Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/11/2008

Question
My mother has a brick trimmed enclosure on the front of her house along with big flower pots sitting around the front and back.  When she goes to plant in these, she finds cat poop in the dirt of all of the above. She is aware of a cat that roams around the neighborhood at night.
Is there anything she can use to deter the cat from using her gardens as a litterbox?

Answer
Jan,

It is a problem that is hard to cure. Cats like dirt. They don't know this dirt is OK and that dirt isn't. Here are some options to try:

Mothballs: use a mesh bag with several moth balls inside, or a can with holes in the lid and mothballs inside. Put them around the plants. Cats do not like the smell of mothballs. NOTE: They can be toxic to the cat if ingested which is why you put them in a container.

Orange Peels: save citrus peels and sprinkle them around shrubs and plants. Cats hate the scent of citrus. To make the peels go further, grind them in a blender to release the citrus oils and mix with water.

Balloons: blow up a few balloons about half way and place them around the stems of the plants they are bothering. About the third balloon they break with their claws they usually decide they don't like that plant.

Small gauge chicken wire: get some chicken wire and cut big squares. Use wire cutters and make a hole in the center large enough to fit over your plants. Anchor the wire by turning the ends downward. The cat will not want to step on the wire and cannot dig.Spray the plants with a citrus scent. Cats commonly do not like these smells. There are commercially produced sprays such as Bitter Apple or Bitter Orange available at most Pet stores and designed for use on plants. Or, you can try placing some orange or lemon peels in the soil.

Use a rock-mulch on the top layer of soil to discourage your cats from digging. The cats enjoy the feel of the soil and using rocks and mulch will quell its appeal.

Add a small amount of Eucalyptus oil to the soil. Cats dislike the smell and will be less likely to dig in the soil.

Put window screening under the rocks - they can't dig through the screen, but your plant can still get air and water