My cat is regularly using my neighbors yard (under her picnic table) as a litter box. What can she do to determine him? Are there plants or scents that cats don’t like.
Thank you.
Hello! Thank you for your question to Master Gardeners.
It is understandable that you want to help your neighbour deter your cat from using parts of her yard as a litter box. If you have a cooperative neighbour, which it sounds like you do, there are ways to deter your cat, and also maintain that he/she is safe. Here is an article from the David Suzuki Foundation that contains several ideas.
Some people use cayenne pepper or chilli pepper in the soil to discourage cats, but this is not recommended as it can harm the cat’s eyes (see below for a previous response on this topic):
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners about using your hot peppers as an animal deterrent. Capsaicin is the ingredient in hot peppers that makes them hot. The Toronto Master Gardeners do not recommend the use of capsaicin as a repellent for mammals because it can be very irritating and painful to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes, and can cause swelling of the lung tissue. It is also toxic to bees and other beneficial insects.
Good luck with this. It might take a few tries but there are ways to outsmart a cat, even though they continue to outsmart us way too often.