A gardening expert shared several easy tips to prevent cats from fouling in your garden.
Cats making a habit of using your lawn as a toilet can be frustrating but there are ways to prevent it. Angela Slater, Gardening Expert at Hayes Garden World spoke to Express on a range of quick and easy methods to nip the problem in the bud before things get out of hand.
Homeowners can see results in just a matter of hours and can be as simple as properly disposing of food waste or keeping your garden in good shape.
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Garden borders
Angela said: "It’s important to keep your herbaceous borders packed with plants so there is no bare soil where cats can dig. Ensure your soil is wet, provided it is not to the detriment to the health of the plants, as cats don’t like sodden wet soil.
"There is also a plant available in the summer, aptly named ‘Scaredy Cat’ (Coleus canina) which is said to keep cats away due to the smell it releases. However, if you have a large garden, you will need to plant a lot.
"Results from Hayes’ customers have been mixed, with some swearing by it and others saying that it is a complete waste of money."
Either way, it’s worth planting if neighbouring cats are visiting your garden and using flower or vegetable borders for their toilet. Even if it doesn’t work as an effective deterrent, Coleus canina is an attractive perennial that forms a neat bush and bears blue flowers in the summer.
When it comes to paths, "use a sharp gravel to deter cats" as they dislike walking on uncomfortable surfaces.
Food
Human food tastes good to cats and they can quickly develop a liking for it and lose their appetite for cat food. Angela said: "In terms of food, don’t leave scraps around after a barbecue as it will only encourage cats to visit."
However, there are some foods cats don’t enjoy - bananas and citrus peel and these are “said to repel cats”. She added: "If you have a large garden you will have to spread an awful lot otherwise, they will just move out of range of the offending material."
Lion poo
In 2000, lion poo was the number one cat deterrent in a trial by BBC’s watchdog, which found it to work within three hours of application, the RHS noted. One application is also said to last up to three months. Simply scatter the pellets.
Angela said: "Another hack is using lion poo to deter cats. If they think there is another cat around, they will move to a cat-free territory.”
Electronic devices
Some cat-repellent devices emit ultrasonic sounds only audible to cats, and they can be placed in specific areas, such as around bird feeds.
The expert said: "It’s always an option to install an automatic deterrent, such as a sprinkler system or a high-pitched noise system."
Water devices also spray a jet of water in the direction of anything that passes in front of it - including cats - and since cats hate water, a sharp blast of water might stop them from returning. Just be mindful of other wildlife that uses the garden, such as hedgehogs, as they can be targeted by the water jets too.
Litter box
Angela added: "If all else fails, you could place a litter tray outside to encourage cats to use a designated area or leave an area of bare soil out of sight and smell of the house."
You don’t need to spend much money, you can build a cat litter tray yourself by using a shallow box.
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