How to stop cats pooping in your garden is an ethical dilemma, as the product must be humane. Training cats to poop outside is one of the best ways to avoid them using a litter tray; however, sometimes, this can mean cats, either your own or your neighbours, consider your garden to be their personal litter box - frustrating if you are following all the lawn care tips.
Garden projects can take years to develop, and kitty mess is never something you want to be picking up before you even start with your best weed-killer and lawnmowing routines. You don't need to get annoyed at these kitty cats, though, because there are some things you can add to your garden that will warn off these pesky intruders.
How to stop cats pooping in garden – best products at a glance:
• Best motion-activated cat repellent: Pestbye Motion Activated Cat Repellent - View on Amazon UK
• Best plant to deter cats: Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' - View offer on Crocus
• Best mega-sonic cat repeller: Defenders Mega-Sonic Cat Repeller - View offer on Amazon UK
If you're struggling with unwanted cats in your garden, there are some easy remedies you can use to deter them. These include natural deterrent scents, repellent pellets, sprinklers, sound devices and grounding that's uncomfortable for cats' paws. Just remember, according to Cats Protection the Animal Welfare Act 2006 gives cats the legal right to roam in your garden. Using a deterrent that causes harm to an animal is an illegal offence, therefore, it's essential to use a humane deterrent.
So with all of this in mind, we've found the best things on the market right now to stop cats pooping in your garden. And if you'd like our top tips on deterring cats from your garden scroll to the FAQs below.
Best cat repellent products to stop them pooping in your garden
Best motion activated cat repellent
Pestbye/AmazonDescription
Subtle but powerful, these Pestbye Motion Activated Cat Repellent stakes are perfect if you want to hide them away in your garden. They're small, but cover up to 32ft, with their specialised HyperResonance Frequency. It's a completely humane way to deter cats and other small animal pests from your garden.
Customer review: "Have two Pestbye cat repellents in the front garden for about four to six weeks. So far, have had no problems with cats anymore. They would almost daily use the front area for their business. I bought rechargeable batteries also which in the end saves money."
Pros
- Humane
- Effective
Cons
- Some reviews have commented that their hearing is sensitive enough to hear the ultrasonic frequency and it's annoying
Best mega-sonic cat repeller
Defenders/AmazonDescription
Want no messing about with your sound repeller? This Defenders Mega-Sonic Cat Repeller is mega-sonic and has internal rubber seals for water resistance. A good option if you want more for your money as it covers up to 100 square metres. This product works day and night to deter cats from fowling in your garden.
Customer review: "Since placing it the garden it has been an instant success turning it into a no-go area for the local cat population."
Pros
- Humane deterrent
- Effective
- Covers a large area
Cons
- Better to power it with mains electric as it eats through batteries
Best plant to deter cats
Crocuswww.crocus.co.uk
Description
Remember we said about using natural scents to warn off cats? Well, grab a bunch of the popular lavender plant and plant it around your outdoor areas - not only will it help to deter cats, but it looks great, too. Cats hate the smell of lavender, so they're a lot less likely to poop in bushes or areas with this beautiful flower.
Customer review: "Use this to line our border around the patio. Hardy, jeeps it shape well and always puts on a fabulous display with good scent. And the bees love it!"
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Natural solution
Cons
- May aggravate pollen allergies
Best 'scaredy cat plant' to deter cats
eBaywww.ebay.co.uk
Description
Our second choice for a natural repellent is the 'scaredy-cat plant' which, as it says in the name, is a great deterrent to scare those cats away. It's part of the mint family and produces a strong scent that cats hate. Easy to grow, you can just place these in the sun in a pot or border.
Customer review: "All good. Well packed plants. Hope they will scare cats away."
Pros
- Natural solution
- Easy to grow
Cons
- Pungent smell
Best cat repellent crystals
Get Off/AmazonDescription
These GET OFF My Garden Cat and Dog Repellents are jelly-like crystals with strong a scent that you can place around your plants, bushes and grass up to approximately 71 square metres. Even better, it works in all weather conditions. The pellets are completely harmless and discourage cats and dogs from marking their territory.
Customer review: "I’ve bought these in the past. They do seem to deter cats and foxes, and also smell nice, like Citronella. They withstand rain for a couple of days and disperse into the soil without affecting it."
Pros
- Effective
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Didn't work for some customers
Best garden granule cat repellent
The Big Cheese Store/AmazonDescription
Another cat pellet option, these cat scatter granules prevent everything from scratching to digging and fowling. They're biodegradable and repel cats with their scents. Easy to use, just shake and go. The granules contain natural aromatic plant oils on an inert clay carrier to deter cats and dogs.
Customer review: "Great kept them all away. Bit strong garlic smell but it worked."
Pros
- Easy to apply
- Natural
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Some reviews comment that this doesn't work in the rain
Best unusual cat repellent
Primrose/AmazonDescription
This Cat Repellent by Silent Roar is particularly impressive, made out of the essence of lion dung. Cats will naturally associate this scent with predators and even the biggest cats will avoid these areas. One application lasts up to three months and this is a twin-pack to last even longer.
Customer review: "It kept them off for about two weeks, am guessing a reapply after two weeks is going to be the order of the day."
