{"id":3427,"date":"2023-07-26T10:22:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T10:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/householdpets.co.uk\/?p=3427"},"modified":"2024-03-18T11:29:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T11:29:02","slug":"how-to-stop-cats-pooping-in-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/householdpets.co.uk\/how-to-stop-cats-pooping-in-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Cats Pooping in Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Cats mainly toilet in gardens to mark their territory, establishing dominance as well as alerting their right to be there to other cats. These animals like to roam, so they can often end up in a garden that is streets away from their home. This makes it even more irritating when they decide to dig up a garden to use as a litter tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, there are many natural ways to deter an intruding cat from pooping in your garden. It is up to you, as the garden owner, to ensure the methods you use are harmless to both the cat and the environment. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006<\/a>, you could be prosecuted if you cause unnecessary suffering to a cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it’s your own cat or a neighbour’s cat that keeps paying your garden a visit, there are multiple harmless ways to stop cats pooping in your garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When cats begin pooping in your garden, it can be incredibly frustrating. Unlike dogs, there are no repercussions for cat owners who allow their pets to foul in other people’s gardens. So, if you find a cat visiting your garden to go to the loo, you might be wondering what you can do about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Household Pets have compiled ten of the best ways to stop cats pooping in the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first method to stop cats pooping in the garden is to clean the affected area or areas. If a cat visits the same spot repeatedly, this should be the area you target. It is essential to wear gloves when cleaning the garden of cat poo as it can contain harmful bacteria and parasites, like Toxoplasma Gondii, which can be harmful to pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If cats like to use your patio or decking area, this can be easier to clean. There are products specifically designed to clean and remove odours from patio and decking surfaces. It’s important to keep your garden clean of any evidence of cat waste to avoid cats pooping in the garden repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Designed with pet-safe ingredients, the Simple Solution cleaner effectively removes stains and odours left by pets on the patio and decking. It can be used on concrete, grass, patio furniture, wooden decking, and other surfaces; it is safe to use without negatively affecting the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n Ultrasonic cat repellers release a high-frequency sound when motion is detected in front of the device. Although designed for animals, some humans can hear the noise, too, so it is best placed far from areas occupied by people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commonly, these devices are inserted into the ground at garden entry points to stop cats, foxes, and other pests from entering. Some sound motion detectors can also be mounted onto walls and fences to prevent cats from coming into the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With five different sensitivity modes, this device is a humane way to deter cats and other animals from using the garden as a giant litter box. It can run on solar power as it features a panel on top of the device or be charged via the URB port.<\/p>\n One thing domestic cats universally dislike is water, which is why sprinklers make great options for deterring cats. A motion-activated sprinkler, also known as a “water scarecrow,” releases a burst of water to scare cats away, with some even sounding a high-pitched noise as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sprinklers can also be useful for plant beds; they will provide water to keep the soil and plants hydrated. If you are concerned about overwatering, most motion-activated sprinklers will have delayed activations after the initial spray to prevent overusing water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One Orbit Yard Enforcer sprinkler has a great range, covering 1,600 square feet of land and detecting movement from up to 40 feet away. There is the option to buy and link additional units together to enhance the spray zone. It can be used for 24\/7 garden protection or set to night-only mode to deter pests that visit at night.<\/p>\n Wire netting, like chicken wire, is a relatively cheap resource that can be used to stop unwanted cats from pooping on the grass or in soft soil. It can be placed flat on the ground to stop cats from walking along certain areas, as cats hate how chicken wire feels beneath their paws. They prefer to walk on smooth, soft surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use chicken wire to build a fence around the affected area, but this can be an ugly solution, ruining the aesthetic of your garden. Instead, covering parts of your garden by pinning the chicken wire to the ground with pegs or stakes means cats will not enjoy walking on the covered area or digging into the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This mesh roll is made of steel, ensuring the wire is long-lasting and strong. It is easy to cut and shape, and it can be used in a variety of ways around the garden. The fine 22mm mesh means it can be pinned to the ground quickly.