12 CAT REPELLENT PLANTS
THYME
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/how-to-grow-thyme-1402630-hero-d44ccea3e3604c1db97d23761b25de52.jpg)
Thyme is a wonderful cat repellent herb to grow in any garden as it is also a natural antibiotic. Like lots of herbs it’s best off in pots, which is handy for repelling cats as you can move the pots around to different parts of the garden to protect nesting birds. It is also a natural mosquito repellent.
Thyme is not a fussy plant so is usually quite happy being moved. But if you want to grow it as a little hedge it is easy to grow thyme from cuttings so you don’t have to fork out for lots of plants.
LAVENDER
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/english-lavender-plants-2130856-hero-01-fc261dfea5d442ebb06e4844d4d674fc.jpg)
Fragrant lavender is another super useful cat repellent plant for organic gardeners. Its easy to grow and bee friendly and its dried flowers are of course one of the best ways to get rid of moths. A lavender hedge can be used to keep cats away from e.g. vegetable gardens and is another natural mosquito repellent.
ROSEMARY
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/grow-and-care-for-rosemary-plants-1403406-04-19457f91157045aa9f8177dfc34e75f6.jpg)
Rosemary is another cat repellent plant that is also a handy natural antibiotic in the kitchen. You can easily grow Rosemary from cuttings even in poor soil and as it will grow into a decent sized shrub its a good plant to put near back fences to keep cats out. If you’ve got a big rosemary plant, you can also put cuttings on bare beds – and freshly dug holes!! – to stop cats pooing.
Rosemary also doubles up as a natural mosquito repellent in the garden so really can be very useful for natural pest control.
LEMON BALM
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/grow-lemon-balm-indoors-1902572-2-d3e82b9f91894ea2b72750e1d5ec045e.jpg)
Lemon baalm is another cat repellant plant that cats hate even though it smells beautiful to us. It’s good for natural remedies and is also attractive to pollinators so a good companion plant for fruit and fruiting veg such as courgettes. Pots of lemon balm – it will spread too much unpotted – can help repel cats from vegetable gardens.
LEMON GRASS
If you’ve got a big garden or yard in the right climate, lemon grass at strategic entrance points can also be a good natural repellent to keep cats out.
PELARGONIUMS
AKA geraniums (but not to be confused with the other type of geranium) also give off a strong smell cats hate. I have to confess I hate it too!! But if you don’t, pots of pelargoniums are a flexible cat repellent plant you can move around the garden or backyard patio to keep cats away. Pelargonium citrosum can also repel mosquitos.
COLEUS CANINA
Coleus Canina is the cat repellent plant you often see marketed in gardening stores as “Cat Shoo” or “Scaredy Cat”. It does seem to be highly naturally repellent to cats but … there is a but … that’s because it smells like dog urine!! So you’ll only want to plant it if you can bare the smell yourself or its tucked away somewhere you won’t go.
RAMBLING ROSES
Cats are of course contrary creatures and some will unquestionably ignore the most carefully planted cat repellent fragrances!! Thorns are a different matter. If the neighbours cats are coming in over a wall, a beautifully thorny rambling rose could be the answer. I’ve planted one on my back wall but its got a bit of growing to do yet so I’ve put down rose prunings on the most frequently used ways cats come in.
THORNY HEDGES
Traditionally mixed thorny hedges with holly, hawthorn, blackthorn and wild roses are unbelievably wildlife friendly – and help prevent flooding – and can be much more effective than a fence at keeping cats out. You can again use thorny cuttings to block cats favourite tunnels under fences into gardens.
CURRY HERB
Curry herb is often said to be a good cat repellent plant in hotter and drier climates and is fairly drought resistant. They can be quite attractive but they can also become a high maintenance “weed” with strong root growth and widely spreading seeds. So definitely do your homework on this one locally before considering.
RUE
Rue has traditionally been regarded as a good cat repellent plant and has been used in all sorts of natural remedies but it is also poisonous so probably not one to grow unless you know what you’re doing.
PENNY ROYAL
Penny royal is another traditional plant for repelling cats plus mosquitos and flies but again like rue it is poisonous so should only be grown with care.
THYME
Thyme is a wonderful cat repellent herb to grow in any garden as it is also a natural antibiotic. Like lots of herbs it’s best off in pots, which is handy for repelling cats as you can move the pots around to different parts of the garden to protect nesting birds. It is also a natural mosquito repellent.
Thyme is not a fussy plant so is usually quite happy being moved. But if you want to grow it as a little hedge it is easy to grow thyme from cuttings so you don’t have to fork out for lots of plants.
LAVENDER
Fragrant lavender is another super useful cat repellent plant for organic gardeners. Its easy to grow and bee friendly and its dried flowers are of course one of the best ways to get rid of moths. A lavender hedge can be used to keep cats away from e.g. vegetable gardens and is another natural mosquito repellent.
ROSEMARY
Rosemary is another cat repellent plant that is also a handy natural antibiotic in the kitchen. You can easily grow Rosemary from cuttings even in poor soil and as it will grow into a decent sized shrub its a good plant to put near back fences to keep cats out. If you’ve got a big rosemary plant, you can also put cuttings on bare beds – and freshly dug holes!! – to stop cats pooing.
Rosemary also doubles up as a natural mosquito repellent in the garden so really can be very useful for natural pest control.
LEMON BALM
Lemon baalm is another cat repellant plant that cats hate even though it smells beautiful to us. It’s good for natural remedies and is also attractive to pollinators so a good companion plant for fruit and fruiting veg such as courgettes. Pots of lemon balm – it will spread too much unpotted – can help repel cats from vegetable gardens.
LEMON GRASS
If you’ve got a big garden or yard in the right climate, lemon grass at strategic entrance points can also be a good natural repellent to keep cats out.
PELARGONIUMS
AKA geraniums (but not to be confused with the other type of geranium) also give off a strong smell cats hate. I have to confess I hate it too!! But if you don’t, pots of pelargoniums are a flexible cat repellent plant you can move around the garden or backyard patio to keep cats away. Pelargonium citrosum can also repel mosquitos.
COLEUS CANINA
Coleus Canina is the cat repellent plant you often see marketed in gardening stores as “Cat Shoo” or “Scaredy Cat”. It does seem to be highly naturally repellent to cats but … there is a but … that’s because it smells like dog urine!! So you’ll only want to plant it if you can bare the smell yourself or its tucked away somewhere you won’t go.
RAMBLING ROSES
Cats are of course contrary creatures and some will unquestionably ignore the most carefully planted cat repellent fragrances!! Thorns are a different matter. If the neighbours cats are coming in over a wall, a beautifully thorny rambling rose could be the answer. I’ve planted one on my back wall but its got a bit of growing to do yet so I’ve put down rose prunings on the most frequently used ways cats come in.
THORNY HEDGES
Traditionally mixed thorny hedges with holly, hawthorn, blackthorn and wild roses are unbelievably wildlife friendly – and help prevent flooding – and can be much more effective than a fence at keeping cats out. You can again use thorny cuttings to block cats favourite tunnels under fences into gardens.
CURRY HERB
Curry herb is often said to be a good cat repellent plant in hotter and drier climates and is fairly drought resistant. They can be quite attractive but they can also become a high maintenance “weed” with strong root growth and widely spreading seeds. So definitely do your homework on this one locally before considering.
RUE
Rue has traditionally been regarded as a good cat repellent plant and has been used in all sorts of natural remedies but it is also poisonous so probably not one to grow unless you know what you’re doing.
PENNY ROYAL
Penny royal is another traditional plant for repelling cats plus mosquitos and flies but again like rue it is poisonous so should only be grown with care.
