Desperate gardener finds 'only thing' that will stop cats using garden as litter
Cats lingering around your garden can be very cute, that is until they start using every flower bed and vegetable patch as their litterbox and playpen.
The adorable and much-loved creatures can become much less adorable if this habit forms and starts to destroy the hours of work you put into your garden. One gardener was left in this predicament after a cat in his neighbourhood got into his lavender plant.
Sharing his frustrations, the man asked online desperately seeking an answer to his question, “How to prevent cats from pooing in my garden?.” The distressed gardener also shared that he had used “sprays and pellets,” and had not been successful in keeping the cats away.
Cats are known for digging up flowerbeds to create a comfy spot to lounge around in but they also do this to mark their territory. Reaching a breaking point after cleaning yet another cat poo from his garden, the gardener said “I'm so tired of picking someone else's cat's poo!”
Posting to Reddit’s Gardening section he said: “I don't have cats but several of my neighbours do, and at least one seems to prefer my front garden to do its business. Yesterday it dug up all the slate around my young lavender to dig a hole to poo in.
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“Luckily the lavender was okay, but I'm worried it will keep doing this now. I've tried the sprays and pellets and they just don't work. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop the cat from coming to my garden?
“My partner has a dog and is against the sound deterrent devices, but I'm so tired of picking someone else's cat's poo!”
One user offering advice wrote “Chicken wire is the only thing that worked for me, and I have about nine different cats who used my garden as their litter box. You can lay it flat on the ground and hook it with some pegs, or use bamboo canes to make a fence.”
“One thing I try to avoid is bare patches of soil, so I either sow grass in between the larger shrubs or fence up my annuals until they're big enough and the cats don't have space to poo in the soil around them. But if you leave empty soil or even stuff like wood chips, they will dig in it.”
They added: “You can remove the chicken wire when the plants or grass have grown a bit, so it's not going to be a permanent fixture. It will be an eyesore but only for four to six weeks, but in my opinion it's well worth putting it up.”
Not in any position to say no to solutions being offered to him, the gardener replied and said, “Thank you so much, this is really helpful! I'm happy to deal with some unsightly wire for a while if it stops the cats. Will try this, thank you.”
Chicken wire is usually used to fence chickens in, however it can also be substituted for other things including effectively keeping your garden beds safe from cats. Whilst the texture of the wire is uncomfortable for the cats, it is cruelty-free to keep your garden safe.
The wire can be bought for £8 on Amazon but is also likely available at gardening centres or DIY stores.
Whilst installing the wire, it’s important to not leave any sharp edges facing upwards and make sure to plant it firmly in the soil to avoid injuries.
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