Cat fright in the garden: vinegar, cinnamon & Co

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Cat in the garden

table of contents

  • Cats in the garden
  • Home remedies as a cat fright
  • water
  • plants
  • From the kitchen
  • Rabbit wire
  • Mulching
  • frequently asked Questions

In the ranking of the most popular pets, cats are right at the front. More than 15 million live in German households. However, the outdoors among them are not welcomed everywhere. These 10 home remedies act as a gentle cat scare and keep the animals away.

In a nutshell

  • Transmission of diseases through legacies of cats is possible
  • also hunt beneficial insects
  • knowledge of cat behavior is helpful for successful measures
  • only animal-friendly defense methods allowed
  • strongly fragrant plants suitable as a gentle cat scare

Cats in the garden

When a cat roams the garden with its elegant movements, it is cute to look at. But it also has another side and hunts down garden dwellers like Songbirds or squirrel.

There is another reason why many garden owners want to keep their property free of cats. The house cats mainly use loose beds for their large or small business. When they come into contact with the remains, parasites can also transmit dangerous diseases such as toxoplasmosis. Children, pregnant women or weak people are at risk.

Cat poops in the garden
Contamination by (strange) cats in the garden is not only annoying, but can also be hazardous to health.

Home remedies as a cat fright

We provide suitable home remedies for driving away cats who roam freely.

water

Cats don't like water, every child knows that. Because of this property, the term "cat wash" came about for quick, not very thorough washing. Water is perfect as a cat deterrent. This is how you do it:

  1. Fill a squeeze bottle with cold water.
  2. Once the intruder is near you, spray them with it.
  3. If that doesn't make enough impression, take this one Garden hose help. The house tiger remembers the experience and will avoid your property for a long time.

plants

Fuck off plant

The name of the Verpissdich plant (Plectranthus ornatus) says it all. The leaves give off a very strong, unpleasant odor for the animals. People only perceive the menthol-like scent when they smell the leaves directly.

Fuck off plant (Plectranthus ornatus)
The undemanding plant with the green or green-white leaves is not particularly attractive, but it is extremely useful.

How to use the cat fright in the best possible way:

  1. Watch the outdoor animals on their tour through your garden.
  2. Plant the frost-sensitive Verpissdich plant in the preferred places after the ice saints.
  3. In summer and autumn it unfolds its effect within a radius of one to two meters. You must therefore plant several plants for a successful defense.

Note: Other strongly scented garden herbs are also unpopular with cats. Lemon balm, mint, garlic or rosemary can be used successfully as a gentle cat deterrent.

Rose cut

Cats make a large floor around thorny brush. You can take advantage of this property to drive away the outdoor animals. Place shredded rose cuttings and clippings from thorny hedges around the vegetable patch.

Tip: Did you know that healthy cats can catch up to twelve mice a day? So if you are struggling with a mouse plague, you should avoid a cat fright in the garden.

Tatar honeysuckle

In contrast to the annual Verpissdich plant, the Tatar honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) is perennial and robust. The shrub can reach a height of four meters. With pink flowers, the cat fright becomes a decorative eye-catcher in your garden in May and June.

Tatar honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
  1. Watch the cats walk.
  2. Check whether there is a suitable sunny to partially shaded spot for the honeysuckle along the paths.
  3. Dig a planting hole and plant the shrub.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn hedges (Crataegus) provide effective protection against uninvited cats. The velvet paws detest the thorny undergrowth and look for a more accessible garden.

From the kitchen

Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds are much more than a waste product from making coffee. The popular home remedy is used as a rose fertilizer or to loosen the soil. Snails quickly destroy the brown powder. Coffee grounds also help to gently drive cats out of the garden.

Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds in the glass

Proceed as follows:

  1. Collect the coffee grounds in an airy container for several days, stir it several times so that no mold can form.
  2. Distribute the coffee grounds on the places on your property that are most popular with the unwanted garden visitors.
  3. Repeat the process regularly.

Tip: Also as an organic fertilizer or for biological use Aphid control you can use coffee grounds.

vinegar

Sharp vinegar smells are not for fine cats noses. This simple home remedy can be used to gently drive cats away. This is to be observed for a successful application:

  1. Mix equal parts vinegar, water and liquid soap.
  2. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray cat favorite spots in your yard.

cinammon

People love the smell of cinnamon. Cats see it differently. They detest our favorite Christmas scent. The knowledge can help drive away the house tigers.

Cinnamon sticks as a cat fright

Place a few cinnamon sticks around the areas in the garden that are particularly worthy of protection. The neighbor's cat will turn up its nose and steer clear of it.

Rabbit wire

If you've just sown vegetables, rabbit wire is effective in preventing the outdoor cats from doing their business in the bed. Lay rabbit wire over the bed. The cat fright works and the seeds can sprout undisturbed.

Mulching

Cats love to roam the beds. However, they do not like wet paws. Mulch your beds wherever you can. The moisture acts gently as a cat fright and the bed is no longer an option as a place for the litter box.

  1. Mulch vegetable patches and harvested areas with lawn clippings.
  2. Combine this home remedy with other cat defense methods, such as coffee grounds.
Grass clippings as mulch
Lawn cuttings act as mulch to keep cats away.

frequently asked Questions

How can you propagate the Verpissdich plant yourself?

Propagation is best done by cuttings. Cut off some stems and remove the lower leaves. Roots will soon form in a glass of water or in damp earth. Plant the young plants in the cat's favorite places.

Do you have to tolerate contamination by cats from the neighborhood on your own property?

Again and again, courts have to deal with the question of who is liable for contamination by cats. Each case has to be considered individually. As a guide, you should tolerate one free-roaming cat per neighbor and the associated contamination on the beds. The free run is part of the natural behavior of the animal. Damage caused by cats is usually covered by the owner's personal liability insurance.

How do the commercially available ultrasound devices work?

The common cat fright is mostly solar powered. As soon as an animal comes close, a motion detector reacts and emits an ultrasonic sound that is unpleasant for cats. Humans cannot perceive this frequency. The cats get scared, run away, and will avoid the area in the future.