How to Keep Stray Cats OUT of your Garden

1.  Most cities have by-laws that cats cannot be off their owners property, so generally that means you are free to catch any cat on your property and remove it.  The only place you can remove a cat to is your local animal shelter or pound, you cannot take it and abandon it in the country or other part of the city.  If you cannot catch the cats yourself, most cities have by-law enforcement that can trap them.  Once in the shelter, or pound, the cats owner would have to pay a fine to get their cat back, and they would likely be told not to let their pet roam again,  your name would not be released to the cats owner.

2.  Fence your yard so cats cannot get in.  This is a bit extreme, and often impossible, as you may have laws restricting the type or height of your fence, so I shall not go further into depth here, but you can research it more on your own if you think this option is for you.

3.  Get a dog.  A dog will deter most cats, but if it attacks any, you could be fined, so a dog who has a strong dislike for cats is not a good idea.

4.  Make your yard less "Cat-Friendly".  Again this might not be practical, but some people have yards that are like giant cat magnets.  Bird feeders, lots of play areas, big trees, bird baths, cat nip plants, all these things will pull cats from miles (or at least blocks) away.  If you have a sand box for the children, keep it covered. 

5.  Plant plants cats do not like - such as Rue, Geraniums, Lemon Thyme, Lemon Mint, or Lemon Verbena, Garlic, Pennyroyal, and Lavender.  While they wont send cats running, they will make your garden less desirable.

6.   Cats do not like water.  There are many ways of using this to your advantage.  You can squirt them with a hose, but legally you cannot spray a cat if it is off your property or if the weather is near, or below freezing.  There are several systems available that work on motion detection and spray when they sense movement.  One such system is called the Scarecrow.

7.  Before planting your flower beds you can lay chicken wire flat across the flower bed.  Cute tiny holes for your plants - or scatter seeds.  Either way, cats will not enjoy digging in the soil.  Typically most digging from cats will be when you have just planted something as they like the fresh turned soil.  Pinecones can be scattered to deter cats, or crushed gravel also works well.

8.  Smelly Products from your Kitchen- Pepper is the cheapest and easiest to find - but you may not like it either.  There are professionally made products you can buy to place around your yard to deter cats.  Cats are not fond of citrus smells, so orange peelings, should be scattered in your yard around your flowers.   Coffee grounds may be dumped in and around your flowers. 

9.  One product is sold under the name of Reepers,  however this name may not be used in every country, so you should ask at a local pet supply, or gardening store.

10. There are some ultrasonic units that emit sounds to deter animals, but are at frequencies that humans cannot hear.

11.  If you cannot beat them, join them.  Offer a place the cats can go, to keep them out of other places.  A small sandy area, with some cat mint planted nearby is enough to draw the cats away from your other plantings.  Cat nip itself will be destroyed by cats in no time, which is why I suggest Cat mint.   You can always accept the fact that while they uproot one or two plants they are not really destroying the whole of the garden, and are infact helping you by controlling mice, moles, and rats.

NOTE:  Do Not use Moth Balls, while they have a smell cats dislike and are often suggested as deterrents, they are toxic and can harm pets, wildlife, or childen, and will repel desirable insects such as ladybugs. 

Also remember - the cat does not know it is doing anything wrong by being in your yard.  It is the cats owner to blame for allowing it to wander, not the cats fault for wandering. 

Both cat photos are from Wikimedia