I love cats—but I also love my garden. The problem is, the neighborhood cats don’t seem to care much about boundaries, especially when it comes to freshly planted flower beds or pots of herbs. After finding one too many paw prints (and worse) in my soil, I started looking for natural ways to keep cats out—without harming them, of course. That’s when I discovered that certain plants can actually help keep feline visitors at bay. In this article, I’ll share the best plants I’ve found to gently (but effectively) repel cats from the areas they’re not supposed to be in.
Cats are known for their keen sense of smell, and you can use this to your advantage in the garden by planting certain plants that repel them. These plants can help keep cats away.
As cute as cats may be, the fun ends when you find cat feces in your garden bed or sandbox, flattened plants, or dead birds in the yard. And more often than not, it’s not even your own cat. You can’t really forbid neighborhood cats from roaming your garden, and their owners can’t leash them either. But there are indeed some plants that you can use in your garden to repel or discourage cats from hanging around.
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Which plants help keep cats away?
Cats can be repelled and kept away using scents, thorns, and dense growth. Whether it’s cats or dogs, most people have heard of the so-called “Scaredy Cat Plant” (Plectranthus ornatus), which is said to repel cats because of its particular smell. Since cats have an excellent sense of smell, they react negatively to certain odors and tend to avoid their sources. These can be commercial cat repellents or household items like spices—or even just strongly scented plants. While people may barely notice or even enjoy the scent (like that of lavender), cats find it offensive. The same goes for martens, dogs, or rabbits.
Another method to keep cats away is using thorny or densely growing plants that act as natural barriers for your whole garden or specific areas. Dense ground covers, in particular, can keep cats out of garden beds. Cats love bare soil as a place to lie down—or worse, use as a toilet. If those spots are gone, you won’t have to deal with cat feces anymore. Ground covers that help with this include Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge), Bistorta affinis ‘Superbum’ (Himalayan fleeceflower), Epimedium (barrenwort), or the yellow-flowering Waldsteinia ternata (barren strawberry).
What should you consider when using plants to repel cats?
Scented plants like the Scaredy Cat Plant can repel cats in a radius of about two to five meters. You can use them to specifically keep cats away from your home or to protect bird nesting boxes by planting these plants nearby—ideally in groups, as blooming lavender is particularly effective.
However, cats react differently to each plant’s smell. One cat may flee immediately, while another may not be fazed at all. So it’s worth trying out a few different plants. The Scaredy Cat Plant and others don’t always emit a strong scent and may be ineffective depending on the weather. Their essential oils are most potent during sunny, windless days when the smell can linger like a haze over the bed. In rainy weather, their effect is limited or only works in the immediate vicinity, so they may only be moderately effective at making a garden cat-proof.
On the other hand, cats love valerian and catnip. These two attract cats and are sometimes recommended as a way to lure them to specific spots in your garden, so they leave other areas alone. This tactic only works to a certain extent, though, as cats will still roam around the rest of the garden.
Which plants smell unpleasant to cats?
Not every plant will work for every situation, so it might take a bit of experimenting to find what works best in your space. Some cats are more persistent than others, and what repels one might not bother another at all. I also found that combining a few different plants worked better than relying on just one. And the bonus? Most of these plants are beautiful, low-maintenance, and even useful in cooking or as natural insect repellents.
The most well-known cat-repellent plant is the Plectranthus ornatus, which gained popularity years ago as the “Scaredy Cat Plant.” This plant grows up to 80 centimeters tall, is not frost-hardy, and is sometimes sold under the name Coleus canina in garden centers.
Other plants you can use to repel cats include:
- Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
- Rue (Ruta graveolens)
- Bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum)
- Curry plant (Helichrysum italicum)
Dense hedges as cat deterrents
Nobody likes getting poked by thorns—and that includes cats. A hedge made of particularly dense or thorny plants can serve as a cat deterrent and also keep dogs out. A height of 150 to 200 centimeters is sufficient—no cat will jump onto the top of a hedge and enter the garden that way. More important than height is density at the bottom of the hedge.
Cats avoid thorny hedges
No cat wants to squeeze through a thick, thorny hedge. They’ll usually take a detour instead.
Thorny shrubs include:
- Barberry (Berberis), especially Berberis thunbergii and Berberis julianae
- Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
- Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa)
- Holly (Ilex aquipernyi and Ilex aquifolium)
Since adding some of these plants to my garden, I’ve noticed a big difference—fewer cat visits, and my plants are thriving again. It’s a simple, natural solution that doesn’t rely on sprays or fences, and I feel better knowing it’s safe for the animals too. Every garden is different, but with a bit of trial and error, I’m sure you’ll find the right plant allies to help protect your space. Give a few of these a try—and let the plants do the work for you!
