Asked on Mar 08, 2014
How to keep cats out of flower bed?
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Hope someone can help me solve the problem of my 2 cats using my flower beds as their litterbox. I have tried moth balls and that didnt faze them! Any tried and true ideas?? Thanks!
19 answers
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Sprinkle red pepper all around the plants - won't harm the plants at all!
Delyne Nunez
on Mar 08, 2014
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boil red pepper in water and spray on ground .Once the cats get a taste when cleaning themselves problem should be solved.
Irish53
on Mar 08, 2014
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moth balls will help
Reba Bumgarner-Diviney
on Mar 08, 2014
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i f possible you can use chicken wire - bulbs & perennials will come up through it & if you want to plant annuals, you can just cut a hole in the chicken wire big enough to plant your annual. Cover the chicken wire with either dirt or mulch as it cant be seen, but once the cats begin to dig & they hit the chicken wire with their paws, they do not like the feel of it & will vacate the flower bed. Tried & true - i've done it before & my step-mother did it in a large planter that she had on her carport & it worked for her as well - easy to do and inexpensive as well.
Vicki
on Mar 08, 2014
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Some people also report luck with ground up lemon and grapefruit rinds.
Douglas Hunt
on Mar 09, 2014
- See 1 previous
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the stronger you can make it the better.
Irish53
on Mar 09, 2014
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I have to caution you on using the red pepper or cayenne pepper. this can actually hurt your animals if they sniff it and it will burn their nasal cavities. I have 2 indoor/outdoor cats that do not use the kitty litter but meow at the door to go outside. I have actually just resigned my determination to stop them from using the mulched beds (and my 2 dogs too) and I just go out every other day and use a pooper scooper and just pick it up. sometimes it is not worth fighting...
The Garden Frog with C Renee
on Mar 09, 2014
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My personal opinion is that unless you live in the country, far away from other people's gardens and bird feeders; or you harness and leash your cats; they should not be outside. If they are pooping in your garden, they are also pooping in your neighbour's gardens (and possibly killing local birds, which are under enough environmental stress.). I have nothing personal against cats. I have enjoyed being owned by several. Imagine if I just let those two large dogs out the front door….
Katie
on Mar 09, 2014
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If you have access to rose bushes with thorns, you can lay some of the cut canes in and around your other plants. Cat's will avoid those and they won't be harmed. We have several neighbor's cats that I have broken of using my garden beds for a litter box this way. Once they discover the canes, they usually go elsewhere.
Catherine Smith
on Mar 09, 2014
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Chicken wire works really well. You can put beauty bark or lava rock to hide it.....
Lois St Peter
on Mar 10, 2014
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I guess I would lean toward a distraction. Plant a patch of catnip near by, they won't bother with anything else.
Jessica C
on Mar 10, 2014
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I have tried each and every one of these suggestions-my cats still find a way to poop in the flower beds--they actually pooped on top of the thorny stems i put in-i put wooden shish kebob sticks in the ground in a zigzag pattern and they found a way around that-guess i will just scoop the poop and go on-we have 11 country barn cats so that is a lot of poop-lol
Carolyn Curvin Burkhalter
on May 17, 2015
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One other thing you can try is to Google your question, such as, "scents cats do not like." Or, something like it. I have heard of using red pepper previously but did not know it would hurt cats and dogs! Good luck with your poop problem! LOL!
861650
on May 24, 2015
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I used to use Cayenne pepper, sprinkled around the edge of the flower beds. Once they walk in it and then clean themselves they will avoid the area. It will need to be reapplied after rain/watering. It worked like a charm for me. I used to buy it in the Hispanic section of the supermarket, it comes in bags and is MUCH cheaper than the spice aisle!
Robin Miller Cresci
on May 24, 2015
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Also, when I moved to a newer home, I put down bird netting in the flower beds, they didn't like to walk on it and couldn't dig either. Worked fabulously!
Robin Miller Cresci
on May 24, 2015
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Oh, while gardening, I remembered that as long as I keep the soil watered and damp, they don't potty in there. We have our drip system set at 15 minutes every other day.
Robin Miller Cresci
on Jun 08, 2015
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I put lava rock in my flower beds...works like a charm!
Ginny Milliken
on Jun 09, 2015
- See 1 previous
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http://catsaway.org/cat-repellent-plants
LINDA D
on Aug 02, 2015
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I was talking to a gal today about my cats sleeping and using the flower beds as a potty. She told me her neighbor's have the same issue, the gal used plastic forks. Yep, you put the handle in the dirt and leave the tines sticking out of the ground. So I just finished placing 100 forks in two flower beds. There is not room to sleep or potty now. Oh, I tried the repellant and it lasted a week maybe.
Np
on Apr 30, 2016
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