How do you keep cats out of the garden?

Cats are fun, but you’d rather not have other people’s cats in your yard. Sometimes it really seems like you find cat poop everywhere. Or maybe you’re bothered by cats marking their territory. A cat that’s a regular visitor to your pond or bird feeder isn’t ideal either… No, cats are great as pets, but when they use your neighbors’ yard as a litter box or dig up your newly planted flowers, it can be pretty frustrating. Fortunately, there are some animal-friendly ways to keep cats out of your yard.

In our own Facebook group, people have asked several times what the best way is to keep cats out of your yard. We’re also asked this question regularly. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive overview of steps you can take. Of course, the goal isn’t to intentionally hurt or injure cats, but it would be nice if they’d stay out of your yard!

What's the best way to keep cats out of your yard?

Perhaps the best solution: First, talk to the cat’s owner. Especially if the cat belongs to one of your immediate neighbors (and you know who the owner is). Often, they’re completely unaware of the problem, and there are certainly feasible solutions and (joint) measures that can be taken. Having a cat neutered also prevents nuisance from cats spraying.

Secure your yard and keep cats out

Enclosing your yard can be a good way to limit or even prevent problems caused by cats. Keep in mind, however, that cats are good climbers and don’t need much space to get in and out of your yard. In addition, you’ll also be keeping other animals, such as hedgehogs, out of your yard.

• Patching Holes with Chicken Wire
• Cover the fence with a round slat
• Attach rollers to your wall or fence (they don't provide a grip and are a deterrent)
• Stretch fishing line across the top of the fence
• Install electric fencing on top of fences and walls (make sure the voltage isn't too high—the goal is purely to startle)
• Place a piece of wire mesh at an angle inward in the cat owners' own yard, so they can't easily get out anymore
• Place chicken wire (shaped into a dome) on your fence or wall
• Setting up a cat enclosure. This is set up in the cat owner’s yard. That way, the cats stay only in their own yard.

Place obstacles to keep cats away

You can also place obstacles in the garden or flower bed itself, making it harder for cats to get in. One of the most well-known options is using skewers, for example, but this isn't very animal-friendly!

• Stretch a string across the flower bed
• Plant shrubs with thorns or spines

Which plants keep cats away?

There are also plants that cats don’t like. As a result, cats tend to choose a different yard. The downside of most of these plants is that they’re only effective when in bloom, or they die back above ground in the winter. It’s also quite common for cats to, unfortunately, pay no attention to plants like catnip. This solution is often not entirely foolproof.

• Lemon Verbena
• Lemon Geranium
• Other plants with a strong lemon scent
• Rue (Ruta graveolens)
• Firework Plant (Dictumnus albus)
• Catnip (Coleus caninus)
• Lavender
• A dense hedge with thorns and/or spines
• Let the ground grow with groundcover plants

Startle cats

An effective way to keep cats out of your yard is to startle them. If you do this often enough, they’ll stay out of your yard for a long time. You can startle them with noise (a cat repeller can work well, although this noise is also very annoying to many people) or, for example, with water. Even just throwing a bucket of water over a visiting cat works perfectly! But waiting around all the time for a cat to show up isn’t very practical…

• Using sound (for example, an ultrasonic cat repeller)
• With water (do it yourself with a bucket of water, or use an automatic sprinkler)
• Get a dog (although that, of course, isn't a good reason in and of itself to get a dog…)

Keep cats away with scent

There are several smells that cats don't like. Apparently, tiger droppings will keep cats out of your yard… but replacing cat droppings with tiger droppings doesn’t seem all that logical to us. Not to mention how you’d even get your hands on them! In addition to the plants mentioned above, you can also use other materials with repellent odors.

• Citrus (peels)
• Coffee grounds
• Pepper
• Fragrance Spray
• Cat Repellent Granules
• Fertilization
• Cocoa Pods

Cat-Proof Bedding

Cats love open ground. If there’s a lot of bare soil (black soil) visible, it tends to attract cats. So it definitely helps to cover the ground well. Ground cover is ideal for this. You can use either plants or ground cover materials.

• Cocoa Pods
• Tree bark
• Gravel (or, more accurately, crushed stone)
• Let the ground be covered with groundcover plants