Artificial grass can look good all year round without the maintenance that natural grass requires. But what doesn’t look so great is cat poop spoiling your view, not to mention the smell.
The best way to protect your artificial grass from cat poop is to install a motion-triggered water spray, or an ultrasonic device to scare them away for good. Cats hate certain strong smells too, such as citrus, lavender and some plants such as Coleus Canina and Cat Mint.
Do cats poop on artificial grass?
Unfortunately, cats and dogs will mess on your artificial lawn just as they do on natural grass or gravel. Fortunately, artificial grass makes poop easier to remove because cats can’t dig in their faeces, plus you can hose it down pretty easily.
Urine smells tend to linger longer on artificial grass, so it is just as important to deter cats away as it is for natural grass. If you have kids, then you will definitely want to keep the local felines away from your garden.
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How to stop cats pooping on artificial grass
There are several things you can do to stop cats peeing on your artificial grass, including using deterrents in the form of smells and planting through to more potent solutions, such as water sprays and high-pitched sounds.
Let’s have a look at the options:
Use scents to deter cats from your fake grass
Cats hate strong smells, especially citrus and lavender. Fortunately, most of the smells that cats hate, humans can easily tolerate or even like. For example, many people love the smell of lavender.
- Citrus. Cats hate anything with a citrus smell such as lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. You can use the peel or the juice. Scatter peels around the toilet areas and make up a spray of juice and water and liberally spray it around
- Citronella/lemongrass. Citronella oil comes from the leaves of the lemongrass plant. Make up a spray bottle of citronella and water and spray it around on your artificial grass.
- Lavender. Lavender grows very well here in the UK and seems to be very hardy and easy to cultivate. Use a few drops of lavender essential oil in a spray bottle.
- Pepper. Cats hate pepper. Spread crushed pepper around your garden or add it to a spray bottle.
- Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is a natural repellent for cats. You can buy it as Eucalyptus oil. Again, make up a spray bottle and use it on your artificial grass.
- Cinnamon. Cats hate the smell of cinnamon. Use it in small doses because it can be toxic to cats.
- Peppermint. Grow peppermint in your garden or use it as an essential oil. Some cats don’t like the smell of peppermint. It is actually toxic to them because it contains salicylate, a chemical also found in aspirin, so no wonder they don’t like it.
Never use essential oils neat because they can be dangerous to both humans and animals. Always dilute the essential oil in a spray bottle before you use it.
Other things to try to deter cats from your artificial grass
- Silent Roar. Cats are repelled by anything they think is bigger than them which includes lions. The pellets in Silent Roar are soaked with the essence of lion dung. It is environmentally friendly with no artificial chemicals.
- Cat repellent spray. Try this one from Amazon – Natures Mace Cat Repellent Spray or consider making your own spray. See below for directions.
Related reading:
Make your own cat repellent spray
You can buy commercial cat repellent sprays online, of course. But, why not make your own? All you need is some common household and kitchen ingredients and your cats should stop pooping on your artificial lawn.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp rosemary
- 2 tbsp lavender
- 3 cups of water
- Cheesecloth
- Orange essential oil
- ½ cup vinegar
- Spray bottle
Method:
To make the spray, start by bringing water to a boil. Add rosemary, cinnamon, and lavender, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Once done, turn off the heat, cover the solution and let it sit overnight.
The next day, strain the solution through cheesecloth to remove any large bits of debris. Add orange essential oil and vinegar, then fill the spray bottle.
Recipe from tipsbulletin.com.
Use plants
Lining your grassed area with lavender can help to deter cats. Coleus Canina and Cat Mint can also stop cats from coming near. Plant strong-smelling herbs such as rosemary and peppermint.
Cat scarers
Cat silhouettes with glowing eyes are reported to work very well to deter cats from your artificial lawns. These certainly fool our dog!
Motion-sensitive sprinkler
Cats hate water, of course. They are guaranteed to stay away from your artificial lawn when they realise water is involved!
This motion-sensitive sprinkler has an infrared sensor that triggers a water spray should any animal venture near.
Ultrasonic cat scarer
This animal pest deterrent is an easy option to install because it is solar-powered. It emits a very high-pitch sound that only animals can hear, and they should duly stay away from your artificial grass.
This worked very well for us for keeping cats away from our front-lawn!
Related reading:
Will cat poo and urine damage artificial grass?
Cat poo and urine will not damage artificial grass as with natural grass. Pee does not fade or damage it. Urine smell might linger a little longer on artificial grass, but you can get rid of the smell by hosing down your artificial lawn.
Artificial grass can’t be dug out with paws as natural grass can so there is no danger of holes appearing.
How to clean cat poop off artificial grass
As for natural grass, poo can be picked up. But what is great too is that a simple hose down will wash urine and traces of faeces away.
Here’s how to keep your artificial grass free from faeces and urine:
- Pick up poo as soon as possible.
- Hose down areas that have urine on them.
- Try to train your pets to relieve themselves in one safe area.
- If you have neighborhood cats pooping on your lawn, use the tips above to deter them away.
