Using Coffee Grounds To Deter Cats In The Garden

While cats can be loving pets, in the garden they often can be pests. Fortunately, you can use coffee grounds to deter cats. Not only can they help to keep cats away from your plants but they’re also totally safe.

Cat Problems 101

Unfortunately for gardeners, cats seek out bare soil to use as their toilet space making gardens a prime target. That’s right gardens are often their favorite outdoor litter box. This causes damage to plants and a seriously unpleasant smell, but it’s also unsanitary.

It can be a big problem particularly if you have a kitchen garden where you will be growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Some cats also like to chew or even eat leaves and flowers. This can kill the plants and in some cases even be toxic to the cat. For example, many types of lilies can cause severe kidney failure in cats even when only a few leaves or petals are ingested.

Cats And Coffee Grounds Don’t Mix

The reason coffee grounds repel cats is simply that cats don’t like the smell. In fact, they find it repulsive. So by sprinkling grounds in and around your garden, you’ll be able to keep both stray and pet cats away. You’ll want to remember to let your grounds cool down to room temperature first however to avoid damaging your plants.

Using coffee grounds in the garden also has the benefit of providing nitrogen to your plants which is released into the soil as they break down. You may notice as an extra bonus once you’ve added your coffee grounds slugs and snails stay away as well. This is because they are highly sensitive to the caffeine they contain.

Grounds are also free of any harmful chemicals so they’re safe for humans, cats, kids, and other pets. And if you don’t drink coffee, or if you’d just like some extra grounds, you can often find used grounds for free at local coffee shops.

Will Coffee Grounds Keep Cats Away Guaranteed?

Grounds are a well-known and effective deterrent that will work for the majority of cats. However keep in mind that just like humans, all cats are different. So there may be some cats that are a little more resistant to the smell of coffee than others. Also, you will need to make sure you apply your coffee grounds regularly.

They’re not a one-time solution so you’ll need to make sure that you’re consistent with your efforts. To help make sure you stay on track you may want to make adding coffee grounds to your garden part of your daily routine after your morning cup of coffee. Or you may want to save them up over the course of the week and apply them every weekend.

Other Options

If after using coffee grounds cats still seem to be enjoying your garden there are other alternatives as well. In addition to the smell of coffee cats also dislike the smell of citrus fruits. So using lemon or orange peels to deter cats in the garden can work as well. You may want to add these in with your coffee grounds to provide an extra anti-cat aroma.

Another natural option would be to add plants to your garden that have a smell that cats don’t like such as lavender, rosemary, or the aptly named scaredy-cat plant. There are also commercial cat sprays and ultrasonic deterrents. A very popular method that works for cats along with a range of backyard pests are motion-activated sprinklers. These will spray cats and other animals with water when they enter your yard, giving them a good fright but not hurting them.

Using coffee grounds to deter cats is an easy and free way you can protect your garden. And while you will need to keep re-applying them, it’s definitely worth it, since you’re most likely throwing them away anyway.

Start Shopping for Cat Deterrents!