How to Stop Cats from Pooping in Your Yard: 9 Potential Methods

Gardening can be such a rewarding activity! You go to the plant store or nursery, select the seeds or bulbs you want to grow. Then, you carefully cultivate the soil on hands and knees, sweat stinging the eyes, dirt staining your clothes—it’s a labor of love.

So, it can be frustrating when cats decide that all your hard work is going to be used as the neighborhood bathroom. Your garden is a place of peace, not poop! If this situation seems familiar, continue reading this article. We will go over how to get those pesky kitties to leave your poor petunias alone and restore harmony to the neighborhood.

How to Stop Cats from Pooping in Your Yard (9 Methods)

1. Remove Existing Cat Droppings

Well, this is awkward.

If you’ve searched for ways to get rid of cat poop, the chances are that there is cat poop in your garden right now. When cats smell the feces of other cats, they think that they have found the bathroom, and they do their business there as well. You’re going to need to find an old set of dish gloves that you won’t miss and do the dirty!

2. When Life Hands You Lemons, Use Them

Now that you’ve got the garden cleaned, it’s time to throw together some deterrents. One cheap, easy way to discourage cats from defecating in your garden is to throw lemon peelings on the topsoil. Cats are really not fond of any citrus, so oranges and limes will work just fine as well. A cat’s sense of smell is extremely sensitive, and the sourness of these fruits is a terrific way to keep those kitties away.

3.  Build a Fence

In some situations, you can opt to build a small fence around your garden. This isn’t a guaranteed way to keep cats out of the garden, as they do tend to love climbing. It is, however, a great way to support other deterrents.

Cats generally don’t typically like to expend energy if there isn’t some reward like, for instance, a nice soft garden to poop in. Putting up an obstacle is a great way to support your other efforts.

4. Plant Prickly Plants

Some plants have got this all figured out on their own. Planting thorny plants like rose bushes or even cacti, if you like them, is a good strategy. Don’t worry; cats—especially outdoor cats—are known to be very aware of their surroundings. They won’t hurt themselves climbing into thorn bushes; they will simply stay away, which is what we want.

5. Use Chicken Wire to Seal the Yard

If your yard or garden area is well fenced off, then you may be able to stop them from getting in at all. Chicken wire mesh is a great material for plugging the holes in between the bottom of your fence and the ground. This metal mesh was designed for this exact purpose, but with another animal, from where it gets its name.

This will work if you have a high fence surrounding the garden area. However, it’s not ideal if you don’t know exactly how the cats are getting in. In that case, you’re probably better off using another deterrent.

6. Place Lemongrass in the Garden

This is a great, natural way to keep those feline foes out of the garden. Placing lemongrass in your garden works in much the same way lemon peels do. The nice thing about lemongrass in the garden is that it isn’t a total eyesore, and it is fairly effective at keeping kitties from invading.

7. Make a Vinegar Spray

This is one of our favorite options. It’s cheap, effective, and deters more than just the cats. All you need is some white vinegar, water, and an old spray bottle, cleaned out. Mix some warm water and vinegar together in the spray bottle and spray the garden with it. The ratio of water to vinegar does not need to be exact. Some people found that 1 cup of water and half a cup of vinegar work fine.

8. Motion Activated Sound System

If you have a couple of bucks to spare, you can buy a neat piece of equipment at most big gardening stores. A motion-activated sound system works like a dog whistle. When the sensor is tripped, it emits a high frequency that only the cats (and dogs) can hear, and they don’t like it one bit. If you have the money, it is quite effective.

9. Make it Uncomfortable

One reason that cats are pooping in your garden is that they think it’s a great place to poop! If you know cats, you know that they like to be comfortable. A great way to do this is to lay twigs down on the soil. Cats are finicky about what kind of surface they walk on, so making it a little bit thick with twigs is a great way to deter them.

Conclusion

If you garden, then you know how much work is already involved. Keeping pests and pesky critters out of your plants is part of the deal, so consider it a part of the challenge! With a little ingenuity—and a helpful article—you can have your garden and enjoy it too, free of cat poop.

Don’t forget to let us know what works (and what doesn’t) down in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: topimages, Shutterstock