The internet is full of articles featuring gimmicky cat deterrents while providing advice to neighbours of cat owners who want to keep the cats off their backyard (garden in the UK). Some might work to some extent but they are often overblown and hyped up to make the article more interesting and to help with a clickbait title.
Here are some free, down-to-earth no gimmick backyard cat deterrents that are far more likely to work. Before you read about them, the best commercially produced cat deterrent is the acoustic variety. They have a reasonable success rate but it is nowhere near 100% successful.
Plant ground hugging shrubs that cover the flowerbed to prevent the earth being visible. Okay you might find the appearance unacceptable but they’ll be 100% successful in deterring cats from peeing and pooping on the flowerbed.
Grow prickly and thorny plants in the gaps between the more decorative plants to protect those areas where a wandering cat might find it acceptable to go to the toilet.
Plant rue in the flowerbeds and crush the leaves from time to time 😎💕. I have not tested this but rue is meant to be a cat deterrent. See link below.
Ensure the flowerbeds are well watered creating a wet earth. This may help in deterring cats.
Use mulch to fill in the gaps between the plants. Bark mulch is not a good substrate for a cat to do toilet.
Use white decorative stones in-between the plants to cover the soil to an extent which makes using the soil uncomfortable for a cat to go to the toilet.
Use an infra-red detecting garden spray device to jet water over an invading cat.
Use a cat enclosure fence which both prevents a cat leaving the backyard and also prevents a neighbour’s cat coming into the backyard. This would mean a fence that has an overhang on both sides.
‘Tresspassing’ cats are in an area where they are unwanted. They know this. They may fear the property owner especially if the property owner makes a noise when the cat arrives and waves their arms around. They should scram and be strongly deterred from returning. Try that simple trick.
Toilet area: If the neighbours are talking to the non-cat owning neighbour it might be possible to to politely convince the cat owner to build an outside toilet area for their cat which may help to minimise incursions into the neighbour’s backyard. Cats like to use the same place each time for an outside toilet area. Make one for them and encourage them to use the same place away from the flowerbeds.
Toilet area: In the same vein it may be suitable and acceptable for the non-cat owning neighbour to build a specific toilet area in their backyard which is an ideal place for a cat to defecate and urinate thereby deterring them from using an unacceptable area e.g. the flowerbeds.
Remember that in the UK and in most other countries cats:
- are protected by law and
- they have the absolute right to roam wherever they like. The laws of tresspass do not apply.
It is entirely understood that some property owners want to deter cats from coming into their backyards. It should be achieved without in any way harming the cat as humans are not protected from criminal prosecution if they did harm a cat under these circumstances.
RELATED: Rue is a plant that may work as a cat deterrent when crushed
