How to keep cats out of your yard humanely and safely

As fabulous as felines are, not everyone wants them hanging around their back yard and garden. Whether it be using flowerbeds as bathrooms ot eating the wildlife, some people want to keep the peace with a cat deterrent. Here’s how to keep cats out of your yard humanely and safely.

Key takeaways

• Cat deterrents can include natural scents and smells - like coffee grounds - to keep them out of your yard and garden
• Invest in cost-effective ways to cat proof fencing
• Look into humane resources available like Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) to control feral cat populations

Why do some people want to deter cats from their yards?

There are a few reasons some folks don’t want tiny panthers marching around their garden, and it doesn’t mean they don’t like cats. Many find their yard and garden to be place of sanctuary to relax, take up hobbies like gardening, and enjoy a bit of nature. Unfortunately, kitties can sometimes spoil this harmony in a few different ways.

Firstly, cat spraying (which is most common with unneutered male cats, but all cats are capable of doing it) it’s stinky. If your neighborhood has a high population of stray cats or feral cats who have not been de-sexed, this can make for an unhappy yard.

Speaking of stink, cats are naturally inclined (regardless of their neutered state) to poop and pee in areas of soil, sand, fertilizer… You see what we’re getting at here? Imagine spending a whole weekend working on your prized flowerbed, or vegetable patch, only to look out the window on Monday and see Mr Fluffy doing a dirty protest on your hard work. Not cool, Mr Fluffy, not cool.

As well as leaving unwanted gifts, cats can also take away beloved wildlife. Bird populations dramatically decrease in areas with a high cat population. Again, this is all part of their nature, they can’t help it, but some people would rather have their bird feeder used as a treat, not a trap.

Finally, pet people, we must remember that cats are territorial. With this inclination, many cats won’t back down from a fight - doesn’t matter if it’s you, your dog, another cat, or a stray child, if they see something as a threat it’s claws out time.

So, with all of this in mind, if you’re looking to find out how to keep cats out of your yard it’s good to know you don’t need to go to extreme or cruel lengths to do so. The best cat deterrents require simply a small tweaks (some of which are oh-natural) which won’t harm you, your garden, or Mr Fluffy.

How to keep cats out of your yard - humane cat repellents

Scented natural cat repellent

A key part of cat communication is through smells (or the olfactory scenes if we want to be all science-y). Felines use scents to mark territory as well as areas they should avoid. One of the best ways to deter cats is with an all-natural cat repellent​: Coffee grounds. Cats hate the smell of coffee and will not spend time around somewhere that smells like a Starbucks. If you’re a coffee drinker looking to deter cats, simply sprinkle your used coffee grounds on your flowerbeds, around the edge of your garden, or run them on the top of fences and walls. Not only does it keep cats away, but it’s also a good fertilizer, win-win!

Other natural cat deterrents include cayenne pepper, lemon juice, or a scaredy cat plant (AKA Plectranthus caninus, duh!) A scaredy cat plant is related to the mint plant family and kitties hate the stuff. Luckily, these plants produce beautiful white and purple flowers throughout the year and can grow in most places.

Cat proof fencing

There is a safe and easy way to cat-proof fencing that doesn’t need to involve something as harmful and dangerous as barbed wire or spikes just to deter cats. Chicken wire can be used to surround the top of an existing fence like a bubble - while they might be able to latch on, the lack of support will stop them from jumping or climbing over (without hurting themselves). Similarly, putting chicken wire at the bottom of a fence will also stop them from sneaking underneath.

Alternatively, there are rolling bars which you can also install on the top of an existing fence. These are plastic bars which rotate when a cat tries to jump and use it as a ledge. These also work well for pet parents who want to keep their kitties from leaving their yard or garden.

Outdoor litterbox

Sounds counterintuitive, right? Just, hear us out. If a local cat has bestowed the honor of using your flowerbeds as their designated bathroom, one solution is to provide something more tempting. This can simply be in the form of a small, hidden sandpit tucked away from your growing patches or beloved flower garden. Cats like to do their business in private, so providing an alternative outdoor litterbox with softer sand, away from view, can help deter them.

Ultrasonic devices

Cats have incredible hearing - it’s 14 times more powerful than ours, meaning they can hear a range of frequencies we humans cannot. Installing ultrasonic devices that emit a high-frequency sound we can’t hear can be enough to deter cats from your garden. Many are set to not cause any damage to a cat’s ears but are annoying enough to keep them away. However, these can also be heard by other animals, including dogs, so this is probably best for non-pet parents.

Motion activated sprinklers

Everyone knows cats hate water, especially surprise squirts of water to the face. One spritz from a few motion activated sprinklers can be enough for a cat to know to stay away. Again, these sprinklers aren’t specifically designed to deter cats, anything that walks past them will set them off, so bear that in mind if you chose this route.

Trap, neuter, release (TNR)

This is specifically aimed at feral cats and stray cats without pet parents. The idea behind TNR is to help stabilize and reduce homeless cat colonies by humanely trapping them, taking them to the vet to be neutered and vaccinated, and then releasing them back where they were trapped. While there’s a lot of debate around whether TNR is a cruelty-free way to reduce the number of cats in backyards and gardens, it does stop them from spraying, fighting, and being overly territorial.

Whatever cat deterrent you decide to choose, make sure it’s something safe for all the family and animals around your property. If you’re a cat carer, this could also be helpful for you to understand how to stop your feline friend from causing any unwanted mischief. 

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