Question
I have an issue where a neighborhood cat seems to like to use my yard (particularly the rose bush areas) as its personal litterbox. This wouldn't be a huge problem, except that the cat seems to track fleas in, which then yet on my wife and young child. And it is a huge pain to get rid of recurring fleas in the house when almost anything you use is going to be crawled (and soon walked) though by a child who puts literally everything in their mouth.
So, this raises the question: what can be done to deter the cat and prevent fleas from getting in my yard? I put down some of those spicy-scent things that have pepper and other things that make cats (and me) sneeze a bit. This seems to deter it until it rains a bit, then the poop starts appearing. I'm thinking of putting up a fence for the yard anyway, so the question is: what kinds of fences or toppers would fit all the following criteria:
- Deter a cat from wanting to visit the yard as much (doesn't need to be 100% cat-proof like a prison, just enough to make it prefer to go elsewhere)
- Fine for a child to encounter and potentially touch
- Look quaint in a suburban neighborhood (e.g., things that could work with a picket fence no higher than chest level, since it's the front yard that is the issue)
Currently the kinds of ideas I have in mind are things like a picket fence with some twisty or mildly brambly ivy (e.g., cat feet catch on it or are unpleasant to the touch, but not something that would harm either a cat or a child), a fence or wall with a rotating top (e.g., something that would twist out of the way and mess up balance if jumped on), or even just a plain old picket fence that is thin enough to be hard to stick the landing on if a cat tried to hop on and then over it (maybe with some citrus or other smelly things to make it particularly aversive). Probably leaning toward a vinyl fence, which would make it harder to climb than wood, also. Not considering chain link because it tends to look horrible, but entirely open to suggestions of meshes. Pictures of examples highly welcome on this question.
Answer
There's likely very little you can do to prevent a cat from getting into a place it has its mind set on getting into. Cats are agile, athletic, and acrobatic. Making your fence unclimbable won't accomplish anything, and a jump into your yard from a high location (nearby tree, or roof) likely won't faze a cat. Considering that cats can walk between sharp, wrought iron palings, squeeze between or under bars, and can easily scale any wooden, vinyl, or mesh fence with their claws, a fence is not a reliable means of keeping a cat out of any yard. A sufficiently motivated cat could even dig enough soft earth to create a crawlspace under a fence, if it was interested enough in getting to the other side. There is very little in terms of a physical barrier that you can create that a can't won't see as a personal challenge to practice until they can overcome it with ease. Your only method of deterrent here would be to make such attempts painful, which you don't want to do.
Instead of keeping him out, you'll have to give him a reason to not want to get in to begin with.
A quick google search brings up that cats don't like the smell of rue, citronella, and lavender. These would be safe for your child to touch, and would not be out of place in your garden. While Lavender is not poisonous, some people are allergic to Citronella, and Rue can be toxic if eaten in large amounts.
You may also consider mulching your garden with citrus fruit peels: cats seem to really hate the smell of citrus.
Answered By - sleddog