Anyone who owns a cat knows that they love the sunshine and the smell of the outdoors. However, as much as we love our feline friends, cats in the garden can be a real nuisance. They will end up digging your flowerbeds, which you have worked on for hours, and use them as a litter box. To add to the misery, tomcats will spray the foliage with their urine to mark their territory or just flatten all the plants as they loll around in your flowerbed, comfortably sunbathing while all your hard work goes out for a toss. The unfortunate, unappreciative behavior of cats towards flowerbeds and gardens, can result in misery and hostility towards the cat. However, instead of attacking the poor cat, try these simple and effective steps for keeping the cats out of your garden.

Tips on How to Keep Cats Out of Flower Beds

Cats are usually quite free-spirited, wanting to roam around the world, without hindrance. Since they are pretty agile and can seem to jump over or squeeze into anything, they usually manage to get into your home territory quite easily. However, there are a list of commercial as well as homemade cat deterrents, that seem to work effectively in keeping them away from your flowerbeds.

Tip 1: Before you can implement any steps to stop the cat from ruining your precious flowerbeds, it is advisable to talk to the owner of the cat and know if it is domesticated. However, if you are that unfortunate a cat owner, it is recommended that you look into options like cat proofing your garden or cat enclosures. Believe me, it will not only make your neighbors happy, but your cat will be safe as well. Building a toilet area for your cat, like a sand pit, is a great idea.

Tip 2: There are many commercial cat deterrents available in the market. Most of these chemicals contain the active ingredient, methylnonylketone, which should not be used near food crops. Any of these can be used to protect your flowerbeds.

Tip 3: This is one method that I am sure will work, even if for a limited time. As soon as you see the cats near your flowerbeds, just squirt some water on them. Since cats HATE water, they will probably just get flustered and not come back again. There are certain motion activated sprinklers, that use infrared to detect the animal and shoot a jet of water on it. If the cat belongs to someone you know, it is advisable that you tell them of the plan and assure them that you will not hurt the cat. This method is however severely limited by the fact that some weird cats might actually think you are playing with them!

Tip 4: A great way to keep the cats off the flowerbeds, is by spreading peels of lemon, orange or grapefruit on it. For some reason, cats seem to have a developed distaste for citrus smells. Drops of citrus oil or coffee grounds also seem to do the job just as well.

Tip 5: By installing a fine garden netting over the soil in the flowerbed, you can ascertain that the cat does not dig away the soil. Placing it an inch or two above the flowerbed ensures that they are not walking on it either. You can also try spreading pine cones, by adding it to the mulch on the flowerbeds. Since cat paws are sensitive, they would usually avoid such places. Alternately, you can cover the ground with rough-surfaced rocks or use the branches of a thorny plant.

Tip 6: Most gardeners around the world have the ‘perfect plant solution’ and it involves planting certain plants in the garden, that repel cats. Marigolds are a great option in this case. Not only do they look good and are fairly easy to grow, but they also possess a scent that keeps cats away from the flowerbeds. Plants such as geranium, pennyroyal, rue, lavender, garlic, lemon thyme, lemon verbena and other strongly scented plants are also unpleasant to cats. A weed originating in Europe, known as ‘coleus canina’, deters the presence of cats, by emitting an odor offensive to them (but not to humans).

Tip 7: High frequency sounds emitted by ultrasonic devices usually send the cat running, while causing no distress to your ears.

If these tips do not seem to work, try to make your garden less cat-friendly, by doing away with the huge cat magnets, like bird feeders and birdbaths. If you have catnip plants, please do away with them unless you want cats from miles away, swarming into your garden. There are people who also recommend getting a dog. However, I do not think it’s a good idea because if the dog attacks the cat, you could be fined. Also instead of the cat ruining the flowerbeds, a dog may destroy it in completely different ways and then you would probably end up reading an article on ‘how to keep dogs out of flowerbeds’.

Cats are independent and proud animals. Unlike dogs you will never teach them to obey orders but you can take advantage of their natural habits and use them to build a harmonious relationship.

Dogs are used to live in hierarchic societies and to respect the authority of the leader from the very origins of their species. However, cats are lonely hunters and do not accept any social structures or other authority other than their own. Therefore, you need to get used to the fact that you are not the owner of the cat but a creature he shares his territory with.

Here are some tips that will help you to avoid little troubles you might have living with a cat.

Do not try to change the cat’s attitude. Screaming or punishing your pet in any way is useless. The cat may run away at the moment you scream at him but he will do the same thing again when you will not see him. Above all, never hit the cat because he is a revengeful animal and he will not forgive you so easily.

