Hey folks! I'm living on 5.5 acres out in rural Ohio, and I've started my first vegetable garden this year. I built a raised bed with a 7-foot tall frame to deter the neighborhood cats from treating it as their litter box, but now I'm looking at adding another bed for some perennials my wife loves. Ideally, I'd like to make it a beautiful space with a walkway and some seating under our Corkscrew Willow. The catch is, I don't want any fences ruining the look. Has anyone figured out how to keep cats away from gardens without using a fence? I know some plants are supposed to repel them due to their smell, but do they actually work? Also, are there any sprays or other methods I can use to keep them out? I'd really appreciate any tips or tricks you might have. Thanks!
3 Answers
From my experience, the best way to keep cats out is to create a physical barrier they can't dig through. Laying chicken wire over the soil works pretty well. I also used strategically placed rocks around my plants to deter them; it makes it harder for cats to squat, plus they help retain heat and moisture for your plants!
The only foolproof way I've found to keep stray cats away is to get a dog! They tend to avoid predator scents, so if you really want to deter them, you could even try spraying wolf urine around your garden. Just a heads up, though—if you have any fondness for those cats, you might be stuck either chasing them away or accepting that they’ll use your flowers as a litter box.
You might want to try using motion-activated sprinklers! They can be pretty effective at scaring cats off. If you know the areas they like to hang out, laying down chicken wire or cat spikes could help too, but be careful with that look.
Interesting idea! I'm a bit attached to these strays though. Thanks for the tip!