How to Keep Cats Out of Yard

Be it your own cat or your neighbor's, you definitely don't want to lend your garden to the feline to use it as its litter box. But that is exactly what cats view your garden as. While you toil hard on your flowerbeds, these masters of stealth just dig them up and use the soil to cover their poop. But that's not all, the territorial instincts of some of these felines make them spray their urine to mark their territory. If only these different types of cats and gardens could be more compatible. But they are not! Nevertheless, those who want to keep cats out of yard need not despair. Here are some options if you are wondering how to keep cats out of your yard.

Keeping Cats Out of Your Yard

Take a look at some of the ways through which you can keep the cats at bay from your yard.

Chicken Wire: Top your fence with chicken wire. This would prevent the cats from crossing over the fence and entering your yard. You must have noticed that the part of the garden that bears maximum damage due to feline activities are the flowerbeds. The mulch and the freshly dug up soil - the result of your hard work is what makes these areas a cat's favorite. How to keep cats out of flower beds? Simple, to keep cats out of flowerbeds, spread some chicken wire over the area or mix some pine cones with mulch before spreading it over the flowerbeds. The sensitive paws of a cat would definitely not want to tread on this prickly zone.

Water: Yes, water is one of the best home remedies to keep cats out of your yard. If you have observed a cat's behavior carefully, you would know that cats are not very fond of getting wet. Every time you see a cat, just hose it down with a jet of water. However, it is not possible to stand on guard with a hosepipe waiting to soak the cat every time it tries to sneak into your garden. So the other option is to install a motion-activated water sprinkler system that would spray water on the cat as it sets foot in your yard. However, the flip side is that the children in the family may also get occasionally drenched as the motions detector in the sprinkler can't differentiate between source of motion - be it cat or a human being.

Install Cat Fences: While most cats have mastered the art of climbing wooden fences and chain link fences, scaling plastic fences is something that these master climbers still need to learn. Fences made out of heavy plastic or those coated with plastic that look like wooden fences are available in the market. Cats can't climb these. They get frustrated easily trying to scale these fences and quickly move on to some yard. But how to keep cats from digging under the fences? For this, dig a pit 6 inches deep and 3 inches wide around the fence and fill it with quick cement.

Plants: That are certain plants that naturally repel cats. They are peppermint, garlic, lemon grass and thyme, to name a few. It is important to know that some plants are poisonous to cats, hence do you research well before using any plant as a cat repellent.

Commercial Cat Repellents: There are a number of cat repellents available in the market that can keep cats out of yard. The most common are the granular ones that bear the scent of the urine of predators of cats like coyote and fox. Just sprinkle these granules over the yard. One sniff and a cat would remember not to venture into your yard for quite some time. However, these granules need to be sprinkled again after rain or snow.

Home Remedies: Are you looking for some home remedies to make cats stay out of yard? The next time that you eat citrus fruits, don't throw the peels away. Cut them into small pieces and sprinkle them over your yard. Cats dislike citrus fruits. Not only are the peels an inexpensive way of keeping cats out of yard, but they also do not pose any threat to a cat's health.

Go Hi-tech: Even when you are concerned about how to keep cats out of the yard, you could fall back upon technology for an answer. There are certain ultrasound devices that emit high frequency sounds that are audible only to cats and not to human beings. Every time this unwanted intruder sets foot in your yard, the motion detector in the device senses the animal and sets out high frequency sound that is unbearable for the feline.

These methods are safe for both the cat as well as your plants. However for precaution, check the ingredients of any commercial cat repellent that you buy. Be sure that they do not contain substances that may be harmful for the plants or the cat.