How do I stop a neighbour’s cat using my garden as a litter tray?

You can keep a cat off your beds without hurting it, and you do not have to fall out with the neighbour to do it. Cats pick spots with bare, loose, dry soil, which is exactly what a freshly weeded bed or a raised veg bed looks like. Change the surface, add a surprise, and they go elsewhere. If a long list of tips has already failed, there is a reason: most go after the smell, and the smell is not the problem. The soil is.

If you are worried about a child’s health

Cat poo can carry germs and parasites that matter more for people with a weakened immune system, and in pregnancy. That sounds frightening, but the everyday steps that protect people are simple, and they work whether or not the cat stops coming.

Health first: wear gloves to garden and to pick up poo, wash hands well afterwards, keep sandpits covered, and wash or peel anything you grow. If someone in your home is pregnant, has a weakened immune system or has a serious illness, ask their doctor or medical team what precautions they want for them. They know the person; we do not.

The plan

1. Cover bare soil. Lay chicken wire or plastic garden mesh flat on the bed and plant through the holes. For raised beds, a simple frame of netting or mesh over the top keeps cats out and protects seedlings from birds too.
2. Make digging uncomfortable. Lay prickly prunings such as holly or rose cuttings across empty soil, or push short canes or sticks in close together. Cats do not like to squat where they cannot dig a clean hole.
3. Plant densely. Ground covered by plants or mulch has nowhere to dig. Coarse bark or large stones work better than fine gravel, which can feel like a litter tray.
4. Add a motion activated sprinkler. A burst of water startles a cat without hurting it, and it is safe for children. Point it at the favourite spot and move it now and then.
5. Talk to the neighbour. Keep it friendly and practical. They may not know. Some owners will add a litter tray outdoors or a patch of loose soil in their own garden, which gives the cat a better option than yours.

Pick up any poo as you find it, with gloves or a bag, so the spot stops smelling like a toilet.

What does not work

Bleach. It damages soil and plants, and the fumes and residue are not something you want near children, pets or food crops. It does not keep cats away for long either.

Pepper and chilli. They wash off in the rain, and they can get into a cat’s eyes and paws, or your own pet’s. That is the opposite of not hurting it.

Citrus peel, coffee grounds and peppermint. Some cats sniff and walk on. Plenty do not. They fade quickly, and they are not a plan.

Noise boxes and ultrasonic gadgets. We do not recommend ultrasonic devices for any animal.

Birds and the neighbour’s cat

If you want to bring insect-eating birds into the garden, put feeders and baths up high, in the open, away from low bushes where a cat can wait unseen. Prickly shrubs give birds safe cover that a cat cannot easily get into. Skip catnip as a distraction: it can draw cats in, which is the opposite of what you want.

When to get help

If talking does not help, many places have a council or municipal animal welfare or environmental team you can ask for advice. Rules on cats roaming vary a lot between countries, and in many places cats are free to roam, so the fix is usually on your side of the fence. Keep a short note of dates and photos in case you need it. For more on sharing a garden with animals, see the garden visitors guide, and for netting and cages over crops, how to protect plants from animals.