How to Get Feral Cats to Stay out of Flowerbeds

Feral cats live outdoors. Born and raised outdoors, these cats are different from stray cats. Strays are lost or abandoned pets. According to the ASPCA, feral cats do not make good house pets. However, feral cats are similar to domestic cats in a few ways. Feral cats get into mischief and cause problems in flowerbeds, gardens or lawns. Digging up flowers or urinating to mark territory damages a flowerbed. However, there are methods to repel feral cats from a flowerbed.

Things You'll Need

  • Spray bottle
  • Sprinkler motion sensor
  • Citrus fruit peels
  • Chicken wire (small gauge)
  • Ginger powder
  • Pebbles or small stones
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Instructions

    • 1

      Shout at the feral cats when they near the flowerbed.

    • 2

      Fill a spray bottle with water. Spray the feral cats every time you see them. The water startles and annoys them because cats don̵7;t like water.

    • 3

      Install a sprinkler motion sensor near the flowerbed. Place the sensor in an area the cats like but people don̵7;t go near. This sprays water when the offending cat activates it.

    • 4

      Slice off the skins of citrus fruits using a knife. Citrus fruits include lemons, limes and oranges. Scatter the peels or skins in and around the flowerbed. Cats have an acute olfactory sense and don̵7;t like the smell of citrus fruits. Replace the peels once they start to decay or lose their scent.

    • 5

      Place small gauge chicken wire 1 to 2 inches below the flowerbed̵7;s surface. The wire deters feral cats from digging up the flowers.

    • 6

      Sprinkle ginger powder around the flowerbed̵7;s perimeter. Cats also don̵7;t like the smell of ginger.

    • 7

      Scatter small stones or pebbles with rough edges around the flowerbed to make walking uncomfortable for cats.