to stopping them and directing them elsewhere.

If you have children’s play areas with bark mulch down and sand boxes, make sure these areas are covered. So cats can’t access them as there is genuine health risks from cats poop that parents need to be conscious of.

So let’s look at the options available and see which ones suit you best.

Provide an alternative toilet area. If its your own cat that doing the fouling try providing them with an area. Where they can do their business that is by your design. So whether that’s providing a litter tray in a smaller garden or in a larger garden. Digging an area away from the nice flower beds etc. that you don’t mind them using for this purpose that’s a good starting point. The important point is to remove any existing fouling. Wash down the areas to remove the scent and break the habit of the offending cat. If its not your cat maybe you can have a chat with the owner explaining your predicament. Ask them about providing the above in their garden to prevent them coming into your garden.

Buy cat repellants. There are many options here all of which work on the cats strong sense of smell. The fact that the cat returns to the same place based on the scent they have previously left. These come in many types granules, liquid, gels and powders. They are generally based on smells of garlic, citrus oils and pepper. These do work but where most people fall down is that you do firstly need to remove any existing soiling and wash the area to start fresh so to speak.

If the cat doesn’t get the message straight away you need clean and wash again in order for it to work properly. Make sure to re-apply if it rains. Other people talk of having success with household versions. The same principle using curry powder, pepper, citrus peeling’s, coffee grounds, vinegar, household ammonia. but as with the shop versions you would have to start clean and re-apply after rain.

Plant densely and include herbs. Again remembering back to an element of what cats like from their toilet area “little obstruction” what we can do he is plant densely so that there are no comfortable areas for them to use. Some thorny bushes here will also help. The other thing to do is to plant herbs and plants with strong scents as these can overpower the cats natural scent so the cats figures it too difficult to find there own marked area every time they want to go.

Place Sharp objects in the flower beds. This can be thorny bushes, pointed sticks, etc. Any object that might not be nice for cats delicate paws to walk on or to root it. I’m told this can work well but if you have a beautifully maintained garden these may not look great.

Motion activated water spray cat deterrent. These are activated by a motion sensor. Once activated it triggers a water gun to spray over the garden. This is not very comfortable or private for the cat so they go away. They will look for somewhere more private where they won’t be disturbed. Downside is that it must always be connected to a water source. It can be triggered by your other pets such as dogs and areas behind sheds, bushes may not be protected.                                                                                                                                           

Motion activated ultrasonic cat deterrent. These are in my opinion the most successful option with the least effort of your behalf. The ultrasonic cat deterrent once activated emits a high pitched sound which causes the cat to leave the area, but does not harm them, it is inaudible to humans and dogs so don’t worry if you have a dog in the garden. A point to note the signal it emits works a little bit like the remote of your TV in that it can’t pass through solid objects, so if the area you are trying to protect is on the back of a shed there is no point plugging in on the front side as the signal can’t pass through.

There are many types of these out these so when buying look at the reviews and this will help you decide between types. The one that I recommend is CATwatch or CARfree. I have never used them. However I have used there FOXwatch unit after our hens got stolen last year. I won’t tempo fate by saying anything but so far so good. The CATwatch and CATfree can work on mains or on battery but has a stronger signal on mains power, so these are good options. Unltrasonic cat deterrents can also be used to stop cats attacking wild birds on your feeding station/ table so good for that also.

How to stop cats pooing in my garden (Conclusion)

That’s a list of options just remember cats are persistent and you just needs to be more persistent to break the cycle. Best of luck.

Happy Gardening

John

Prefer to listen hit the link below.