Keeping Cats Out and Safe

Sarah Wilson's UK garden podcast, Roots and All, featured an episode on Cats in Gardens. She wrote, "This episode features Danielle Draper (@CatsProtection on Twitter) of Cats Protection. Cats are part of gardeners’ lives, particularly if you live in an urban area. Love them or hate them, you can’t get away from them and Danielle’s here to talk about learning to live harmoniously alongside the neighborhood feline. Whether you welcome cats into your garden or try to discourage them, Danielle offers great insights into cat behavior & gives tips on how cats and people can co-exist happily outdoors."

I listened to the show and it is specific to the UK, but I can attest that there is lots of useful and smart information on this program, including creating a dedicated litter area for outdoor visiting cats to keep them out of your planting beds.
You can listen at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/roots-and-all-gardening-podcast/id1399040612
or at 
https://rootsandall.co.uk/thepodcast/page/2/

How to Keep Cats OUT of Your Garden

citrus peels

At the Cats in Gardens blog, we get the occasional crab-ball who does not want cats in their garden at all. (These same short-sighted folks then ask how to protect their fruit trees and veggie gardens from rodents, rabbits, etc.)  To be fair, even we cat-loving gardeners might have areas we do not want our kitties to explore in our yards. Here are a few methods I picked up from a Leesburg, VA cat group for keeping cats out of your garden.

Barriers:
- roll out chicken wire
- push pine cones into the soil
- lay down rose bush trimmings
- spread out mesh produce and bulb bags anchored with twigs

Shock and Awe:
- motion detector sprinklers

Smell and Annoyances:
- citrus peels
- highly scented plants like marigolds, geranium, and lemon thyme

Got a humane method that keeps cats out of outdoor spots they should not be in?
Please share it in the comments field below?

set up barriers like chicken wire and plastic "spikes"