9 Ways To Keep Cats Out Of Flower Beds

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Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.

Even if you love cats, you probably don’t want them in your flower beds or vegetable garden!

Cats don’t just dig up the flowers and plants you work so hard to care for, they also tend to pee and poop in flower beds—and cat waste is not the fertilizer you want. The ammonia in cat urine can kill plants, while cat poop may carry parasites that are harmful to humans.

You have plenty of solutions for keeping cats out of your flower beds, from non-chemical methods to structural defenses. Below, you’ll find several tips to help keep cats and other animals out of your garden without harming them.

Why Do Cats Like Flower Beds?

“Cats are hunters, and they may wander into your yard out of curiosity, mating, hunting, or shelter seeking,” says Meaghan Thomas, DVM, a veterinarian at East Ridge Animal Hospital.

As for the digging, many cats prefer doing their business in dirt rather than clay litter.

“If you give cats a smorgasbord of litter types, one of them being dirt, almost every cat will pick dirt,” says Dr. Jessica Bell, a veterinarian and associate professor of community practice at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

9 Ways To Keep Cats Out of Your Flower Beds

Your garden may be a cat’s ideal bathroom, but there are plenty of ways to encourage them to find another spot.

1. Commercial cat repellent sprays

Commercial cat repellents work by using tastes and smells cats don’t like, such as:

Predator urine
Bitter apple spray
Spicy peppers
Herbs, like rosemary or citronella spray

Important: You spray cat repellents on the ground, not on the cat.

“Yes, you really can buy a jug of coyote pee on the internet if you’d like,” says Joey Lusvardi, a certified cat behavior consultant and owner of Minneapolis-based Class Act Cats. “These scents make the cat think there is a predator in the area. They’ll usually avoid the area as long as you regularly reapply the urine after rain.”

Pros of commercial cat repellent spray:

Easy to apply
No need to build a physical structure in your garden

Cons of commercial cat repellent spray:

You need to reapply it
May add a bad taste or smell to your plants

2. DIY cat repellent sprays

If you prefer, you can also make low-cost repellent sprays at home using ingredients you might already have in your kitchen.

Options to try include:

Citrus spray: Mix citrus peels with water or diluted white vinegar. Let the peels seep for at least 24 hours before use.
Vinegar spray: Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle for a quick repellent.
Pepper spray: Create a spray to use around the perimeter of your garden by soaking cayenne pepper or chili flakes in water.

Just keep in mind there’s no guarantee these cat repellent sprays will work, Lusvardi says.

Take citrus, for example. “Some cats are completely unbothered by it while others don’t want anything to do with it,” he says. “The strength of the scent is an important factor in how much the cats like or dislike it.”

Pros of DIY cat repellent spray:

Easy to apply
No need to build a physical structure in your garden
Affordable

Cons of DIY cat repellent spray:

You have to reapply it
May add a bad taste or smell to your plants
May not last as long or be as potent as commercial repellents

3. Strategic companion plants

Dr. Thomas suggests planting cat-repelling plants in your garden. Some plants to consider include:

Scaredy cat plant
Lavender
Rosemary
Lemon balm
Lemon thyme

On the other hand, some plants have the opposite effect and actually attract cats. If you want to keep cats out of your flower beds, avoid planting:

Catnip
Silver vine
Honeysuckle
Valerian

Important: Before planting anything as a cat deterrent, always check whether it’s toxic to cats. For instance, citronella has an odor that cats may not like, but its leaves are also toxic to cats and dogs.

Pros of companion planting:

Natural remedy
Perennial plants will come back year after year

Cons of companion planting:

Less effective than chemical repellents
You have to water and care for the plants
Takes up space in your flower bed or garden

Thinnapob via iStock

4. Plant-based fertilizers

Animal-based fertilizers like bone, blood, or fish meal are effective organic options. Many people use them in the spring to deter squirrels from eating bulbs, but the smell of the ingredients can attract cats.

If you’re using an animal-based fertilizer, swapping it for a plant-based fertilizer can help keep cats away from your flower beds.

