How to Keep Cats Out of Your Yard

Co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS and Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 18, 2022 References Approved

Cats make great pets, but feral and stray cats can create quite a nuisance. They may use your garden as a litter box, trample all over your precious plants, and spread fleas everywhere. Luckily, you have a ton of options when it comes to keeping cats out of your yard, and you can mix and match options at your leisure depending on how you want to handle this.

1

Eliminate food sources.

Move your trash or bird feeders to remove the reason cats show up. Cats are showing up in your yard for a reason. If you keep your trash outside, make sure that your lids are secure to keep cats from digging for food. ^{[1]
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Research source} Birds tend to attract cats as well, so if you’ve got a bunch of bird feeders in your yard, taking them down will help keep the cats away.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source
University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Science
Plant and Soil Department at University of Vermont's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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- If possible, keep your trash in a more secure location indoors to keep cats (and other pests, like raccoons) from poking around for food. If you have a garage, that’s the perfect spot for your trash!
- Domesticated outdoor cats and feral cats like to roam through yards looking for food, mates, and places to use the bathroom. If you are having trouble with unwanted cats, see if you can spot a pattern with where the cats are hanging out in your yard. There may be something you’re overlooking in your yard!

2

Add fencing.

One of the best ways to keep cats out is to block them physically. If you install a full-blown wooden fence, opt for fence boards with pointy tops so that the cats can’t hang out on top of them. If you want an easier, simpler option, you can always install some shorter wood posts around your yard and then attach chicken wire fencing.^{[3]
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- If you have an existing fence with a flat top where cats can balance themselves, staple or tape some aluminum foil or plastic wrap to the top so cats won’t hang out up there.^{[4]
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3

Install motion-activated sprinklers.

For a highly-functional solution, get some sprinklers installed. Whenever the cats wander into your garden, the sprinklers will kick on and spritz the cats to send them on their way. Even if they don’t get wet, the sound of the sprinkler popping up and activating will scare them off. You can buy these motion-activated sprinklers online or from some pet stores.^{[5]
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Trustworthy Source
The Humane Society of the United States
National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
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- Since the hose line will freeze, you can’t use these sprinklers in the winter. Luckily, if you set them out in the spring or summer, the cats should have plenty of time to learn that they don’t want to hang out in your yard. As the cats keep getting sprayed, they’ll become conditioned to stay away from your home.

4

Try an ultrasonic device.

Infrared ultrasonic devices will emit a high-frequency noise to scare cats. The sound won’t be audible to people, but to cats, it will be like nails on a chalkboard. Typically, these products run on batteries and you just turn them on and leave them out in your yard. So long as it’s on, the device will scan for any movement and emit the alarm whenever cats get too close.^{[6]
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- You can buy these products online or see if they’re available at big box home improvement stores.
- These devices do tend to be a little more expensive than the other options out there. The good news is that these devices may also keep other pests out of your yard as well!

5

Get a commercial repellant.

There are repellants out there that replicate dog or big cat urine. If the cats smell a potential predator nearby, they’re naturally going to be dissuaded from sticking around for too long. Some of these products duplicate dog urine, while others contain lion or panther urine. These spray repellents are available from basically any big box home improvement store.^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source
University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Science
Plant and Soil Department at University of Vermont's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Go to source}
- The downsides here may seem obvious, but a lot of these products don’t smell particularly great. You do need to reapply them roughly every week and after any heavy rains.^{[8]
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- If you don’t feel like spraying all around your yard periodically, there are granular versions of these products that resemble little stones. You just sprinkle them into your soil.^{[9]
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6

Put pinecones or chopsticks in your yard.

Laying rough items down in your soil will keep cats off. Cats like the soft feel of soil and grass, and messing with that texture will dissuade cats. You can either line the perimeter of your yard with the topping of your choice or work the items into the soil to keep cats off. Either crush some pinecones up and sprinkle them around or grab some chopsticks and lay them flat in a grid pattern. Push them halfway into the soil, and the cats won’t walk over them.^{[10]
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- Plastic carpet runners, with those little soft spikes on the bottom, are another great solution. Just keep them with the spike-side up and cover them lightly in soil at the threshold to your yard.^{[11]
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7

Lay down aluminum foil.

Cats don’t like walking on crinkly, rough surfaces like aluminum foil. If there are any specific surfaces you want to keep cats off of, pull out a few strips of aluminum foil and lay them down where you don’t want the cats. Put a few stones or bricks around the edges of the foil to keep it from blowing away. When the cats step on it, they’ll feel and hear the aluminum foil crinkling up and run off in the other direction.
- Metal ribbon, sheet metal, and bubble wrap may work for this as well.
- This is an especially good option if you have a tall fence and you know the cats are sneaking in through an entrance to your yard, since you can just lay down a few layers of foil around that entrance.

8

Get some cat-repelling plants.

Coleus canina is hands-down the best plant for keeping cats away. Coleus canina is the most popular plant when it comes to repelling cats because it appears to be the most effective. It naturally smells like dog urine to cats, so it’s more efficient than a lot of other options out there. If you don’t want to plant these in your garden or keep them in pots outside, you can always try curry plants, lavender, or rosemary.^{[12]
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- If you come across any plants marketed as “pee-off” or “scardey-cat,” these are the same thing as coleus canina.^{[13]
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- These plants are also occasionally labeled plectranthus caninus.^{[14]
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9

Spray or sprinkle pepper in your yard.

Cats dislike pepper, and they’ll naturally stay away if they smell it. You can either sprinkle some cayenne pepper around your yard periodically, or make a pepper-based spray by mixing a few teaspoons of cayenne pepper with some water in a spray bottle. Spray or sprinkle the pepper near any entrances to your yard or plants that you want to keep the cats away from. If cayenne doesn’t do the trick, you can always try using black pepper instead. Putting some pepper plants in your garden or yard may work as well!
- Wet coffee grounds will have a similar effect. On top of that, coffee grounds make great compost if you’ve got a garden going!^{[15]
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- If you sprinkle pepper around or you make a pepper-based spray, you’ll need to reapply it whenever it rains.

10

Make your yard smell like citrus.

Cats are also prone to avoid citrus-based scents, like lemon and orange. You can get some citrus essential oils and sprinkle them around your yard, but most folks prefer leaving peels near plants and entrances in their yard. Every time you carve up some lemons, limes, or oranges, hold on the rinds. Spread them out around your yard to keep cats from poking around.^{[16]
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- Grapefruit rinds are another solid option if you don’t tend to go through a lot of lemons, oranges, or limes.^{[17]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Science
  Plant and Soil Department at University of Vermont's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  Go to source}

11

Deter cats with essential oils.

Lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and geranium all keep cats out. There are a few ways to use these oils to keep cats out, but the easiest solution is to simply pour a few drops of undiluted oil around any flower boxes, fence lines, or trees where you think the cats are hanging around. You can also mix several of the oils together if there’s a particular combination of scents that you enjoy!
- Citronella is another oil that cats tend to dislike. This is a great option if you want to keep bugs out at the same time!^{[18]
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- You’ll also need to reapply these oils whenever it rains. The good news is that it doesn’t take much of these oils to keep cats out.

Expert Q&A

Question

Will coyote urine keep cats away from my yard?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

The urine or feces of any predator that is a threat to cats should deter cats from entering the yard. This is why some zoos do a 'roaring' trade in selling lion poop to gardeners.

Warnings

If you live in a city and you’ve seen a lot of strays near you, they may be from the same colony. There is a decent chance someone is caring for these cats, which is why they’re always around your yard. If possible, try to find the owner of the colony by putting up flyers or reaching out on regional social media groups before taking action.^{[19]
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