keeping cats out of your garden
Your first line of defense when keeping cats out of your garden is to make sure that you have your boundaries secure.
Your first line of defense when keeping cats out of your garden is to make sure that you have your boundaries secure.
If there are any gaps in
your fence, you should make sure that you block them to prevent any low
access.
Cats are very agile animals, and can jump very high.
Normally
they can jump a fence, which is why you should also invest in string or
taut wire across the top.
If a cat has made his way into your garden, it may be hard to get him out. Most people choose to use dogs, simply because dogs are known to dislike cats.
There are several dog breeds out there that completely dislike
cats, such as pit bulls and Dobermans.
Cats are completely fearful of
these breeds, and will flee if they see them around.
All cats are known to despise water as well.
If you spot a cat in your
garden, water almost always gets him out.
All it takes is a bucket of
water or a well aimed squirt with a garden hose to make him run away.
After you have hit the cat with water several times, he should get the
hint not to come back anymore. If he comes back, simply squirt him or
throw more water on him until he gets the idea.
Protecting your plants is a different story.
Mothballs are said to be very
effective, as cats don’t like the smell.
You can use mothballs around
your plants, garden borders, or even along the fence.
There are other
repellents that you can use as well, such as cayenne peppers, tobacco,
lavender oil, citronella oil, mustard oil, and even lemon grass oil.
If you visit your local hardware or lawn store, you can find motion activated sprinklers. They work great in keeping cats out of your garden.
Once you install the sprinkler system and a cat comes into the
area, the detector will pick up the cat’s presence and immediately shoot
out a jet of water that will douse the cat.
In most cases, all it
takes is a few times of exposure to the sprinkler before a cat learns to
stay out of that area.
Sound devices that feature high frequencies are also a great way to scare off cats, although they aren’t annoying to humans.
You can find several
different models, such as those that stay on all the time, and those
that are motion detected.
To use this type of device, you’ll need to
make sure that the model you have is strong enough to cover the entire
area.
If you model you are using is strong enough to cover your entire
garden, it should suffice in scaring off any unwanted animals.
You can also use commercial repellents as well.
Commercial repellents use
scents to keep cats away, and shouldn’t be used near any food crops.
Due to their high chemical content, commercial repellents can pollute
your crops.
You can find them at your local department store, with
several varieties to choose from, many of which will fend off other
animals from your garden as well.
If you have a garden, it can be very annoying if cats and other animals decide to make your garden their home.
If you stick to your guns and do
your part, you can prevent them from bothering your garden or your
crops.
Once you have secured your boundaries around the garden, you
should try using water first. If water doesn’t seem to work, you can
look into another method, such as commercial repellents.