Cats In Your Garden?

Dogs must be licensed and kept on a leash, and there are penalties to dog owners for allowing their pets to run loose.

However, these restrictions do not apply to cats. Since cats are not required to be leashed, they run free and can roam their neighborhoods. There are serious issues here that need to be addressed, but for a lot of homeowners, a more pressing problem is keeping unwanted cats out of their yards.

Cats are far more difficult to keep inside a yard than are dogs. Cats may wander into your neighbors yard and use gardens, sandboxes and lawns as litter boxes. For people who do not own cats or who do not allow their own cats outside, this can be an irritating annoyance. How do you keep unwanted cats out of your yard?

The most obvious solution is to have a dog. Dogs and cats are notorious enemies and a strange cat wandering into a dog’s domain can meet with some serious resistance! Of course, you do not want to find yourself the subject of a lawsuit should your dog injure or kill a neighbor’s cat. Sometimes just the threat of a dog will be enough to keep the cat from entering your yard.

But what if you cannot have a dog or do not want one? What are some other ways to prevent cats from using your yard as a litter box?

-Install a rubber welcome mat, spike side up.  This will stop the cat from walking into the area. Just sprinkle some mulch or dirt over the spikes, and once the cat walks onto the mat, and finds discomfort, will deter them from entering the area.

- Install a motion-activated sprinkler system. Most cats hate water and once they discover that they will become drenched each time they visit your yard, they will stay away. Unfortunately, to have one of these systems installed is expensive, but it will benefit your lawn and garden.

- Use a heavy mulch or bark to cover the gardens. Cats like to dig and scrape when preparing an area to use for their toilet. If the garden is covered with thick bark, cedar or other mulch, or rocks, a cat will not find it attractive for this use. Of course, you will want to ensure that your plants are able to grow and get enough moisture.

- Use pinecones. Cats don’t like the smell or the texture of pinecones, and will avoid areas where they are present. 

- Use cat repellant agents. There are actually a number of cat repellant products on the market. Most contain pepper-based products, which will be unpleasant for the cat to ingest and will emit a strong odor, thus keeping the cat off the lawn. Orange peels, ground up, can also repel cats. Use your favorite Internet search engine to find cat-repellant agents.

Responsible cat owners have their pets spayed or neutered and monitor their activities. Your neighbor may be unaware that his or her pet is creating a problem for you, and keeping their cat out of your yard may be as simple as letting them know. 

Any further questions or concerns, you may contact your Lower Southampton Animal Control Advisory Board at 215-357-7300 or visit their website at www.lsacab.org

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