We all love our feline friends. They keep us company and even add some beauty and elegance to our houses. But there are probably some habits they develop over time that may be annoying to you.
One such habit would be hanging out in your flowerbed all day. And we both know they don’t just sit still there—what they perceive as playing translates to destroying the flowers. The question would be, why are they so attracted to your flowerbed? Or rather, what can you do to keep them out of those flower gardens?
In case you want to answer that, then you are in the right place.
We’ll give you some useful tips and hacks that may come in handy when it comes to keeping your felines off your beloved flowers.
The 11 Ways to Keep Cats Out of Flowerbeds
1. Don’t Unintentionally Attract Cats
Believe it or not, you might be doing some things that are luring your cat or even your neighbor’s cat into your flowerbed. For instance, leaving any food remains in or around the area.
The scent alone is strong enough to attract your kitty. The presence of open trash cans could also be a reason why cats cannot leave your compound. You want to ensure that they are tightly closed throughout and nowhere near your garden.
Another suggestion is to clear the bushes around your house. While your cat may not be so attracted to them, the wild ones will always find some sort of shelter there. Mark you, cats have a tendency of forming habits. Those bushes might become their usual hiding spots.
2. Use Unattractive Scents
There are two sides of the coin when it comes to the use of scents. We have already looked at the first one. Nice scents could be a reason why cats are not willing to leave your flowerbeds. Those include scents from cat foods and other substances.
But how about you try it the other way round? This time, try using unattractive scents that they don’t like. For instance, just sprinkle some black pepper on your flowerbeds. Alternatively, try using some citrus peels. Cats avoid these scents whenever possible.
Some of these may need to be replaced several times. Scents that come from black pepper or cinnamon will obviously be washed away in the event of heavy rainfall.
You should remember to sprinkle more when things clear up.
3. Create Rough Surfaces
Who doesn’t like being comfortable? Cats, like human beings, love luxury. So, attempt to strip your flowerbeds of the comfort they are surely enjoying.
One tactic you might want to employ is using rough surfaces to keep them away. For instance, find some prickly pine cones and push them into the soil surrounding the flowerbed.
You can also try covering that entire area with some sharp twigs so that your cat cannot easily walk through the area. You can be sure that this method will keep them from spending long hours dozing among your flowers.
4. Electric Fences
This one might sound to be a bit dangerous, but it is worth giving a shot. There are safety precautions that you can use to ensure that your feline friends will not be injured. The general expectation is that an electric fence will give a small shock to your cats when they attempt to come into contact with the bed. It also discourages them from coming back.
You can also use a wire that has a very low voltage to serve as a deterrent.
To ensure that this method is effective, you should get a fence that is at least 4 inches tall.
5. Digging Barriers
It goes without saying that cats are playful creatures. They are also stubborn and very destructive. Besides just invading your flower garden, they might also go into another adventure and end up ruining your plants for good.
For example, they are fond of digging into the soil to make holes that they convert into litter boxes. The good news is, there are certain measures that you can take to keep that from happening.
This includes the use of physical barriers. You want to try using something like a wooden lattice. Spread this all over your flower garden. You can then hide it from cats by covering it with some mulch.
In this situation, cats will not be in a position to dig into the soil.
6. Get Rid of Plants Cats Love
Did you know that mint and spider plants are natural cat-attracting plants? You should ensure that such plants grow as far away from your flowerbed as possible.
There are others like catnip, valerian, and silvervine. You do not want a case where you are spending so much effort and time to keep the cats away, yet they keep coming back naturally.
- You may also like:Â 12 Ways to Keep Cats Out of a Sandbox (Easy & Humane)
7. Water Sprinkling
Just like humans generally hate being rained on, so do cats. They are uncomfortable walking around when they are wet. As such, water can be used as a useful hack to keep them away from your flowerbed.
The first approach that you might want to try is using a spray bottle. Wait until your cat looks comfortable and spray them away. There is a high chance they will break the habit of camping in your flower garden.
While that can be useful, it may be tedious and quite demanding of your own time. That is why you should also try the second approach—using sprinkler systems that are activated when they sense motion. This is unlikely to lead to much wastage of water. They will also achieve the desired results.
8. Oscillate Fencing
This is also another creative hack that you can use to keep cats at bay. Do you already have a fence, and yet it seems like it is not helping? That could be probably because the cats are jumping right over the fence and into your flower garden.
If that is the case, then this approach is the best method for you. An oscillate fence is usually installed above your normal fence. How does it function? The moment the cat tries to jump over, it rolls, making it impossible to get to the other side.
No matter how much the cat tries, it will never be able to get into your flowerbed. Try this method out and see if it helps.
9. Using Tape as Deterrents
You are probably wondering how tape can help keep a cat away from the flowerbed. Believe it or not, tape works like a charm when it comes to keeping cats far away. Besides, it is also a cheap means of preventing those stubborn cats from entering the garden.
The first step is to get duct tape. Just as an assurance, this is not toxic, and will not harm your cat in any way. You then proceed to make some tape balls that you will be using for the job.
You have to attach these to the turns that your feline friends have made a habit of using. As your cat tries to jump, tape balls will cling onto its skin, irritating it, and preventing it from seeing where it can land.
As it happens repetitively, the cat will learn a lesson.
10. Chicken Wires
Chicken wires will work the same way hard surfaces would. The main reason why use them is to prevent cats from digging holes in your garden. One advantage is that they are easy to employ.
All you need to do is to get enough wire that can cover your entire flower garden. You then have to lay them down, allowing plants to pop up through the spaces between the meshes. While your plants will still grow perfectly, you will have posed a challenge to cats.
They may not like how hard it is to dig through the soil. It will not take long to drive them away.
11. Construct a Litter Box
One way of keeping cats out of the flower garden is giving them a reason not to go there in the first place. As we have seen, some cats destroy your flower garden just because they want to make holes to use as litter boxes.
How about you actually made them an actual litter box outside your house? For example, try using a plastic bin that is filled with sand. Chances are they will opt to relieve themselves there rather than in between flower petals.
See also:
- How to Stop Cats From Pooping in Your Garden (12 Proven Methods)
- How to Keep Cats Away from Certain Areas (18 Proven Methods)
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