How to Keep Cats Out of Flower Beds

If you love your garden but your cat (or someone else's cat) is being a nuisance, there are a few different measures you can take. Because all cats have different personalities, likes and dislikes, some methods may work well with some cats and not at all with others. It's a case of trial and error. Here I have listed some of the methods I have tried with my own pets, starting with what is probably the cheapest. None of these methods are harmful or painful to the cat to the best of my knowledge.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Plastic bottles filled with water
• squeezy bottle filled with water
• crushed eggshells
• Old saucers and fresh lemons
• cheap netting and stakes

1. The first thing to try is placing clear plastic bottles filled with water amongst your flowers. To be honest, this has never worked for me, but other people swear by it, claiming the reflections on the bottle scare the cats away. Certainly worth a try if you have some old empty bottles lying around.
2. If step 1 doesn't work, you could try squirting a little water at the cat whenever you see it on your flower bed. It will soon get fed up if it doesn't like being wet. If the cat belongs to someone else, it would be a good idea to talk to them about this first, explaining that their cat is ruining your flower bed, and that you will only use clean water to deter the cat. Make sure you let them know you will not hurt the cat. This works well for me with my neighbours cats, but does not work with my own cat who finds it very amusing to try to chase the water stream! Some cats are just awkward!
3. You could try crushing eggshells and sprinkling them around the flower bed. The prickly effect of the shells on the cats paws may deter it for a while. Best to do this when you are expecting a few days of nice weather - rain will just wash it into the soil. Another benefit of this method is that it is also reputed to deter slugs.
4. I trained my cat not to go on my kitchen worktops by placing slices of fresh lemon on them. Most cats hate the smell of citrus fruit. Placing lemon slices on old saucers at the point where a cat enters the flower bed could help deter it. If the cat is jumping over a fence or wall to get to your garden, you could place the slices on there.
5. This method is one I have found works particularly well with a very stubborn cat who insisted on urinating anywhere I sowed seeds. Take some garden netting - the floppy green sort is good because it does not detract attention away from your flowers. Cut it to the size of your flower bed when the bed is empty and use stakes to hold it in place. The cat is unable to dig because of it, and if you place the net about an inch or so high above the flower bed, they won't even walk on it. Seeds can then be sown through the netting and small parts snipped away to accommodate larger plants. The problem with this method is weeding, but even if you only use it for a week or so, it may be long enough for the cat to find a different favourite spot.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with the cheapest method. You don't need to spend a lot of money to deter cats
• Talk to the cat owner about the problem and let them know what steps you are taking. Make sure they know you don't wish to harm the cat, just that you're trying to protect your flowers. They may have some suggestions that would help - after all, they know their cat's personality better than anyone
• Electronic cat repellent devices are expensive and are not popular among cat lovers. My parents use them and often find they get vandalized during the night.