We have a dog now, but we used to have three cats, including a very big ginger tom. I found that a major benefit of having cats was that other felines in the neighbourhood tended not to come near our house. This was great for us because it meant we didn’t have cats pooping on our gravel driveway and lawn.
Now we have a dog, the cats are back. All the local moggies know that my dog is incapable of catching them! So we have a cat poop problem. It’s smelly, and it means we always have to look where we tread.
A lot of us have gravel driveways. Unfortunately, gravel can be a magnet for cats because they think it is one huge litter tray. They love to dig into it and bury their gifts ready for you to step on. The smell of cat poop is disgusting too. Who wants that wafting through their windows?
As you will read in this post, we have tried a few things to stop the poop, some of which have not worked and some we will be trying next.
How you tackle the problem of cats pooping on your gravel depends on your budget. At the high end, simply replace your gravel with pointy large stones and cats will hate to walk on it. Cats are repelled by water. A motion-sensitive water soaker is a perfect deterrent. For a simple but budget-friendly solution, put down some smelly citrus or lavender oil. You could also try cat silhouettes with scary eyes.
Heads up: I sometimes use affiliate links. When you click these links and make a purchase, I may get a small commission. It won't cost you anything but it helps me to run this site.
How to stop cats pooping on a gravel driveway
There are lots of things you can try to prevent cats from pooping on your gravel driveway. Some are more subtle than others. It depends on how bad your problem is. If you only have the odd poop, try using plants to make your garden less appealing and accessible. If your problem is quite bad, you might need a stronger deterrent, such as a water spray or even changing the type of gravel.
Let’s have a look at what will stop cats pooping on gravel.
Plants
Lavender. There are several types of plants that cats don’t like. Lavender is one. I’ve noticed a lot of driveways in our neighbourhood lined with lavender bushes. They look very attractive and smell gorgeous as you walk past.
You can make your garden less accessible to cats by surrounding your gravelled area with thorny bushes. If a cat has to make too much effort to get in, they will go elsewhere to relieve themselves.
Catnip. Cats are attracted rather than repelled by catnip, but the effect can make them go elsewhere to poop.
Related reading:
- What Smells Deter Cats From Pooping?
- How To Stop Your Neighbor’s Cat Peeing On Your Front Door
- How To Remove Leaves From Gravel
Cat scarers
Some folks have said that these simple and decorative cat silhouettes work brilliantly. I’ve seen these in other people’s gardens, and they certainly fool our dog. Hopefully, they scare cats away too!
We are going to try these next. Halloween is coming up, They will be the perfect garden ornament.
Get a cat
When we had three cats living with us, other cats wouldn’t come anywhere near us. Cats, of course, are very territorial. They will defend your garden as if it were theirs (which really it is of course).
I also find that my cats much prefer to poop elsewhere. I don’t know if that is normal, but when we had cats, we didn’t have a poop issue.
Get a dog (doesn’t work)
Some folks advise that getting a dog is the answer. I can say with confidence that this does not work. Our dog gets very wound up when cats arrive in our garden, and they know that our dog can’t catch them!
Install a motion-sensitive sprinkler
Cats hate water. They are guaranteed to stay away from your driveway when they realise water is involved!
This motion-sensitive sprinkler has an infrared sensor that triggers a water spray should any animal venture near.
Depending on the size of the area, you might need to purchase more than one.
A cheaper alternative could be a device that emits a high-frequency sound that only animals can hear. We tried one, and sadly it was a waste of money because we still have cats pooping in front of it! We found that it could be heard by our teenage boys, and they kept complaining about the high-pitched sound.
If it works for your local cats, then this animal pest deterrent is an easy option to install because it is solar-powered.
Add in some sharper gravel
You could change your gravel completely to something less inviting for cats, but if you don’t want to do that try adding in some extra sharp stones. The local felines won’t want to walk on anything pointy so will most likely go elsewhere for the toilet.
Install chicken wire or spikes
Covering your gravelled area with chicken wire or something spiky will ensure that cats can’t dig into it to bury their faeces.
Cats like their comfort and have sensitive paws. They won’t want to go anywhere near your gravel driveway if there is something prickly in their path.
The downside, of course, is that it won’t be nice for humans to walk on either, so you can only do this if the area is not in use.
Cat deterrents
Essential oils
There are several essential oils that some cats don’t like. Those include citrus-based oils such as lemon, orange and citronella. They also often don’t like lavender.
To use essential oils, make up a spray bottle of water mixed with the oil.
Never use the essential oils neat because it is poisonous to cats and not safe for humans either.
Natural repellent spray
This natural repellent spray has a peppermint scent, so it won’t make your driveway stink. There are no harsh chemicals which make it kind to wildlife. Simply spray the areas you want cats to avoid.
If you prefer to make your own cat repellent. Here’s one I love.
Not only does it smell great, but it also keeps even the most persistent cats away from your garden, plus it won’t harm your plants.
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.
Vinegar spray
Cats hate the strong smell of vinegar. Take a bottle of vinegar spray and spray it around your gravel. Vinegar is acidic, so you will have the added bonus of killing your weeds too. Don’t spray the vinegar on any vegetation you want to keep.
Replace the gravel
If whatever you try, you just can’t stop cats from pooping on your gravel driveway, a last-ditch attempt would be to replace the driveway with a different type of gravel, or even a different surface altogether.
If you’re thinking of replacing your gravel with artificial grass, think again because cats like to poo on that just as much.
Is there such a thing as anti-cat gravel?
To deter cats from pooping on your gravel, choose large stones of 20mm and above. If you will be walking on your gravel, don’t go higher than 20mm. The shape of the stones is important too. Go for sharp stones rather than round, so that cats find them uncomfortable to walk on them.
Related reading:
Frequently asked questions
Will gravel stop cats pooping?
Gravel will not stop cats pooping because they see it as one big litter tray! If you want to stop cats pooping on your gravel, choose sharp stones or large stones of at least 20 mm in diameter. This will make the gravel uncomfortable for cats to walk on and will make it difficult for them to dig up.
