How do I keep the cats from digging, crushing and fertilizing my flower garden?

I heard that moth balls work. I haven't tried it yet. I put some old red onions out in the garden to see if the smell keeps them away, but I haven't noticed a difference HELP!!

How do I keep the cats from digging, crushing and fertilizing my flower garden?
There is a plant called coleus canina that cats are supposed to hate the smell of and I've read that planting Rue. lavender or pennyroyal also works. If you want to lure the cat away then plant some catnip (nepeta) away from the area because they love the smell of this and will happily roll amongst it.


If you are in the uk there is or was a product called 'Cats Away'. Go to a local garden centre and see if they have that or anything similar.


Its right about moth balls, also cayenne pepper sprinked around might work.Oh and most cats dislike water so spray them with a hosepipe when you catch them on your flower bed. (unless its a cat like mine who loves water,she sits outside when its raining!)
Reply:Fence your garden. It worked fr me the deer didnt eat my corn!!
Reply:Sprinkle some Cayenne pepper around the flower beds. That has worked for me.
Reply:Cats like to dig before they potty, right? Make it harder for them to dig. Put down a gravel mulch around your plants. Alternatively, you could find an old length of chain link fence, cut it to size to match your flower patch, and then apply a layer of any kind of mulch to cover it. They won't dig through THAT!





If you put a "wanted" ad in your local classifieds, you might even get a piece of chain link fence for free. If you do get it, you can put it down anytime before your plants sprout... they'll grow right up through it! And kitty will look for better digging!





Hope this helps!
Reply:Granny,





You have received so many advices that one more from me(even supposing I have one)would not make any difference. In any case I have no cat and also no flower garden.Sorry.
Reply:Sprinkle cayenne pepper around on the dirt. They hate it.
Reply:There are some new plants out for that now. Check with your local greenhouse or nursery. I used them last summer and they worked well, I just cannot remember the name of the plants.
Reply:All I have ever heard of is mothballs.
Reply:Try a plastic bottle half full of water and lay it on the garden lots of people do this it seems to work if it don't go to your local zoo and get some Lion dung it does work
Reply:you can lay chicken wire down just below the soil surface to reduce digging. It will annoy them enough that they may stop bothering your flower bed all together
Reply:Cayenne pepper really works for me! Just sprinkle it around where the cats go. One sniff of that %26amp; they won't be back. Doesn't hurt them, either. Good for squirrels, too.
Reply:Hi Granny,


Dress the neighbors dog up like a scarecrow and put him out in the middle of your flower bed believe me that will take care of your problem..


A Friend,


poppy1
Reply:cats don't like oranges,maybe put peels in the gardens.Or you could get a sprinkler that has a motion detector,it comes for few seconds.I'm going to get one to keep animals out of my strawberry bed.
Reply:Hi Granny !


Maybe garlic ?? I don't think kitty's like garlic.


Garlic %26amp; onions. yuk !
Reply:Moth balls, cayenne pepper and keep a spray bottle of water handy. Maybe two different bottles of spray, one containing water and one containing a water and vinegar mix or a water and cayenne mix. Just spray them whenever you catch them in the garden. They will get the idea that the garden is off-limits real soon. Since they always sniff the ground before digging it up to poop, sprinkling cayenne works really well and it is still a good mulch for the plants too.
Reply:Cats are naturally repelled by the scent of citrus.Maybe lemon or orange peels or some kind of citrus spray may work.
Reply:One solution that worked great for me was to take the flats (the really open ones with thin struts so light/air gets thru not the ones with the mostly solid bottoms I hope you know what I mean) and place them upside down in my garden so only the outside rims touch the ground. The cats won't step on them yet light/air gets thru. I can cut them to shape (mostly) and if need be I use sticks or metal tent holders to keep them in place.


The second is to get a motion activated water sprinkler. You can imagine how well this one works.
Reply:leave your cats inside! people with outdoor cats are so stupid! i hope they get run over or get pregnant or come back all scratched up

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