Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Cats
Damage caused
Much-loved pets can be the bane of nearby gardeners, whose plots they use as toilet areas. Holes are scraped in flower and vegetable beds and sometimes excrement is deposited on lawns or paths. Tomcats also scent-mark their territories by spraying urine on plants, which can scorch the foliage. Damage to the bark of trees and shrubs, caused by cats sharpening their claws, is another form of territorial marking. Cats also have a habit of sunbathing in inconvenient places, crushing plants in the process. Problems are most severe in high-density housing areas, where cats are numerous and gardens small.
Deterrents
Cats roam freely through their territories and are too agile to be excluded by fencing or netting. However:
- Netting may be effective in keeping cats away from small areas within the garden.
- Flower borders densely planted with perennials are less appealing as toilet areas - no bare soil to scratch.
- Keep seed rows well watered as cats dislike wet soil, preferring loose, dry earth and mulch.
- Use one or more of the cat deterrents on the market. They fall into two groups: repellents that offend the cat's sense of smell or taste, and electronic scaring devices. Neither type causes harm to animals.
Repellents
These include products containing pepper powder (Bayer Pepper Dust), naphthalene (Vitax Scent-Off), aluminium ammonium sulphate (Bayer Cat-a-Pult, Growing Success Cat Repellent, Vitax Stay Off) and methyl nonyl ketone (Vapet Get Off). Such repellents give only short-term protection and need frequent re-application. Remove any cat excrement before use.
A cat repellent plant, sold under the names of 'Scardy Cat' or Coleus canina, is available from some garden centres or by mail order from Thomson & Morgan. The foliage produces an unpleasant smell when touched. This plant can be grown out of doors in the summer, but needs frost protection in the winter.
Electronic devices
These are mainly sold by mail order so look for advertisements in The Garden and other gardening magazines. Most produce ultrasonic sound (barely audible to human ears) when triggered by a motion sensor. Some cats flee when they come within range, while others, perhaps the more dominant local cats, hold their ground and carry on regardless. The best results are in open gardens where the ultrasound is not baffled by shrubs or fences. Place the speaker at one end of the garden as sound travels away from the device in the direction it is facing.