Many may find a touch of joy in spotting a crafty fox or cheeky cat in their local neighbourhood when autumn rolls in, but green-fingered Brits are often left pulling out their hair as these critters can lay waste to their beloved plants.
Both the frolicking felines and sneaky vixens have a bit of a rep for uprooting plant life while on the hunt for wriggly worms, crunchy insects, or nicking your tasty veg. The last thing any gardener wants is these four-legged intruders marking their patches with that grim stench.
Watching your garden’s hard graft get trashed ain’t exactly a picnic, but fear not, there are a few nifty home-brewed tricks to keep these animal invaders off your prized petunias.
One well-pestered gardener vented on Reddit’s Gardening UK forum about the local cats and foxes treating their green oasis like a loo, desperate for a fix that really hits the mark.
The forum lit up with garden gurus shooting off tips, with loads swearing by everything from pungent plants to eye-watering scents to do the trick, reports the Express.
Top of the pops in the advice chart was this gem: “I asked this same question last year… the answer was more plants. I had to fill the entire space to keep the cats out and it generally worked. My neighbour had some luck with using cider vinegar in little dishes but just planting tons and poop scooping as it filled in (as miserable as it is) was really the only thing that worked for me.”
It might seem odd, but both cats and foxes have a keen sense of smell and are easily irritated by certain odours. Plants like lavender, rosemary, rue, mint, and geraniums might be delightful to us humans, but these crafty creatures will find their strong scents overwhelming.
These plants can mess with a cat or fox’s hunting skills or their ability to suss out other animals, making them steer clear of the area.
For those not keen on gardening, apple cider vinegar’s pungent acidic whiff can do the trick in your garden, although you’ll need to reapply it every so often, especially after rain.
(Image: Getty)
One green-fingered enthusiast shared: “I’ve heard vinegar works well, but it might need something to stop it from getting watered down. A bit like a beer trap?”
Meanwhile, another savvy gardener recommended chucking used coffee grounds around the garden, claiming it’s a top-notch deterrent for unwanted feline and vulpine visitors.
They posted: “Coffee grounds do a decent job for me. I asked my local Costa when they cleared their bin, then go on weekly just before, shake it all over the garden. Seems to work.”
Not only is the smell of coffee a turn-off for foxes and cats, but its gritty texture is also a no-go for their delicate paws, making them give treated areas a wide berth.
Not only is coffee a brilliant deterrent for cats and foxes, but it’s also one of the top solutions for keeping slugs at bay. This means you can savour the last rays of autumn sun in your garden without fretting over any annoying pests.