Certain plants that grow in your garden may be extremely toxic for your cat, so you need to look for ways to keep cats out of the garden. This will ensure that your cat stays healthy and your plants are left undamaged.
1. Chicken Wire
Chicken wire can be used to keep your cat away from your garden. However, you need to use this before or immediately after you plant the seeds. Seeds can be poisonous for cats, especially those from the potato family of plants.
Chicken wire will act as a repellent, as cats don’t like wire and will make sure to stay away from it. Put the chicken wire on the soil where you’ve planted your seeds.
2. Water Hoses
Cats don’t like to get in contact with water. To keep the cat away from potential toxic plants, you can keep a water hose near the garden and sprinkle some water on your cat every time he gets closer to the garden. This will create a reflex after the cat gets wet a few times, so he'll start avoiding the area.
3. Sprinklers
Install automatic water sprinklers that activate when detecting motion, so you don’t have to watch your garden.
4. Commercial Cat Repellents
You can get a few commercial cat repellents from pet stores. These have a strong smell that cats dislike (such as bitter lemon, apple or the smell of fox or coyote urine, which are much feared cat predators). These will keep the cat away from your toxic plants. Cat repellents can be bought as sprays or powders that you can periodically spread around the garden. Buy some organic products, as these will not harm your cultures and the pets or children.
5. Safe Cat Repellent Plants
If you would like natural repellents, you can opt for a few plants that have a smell cats don’t like. Some of these plants include the coleus canina, lavender or the penny-royal plants. You can plant these around your garden or around the areas that contain poisonous plants for cats.
6. Electric Wire Fence
Electric wire fences can do a good job in keeping cats away from your plants. In addition, they'll also keep other animals at a distance. Ensure that the shock transmitted by the fence is not deadly. Most wire fences give a light shock that will keep cats away.
Please note that there are a number of popular cat repellents that may be toxic or cause allergies or indigestion. These repellents include commercial fertilizers, moth balls or ammonia. Read the labels of the products you buy and make sure these are safe for pets.
Poisoning can be fatal in cats if you don’t get to the vet in a timely manner. Preventing your cat from getting to toxic plants is the best way to ensure he is safe.