Feral Cats in The Garden

[alexiskilgannon]

My neighborhood has a huge problem with Feral Cats. I'm not really sure how it started, but there are cats everywhere-especially in the evening. They aren't very nice and it's a struggle to keep them out of my backyard towards the evenings. They love to come into my garden plants, chew on the leaves, and pee and poop throughout the plants.

Is there any way to solve this issue without hurting the cats? As much as I want to scream and throw rocks at them, I would never do something like that. Is there a specific smell they might dislike? I'm open to any ideas that don't involve hurting them.

 

[cass2828]

Hi,
I have been told that cats dis like citrus scents.. try to sprinkle orange and lemon peels around your garden and cats also dislike the herb rue .. try planting the herb rue around the garden... Hope this solves your problems... Enjoy gardening!!!

 

[Icecold]

the only thing that'll keep them out is a cat-proof fence.

 

[maximum_angle]

install lazer pointers in your garden that are aimed in random directions in spots away from your garden and constantly move in a random pattern. this way they will be too busy chasing the red dot on the ground and will possibly end up fighting each other to catch the red dot.

 

[LA in Idaho]

We had the same problem at our last home, except the cats decides they liked our veggie garden to do their 'business' in. We bought a motion sensor that activated a water impulse sprinkler with a timer (we set it for 2 minutes) and that solved the problem. I don't remember the cost but it was well worth it. Cat feces can carry diseases that you don't want in your vegetable garden.

 

[aquaticneko]

There is a plant called the scaredy cat plant. It emits a scent that cats dislike and will effectively keep them away.

It's also a beautiful plant as well. You could also try coffee grounds around your garden, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil all work great.