Cats are lovely animals as pets, but when it comes to stray cats or a neighbor’s cat, their presence isn’t always delightful. After you have put so much effort to raise your beautiful garden beds, you will be annoyed to see a cat defecting in them. Unconditionally, some cats are happy to urinate on the grass and knocking over ornaments, digging holes here and there. It seems like they are marking their territory on your property! Some stray cats may leave bad odors when they walk around your garden, climb on your windows and leave the curtain stinking. You’ll be more annoyed when they climb on your car and leave their muddy fingerprints on your paint. And, if you have a cat, then a stronger stray cat may want to challenge your pet for the territoriality of the land.
While it may not always be possible to determine why other cats like squatting your property, here are some tips and tricks to help keep them away.
1. Natural repellent for cats
Cats don’t like the sharpness of citrus scent. You can buy one from your local store or you can simply crush 10 lemons mixed with half a liter of water. Add the solution in a sprayer bottle and spray generously at all the places where the stray cats usually roam around.
Similarly, you can rub citrus fruits on those specific spots – top of walls, plant pots, garden fences. However, the smell will not last long and you will have to repeat this action again, especially following heavy rainfall.
Alternatively, you can use lavender, thyme, eucalyptus, geraniums, basil coleus canina, vervain, or coffee for their intense aromas which cats really dislike.
Normally cats want to leave their odor on the spots where they like to visit. Hopefully, for you, these repellents’ aromas are dominant over the cats’ odor. So, the cats won’t succeed in leaving their footprints.
2. Pepper
There is an even more aggressive scent to deter cats. Sprinkle ground pepper on the spots where cats like to roam in your garden or near your windows. Note that pepper will irritate a cat’s nose, catch on their throat or even cause itching. Pepper will not poison them, but the result will be causing annoyance to them. Sweet revenge, yeah! Keep using pepper for some time till the cats stop coming back. And, you would have won the battle of territory!
3. Specially designed fences
If you do not have time for the organic methods above, a good solution would be high fences despite the fact that cats are pretty good climbers. You can find some special designs at your local store. There is an outcrop at the top of the fence, which is meant to make it difficult for cats to climb over. The best solution would be to secure the entire perimeter of your yard or property. Note that this is a more costly solution and you would also need to hire a few handymen to install the fences.
4. Aluminum foil
Yes, aluminum foil can indeed do the trick if you have problems in your flower beds. Place some loose aluminum foils in front of the flower beds so that cats will not adventure themselves to walk on the foils. The uncertainty of the solidness of the ground will repel them.
Things you should not do!
Even if they are not your pets, you cannot hurt or kill stray cats. Animal cruelty is punishable by law and cats have the right to live as much as you do.
Below are some hazardous methods you cannot use:
Cat poison
Poison can be dangerous for your own pets, the neighbor’s pet and your kids. The risks are too big, so better avoid it!
Scaring the cats
Trying to scare or chase the cats is a loss of time and energy. They will never understand why this is happening and will always be coming back after some time. With wild cats, especially, they may become aggressive and harm you with their nails. This can cause health complications like skin infections and gross scratches on your face.
Boiled water!
Kindly
refrain from throwing boiled water on the cats. Keep your action
humane at all time and it will be more effective for everyone. A cat
may not forget you and try to take revenge by further annoying you
later on. Also, throwing hot water can hurt people around or your
neighbor. You never know who would be coming at that specific time.
So, please avoid!
I hope the above tricks will help you
keep cats away from your garden, and remember to keep your action
humane at all times. Do not forget to share your experience in the
comment section below.
