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5 Natural Ways to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden Without Harming Them

Kitty Boy Floyd

Image Credit:
Robin Sweetser
Written By: Robin Sweetser Gardener

Cats can be adorable companions, but when they start digging in your flower beds or vegetable garden, frustration quickly follows. Instead of turning to harmful chemicals or traps, there are plenty of natural ways to keep your garden safe while respecting your feline friends. From clever barriers and scents to cat-repelling plants and motion-activated sprinklers, you can protect your seedlings and flowers without hurting your curious kitties.

My cat “Kitty Boy Floyd” can be useful to have around the garden, keeping unwanted rodents at bay, but he can be destructive as well. 

My cat loves to dig in the soft dirt, especially after I have planted some tender seedlings, and just the thought of cat poop in the vegetable beds makes me nauseous. Not only disgusting, but it can also harbor many harmful pathogens and parasites. 

Kitty Boy Floyd cat in the garden
Kitty Boy Floyd, my furry friend, in the garden.

Natural Ways to Keep Cats Away

Barriers and Fences

Wire - Freshly turned soil is very appealing as a litter box, so we have found that laying down chicken wire, plastic fencing, or even bird netting on top of the soil keeps him from digging. He won’t even walk on it. It is easier to do it before planting and just clip the wire to make larger holes for the plants. It can be covered with mulch to make it look more pleasing.

wire netting to cat-proof a garden
After catching Kitty Boy Floyd digging up my newly planted onions, we covered the bed with plastic fencing.

Row Covers - We use a lot of row covers on our plants and have found that if they are well anchored, he stays out of those beds; otherwise we often find him taking a catnap in the warm, protected environment the covers offer.

Fences - It is hard to fence cats out. The fence needs to be very tall with a floppy top so they can’t land on it. It must also be buried at the bottom so they can’t sneak under. It can be an expensive but effective solution.

Mulch and Rough Surfaces

Cats dislike stepping on rough or prickly surfaces so try scattering pinecones, brush or twigs over the surface of the soil. Thorny clippings from roses, holly, or raspberries are especially effective but will also prick you, so wear gloves. Rough mulches like coarse wood chips or stones are hard for cats to dig in.

Water Deterrents and Motion Sprinklers

Cats like dry soil, so keep yours moist to make it less inviting. Or go one step further and squirt them with a hose if you catch them in the act. 

If neighborhood cats are sneaking in at night, try a motion-activated sprinkler. They’ll soon get the message!

Cat-Repelling Plants and Sprays

Cats have sensitive noses, and strong smells can act as deterrents. Citrus is not a feline favorite—so next time you eat an orange or squeeze a lemon, cut up the peels and spread them around the area you want the cats to avoid. 

Sprays made from citrus, citronella, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, or rosemary oil mixed with water can be applied to those areas as well. Vinegar, hot pepper, or garlic sprays may have some effect too. Don’t use mothballs because they are toxic to you and the cats. Urine deterrents should be avoided since they just provoke male cats into spraying over them to mark their territory.

Instead of making sprays, you can grow cat-repelling plants such as rosemary, lemon thyme, rue, lavender, or Russian sage. Or you can sprinkle the dried leaves of these plants around the spots you are trying to protect. Plants with prickly leaves like sea holly or globe thistle may deter them, too. Look for Coleus canina, called the scaredy cat plant; it is said to be very effective at keeping cats away.

Creating a Cat-Friendly Area Elsewhere

To keep kitty out of the flowerbed, why not try giving him a place of his own—preferably on the other side of the yard, away from your precious plants. Cats will be drawn to catnip or valerian plants. If you construct an outdoor litter box filled with dry sand for them to dig in, they just might make use of it and leave your garden alone.

Orange cat lying in a plant pot
Another furry friend who’s decided this is “her” pot.

Love your kitty? Find out how old your cat is in human years with our Cat Age Calculator.

Do you have any furry friends causing chaos in the garden? Please share your experiences!

And see our article about how to keep certain troublesome birds away from the garden!