If your cat scratches your furniture try to create alternative ways for him to scratch his nails. Do not get mad at him. What he is doing it is natural. Cats mark their territory by scratching trees or objects. Today, there are many solutions for this problem. You just need to go to a pet shop and they will help you with this. If you do not want to spend money on special equipment you can build a scratcher for your cat. All you need is a piece of wood without any paint or varnish on it and put it in a vertical position so it will look like a tree. If your cat still prefers scratching your furniture take him to the scratcher with patience and make him pay attention to it. It is likely that sooner or later your cat will learn to follow your scratching policy.

Cats do not eat much in comparison with dogs. Besides they will never eat food that is not absolutely fresh. Therefore, never put a lot of food in the cat’s bowl. When you see that the cat has finished his food, give him more, but if you see that he did not eat it for a while, throw it away and the next time give him less. Make sure that your cat always has enough fresh water. Change his water every day. This is especially important if the cat mainly eats dry food. If you see the cat drinking water from the tap or any other place that might be a sign that his water does not please him, so change the water from his bowl. As for premium food or cat candy, it is not advisable to give him that kind of food very often. If the cat gets used to this kind of food he will reject regular food and will keep demanding candy all the time. You better ration candy and make him associate that type of food with a concrete time of the day. Having a routine is essential to any cat. Never feed the cat with human food because it contains salt and spices that are very bad for the cat’s health.

Take care of your cat’s health by taking him to the veterinary’s at least once a year. Get information on the vaccines and special medicines he has to take throughout the year.

Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the most commonly occurring diseases in cats. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can affect both random bred and pedigreed cats. The papillary muscles (muscles in the left ventricle that anchor the mitral valve) and the walls of the left ventricle become abnormally thick. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a progressive disease. The cats affected by this disease develop heart failure and subsequently, it affects the heart functions. Cats suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy develop blood clots in the left atrium. This clot may be carried into the systemic arterial system. The clot commonly gets lodged in the terminal aorta, which stops blood flow to the rear legs.

Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be caused by various conditions. Improper diet, toxins, and certain infections can lead to HCM. Other diseases such as systemic hypertension and hyperthyroidism can also cause hypertrophy in cats. Some cats develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy due to genetic conditions. Many times the cause for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is unknown.

Cats who suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may die suddenly. Unfortunately, many times this is the only symptom of the disease. Cats do not exhibit any symptoms of this disease in the early stages. It is very important to look out for any of these symptoms to monitor the underlying heart conditions.

• Difficulty in breathing- Dyspnea
• Decrease in appetite
• Lethargy
• Fainting
• Paralysis of rear legs due to blood clotting
• Coughing

Some cats may refuse to to lie down or sit upright. This is because the fluid starts building up in their lungs as the heart stops functioning normally. Sitting upright helps keep the fluid away from the heart and the top of the lungs. Your cat may also be suffering from pain due to which it refuses to lie down.

Diagnosis of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is done by the following investigations.

• Radiographs: X-rays may be helpful in showing the enlargement of the heart. Sometimes a ‘valentine shape’ of the heart is seen when the cat is suffering from HCM.
• Electrocardiogram: It helps in monitoring the heart’s electrical activity and detection of abnormalities.
• Blood Tests: Blood tests may be done to check the arterial hypertension or hyperthyroidism.
• Echocardiogram: It is perhaps the most effective way to diagnose hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It can be used to detect moderate to severe hypertrophy in the affected cats.

There is no medical treatment for complete cure of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although, the situation is hapless, it is not entirely hopeless. Some treatments are available which can reduce the chances of heart failure and help the heart to function normally.

• Atenol and metoprolol are beta blockers which help to improve the ‘filling’ function of the left ventricle. This will help in increasing the volume of blood flow to the lungs and decrease pulmonary edema.
• Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, helps to improve the heart function by reducing the heart rate and myocardial oxygen consumption.
• ACE Inhibitors like enalapril or benazepril have shown to work better than beta blockers in clinical trials.
• Diuretics help reduce pulmonary edema. However, diuretics can also cause some side-effects. Thus, the renal function should be monitored when using diuretics.
• Hyperthyroidism and hypertension should be treated as they are the underlying causes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Just like a particular cat’s behavior is different from that of another, similarly, the prognosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for each cat is different. With the advancement of medical technology, a cat suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can survive for a long period, sometimes, for several years. If there are any doubts regarding the heart of your kitty, consult a veterinarian. It is necessary that the condition of your cat’s heart is regularly monitored. Remember, that the pain in your darling kitty’s heart may also cause a pain in your heart.