The simplest, humane way to keep cats out of the garden is to lay chicken wire supported by bricks over a treasured plot of land. Or scatter old holly leaves, pea sticks, or bramble stalks. When this is impossible, plant rue around the bed. Cats hate it. (Unfortunately, every other plant. A useful companion, syrup is not.)
It is said that cats also hate garlic, chamomile, and tagete. And I have been reliably told that this spiky device (Ononis Spinoza) deters cats. This tip is completely useless, of course, for those of us who don’t know it from a shower brush.
However, citronella is also a proven organic repellent for cats, in my experience. Spray the edges of the seed beds with 100 drops of citronella per 1 liter of water. Reapply daily until your cats are re-educated. The peel of an orange, grapefruit, or lemon is easy to come by and I’ve also found it effective.
Cordons of chili oil, curry powder, garam masala, and the like also repel cats. The next idea is a bit controversial. It is also not a membership. So if I’m a cat lover, I have to tread carefully (unlike my neighbor’s cats who used my mattress as a running track).
I surrounded my plot with small plastic milk bottles, sunk them into the ground with their tops removed and each with a few teaspoons of ammonia. It didn’t hurt the cats because none of them got within ten feet of those pungent-smelling bottles.
Powerful cat repellent
Another idea, if you’re not allergic, is to put dog poo in sealed tubs of ghee, well perforated in the sides. Put them around your vegetable bed and the cats won’t get close. Nor will dogs. They have a strong sense of territory and will never invade another dog’s “territory”.
Don’t put dog, cat, or human feces — or any other carnivore’s feces — on the soil itself, even around flowers that aren’t edible. The residue remains in the soil and can be toxic. children Owns Go blind after wiping fecal-contaminated soil into their eyes.
Clay granules impregnated with lion’s or tiger’s urine are now widely sold. Said to humans to be nearly odorless, they repel cats, dogs, foxes, coyotes, possums, yeti, and bears. But it is better to protect them, too, than to inquire about fingers in pierced pots.
If your bird boxes get attacked by cats, grow roses and cut down the trees or poles that support the boxes. Or beg your local fast food outlet for a large, empty drum that once contained cooking oil and chop it into a metal hoop. He will carry a toucan up to a large tree. Secure it around a support four feet off the ground, and with a glossy exterior, this harness will protect bird boxes from kittens, squirrels, and little boys. Put it down, and you’ll keep rabbits from gnawing at trees.
Practical uses for pets in an organic garden
Sometimes, small pets have practical uses. For example, hair combed from cat or dog blankets (or from horses or any hairy animal) can be placed in bean ditches to add slow-release nitrogen.
In fact, human hair scavenged from barbershops makes a great addition to your compost bin, if you’re not squeamish. Hanging in mesh bags around orchards, they will also repel deer and wild boar as efficiently as rotten eggs. (Hydrogen sulfide released from leftover poultry eggs was, in lab experiments, more effective at deterring four-legged pests than proprietary repellents.)
Cooking methods to keep cats away
Grow hot red peppers in the greenhouse—not to eat, because only Lucifer can enjoy them—but to grind and marinate in vegetable oil over the winter. Sweep this noxious paste onto strips of cardboard in the spring and apply it around your seedlings or any other plant you want to protect. Not only will it please cats, but the fiery scent will also repel many insect pests.
You can also mix organic (but humane) nerve gas 1:5 with water mixed with washing up liquid, strain and spray on plants infested with aphids, caterpillars, and all things that crawl, shiver, or fly. It kills or deters almost all of them.
A more elegant cat repellent…
Made from a discarded plastic cola or washing up liquid bottle. Remove the cover. Slip a few old nylon stockings, some glass, rockwool insulation, or even the inside of plastic foam into a jobless bear. This makes the wick. Make sure the wick fits snugly and sticks out at the top.
Fill the bottle 1/3 full with the harshest human nerve gas (see above) and make sure the wick is submerged to the top. Sink the bottle next to your chosen plants. The wick will spread the cat repellent into the air.
Several such bottles in the seedbed, which are replenished regularly, should deter even Tom and Jerry.
Note that the insect repellents listed above will not harm beneficial insects, birds, or any of your pets. Unless they eat it, they won’t. Just keep young children away