Several Humane Techniques Available to Keep Cats From Digging in Gardens

The reason why cats dig up soil is possibly because the texture of the soil lends itself so well to covering up stool.

To stop this behaviour, you can try several things. You can try covering the area with bark chips, decorative stones, plastic sheeting, or some of the various materials commonly used to retard weed growth. Cats tend not to like the consistency of these materials because they cannot paw at them. Another technique is to bury chicken wire under a thin layer of soil.

If you have the patience and time, you can have a water hose handy for those times when you actually catch any neighbourhood pets in your garden. Spraying them with water while they are "in the act" generally tends to deter future visits. You can even try placing mousetraps upside-down in the affected areas. When a cat trespasses, the traps will spring harmlessly while frightening the cat away at the same time.

Placing mothballs or other toxic substances around the garden is not a good idea as these substances can be dangerous for children, plants and other living things. For repeat offenders, you may have to resort to a humane trap to capture them and return them to their owner or the animal shelter.