Boundary Indoor/Outdoor Cat Repellent Pump Spray, 22 oz. Ready-to-use Boundary Indoor/Outdoor Cat Repellent Pump Spray works as a training aid to keep cats away from prohibited areas.Spray on furniture, plants, garbage cans and moreUse daily for best results I am wondering if anyone has an inexpensive way to keep cats out of our garden. Many of our neighbors own cats. I don't want to hurt the animals, but I would like to discourage them from using my flower beds as their litter box. Any humane ideas for cat-proofing my garden would be greatly appreciated! My hint contains no DEET. However, you will need to keep an eye on your kids even though it is pretty well disguised. Cats and dogs absolutely loathe the scent of ammonia (smells like other animals urine) and will stay away. Try spacing them out a little bit at first, perhaps only where you find the animals have been. Only experimenting with this will you be able to judge how many you need, etc. It also depends on the animals sense and tolerance of smell.

Also, just go around and refill the containers as they deplete. It's cheap and easy! Kitten in Flower Bed photo from Shutterstock To keep cats out of flowerbeds, put a section of wooden lattice under the soil and plant flowers, etc. in the holes of the lattice. Center For Weight Loss Success Dr ClarkCats won't dig because they will be unable to do so!Tire And Wheels San Diego Several years ago, I had one persistent cat that insisted on using my front flower bed, digging up new plantings in the process. Prom Dress Shop SydneyA friend told me to use blood meal. Cats hate the smell (so do I). It may take more than one application, since cats will return to the same place repeatedly. It is important to remember that blood meal is a potent organic fertilizer, so it should be used sparingly, only in the areas needed.

I sprinkled it lightly over mulch and never mixed it into the soil. It stinks, and your neighbors may wonder what's gone rotten in your yard, but it is the only thing I have found that works. The one thing that I'm aware of that is a really good cat repellent (for about 99% of cats, not quite 100%) is a shower of water. If I had your problem, I would rig up a motion sensor aimed at the garden that set off a sprinkler. Should work rather well, but there are rare cats that love water! Bob S. in Richmond, VA I have this same problem so I went to a second hand store and bought as many stoneware plates, saucers, cups, and bowls as they had. Because I bought so much, they were willing to give me quite a price break. The trick is to break them into medium-size pieces and spread them around your beds. Breaking them was so fun, too. Be sure to wear safty glasses. So far the cats have not been back. It looks really cool with all the colors. Merri L. in Alaska They hate citrus smells.

Next time you eat an orange or grapefruit, toss the peels in the flower bed or the area they like to use. This will repel them. We have also had problems with cats in our gardens. My husband, an avid organic gardener, has managed to keep them out by sprinkling the garden with ground black pepper. When they step on the pepper, it "burns" their sensitive pads. The pepper is unnoticeable as it blends in with the dirt. We purchase pepper from Costco in bulk to make this cost-effective cat deterrent. Clear your clutter the fast and easy way with Goodbye Clutter! I may have an unpopular suggestion, but it is illegal to allow cats or dogs to run loose in the city. I believe most cities have this ordinance. I have had this problem with my neighbor and I simply call the Humane Society and they bring out a humane trap (free), they bait it (free), and you watch it to see what you catch. They will then take the offending animal or animals out to the Humane Society and hold them the required 5-7 days in the stray ward.

If no one comes to claim them, they either are placed in the adoption ward or they are destroyed. I figure if someone has a pet that they allow to run loose, they are being negligent and irresponsible. If they truly care about their pet, they will check at the Humane Society to see if their pet is there (5-7 days is a long time to NOT notice a pet missing). By the way, so that you don't think I'm some unfeeling person, I am a dog trainer and I participate in dog Rescue (taking and placing unwanted dogs). I volunteer periodically for my local Humane Society as well. Someday I will have a cat (my son is a cat person), but that animal will never set foot outdoors. This works against snails, too. They smell funny and our cats have always studiously avoided the areas where they are planted. A frugal and pretty way to cat-proof a garden or flower bed. Share your thoughts about this article with the editorMaintain peace with the neighbors Not everyone wants cats playing in their yard or digging in their garden.

