The easy food hack from an expert that will ensure cats stay out of your garden (Image: Getty)
March is the ideal time to get your in tip top shape in time for the glorious arrival of summer. But, there are a number of unwanted visitors that are known to hamper your best efforts. Wandering into gardens is often out of your control but the faeces left behind by them is known to be problematic for gardens.
That’s because cat stools contaminate the soil with bacteria and parasites, causing unpleasant odours and potentially harming people and wildlife. But fear not, as a gardening expert at , Harry Bodell offers his novel and humane tip to prevent cats from pooping in your garden.
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Cat poop in your garden is not only unsightly and smelly but it can also be dangerous to your health (Image: Getty)
Alongside being unsightly, cat poop could also cause serious health conditions including toxoplasmosis – a parasitic disease that’s associated with a number of behavioural and neuropsychiatric conditions.
Toxoplasmosis begins as a mild flu but could later have devastating effects on the body with pregnant women being most at risk of this.
To rid your garden of the dreaded cat poop, lower potential health risks and keep everything blooming as it should, Bodell suggest the use of crushed .
He explained: “The soft pads of cats’ paws are quite sensitive, and they dislike rough, sharp, and uncomfortable surfaces.”
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As cats paws are very sensitive, the harshness of eggshells will help banish them from your garden (Image: Getty)
Bodell further explained how you can use this method to deter cats from your garden with the eggshells also known to help your soil.
“Sprinkling broken eggshells on your flower beds can help stop cats from using them as a toilet, as they won’t like walking or digging on the shells.
“The calcium in the eggshells is also good for your soil.”
Other methods known to deter cat poop from your garden include planting cat-repelling plants such as lavender, lemon thyme, rue or spraying areas with vinegar.
As cats are not a fan of strong or sour smells, vinegar can act as a natural method to keep them away and are known to strongly avoid areas where vinegar is present.
They equally dislike the strong and pungent scent of lavender and rue and the citrusy scent of lemon thyme keeping them far away.
Other items in your kitchen which could keep cats away due to the strong aroma include lemon and orange peels, lemongrass oil, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds or mustard oil.
Also, by keeping your flower beds watered and making a habit of always cleaning your garden, the area can become difficult for cats to even enter in the first place.