There’s nothing grosser than reaching into the soil to pull up weeds and come out with a handful of cat poop. That is truly a gagging moment. Pet damage can wreak havoc in your garden.

We love our pets, but it’s never good when theyre tearing up the garden or yard. Much of the time the goal is to deter them from the area. Cats see the light and fluffy soil or better yet a newly spread load of mulch as their litter box. It’s easy to dig and a pleasant place to go potty.

Dogs will mark their territory on practically any vertical object, whether its a tree or my boys toys. (Im just sayin.) As with cats, the goal is to make the area smell so strong that they wont want to stay around long enough to do their business.

Pet Damage in the Garden

Even when pets arent using the garden as a potty, they can do a considerable amount of damage. If we have a neighbors dog over to play, she and our Melvin will tear through the yard and garden like maniacs. Last year, I set up the trusty Scarecrow, the remote sensor triggered sprinkler, to let them know their bounds. It worked if they walked around the corner, but if they were barreling towards my beds full tilt, they usually blew through it without glancing.

And we have a special issue with Melvin. Hes deaf, yet fixated with any shadows or light. Hes awful about digging huge holes around the greenhouse when the polycarbonate panels flash in the wind. Hell jump and dig oblivious of everything else. He does the same thing with the birds who fly from the Caragana bushes alongside of the house, destroying the newly seeded areas my husband is carefully tending.

About the only remedy weve found to deter him in this situation is a short electric fence. We have electric roping that weve used for portable corrals in the back country, as well as the fiberglass poles. We hooked it up to a simple Gallagher charger, and the problem was instantly resolved. Melvin might be dumb, but even he can figure it out!

Homemade Solutions for Keeping Pets Out

You can use a repellent to make the area less desirable, which means finding products that assault their sensitive noses. Ive heard of people sprinkling red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper in the areas the cats frequent, although its important not to shake it directly on your plants because it can burn them.

Others have used moth balls or cotton balls soaked with ammonia or vinegar. From the reports Ive received, they work in the short term because they lose their potency rather quickly. Plus, you have to be careful with moth balls because they are poisonous to cats. If you do use them, put them under the little berry baskets so you can have the effect of the moth balls without your cat or dog snacking on them.

Citrus is another favorite. Toss peels into the garden. Or, use essential oils of citrus, as well as other strong smelling choices such as thyme, eucalyptus or pennyroyal. Put a few drops on a rag and place it in the soft spots on the soil to keep them from dawdling. And, of course, dont forget the garlic the cure all for practically any ailment or pest problem!

The problem with all of these repellents is they eventually lose their effectiveness over time. If it rains you need to go out and replace your deterrents, and you should change them every couple of weeks to make sure the odor remains potent.