Pros
- Natural
- Long-lasting
Cons
- Mixed reviews about its effectiveness
Best solar-powered cat scarer
Pestbye/AmazonDescription
Looking for an eco-friendly option? This Pestbye Twinpack Solar Waterproof Cat Repellent has a high-frequency ultrasonic sound that sends out a loud noise that is too high for most humans to hear but is designed to deter cats from entering your property.
Customer review: "Got these to keep the neighbour's cats from pooing in our flower beds and also to deter them from the garden, just thinking of the birds. The pooing stopped!"
Pros
- Effective
- Noise is loud
Cons
- Instructions tricky to follow in the beginning
Best jet-spray cat repellent
Defenders/AmazonDescription
For protection over your garden - including ponds and water features - invest in this The Big Cheese Jet Spray Pond and Garden Protector. Working as a motion-detection sprinkler, it will cover a radius of up to 10m with an adjustable height.
Customer review: "I had foxes causing damage and disturbance at night. I was amazed at how effective it is, a strong jet of water is sent out and a reasonably loud clicking noise, foxes came down the side where this was installed on two nights, got the surprise from this great device and haven’t been back since."
Pros
- Versatile use in ponds or around the garden
- Humane
- Effective
Cons
- Requires a hose pipe water source
Best luxury cat detection sprinkler
Orbit/AmazonDescription
Want to splash out on a motion-activated sprinkler? This Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler is a high-end repeller with unique day and night detection, giving you 24-hour protection. It's a more expensive option but it's definitely worth your money.
Customer review: "This may be a costly purchase but if you factored in all the other alternative products you'll buy and try (that don't work as well) also the effort and hassle of chasing cats and other creatures away it's by far the easiest way to rid yourself of the problem."
Pros
- Humane
- Robust - works in all weathers
- Powerful - can deter deer
- Can also function as a garden sprinkler
Cons
- Connects to a hose so you need a garden tap
Best wire netting for uncomfortable grounding
LAOJU/AmazonDescription
Still, stuck on what to choose or just want an easy solution? Grab some of this Amazon wire netting, which you just place over areas of pots, plant beds or bushes to give that uncomfortable grounding we talked about.
Customer review: "Using this netting to keep bulb in the garden safe from squirrels etc. Just the right size to cover my beds and pots. easy to cut with scissors."
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Versatile
Cons
- Can be sharp
How we chose the best products to stop cats pooping in your garden
All of these cat deterrents have been hand-selected by our team of Modern Gardens shopping experts. We carefully considered safety, effectiveness and cost in our selection of the best. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching cat deterrents to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in.
Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about. And with help from Modern Gardens Magazine, Garden News and Garden Answers, we share expert gardening knowledge to help you get the most from your product.
Our Verdict: best product to stop cats pooping in your garden
Ideal for large gardens, the Pestbye Motion Activated Cat Repellent gives wide coverage and is cheap enough to buy multiple devices to cover every angle. This sound-based deterrent has five sensitivity modes and works in all weathers. This cat scarer particularly impressed us because it relies on solar power rather than mains or standard batteries. In addition, it can be mounted anywhere around the garden, including walls, which makes it a lot more flexible than deterrents that require a water source.
FAQs
Best five ways to deter cats from your garden:
Here are some of our top tips:
Natural deterrent scents: Cats have an amazing sense of smell and citrus, lavender, peppermint, and cinnamon are particularly uncomfortable for cats. If you start to plant some of these scents (invest in a lavender plant!) it will naturally warn them off.
Repellent pellets: If the natural scents don't work, you can get a similar option through repellents, pellets, and granules. Don't worry, they're humane and all you need to do is shake them all across your garden.
Motion-detection sprinklers: As it says in the name, investing in some sprinklers that are motion-detected will simply give any naughty trespassers an unexpected squirt of water when it senses them on your lawn. Easy and efficient.
Sound-motion detectors: These detectors will spot any movement and let out a high-pitched sound inaudible to humans to deter any kitties. They're slightly smaller than the sprinklers so may be a better option if you want something unnoticeable.
Uncomfortable grounding: If all your plants and flowers are feeling the brunt of cats coming into your garden, you can secure off the area with a different grounding. Using things like chicken wire or twigs around your plants will make it hard for cats to walk on and will stop them from going there for some relief.
How do I keep cats out of my garden?
There are natural ways to stop cats from coming into your garden. Firstly, don't get into the habit of feeding neighbourhood cats. Also, make sure lids on bins are secure to contain smells and food waste that cats might find appetising. Keep bird food off the ground with a bird feeder to make it difficult for cats to stalk bird prey.
In terms of planting, strong-smelling plants like lavender is unpleasant to cats. Leaving orange or lemon peels out will also deter them as they dislike the smell of citrus. High fences will also make it more difficult for cats to enter your garden. Closely planted shrubs or placing twigs and branches between plants will make it difficult for cats to walk over flower beds. Also, wire mesh can be used to keep cats off delicate borders. Surfaces that are uncomfortable to walk on, such as gravel or even crushed eggshells will keep cats off flower beds too.
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Caitlin Casey is a Senior Writer for Modern Gardens, heat, Closer, and Grazia. She covers shopping, women’s lifestyle, popular culture as well as all things trending.