Cats can bring so much for a household, with love and affection, and also a side of small creatures. However, if you’re a proud green thumb with a thriving garden, cats can pose a danger to your perfectly cultivated plants.
Gardening designer and TikTok creator Ish shared a few methods that will prevent cats from “doing their business” in your garden. Cats can destroy garden plants by burning leaves with concentrated ammonia from their urine, which acts like a fertiliser burn, and by burying their waste, which introduces harmful bacteria and parasites. They can also disturb bulbs and roots when they dig up soil to bury their poo.
An effective method recommended by Ish is using a vinegar solution. He said: “Cats can’t stand the smell of white vinegar. Anything acidic, they’re just not a fan of.”
Using a spray bottle, fill it up about a third of the way with water, before topping the rest off with white vinegar. Give the solution a good mix.
Spray the vinegar solution on any gravel and edges in your garden. Ish warned not to spray the solution directly onto the plants.
He said: “The watered down vinegar won’t have any smell to us, but they’ll be able to smell it and they’ll sure as hell stay away.”
As vinegar has a sharp and sour odour, most cats will avoid going anywhere near areas that have been sprayed with the solution.
Cats dislike strong and pungent odours, such as citrus, spices and essential oils. By spraying vinegar on your plants, it will deter cats from scratching or peeing where they shouldn’t.
PetMD explained that the smell of vinegar can irritate a cat’s respiratory system. When vinegar is used to clean inside homes, along with products containing bleach, ammonia, or other strong acidic or noxious smells, this will also happen.
The irritation will make them feel uncomfortable and they will want to stay away from the plants. PetMD also warned vinegar can be toxic to cats if they lick it off of their paws or fur.
