Cats are adorable and lovable animals, but sometimes they can be a big source of headaches! They climb on things, sometimes scratch their owner and the most annoying is when they treat your yard or garden a giant litter box.
Table of Contents
🌻 Organic Ways
Here are some ways to keep them off the yard without hurting your soil:
1. Citrus Peels
- There are a lot of household items that you can use to keep the friendly feline out of your yard. One of which is citrus peels. Cats hate strong citrus smell because they have very sensitive noses. You can cut it up into small parts and scatter it around the area where cats often hangout to do “business.” You can also boil the peels and put it in a spray bottle, then spritz it all over the area where the cat likes to poop.
2. Lavender
- Lavender may be a delight for humans, but cats find it very repulsive.If ingested, it can also poison them. You can spray lavender scented water to your yard. You can use essential oils or lavender-scented perfumes and mix them into your water. Susan Parrett, a blogger, recommends mixing lavender and citrus oils to make it more repugnant to your little feline friend. Please refrain from using real lavender plants since they can be poisonous to cats when ingested.
3. Lemongrass
- Lemongrass is also a great way to keep the peace in your yard. Potted lemongrass are great to keep off your yard, it’s a great way to add an intriguing smell and taste to your dish and also keeps unwanted visitors from pooping in your yard. You can also cut up lemongrass and scatter it all over the area where the cats usually poop.
4. Coffee Grounds
- Cats hate coffee, which is also another way to say coffee really does make the world go round. Cats do not like the smell of coffee, they find it too strong for them. After drinking your morning coffee, keep the ground beans and sprinkle it all over the yard.
👉 Inorganic Ways
1. Mothballs
- Cats, like any other animals, do not like the smell of mothballs. Scattering it all over your yard will do the trick. Mothballs can also keep rodents away! However, please do not use mothballs if you have little kids who often play in your yard, or dogs who like to hangout outside as well. Mothballs are toxic, especially when ingested.
2. Predator Urine
- Felines are very territorial. They use their own urine to mark their territory. One of the best ways to keep them out is to spray urine all over your yard or just the areas that they keep on pooping to. This may be unconventional, but it’s pretty effective. Fox urines, for example, can be bought in a gardening store.
3. Ammonia
- Ammonia are detestable for cats and dogs. Ammonia usually smells like urine to cats and they tend to stay away from it. Sprinkle ammonia in your yard and the cats will stay away from it thinking that it is another cat’s territory.
Sprinkles, Mats and Litter Box
1. Sprinkler
- Cats hate water. There is no better way to welcome an unwelcome visitor by spritzing them with things that they hate. You can install a motion activated sprinkler. Cats will eventually stop doing “business” in your yard.
2. Cat Scat Mat
- This is by far the most ingenious way to shoo them off. Scat mats scare cats because of its spikes, but it can’t actually hurt your feline friend! The spikes are just to scare them away from your yard. A lot of gardeners are actually using scat mats to protect their plants from the overly friendly feline neighbor. This can also be used to stop cats from scratching furniture.
3. Outdoor Litter Box
- Instead of driving them away, you can actually divert their attention elsewhere! But in order for this to work, you need to make your yard undesirable for the cats. One of the ways is to clean the area they’ve marked as their territory and sprinkle coffee grounds on it and around it. They will look for a more comfortable and desirable place that they can do their business. You can make a DIY litter box using old storage boxes and fill it with sand. Tadah!
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Common Questions
💩 Why do cats like to poop in the yard?
Cats actually like to dig dirt and they see your yard/garden as a giant litter box. This could also mean that they feel comfortable in your yard enough for them to use it as a “business” hub, meaning pooping and fighting with other cats.
☠ What cat repellents are not advisable to use?
Mothballs are actually harmful for animals and your little human (if you have one). There is also a possibility that it will get washed away during rainy seasons and another animal may unfortunately ingest it and poison the animal in the process. Lavender also needs to be used in moderation since this can poison the cat as well.
💩 Is cat poop harmful to humans?
Yes, cat poop poses health risks to humans. They can also be a carrier of disease and parasites. According to a research psychiatrist and pediatric infectious disease specialist, Dr. Robert Yolken, some cats carry a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. According to Mayo Clinic blog, this parasite can cause serious complications to pregnant women or newborn children. Sometimes, this parasite can cause severe eye infection and damage the spleen of newborn children infected with this parasite.
Conclusion
Cats can be considered our friendly neighbors. They bring joy and wonder to the whole neighborhood but they can cause problems as well. One of the best ways to keep them away from your yard, in a very humane manner, is to keep them away through aiming at their very sensitive sense of smell. If not, there are a lot of ways to shoo them away without hurting them.
Just remember, cats are friends not foes!
