This Morning: Alice Beer shares tips for removing pests
It’s almost impossible to keep cats away from certain areas of the garden, especially if they’re using it as a toilet.
If a cat has used an area of your garden as a toilet, it’s highly likely the pest will use it again as their scent will linger.
However, gardeners who grow produce need to make sure cats don’t poop in vegetable patches as cat faeces contains bacteria and parasites which can be harmful to humans.
With this in mind, Robert Collins at Myjobquote.co.uk, the UK’s leading trades matching site, has shared exclusively with Express.co.uk five ways to deter cats from pooping in gardens.
1. Keep flower beds well-watered
Cats actually “don’t like wet soil”, so if flower beds are kept well-watered, this will prevent the pests from wanting to step in these areas.
READ MORE: ‘Easiest and cheapest’ option to ‘put an end’ to cats entering your garden
Not only can this prevent cats from pooping in gardens but it can also prevent cats from stepping on and crushing your favourite plants.
Cats prefer loose, dry earth, compost, and mulch, so try to limit these areas in the garden to deter cats.
To keep lawns and flowers watered, consider installing an automatic water sprayer.
2. Install an automatic sprayer
As well as keeping lawns and flower beds hydrated, automatic water sprayers are “great repellents against cats and foxes”.
Mr Collins explained: “These devices are safe and effective at deterring animals from your garden.
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“They gently spray out bursts of water every few seconds in the general direction of the intruder.
“Cats and foxes are not fans of water, so this method will usually deter them after the first spray. Simply connect the sprayer to your garden hose and turn it on.
“Then, just leave it running. It won’t spray any water until the sensor recognises an intruder. This means that you can avoid wasting water.”
3. Make it difficult for cats to enter
One way to prevent cats and foxes from pooping in gardens is to prevent them from entering in the first place.
Check around the perimeter of the garden and fill in any gaps where the intruders may be entering. Cats are brilliant climbers and will often enter gardens by scaling fences.
To prevent this, gardeners can place some plastic roll-up fencing on top of the existing fence.
If the fence is a bit old and battered, consider replacing it with a new, sturdier fence which will help keep the pests away.
4. Install an ultrasonic deterrent
These devices are brilliant for deterring both foxes and cats as they emit a loud sound at a high frequency that humans can’t hear.
There are different types of ultrasonic pest repellents but the best ones feature infrared sensors which detect motion and will activate when something enters the garden.
Some modern versions of the device also detect the animal’s body heat signature to prevent the battery from running out too quickly.
5. Avoid leaving food out
Don’t leave any food out as once animals know there’s food available in the garden, they’re more likely to return.
After a garden party or barbecue, make sure to clean up thoroughly and pick up any scraps that may have fallen on the ground.
If you are leaving food out for birds, make sure to place the food high up out of reach of foxes or cats or where foxes and cats can’t get to it.
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