A great question came in from Michele this week about trouble with cats in the garden:

“My next door neighbor has several cats and she insists on letting them run loose. One of them has been digging in my raised beds, destroying some young seedlings – and what’s worse, defecating in them. Do you know of any non-toxic products that will keep him out??”

Hi Michele, we are quite familiar with cat issues in the garden. We find cat poop in raised beds all the time, and it’s really unpleasant to deal with. Here are some options for keeping cats out.

Physical Barriers

We have found that cats only use raised beds as a litter box when the garden is either inactive or at the new growth stage. Once plants grow in, cats find the space too cramped and damp for their tastes. So the best option is a physical barrier. It’s not pretty at first, but it works.

Bird netting – this is the least noticeable in the garden but cats don’t like getting tangled in it. Once your plants fill the space, you can remove it.

Floating row cover – the next level of protection is floating row cover. Use U-pins or Earth Staples to hold the fabric down along the edges and this will keep cats from entering your plot. Again, remove the fabric when crops have grown in.

Deterrents

Cat Scat Mats – This works like a “bed of nails” that cats dislike. Place them in the areas where cats visit to do their dirty business (cats habitually use the same location in general) and this will send them elsewhere.

Animal Stopper – Messina makes a cat and dog spray with cinnamon and other oils that may or may not work for your cat problem. We’ve used their Squirrel Stopper with success, but haven’t tried the product for cats.

Distractions

Grow some cat grass – For many creatures, if you provide a patch of habitat for them, they may leave the rest of your garden alone, or tarnish that area instead. Grow a patch of cat grass such as Gourmet Greens Cat Treats from Renee’s Garden Seeds.

Catmint or Catnip – another option to distract cats from your beds. Catmint is attractive to cats, as is Catnip. We recommend growing these in a container with a little extra room for cats to roll around in. Catmint is listed as a “vigorous plant” meaning it may run–another reason why we recommend planting in a container.

Well, Michele, we hope this helps you re-direct the neighborhood cats. Good luck and keep us posted.