Things You'll Need
- Pine cones
- Black or white pepper
- Rake
- Cacao hulls
Instructions
Collect or purchase prickly pine cones, such as Ponderosa variety and place them throughout the sandbox and around its perimeter. Cats should find a new bathroom out of a desire to avoid pricking their paws on the pine cones.
Spread 4 to 8 ounces of white or black pepper across the surface of your sandbox. Use a rake to mix the pepper into the sand. White pepper will be relatively invisible if you want to avoid the appearance of black speckles in your sand. The scent of the pepper should act as a deterrent to neighborhood cats.
Purchase cacao beans in bulk. Shell the beans by separating the beans from their outer husks or hulls. Collect the husks in a small plastic container. Spread the cacao husks across the surface of the sandbox and use a rake to gently mix them into the sand, making sure they remain near the surface. The cacao husks should make cats think twice about approaching your sandbox the next time they need to relieve themselves.