How to keeps cats out of garden

This is such a common question amongst many of my garden maintenance clients. I continually find cat mess throughout people’s garden and most don’t even have a cat. For one of my clients it is a continuing two year battle to prevent cats from entering the garden and especially preventing them from fouling in the garden. It’s not that any of us hate cats but when it not your own cat which is fouling in your garden then it can be frustrating to have such an attack on your outdoor living space.


There are many products available in garden centres to repel cats from your garden. Some of these products work and some don’t work. In my experience the ultrasonic cat deterrent system is a waste of money it has little or no effect of cats. There are also powders which put cats off from using the same place, which contain aromatic oils that smell revolting. These are fairly effective, but you need to keep reapplying after it has rained and so it is expensive and time consuming. So through a great deal of on going research I think that the most cost effective way of keeping cats out of your garden is to use a combination of garden centre products and natural methods.


Keep cats out of garden the natural way.

Spiky plants are a good way to prevent cats from entering your garden. Cats like humans create desire lines. Routes that we all use to get to a certain place. By breaking up these routes you can deter and prevent cats from walking through your garden. A great way to do this is to repaint your fences and then wait for their little paw prints to a appear on the newly painted panels. Once your know where they are entering and exiting your garden you can grow plants which will prevent them from using this space again. I planted the wall shrub Pyracantha in these spaces with great results. It spiky thorns stopped the cats from climbing the fences. Some other great plants for this method are Berberis, Roses and Hawthorn.


There are also plants which cats are said to detest the smell. The herb Rue is said to deter cats and also recently there has been a mysterious plant named Pee-Off, which as far as a colleague has found is a member of the Coleus family, which as most gardeners know is only half-hardy.
Scaredy Cat, Scardy Cat (Plectranthus caninus) (Coleus Canina).
Attractive half-hardy plant with grey-green foliage which gives off a strong aroma especially when touched or in the sun. The aroma is disliked by most cats and dogs. Our resident cat reacts strongly to the smell!
In summer it produces heads of pale blue flowers which also give off a strong aroma.
If planted in a container this can be moved around the garden, thus protecting different areas of the garden from unwanted attention from cats. The pot can then be over-wintered in a frost free area.
Full sun or light shade. Any reasonable soil.
cocoa bean shells









Keep cats out of your garden by encouraging them to one specific area!

This isn’t a novel idea but something very few people are willing to try. It is possible to keep cats out of where you don’t want them and into a small area of the garden where you do. This can help keep other small rodents out of your garden too.

By giving cats there own space to play and rest you’ll find they wont be interested in other areas of the garden. Although, this does mean they might foul in this space, but at least it is contained!

To create this space you’ll need to use plants which attract cats. Attracting cats can easily be achieved through the texture of plants. Cats love to chew, play and relax around and on grass. In my neighbourhood, they especially love to sit on Carex comans.(New Zealand hair sedge) I frequently find a present for me left by cats within the centre of one of these plants. It is my belief that the soft nature of this grass is comforting to cats in an outdoor environment and I frequently see them basking in the sun. This is not the only grass which cats like, others include: oat grass, lemon grass , wheat grass and fountain grass.

Another way of attracting cats is through the use of medicinal methods using plants which are known to stimulate cats.

Nepeta also known as catmint or catnip is very effective on cats by stimulating the cats’ pheromonic receptors, inducing a elated state. Catmint is a hardy, long flowering perennial that belongs in a cottage garden. nepeta cataria is the variety which is thought to be the most attractive to cats

Valerian is a plant which is known to work in a same way as Nepeta. The roots of valerian contain actinidine another active compound known to stimulate cats and insects. Valerian is a plant which was introduced to Britain by the Romans in 450AD. It often grows where you don’t want it, but Their are some more ornamental variety in various pinks and white.

Other plants known to attract cats are Viburnum opulus, Silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Mint , Nemophila menziesii (annual plant) Nepeta nepetella, Jacob's Ladder, Valeriana phu, and V. celtica.