Question
We have two outdoor cats in Baton Rouge, LA.  They constantly play in our large front yard garden and tear up the "weed barrier" that we have in place.  Our garden is covered in pine needles, and they use this as their giant "litter box."

What can we do to keep the cats from doing this?  Is there a natural remedy that we can put down to repel them away from the garden?

Thanks very much!  - Melissa  

Answer
I have enclosed some information for you to consider below. Of course, the best solution is to keep your cats indoors. Outdoor cats are a major menace to wildlife and contrary to the popular myth, cats are not effective at controlling rodent populations. Rodents, unlike song birds, have too great a reproductive capacity to be slowed down by cats.

Nevertheless, here is the information. Hope it helps.

Landscape Damage
Cats can be a substantial problem for gardeners and those who love wildlife. Cats and dogs are tough. For some reason the public doesn't believe in leash laws on cats and refuses to enforce the law on dogs. I would suggest a fence for your lawn/garden that is too high for them to jump. I would go up at least five feet. Make it wobbly so they won't want to climb it. You can also try a scare crow water sprinkler. It works by shooting out water when the motion detector is triggered. Since it is a stray, it may be used to water though. Also this technique won't work during the winter if your part of the country experiences freezing temperatures. Otherwise, you will need to remove it or tie your own dog nearby. There is a new product called "Scat Mat". It shocks the animal that stands on the pad. Problem is that you would need a lot of pads. To buy it see below
Don't bother with plants that allegedly repel animals. I also saw one more item. It relys on spikes that one places in the ground. Cats don't want to walk on them or scratch there. Unfortunately, I haven't seen where they could be purchased in the U.S. (I saw an ad in England). The spikes don't harm the cats.
Otherwise, there aren't any that would be fool proof because all a free roaming mammal has to do is walk past it up wind.. But if you insist on using some here are a few to try. (WARNING some of these repellents may be dangerous to the user and may require a pesticide permit to use) Repellents to repel cats include allyl isothiocyanate (oil of mustard), amyl acetate, anethole, capsaicin, cinnemaldehyde, citral, citronella, citrus oil, eucalyptus oil, geranium oil, lavender oil, lemongrass oil, menthol, methyl nonyl ketone, methyl salicylate, naphthalene, nicotine, paradichlorobenzene and thymol. Oil of mustard, cinnemaldehyde and methyl nonyl ketone have worked in some instances.
Don't bother with ultrasonic devices either. There is no evidence that I am aware of that they work. Also ultrasound is a weak frequency. It dissipates very quickly even if it was annoying to animals assuming they could hear it. I would visit http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/living_wildlife
it has a link there on how to handle cats in gardens in a rather unique way. She makes part of the garden for them. It may be an option for you. Otherwise, unless you are willing to trap them and possibly suffer legal consequences, there isn't a lot you can do other than fortify your property. There is no magic in this business.
Of course, in the final analysis, trapping may be an option depending on the laws in your state.

Solutions
I get various requests for methods to keep cats out of gardens, property etc. I am always looking for new ones but here are some that you may want to consider.The best solution is to push for laws that require leashes on all cats.
Barrier Methods
Fence your garden and or property. You can reduce the climbing of the cats by angling the fence outward away from the garden like this / away from the garden. I would estimate that the fence would need to be wobbly and at least 5 feet high at the peak.
Repellent Methods
Non-Chemical Repellent Systems
?  Motion sensitive sprinkler system (Can only be used during non-freezing weather and cats may become wise to it. I would love to hear from anyone who has had an opportunity to use it)
?  Cat Pad: This device shocks them when they step on it with a low voltage shock. Problem with the device is that the pads are only a few feet square in size.
?  Chemical Repellent Systems
?  Warning: Chemicals may be dangerous to you, the environment and/or your pet(s). Some of these repellents may require a pesticide license to use in your state. You should also be aware that repellents have a spotty record of working as animals only need to walk up wind or past the problem odor. Some times if the need for food is so great, the animal will tolerate the odor to avoid starving.
?  Repellents to repel cats include allyl isothiocyanate (oil of mustard), amyl acetate, anethole, capsaicin,
cinnemaldehyde, citral, citronella, citrus oil, eucalyptus oil, geranium oil, lavender oil, lemongrass oil, menthol, methyl nonyl ketone, methyl salicylate, naphthalene, nicotine, paradichlorobenzene and thymol. Oil of mustard, cinnemaldehyde and methyl nonyl ketone have worked in some instances. from Fitzwater, W. D. 1986 article in Pest Control Magazine.
Trapping Methods
Trapping: remember cats are considered private property in most states. So if you trap and remove someone's cat you can be held liable for property damages not to mention being called a cat murderer. If you want to learn how to catch cats, get my book, the Wildlife Removal Handbook. It has a chapter on trapping cats. You can also learn a lot more about controlling cats at http://icwdm.org  click on guides then on the wildlife handbook.