Still "thinking like a cat" to figure out how to keep cats out of gardens, let's consider something else cats are fussy about: the texture of what they step on. After all, it's not for nothing we have the expression, "pussyfooting around." I already mentioned chicken wire in this context on Page 1.
How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden: No "Pussyfooting Around"
7. Cats don't like to walk on bristly material. So in mulching the problem bed, include something on which the refined paws of cats will fear to tread, such as sharp-edged pine cones.
8. Another mulch-related idea is to use stone mulch. It may not be the most attractive mulch for your particular bed, but cats prefer to poop in loose dirt. Cats usually won't bother with an area mulched in stone. They'd rather be "pussyfooting around" where the digging's easier on their paws.
How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden: Striking a Compromise
As in landscaping with dogs, sometimes the path of least resistance provides the best solution to your problem. Strike a compromise with your cat by planting a separate bed of catnip plants, in another part of the yard. Not all cats go nuts over catnip plants, but those who do may come to view their "catnip patch" as their own private sanctuary.
9.Better still, keep a sandbox just for cats in close proximity to the catnip plants. Chances are that the sandbox will serve as a magnet for cat poop. Sure, you'll have to clean up the cat poop afterwards. But at least you'll know where it is.
How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden: Hi-Tech to the Rescue, Again
Hi-tech approaches to keeping cats out of gardens don't stop with the motion-activated sprinklers mentioned on Page 1. You can also keep cats out of gardens using ultrasound.
10. Ultrasound devices such as Cat Stop operate on a high frequency. It's inaudible to humans but unbearable for cats. Installation is easy. You simply situate the device so that it faces toward the garden. A motion sensor detects the intruder's presence, and Cat Stop then gives off its high-frequency sound, scaring off the cat.
Addendum 1: The Case for Cat Repellents: Why You Should Keep Cats Out of Gardens
The concern over how to keep cats out of gardens is readily understandable and has nothing to do with whether or not one likes cats. Nor does it matter that much whether the cats in question are your own or someone else's. After all, it stinks to be working away cheerfully in the garden, only to end up stepping in cat poop! But the need for cat repellents goes beyond mere inconvenience. Cat poop can harbor pathogens harmful to humans. Ultimately, this is an issue of proper sanitation in the yard.
"But," you may protest, "the manure of barnyard animals is often used by gardeners. How is cat poop different? And what if I compost it first?" Well, cat poop differs in one very important respect from, say, cow manure: the former is the product of a carnivore, not an herbivore. If your neighbor's cat is using your garden as a toilet, how do you know the cat's poop doesn't contain parasites passed on by its prey?
Addendum 2: Cat Poop in the Compost?
Nor is composting cat poop recommended, unless you're an experienced and meticulous composter. Theoretically, you could heat the pile up enough to kill any pathogens in the cat poop. But you'd need to have the making of compost down to a science in order to tackle the task of composting cat poop without trepidation. For most people, it wouldn't be worth the risk.
