Cat-Proofing your Precious Garden

  Building and nurturing a garden is always a joy. Some people use gardening as a distressing tool while others just love the idea of fresh vegetables on their table for every meal. Whether a hobby or a necessity, gardening does take up a lot of energy and time. Introduction
Building and nurturing a garden is always a joy. Some people use gardening as a distressing tool while others just love the idea of fresh vegetables on their table for every meal. Whether a hobby or a necessity, gardening does take up a lot of energy and time. There are always rodents and various animals around threatening the sanity of your precious garden.
It is always painful to see all your hard work go down the drain when cats and dogs romp around creating havoc in your beautiful garden. Compared to dogs, cats are more difficult to get rid of since they are usually spoilt and extremely fussy. For some the sight of cats playing in the garden might be a cute sight, but for the gardeners, it is a total nightmare.

Cat nuisance
Though innocent and delicate looking, cats are really bad for the gardens. Apart from being troublesome by littering and damaging your plants, their presence can also be dangerous for young kids around. They also scare away the pretty birds you love watching in your garden. Although a little time consuming, it is much better to cat-proof your garden than to lose sleep over all the damage they might end up doing. There are many ways of discouraging cats from entering your garden and by following some simple steps, you can easily cat-proof your garden.

Methods of Repelling cats
From completely natural remedies to store bought repellants, there are a variety of options available to you to guard your garden against those pesky felines.

Natural
If you are worried about harming the cats or your plants with the cat repellants in the market, you can make your own with natural ingredients which will be effective and safe to use. These are a few tips to keep cats out your garden naturally. Most of these are based on the fact that cats hate certain strong smells and wouldn’t want to wander anywhere near such smells.
1.Mothballs and citrus around the borders or cloths dipped in orange scented air freshener work wonders.
2.Cayenne pepper, pipe tobacco, coffee grounds, lemon grass oil, lavender oil, mustard oil, citronella oil and eucalyptus oil are other known cat repellents.
3.Planting Coleus Canina, Chives, Rue, Rosemary or lavender around the edges of your garden will keep it cat-free.
4.Prickly plants, bushes and shrubs will also prevent the cats from walking into the garden.
5.Other excellent options are Wild roses, Holly, Pampas Grass, Hawthorn and Blackthorn.

Water
Cats hate water. Squirting and spraying them with water from the hose will usually do the trick and keep them away. Motion sensitive jet spray water repellant is another type of repellant that can be used. On detecting movements, jets of water are sprayed at the cat. After an encounter or two, the cats will learn to avoid your yard.


Fencing
The simplest way to keep cats out of vegetable garden is to secure the boundaries. Build a proper fence around and ensure there are no holes at low levels. And since cats can also jump, a string or taut wire six inches above the fence will deter them. Security spikes can be used as an additional measure. Security spikes fitted with jet sprays or detection repellents are all the more secure.
Plastic guard around the trunks of young trees, a net over the garden pond and chicken mesh around the vegetable rows will save them from cats.

Electronic
If you are ready to shell out a few extra bucks to keep cats out of garden, there are many electronic repellents in the market. These repellents use sensors to detect movement and emit sonic pulses which cats hate. They can be operated with batteries or the mains.

Traps
In certain areas, there are services available which lend you cages to trap the cats. Once in the cage, the cats aren’t able to escape. In case pet cats get caught, the owner will need to pay a fine to get the cat back. This not only protects your garden but also lets your neighbors know that they will need to work harder to keep their cats out of your garden.

Commercial Repellents
If you have exhausted all your homemade remedies and physical options, you can always buy any one of those scent repellents available. Most of these repellents are oil based granules and might be toxic to food crops. You will also find evaporators which are impregnated with essential oils, are good for 3-4 weeks and are reusable.

Conclusion
To preserve your gardens and peace of mind, it is essential that you keep the cats from disturbing your garden. Find the solution that works for you and stick to it. Keeping those kitties away will let you sleep peacefully at night and enjoy your hardwork.


Know more : http://www.catscarer.com/keep-cats-out-of-gardens.html