Plant-based alternative fertilizers that won’t attract cats include:

Pros of plant-based fertilizers:

Natural remedy
Variety of plant-based options
Typically organic and sustainable

Cons of plant-based fertilizers:

May not completely deter cats
May be more expensive than animal-based fertilizers
May need to adjust fertilizing regimen to make sure plants get enough nutrients

5. Commercial structures

Structural solutions offer a practical approach to keeping cats out of your flower beds and garden. Examples include:

Cat scat mats: These pressure-activated mats rest on the ground and are uncomfortable for cats to step on, but they don’t cause any harm to cats. Dr. Thomas recommends the Homarden Scat Mat for Cats.
Motion-activated sprinklers: These sprinklers startle cats with a burst of water when they enter the detection zone.
Netting: Strategically placed netting creates a physical barrier, so you can use it to keep cats out of specific areas, like your vegetable patch.
Cat-proof fencing: For a more permanent solution, consider installing cat-proof fencing around your garden or lawn perimeter. The Oscillot fence attachment, for example, attaches to the top of an existing fence and has a spinning roller that prevents cats from jumping on top.

Pros of commercial structural solutions:

No chemicals required
Long-term solution
May be effective against other nuisance wildlife

Cons of commercial structural solutions:

Can be expensive
They require installation
They may be visually unappealing

6. DIY Structures

Commercially-available structural solutions can get expensive, but you can also try DIY solutions to keep cats out of your flower beds and garden. Some examples include:

Cat-deterring sticks: Push popsicle sticks, wooden chopsticks, bamboo skewers, plastic forks, or similar sticks vertically into the ground throughout your flower bed, leaving about 4 to 6 inches of the stick exposed. Arranging them closely together will make it tough even for the most agile cats to find a way through.
Prickly barriers: Push pine cones or other prickly natural materials like mulch, eggshells, or holly cuttings into your garden soil.
Cat-proof ground cover: Lay chicken wire or lattice horizontally across your garden. You can train plants to grow through it, but cats won’t have access to the soil.

Pros of DIY structures:

Inexpensive
Natural materials such as yard trimmings can act as natural compost
May be effective against other nuisance wildlife

Cons of DIY structures:

You may need to replace them over time
Natural materials like eggshells may decompose quickly
Could make it harder for you to get into the garden
They may be visually unappealing

7. Ultrasonic systems

Ultrasonic systems use high-pitched sounds that cats dislike and humans can’t hear.

Researchers tested these systems by using ultrasonic sound deterrents in 18 gardens to fend off 78 visiting cats. They found that the systems reduced visiting cats by 46% while those cats who kept visiting the gardens decreased their time spent there by 78%.

Highly-rated ultrasonic systems include:

8. Cat-friendly spaces

You can encourage cats to visit (and stay in!) a specific area of your yard by providing a cat-friendly space with:

An outdoor cat house
Cat-friendly plants like catnip, cat grass, silver vine, honeysuckle, or valerian
A digging spot

Pros of luring cats elsewhere:

Keeps cats happy and away from your flower bed

Cons of luring cats elsewhere:

May attract more cats and other wildlife to your yard
May be more effective used with other cat-deterring techniques

9. Local shelter or rescue

If the neighborhood cat who keeps visiting your flower bed is a stray, you can contact your local no-kill animal shelter or rescue for help. They may be able to:

Spay or neuter the cat for rehoming
Offer a working cat program to place feral cats on a farm

Even if your shelter or rescue can’t rehome a neighborhood cat, spaying and neutering can reduce nuisance behaviors, like fighting, spraying, yowling, and producing more litters of kittens. Ask about free trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs or you can search for low-cost spay and neuter clinics in your area.

Pros of involving your local rescue or shelter:

Humanely reduces the outdoor cat population
Potentially finds a new home for the cat

Cons of involving your local rescue or shelter:

Resources and organizations may be limited

Takeaway

It can be frustrating when neighborhood cats dig up your flower beds, but it’s important to find humane methods for keeping cats out of your yard and garden.

“There are many ways to safely deter cats from entering your yard without harming the cats themselves,” Dr. Thomas says.

How To Keep Cats Out Of Your Flower Bed

Why Do Cats Like Flower Beds?