<\/p>\n Repellents are made to target one or more of a cat’s senses; this is often smell and taste. Cat repellent products come in various forms, including gels, granules, powders, and sprays. When selecting a cat repellent, it is important to ensure the product will not harm the environment or the animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many repelling products work in the same way; they have strong smells and must be scattered where the cats love to poop regularly. When it rains, this is likely to wash the repellent away, so it must be reapplied every so often to remain effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This spray treatment is ready-to-use and animal-safe. It contains a range of aromatic plant oils that can be used on gravel, patios, and soil to reduce cats from fouling in those areas. Each bottle of Defenders cat repeller can cover a garden of up to 450 square metres.<\/p>\n Most of the time, cats toilet in areas with loose earth and mulch. To deter them, it is a good idea to make the flower beds or other affected areas as unappealing to cats as possible. It is vital to know what cats like and dislike to ensure you do this correctly; you don’t want to create an even more inviting spot for cats mistakingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the easiest ways to do this is wet soil. Keeping flower beds watered will create well-hydrated soil, which cats will dislike. Cats do not like the feel of wet soil; it sticks to their paws and can be rather uncomfortable for them to walk on. Hygiene is also important to felines, so being dirty will not please them. If you want to keep your plant beds watered, you can do this with a watering can or by buying a water system for gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The micro-drip starter set is an easy solution to keeping flower beds watered. The system is easy to use and works to provide dry earth with uniform watering so the plants receive moisture down to the root. This is great for repelling cats, as even digging will result in wet and dirt-covered paws. <\/p>\n The way to use pebbles and rocks to cover your garden is similar to the wire netting method. By covering an area of your garden that cats frequent, the cats will be less likely to walk over the area as it will be rough against the pads of their paws. There are different kinds of stones you can use, although it is best to avoid pebbles that have been smoothed as they won’t deter cats as well as others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, this can be costly for people with large gardens. This will depend on where the visiting cat likes to toilet; if it’s just in one flower bed, this can be easy enough to deal with. If a cat likes to vary the areas of your garden it visits, you will need to buy more stones to cover all of the areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stones sold by Peak Paving are great for covering flower beds and other areas being used as a cat’s litter tray. They can be bought in a range of colours, which is useful for anyone who does not want to ruin their garden’s appearance, and the pebbles are available in 20-kilogram bags. <\/p>\n Manure pellets can be used in gardens for many reasons; when it comes to deterring cats, however, the type of pellet is an important factor. As cats are territorial, they are unlikely to enter an area where they perceive a threat. This is what makes lion manure pellets a successful cat repellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soaked in real lion dung essence, Silent Roar cat repellent produces a strong scent that cats cannot miss. It is environmentally friendly with no artificial chemicals. Just one application of this product can protect a garden from cat fouling for up to three months.<\/p>\n Similar to deterring foxes, predator decoys can be used to scare cats. Although this might not be the most effective in a large outdoor space, animal statues can work to stop cats from hanging around the garden. The most important aspect for this to work, however, is that the decoy animals must move to trick cats into believing the statue is a credible threat. It can be difficult to find animal decoys that move for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, if you have a pet dog, then it might also be a useful solution to scare away feline intruders. This might come with its own problems, though, such as dog fouling or injury to the cat or dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This horned owl decoy can be mounted on a pole to protect gardens from cat intruders. As owls can attach prey four times larger than themselves, they are a potential threat to cats, making this decoy a reasonable option. The Skycabin owl is durable and weather-resistant, ensuring it will survive in the UK weather.<\/p>\n If all else fails, giving cats a dedicated area to relieve themselves might save your garden. Even though cat litter boxes are primarily used indoors, they can be placed outside to prevent This litter box can be placed in a cat-safe area away from flower beds and other prized areas of the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To encourage a cat to use the litter tray, you might want to transfer some of its own waste into the kitty litter inside the litter box. They are creatures of habit most of the time, so chances are they will use the litter tray if it smells like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBest 10 Ways to Stop Cats Pooping in Your Garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Clean the Area<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Use Ultrasonic Deterrents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Install Motion-Activated Sprinklers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use Wire Netting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Spread Cat Repellent for Gardens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make Flower Beds Unappealing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cover Your Garden with Pebbles and Rocks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Spread Manure Pellets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Place Decoy Animals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use an Outdoor Litter Tray<\/h3>\n\n\n\n