Keeping the cats away from areas where they're not welcome is an important way to maintain good relations with the neighbors. In the end, the cats are going to be better off if everyone is happy than if the situation is one of constant conflict. A number of tools and techniques, listed below, can be used to keep cats out of gardens and yards. Keep in mind too, that doing TNR will make cats better neighbors. Neutered cats make dramatically less noise (the result of mating behavior) and fixing male cats eliminates the foul odors caused by their spraying. Plus neutered cats roam much less so are less visible and there are no more litters of kittens.Using infra-red rays, the device detects when a cat (or similar sized animal) enters an area and then shoots out a violent burst of water. The spray rarely hits the cat, but startles him and scares him away. Before long, cats in the neighborhood learn the boundaries of the infra-red field and become trained to stay out. Motion activated sprinklers can be hooked up to a hose or purchased with their own reservoir. 

In cold climates, the device will not function in wintertime because the water will freeze. Put it out instead during the spring, summer or fall in time for the cats to be trained by winter. - Spray Away (hose) or Spray Away Elite (reservoir) by Havahart (photos) - PestBye Jet Spray - Orbit Yard Enforcer Similar to a motion activated sprinkler, an ultrasonic device covers the area to be protected with an infra-red field. When a cat's motion within the field is detected, the device emits a high frequency alarm that is imperceptible to people but highly startling and annoying to cats. It's important not to try to cover an area larger than the device is made for and, if possible, to place it near points of entry for the cats. Creative uses include protecting a property line by placing one device at one end of the line, a second at the other end, and then facing them towards one another. Parked cars can be protected by mounting a device above the parking space on a garage, then pointing it down.

Ultrasonic devices can be used in all types of weather, but if batteries are needed, they may need to be replaced more often in colder temperatures. - Bird-X Yard Gard (it's bird friendly!) - YouPest offers a variety of ultrasonic cat deterrents, including models with varying strengths and ones that are solar or battery operated. - Bell & Howell 50104 (solar powered), available on Amazon Scent repellants get mixed reviews, sometimes reportedly working well, other times not at all. Effectiveness is maximized by placing or spraying them around the edges of the area being protected, including on top of fences, and on any favorite digging spots or plants. They often need to be replenished after it rains, especially the spray varieties. Natural (non-chemical) products include: - Coleus Canina (photo) is a plant popularly known as the Scardy-Cat or Pee-off plant because it emits an odor offensive to cats but not people. Available online from Rosy Dawn Gardens or other nurseries.

Plant no more than three feet apart around the area in question. Be aware there are many varieties of coleus plants, so be sure to order Coleus Canina. You'll need to order early in the spring planting season before they sell out. - Critter Ridder by Havahart is derived from hot peppers. - The smell of many common household items sprinkled in dry form may protect gardens or flower beds. You can try orange and lemon peels (cats dislike citrus scents), the herb rue (which can also be planted live), cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco and various oils, including lavender, lemon grass, citronella, peppermint, eucalyptus and mustard. Cats love to dig, which is why they're attracted to gardens and flower beds. Physical deterrents to this behavior will help keep them away. - Cat Scat Mat (photo) from Gardener's Supply Company and other retailers. The 78 inch long mat has plastic teeth/spikes pointing upwards which discourage digging without harming the cat. It can be rolled out on the border of a garden or cut into pieces and placed in planters.

- Rough-surfaced rocks can be used to cover exposed ground. - Prior to planting, lay lattice fencing on the ground and then place flowers and seeds in the openings. Build an Outdoor Litterbox One way to stop cats from eliminating in one spot, like a flower garden, is to give them a more attractive place to go, preferably well off in a far corner of the yard. - A large pile of peat moss approximately 4 feet square and 8 inches deep. - A sandbox, using regular "kiddie sandbox" sand. - Fill a large Rubbermaid storage bin with a few inches of kiddie sandbox sand. Cut a doorway 8 inches by 8 inches in the bin just above the level of the sand. For extra cleanliness, instead of sand, put a litterbox with regular litter inside the bin. To attract the cats to their new bathroom, place a couple of pieces of the cats' poop in the new digs (while wearing gloves, of course!) To reduce odor, replace the peat moss, sand or litter regularly. Occasional scooping will also help.