Cats are free-roaming pets who love to explore, but they can be extremely mischievous when it comes to using other people’s gardens as their own personal playground. 

Not only do cats dig up plants but are likely to use a gardener’s beloved flowerbeds as a littertray which can attract pests such as flies, beetles and even rats due to the smell. 

Trying to keep cats out of gardens can be expensive as not everyone wants to spend money on motion-activated sprinklers or other commercial detergents. 

However, Linda Ly, a gardener and the creator of Garden Berry has shared that there are some highly effective solutions to keep cats away using only cheap and natural ingredients. 

She said: “Here are a few ways to discourage cats from using your garden as a bathroom. They’re safe and humane, and will keep the cats away without harming them (or harming your plants).”

What is the best natural remedy to keep cats out of a garden?

It turns out that strong-smelling herbs are one of the best solutions for keeping cats away as they will find certain plants overwhelming or irritating to be around due to their acute sense of smell. 

Linda said: “You can plant wildly fragrant herbs around your raised beds and most prized plantings, or grow them in containers so they’re portable and easily moved when you have a new cat problem.

“Effective herbs to try include rosemary, thyme, mint, and lavender. So don’t be afraid to expand your herb garden (and even help the pollinators while you’re at it—bees and butterflies love to feed on the mint family).” 

Plant herbs around the perimeter of your garden or keep them in pots in areas that cats regularly visit to make a natural barrier that cats will want to keep away from. 

What makes this solution easy is that most herbs grow back every year and do not require much maintenance so this deterrent can last for years without too much effort. 

However, the only downside to planting herbs is that they will need time to grow and will die off in the winter, but you can use citrus peels as a substitute as cats dislike the strong pungent smell of these fruits. 

Linda said: “Cats are supposedly turned away by the sharp smell of citrus peels, such as lemon, orange, and grapefruit. Toss the peels around your raised beds and plantings, and let the cat’s powerful sense of smell do the work.”

All you need to do is scatter fresh citrus peels around your garden and replace the peels every few days or after it has rained to make sure they stay effective. 

Alternatively, you can also make a citrus spray by boiling the peels in water, leaving the mixture to cool and then spraying it all over the garden which will also keep cats away. 

These home remedies are safe and animal-friendly ways to stop neighbourhood felines from being a nuisance so you can keep your garden thriving without cats defecating or urinating on your grass ever again.