Garden Pests

About The Author

Robin Sweetser

Robin Sweetser

Gardener

Robin Sweetser is a longtime gardening writer, editor, and speaker. She and her partner, Tom, have a small greenhouse business, selling plants and cutting flowers and vegetables from their home and lo...

Read more from Robin Sweetser

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Comments

<span>Stacy H</span> Thu, 06/16/2022 - 07:27
I used to get all the neighbors cats and small dogs doing their business in my garden and lawn. I finally, meticulously, fenced off all the available entry points. I waited for the cats to show me how they would try to get in and then barricaded it. I haven't seen any cats or dogs in my backyard for several years now. One of the reasons I did it was so that I could have free range chickens without worrying that a neighbors cat would kill them. So it was a win win for me with the fencing. However, I still have cats using my front flowerbeds as a litter box, even though I put tons of thorny blackberry and raspberry trimming in it. The dogs seemed to get the hint.
<span>Jeff</span> Mon, 07/26/2021 - 21:38
Coffee grounds spread around seem to help keep felines away from my plants.
<span>Mary</span> Mon, 07/26/2021 - 12:44
I've used cocoa bark mulch for years to keep cats out of my flower beds. It works great & smells good. Our vegetables are in raised beds with regular mulch, & the cats never seem to go in them.
<span>Kay</span> Sun, 07/25/2021 - 09:41
Any place I do not want a cat to be is sprinkled with ground coffee, cheapest store brand works fine for me. I find that using dry,unused grounds work better than used and are easier to spread.
<span>Edith</span> Sun, 05/21/2023 - 08:11
I don't drink coffee, but I do smoke a lot of weed. Place a few of the buds on the ground near your plants and watch those pesky cats eat them up. hahahaha They will go coocoo! Then just get a friend and put those cats into a box a take them down the road. About 20 miles or so and let them loose.
<span>A Rockwell</span> Sat, 07/24/2021 - 12:42
I've seen Wild Valerian plants; I didn't know if Valerian plants are sold commercially~
<span>Anne</span> Thu, 06/16/2022 - 11:37
since Cats are attracted to Valerian Herb; maybe planting Valerian herb away from the Garden will attract Cats away from garden.
<span>Laura</span> Sat, 07/24/2021 - 12:41
We care for a colony of about 12 feral cats (food, shelter, TNR). This year, we planted a big patch of catnip for them to hang out in and they love it. We also let some goosefoot grow to about 3' and they love hiding in it, so there are little places around the garden that are "their" spot. One of them likes to follow me around while I'm doing chores, so I made her my supervisor. Important note about mint: Cats are attracted to mint, but it's toxic to them. If you grow mint and have an outdoor cat, feral cats, or a colony around, I recommend keeping the mint in a cold frame or somewhere else unreachable. I personally don't grow mint at all because of the cats. I love 'em like my own. Plus, I don't want to disappoint my supervisor ;-)
<span>A Rockwell</span> Sat, 07/24/2021 - 12:40
an excellent idea; thanks for sharing; (reposting for others); thanks Farmer's Almanac: Appreciate~Bait & Switch - To keep kitty out of the flowerbed why not try giving him a place of his own - preferably on the other side of the yard, away from your precious plants. Cats will be drawn to catnip or valerian plants. If you construct an outdoor litter box filled with dry sand for them to dig in, they just might make use of it and leave your garden alone;
<span>Dwight</span> Tue, 05/28/2019 - 15:43
I have a one year old who LOVES going outside every time I do. His name is Moochi but I call him The Mooch. I've replaced about 10 lbs of soil in newly constructed raised beds because he likes to pee in the soft soil. I also have small dogs so the raised beds deter them from releaving themselves on plants planted at grade, and I purchased a roll of green garden fence netting which has provided fencing around the raised beds to deter the dogs and The Mooch from jumping into the beds, however the fencing is cumbersome at times. I experimented with just laying the fence netting flat onto a new bed, and it did deter Moochi but still gave free allowance for the dogs to jump up onto the bed when they became hyper from other dogs passing by. Solution: I bi-sected the back yard with the fence netting leaving grass on one half for the dogs to meander and play around in. The other side is the garden area, raised beds with low fence netting to keep The Mooch out. Interesting - I will try the outside litter box idea -