Keeping cats out of wildlife area, any ideas?

[BrainScience]

I have a pretty large back garden and decided to pretty much leave the bottom half of it for wildlife. Absolutely nothing to do with being too lazy to look after it at all. I planted a load of wild flower seeds, put up bird feeders, bird boxes, bird baths, a bat house and built a little pond with a little river going round it.

Only problem is that now it’s all overgrown it is constantly full of cats. Whenever I go down there at least two cats dart out from the undergrowth. They all seem to have a rotation as it’s the same cats at different times of the day iyswim. I don’t object to cats pooing in there as kids don’t play in there or anything but they must be killing (or at least chasing off) loads of the wildlife I’m trying to give a home to. I’ve tried lion poo, I have a water pistol which I squirt at them whenever I see them going in there but they just keep coming back.

We live in a fairly densely populated area and my garden is the only big open space apart from the park. So obviously they all head in there, particularly now the grass/ flowers are long as they can hide in there.

Any suggestions? I can’t really build a fence/ wall as it would mean I’d lose my view and it could stop hedgepigs and rabbits getting in.

[Doobigetta]

I’d suggest buying an expensive selection of cat beds and cushions, and spending several hours lovingly arranging them in the wildlife area. Show the cat beds to the cats, and explain how you made the area specially for them because you love them, and how much it means to you that they are comfortable in them. Maybe actually place a couple of the cats in the cat beds to help them understand.

[rightsideofherstory]

Do you know who the cats belong to? If not can you catch them and take them to a shelter?

[BrainScience]

😂 I love that idea doobigetta, that would probably work!

They’re not feral cats. Definitely pets. I don’t think taking them to the vet to find out who owns them would achieve much. People aren’t going to start keep their cats as house cats just because they’ve been in my garden.

[Damntheman]

Cats are wildlife :)

Although to be serious about it OP the cats are likely not making a difference to the animals you wanted to attract. I wouldn't worry about it :)

[Soola]

Get your own cat, who will protect his/her territory.

[BrainScience]

Cats aren’t wildlife

[BrainScience]

Could I somehow enlist the hardest cat to protect my garden?

[MrsOaf]

I’m in a similar situation with our wildlife garden, a couple of cats come and have killed several baby frogs & a blue tit I’ve seen you can get things that emit noise to keep cats away but am worried it will effect the visiting wildlife

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

Have you tried the cat cutout figures, it makes them think there's a another cat in there?

Too bad I can't lend you my dogs, they would clear the area in seconds. No cat let unchased is their motto and they are serious about it.

[RandomMess]

You could ask owners to get them collars with LOUD bells on it does reduce their success rate.

[BrainScience]

I hadn’t thought about a dog. My friend has a dog who I’m sure she wouldn’t mind letting out in my garden a couple of times a day. Do you think the smell of dog wee might put them off?

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

If you are feeding the birds and providing that habitat, then you are probably increasing the population by more than what the cats can predate.

[CuppaTeaAndAJammieDodger]

I'm a cat person - adore our moggy - but they do wreak havoc on wildlife (I say this after nursing a traumatised field mouse back to health last weekend after it was toyed with for god knows how long in our garden).

I think you'll find it tough to keep them out entirely without also putting off the animals you want to encourage, but my parents have had some success in their garden with fake snakes and the aforementioned cat silhouettes.

[Frownette]

It's lovely about the wild flowers, they should look gorgeous - a relative had a seasonal staggered garden of wild flowers planted so it always looked pretty.

No idea about the cats. Do they scarper when they see you?

[AnnaMagnani]

Get your own cat, ideally a lazy incompetent cat who is also a highly territorial thug.

We have one of these - never catches anything and rarely even tries but despite being a mere slip of a thing, terrifies all neighbouring cats.

Otherwise you have trouble - you have basically created a theme park for cats. A neighbour across the road created a pond with fish and there are cats queuing up to stare at it all day. Sadly our more exploratory cat died on the road after a trip to view the fish.

[Frownette]

theme park for cats @AnnaMagnani sorry about your pet.

Oh OP, you'll have to update on your project.

Are you sure that you'd get many rabbits anyway given that it's a densely populated area? I admire your enthusiasm, anyway.

[Legumewaffle]

Nerf gun? Sorry not sorry

Chilli powder? Or one of those high frequency sound things. But then they'd probably affect the mice/voles too.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

OP, you’re still a novice in this.


Dog wee frightens no cat. You need the real thing.

[misscockerspaniel]

Try planting a few curry plants near where they enter the garden as cats hate the smell. I have the same problem, saw this tip on MN a few weeks, planted some curry plants and it seems to help.

[MitziK]

Sounds like cat heaven. Only chance they have of being in something resembling the Lands of Their People. They are, after all, wildlife at heart.

The cutouts and whatnot would scare off the other (wanted) wildlife. You could be machiavellian about it and plant lots of catnip as far away from your wildlife zone as possible and chuck seeds into the garden of the nearest neighbours but if you provide shelter, cats can't get to everything. In any case, predators are a fact of life.

[Ronsters]

Try a high frequency cat scarer, my mum has one and it works on most cats. Sone still go in or skirt around, but it did seem to deter 90% of them.

[BlueberrySkies]

I put cat netting around my garden to keep my cat in the garden. It also keeps other cats out. Mybe consider something like this so they can’t get in in the first place.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

Try a high frequency cat scarer, my mum has one and it works on most cats. Sone still go in or skirt around, but it did seem to deter 90% of them.

Not a good idea for the wildlife.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

The cutouts and whatnot would scare off the other (wanted) wildlife.

Sorry, didn’t realise that.

[Angie169]

Have you tried bottles of water left around. I don't know if this works but I have seen it on diff sites.