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Most times, cats can be a nuisance to your garden, causing a tremendous reduction in the productivity of crops. If you’re experiencing this in your farm, garden, or around your planting areas, I want you to know that you’re not alone, and we will help you.
Fortunately, some plants have proven to be effective when it comes to scaring away stray cats from houseplants, and in this article, we will discuss some of the best plants that keep stray cats away and how they make this possible.
Let’s get started!
Why Should You Plant Herbs That Repel Cats?
It’s self-evident that cats are one of the most cherished creatures, they are cute and cuddly, but sometimes they can be a nuisance to the growth and development of your crops.
Cats like to dig in gardens; they eat the birds that usually visit your feeders. Cats tend to scratch your outdoor furniture, and to the extreme, they may even poop into your garden beds or pots, which is very gross.
There’s no way to get around this, cats are predators by nature, and if you want to make the best out of your garden or farm, you will need to have to deal with them, and since they are cherished and loved, you will have to do this without harming them in the process.
So the best you can do is to prevent them from eating your crops or furniture in the first place. One of the best, most efficient, and most effective ways to protect your garden from cats is to plant cat-repellent plants around it.
Plants that chase cats away, this plant not only chases cats away but they look pretty and smell very nice too.
You need to keep in mind that it is not advisable to plant only one; you need to grow different types of cat-repelling plants that will likely increase the chances of keeping cats out of your garden or farm and, at the same time, give you fresh and pleasant ingredients for you to use in cooking.
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Plants That Keep Stray Cats Away
Below are some examples of plants that are very effective in keeping cats away from your garden:
1. Catmint (Nepeta Cataria)
If you’re looking for an effective and natural way to keep cats out of your garden without killing them, you will need to plant catmint which is also known as catnip, as a barrier between cats and your garden.
One of the essential things you need to know is that cats are usually very attracted to this herb because of the oil it contains in its leaves called (Nepetalactone).
This oil acts on the cats’ central nervous system like a hormone that makes them feel outstanding; they become very excited and mesmerized by the scent of this plant that they forget about going after anything else.
Although this is an effective plant that will aid you in keeping cats away from your plants, it is not a guaranteed process. According to research, just about 60% of cats are affected by this plant.
You can easily purchase this catmint plant spray and dry catnip on Amazon and get it delivered to your doorstep.
2. Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus)
If you genuinely want to keep cats away from your garden, one of the best things to do is to plant this fragrant evergreen rosemary plant around your garden. This type of plant is usually very aromatic, pungent, and somehow a prickly plant that has needle-like leaves.
So this plant will repel cats for sure. One of the advantages of this plant is that you will have plenty of rosemary on hand for all your roasting and, most significantly, your marinating needs.
If you desire an old large rosemary bush, you need to take some of the cuttings and lay them on empty garden beds and fleshy dug holes; this is to stop cats from using your garden as a litter box.
Another essential thing to note is that rosemary is usually harmless to cats; it just repels them and causes no injury whatsoever to the cats.
3. Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
This cat-repellent plant is mainly characterized by its sweet smell that is strong enough to be easily perceived. This cat-repellent plant effectively keeps your yard or garden free of stray cats and other unwanted pests like deer.
It is equally easy to grow; these cat-repellent plants can make an excellent hedge around your vegetable garden. But you need to note that this plant isn’t safe If cats or dogs ingest it. But it is perfect for repelling cats from your garden or farm.
4. Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus)
One of the easy and natural ways to prevent or keep cats away from. Your garden is to grow lemon thyme as a hedge around your garden.
Growing herbs in pots work exceptionally well because you can quickly move these plants around your garden; this depends on the area that needs protection. This type of cat-repellent plant is not harmful to cats either.
5. Geranium (Pelargonium spp)
This cat-repellent plant called geranium has a delightful scent to humans, but this is not the case with cats. So to keep stray cats away, you can easily plant geranium to help keep cats away from your garden.
A well-potted geranium in front of your door will easily keep cats away and prevent them from urinating in this area. Another benefit of this plant is that its bright red flowers help to add a touch of beauty to your house.
6. Oregano (Origanum Vulgare)
This is one of the best types of cat-repellent plants out there. One of the benefits of planting this type of plant is that it does only keep cats away, but it equally helps to keep off other pests that may attack your crops and cause poor growth and development.
To make sure that your cat-repelling effort amounts to something, you need to plant this oregano as one of the different varieties of cat-repellent plants in your farm or garden.
Planting this plant not only prevents cats from eating your crops, but it adds wonderful flavors to your meals when used to prepare foods. These plants are equally toxic to plants when eating and very active in chasing chats away from your garden.
7. Rue (Ruta Graveolens)
This type of cat-repellent plant is very effective and often grown in border areas and rock gardens, and this is because of its delicate blue-green leaves.
This cat-repelling plant has been used as a traditional cat-repellent plant. The foliage of this plant has an intense aroma; when crushed, this plant has a very bitter taste.
This bitter taste is reflected in its name as rue comes from a Latin word that means bitterness. Another thing you need to be aware of is that this plant is also poisonous to cats, but they’re effective cat-repellent plants out there.
8. Coleus Canina (Plectranthus Caninus)
Coleus Canina is a very effective cat-repellent plant that can release skunk odor.
This plant is perennial and known as the “scaredy cat plant ”. This name is a reflection of the ability of this plant to effectively keep cats away, not only cats but dogs to a large extent.
If you’re finding it challenging to keep your garden or yard free from cats, you will find this very beneficial and helpful to help you prevent cats from destroying your farm produce
9. Plants With prickly Leaves Or Thorns
Some plants grow with very sharp leaves and thorns which act as a natural defense mechanism against pests, even cats.
Thorny hedges such as holly, hawthorn, or roses can be a great way to keep cats away from your garden or farm.
Sometimes you discover they work much better than fences in some areas worldwide. This is a primary method to keep cats away from your garden or around your place of living.
Examples of Spices that Repel Cats
Different spices can be grown to prevent cats from coming into your garden and causing harm to your plants. Some of them are
- Pepper
- Curry
- Cinnamon
These three are effective in repelling cats from your garden. Cinnamon is a very safe spice that is usually not toxic to plants; all it does is chase cats away from the garden.
Related Questions
What plants stop cats pooping in your garden?
There are so many plants that can help keep cats away from your gardens; cats usually don’t like the smell of rue, lavender, coleus Canina, and thyme, so we advise you to plant these plants in your garden; they kelp to keep cats away
What smell do cats dislike?
As we all know, cats are susceptible to smell, but few scents can help keep cats away from your garden. Cats normally cannot stand the smell of citrus and banana. When you plant these types of crops, it helps significantly to keep off cats from your area.
Do cats hate coffee grounds?
The pungent smell of coffee is enough to keep cats out of your garden. All you need to do is to take your fresh and wet coffee grounds and make sure you distribute them efficiently around your garden to ward off cats.
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