Effective Ways to Keep Cats Off Your Backyard
Unlike dogs, cats can be a real pain in the rear. No matter how tall your fence, your neighbour’s cat or some homeless cat will find a way to your backyard and potentially make a mess. While owners can make their dogs obey, with cats, it’s a completely different story. Cats have incredible jumping and climbing skills which is the reason why you’ll need to take some precaution if you want to keep your outdoor space cats-free.
How to Repel Cats from My Yard?
Sound Barriers
Starting with a sound cat deterent is a good option because cats have a much higher hearing range than humans. A lot of people use ultrasonic cat repeller devices because they are quite efficinet. This type of cat repeller is an effective device that can keep cats and other unwanted animals away by emitting high-frequency ultrasonic sounds. These sounds are impossible to hear by humans but unbearable for cats. So, if your question was ‘do ultrasonic cat repellers work’, the answer is yes. Some of these devices also have a flashlight which can signal that the territory is forbidden for cats.
Installing this device is easy. You just need to position it vertically at the desired location and wait for the intruder to come. Once a cat comes closer to your yard, a motion sensor detects its presence so the device starts emitting ultrasound to scare the cat. There are different types of ultrasound cat deterrents that range in shape, size and sound which means you can choose one according to your needs and budget. You can also invest in a handheld ultrasonic torch which can be used whenever you needed. With this device, you are in charge of when to use the device – you just need to push the button. According to customer reviews, these torches are quite helpful.
Odour Barriers
Just like their great hearing, cats have a nose that is highly sensitive to smell. For instance, if we humans have 5 million odour receptors in the olfactory system, cats have 200 million odour receptors. This means that you can repel cats with the help of some strong odour for them. The commercially made odour repellents usually come in the form of a powder that has a scent of predators that cats fear. The good news is that these products are non-toxic and won’t harm the grass or your plants.
Cats also hate the smell of dried blood in citruses. For the purpose, you could spread peels of lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit all around your garden. Another home remedy to repel cats is by sprinkling coffee grounds all over the garden.
What Herbs Repel Cats?
Except for the fear of the smell of coyote, fox or bobcat powder, cats can also feel repelled by the smell of some plants. Such plants could be Coleus Canina, lavender and pennyroyal.
Physical Barriers
Physical barriers are another option you can use to keep cats away from your yard. For the purpose, you can put chicken wire on the top of the soil or across the raised bed before you plant your plants and herbs. In order to install your plants, you will need to cut holes in the chicken wire that are large enough to plant them. Although for some it might seem like a radical precaution measure, but the use of electric wire fence is also an option.
You can also go with a DIY project and create your very own physical barrier. Since cats love the soft soil in garden beds so they could dig and use it as a bathroom, you can lace some physical objects in it. The easiest and inexpensive way to do that is with the help of plastic forks, chopsticks or wooden popsicle sticks. All you need to do is to push one into the soil every 10cm or so. With this method, you won’t hurt the cats but you will simply lower the motivation for the to come to yuor garden significantly.
Water Repellent
Since cats hate water, you can use some of the many sprinkler devices which are designed to detect an intruder’s presence and fire water at it. This method will let cats know that they are unwanted at this territory.
Get a Dog
If you love dogs and still don’t have one, now is the time to get one. Unless raised together, cats stay away from dogs, so this would be the ideal solution for you.
