How to Repel Cats Off Lawns

Guidelines and Tips

• 1

  Know the household substances that deter cats and select one or two: lemon and orange peels, pipe tobacco, lemongrass, citronella, eucalyptus and coffee grounds all repel cats. Scatter them around the edges of your garden. You can also spray plants with citrus-scented fragrances to deter cats.

• 2

  Plant the herb rue -- it is very bitter and cats hate it -- or sprinkle dried rue over the garden. Though cultures in North Africa sometimes cook with rue, be careful when touching the herb as its oil can cause blisters.

• 3

  Keep cats away from the garden's soft soils and mulches by covering exposed ground in flower beds with rocks. This will not only deter cats from digging up your garden, it will help prevent weeds as well.

• 4

  Observe cats' preferred digging areas or entrances into the yard and spray cat repellent liberally in those areas. Also spray cat repellent along the tops of fences and around the yard's edges.

• 5

  Consider buying a motion-activated water sprinkler or ultrasonic animal repellent. Though expensive, these devices effectively repel cats and other animals, preventing them from ruining your yard.