The Best Cat Deterrent Plants

Cats are adorable and beloved creatures. That doesn’t mean, however, that they belong in your garden. The last thing you want is to see felines eating your favorite plants, or using your garden as their personal toilet. So here are some of the best cat deterrent plants to help you keep your outdoor space feline-free.

Why Keep Cats Out of Your Garden?

Although cats are cute, they tend to chew on plants and grass. This can sadly wreak havoc on the appearance and health of your yard. Plant consumption is typical in felines and may be an instinctive action that comes from their wild origins. Cat pee is another major problem. Excessive amounts of it can destroy plants.

Feline pee includes urea, a compound that can function as fertilizer and introduce nitrogen to the soil. Yet excessive nitrogen can bring on fertilizer burn. Cat pee, last but not least, has salt that can accumulate and eventually lead to plant dehydration. And don’t forget that cats like to poop in soft garden soil.

And not only does their feces stink but it can carry disease-bearing pathogens and bacteria, and contaminate the soil with parasites such as hookworm and roundworm. Note, too, that keeping cats out of your garden doesn’t only keep your outdoor space safe and attractive. It also protects the cats themselves.

That’s because some plants are actually poisonous to them. If you want to safeguard cats from toxicity symptoms such as seizures and vomiting, you should keep them away from your plants, period.

Why Use Garden Plants to Deter Cats?

What makes natural cat deterrent plants the best option for protecting your garden? Cat deterrent plants tend to include smells that the vast majority of felines just do not like. They beat many other types of available cat repellents due to the fact that they don’t alarm or hurt the animals in any sense.

If you’re looking for a safe and humane way to stop cats from doing a number on your flower beds, you should explore the following natural deterrent plants right away.

Lemon Thyme

Lemon thyme is a type of thyme that has leaves that smell a lot like lemon, hence the name. Since it has an intense citrus smell, it discourages the presence of cats. If you grow this herb next to your garden in hedge form, you’ll be able to prevent most cats from showing up.

Growing it in pots also works like a charm. If you keep this thyme in a pot, you’ll be able to change its location based on need. Cats may be more drawn to certain parts of your yard than others, after all, and having it in a pot means you can move it to wherever you need it.

Common Rue

Using rue plant to deter cats is another option. This perennial herb is unpleasant to felines for two reasons. The leaves of the plant have a bitter flavor that’s in no sense inviting to cats. The herb in general has a rather stale smell that the little creatures find highly undesirable as well. Cats just aren’t keen on munching on them.

Lemon Balm

Although bees adore lemon balm, it’s in no way, shape, or form a feline favorite. Cats are often put off by the citrus scent this plant emits.

Geraniums

Geraniums are staples in the gardening realm. And these cat deterrent plants are a fantastic way to add color to your garden while providing a strong fragrance that cats prefer to avoid.

If you will be using geraniums to keep pet cats out of the garden keep in mind that these flowering plants consist of a couple of essential oils that can bring on skin irritation and digestive upset in cats if they are eaten. These essential oils are geraniol and linalool.

Curry Plant

Do you want to try using curry plant to deter cats? This may be a good idea. Cats tend to detest the aroma of curry.

Rosemary

Rosemary is an herb that can deter cats easily and safely. That’s because felines just do not like the way it smells. They’re not exactly big fans of the texture of rosemary leaves, either.

Scaredy-Cat

It’s no shocker that the scaredy-cat plant may be able to stop cats from entering your garden. Since this plant gives off a memorable odor that’s reminiscent of a skunk, it understandably encourages cats to hang out elsewhere.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is yet another example of an herb that may deter cats due to its citrus scent. If you blend one part lemongrass oil and three parts water, you may be able to create a spray that can keep cats far away as well.

Plants With Thorns

Are you considering the use of spiky plants to deter cats? They will work as no feline wants to come in contact with thorns when exploring your garden or looking for a place to go to the toilet.

Plants such as roses that not only have thorns but also beautiful flowers and a fragrant aroma are always a win-win option. Prickly and dense shrubs such as holly can also be used to create barriers that cats will not want to cross.

Citronella

If you want cats in your neighborhood to leave your garden alone, you can try citronella. This plant has an intense smell that makes felines want to turn the other way. Citronella can also be used to repel pesky mosquitos as well but you will have to crush the leaves to extract the oils.

Lavender

Using lavender to deter cats is a particularly popular choice. Lavender sports attractive purple flowers that have a strong floral fragrance that many people love and cats happen to dislike.

As an added bonus lavender can grow year-round in warmer climates making it a long-term deterrent. And in locations with mild winters with proper care, it can also survive for many years as it goes dormant in the colder months and grows back each spring.

Pennyroyal

This strong-smelling plant belongs to the mint family and is typically avoided by cats as they don’t like the scent. Also known as fleabane, its leaves can be crushed and rubbed on the skin to repel insects as well. When rubbed on dogs it is known to repel fleas and ticks. Pennyroyal blooms pink flowers.

Oregano

Like pennyroyal, oregano is in the mint family. And not only is it a cat deterrent plant but also a culinary gem. While oregano is considered toxic for cats to ingest, they are not likely to do since its smell is so offputting to them. They are much more likely to stay away when this useful and easy-to-grow herb is planted in your garden or containers.

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