How to Keep Cats Away From Sandboxes

How to Keep Cats Away From Sandboxes. Sandboxes are part of a backyard setup that provide exercise and entertainment to children. Children can dig in the sand, create castles, make roads for their model cars or dig for treasure. Nothing ruins a day in the sandbox more than finding that a wild or neighborhood cat has used the sandbox as his own personal litter box. Keeping cats away from sandboxes keeps your yard sanitary and your children safe.

Things Needed

• Basil plants
• Tinfoil
• Disinfectant
• Tent poles or spikes
• Tarp or sandbox cover

Step 1

Cover your sandbox after each use if possible. Buy a cover from your local hardware store or landscaping store.

Step 2

Create a cover to use in place of a store bought cover. Attach a tarp to four stakes or tent poles and drive the tent poles into the ground at the four corners of your sandbox.

Step 3

Line the outer edges of your sandbox with tinfoil. Tinfoil is shiny, makes a funny noise and slippery. Cats do not like to walk or stand on tinfoil and will avoid it if they get the chance.

Step 4

Set up a sprinkler to water your yard near your sandbox. Cats will learn that there is often water falling from the sky near the sandbox and will try to avoid the water if at all possible.

Step 5

Place a row of garden basil around your sandbox on all four edges. The row should be short enough so that your children can step over it. Cats do not like the smell of basil and will avoid areas where it is planted.

Step 6

Spray your sand with Lysol. This will make your sandbox more sanitary and will discourage cats from scratching there.

Warnings

• Clean your yard of debris to discourage wild cats from making a home there.

Warnings

• Do not approach cats that you do not know.

References

• Keeping Cats Out of Sandboxes