A Cat-Safe Garden: Where to Start

For a cat, a garden means hunting, smells and sunshine. But it also holds poisonous flower beds, chemicals and the road beyond the fence. The good news is that most of the risks can be dealt with in a single weekend, and then kept under control along with your usual garden chores.

Step one: make a list of your plants

Walk around your yard with your phone and write down everything that grows there, including the shrubs by the fence and the weeds along the property line. Check the names in the plant guide. Even very familiar plants can be dangerous.

First of all, remove the deadly ones:

• lilies and daylilies;
• lily of the valley;
• foxglove, aconite and autumn crocus;
• rhododendrons and azaleas;
• yew and castor bean.

Removing everything toxic is usually neither possible nor necessary. Most cats ignore hydrangea or iris, but they are drawn to grasses and young leaves. Watch how your own cat behaves. But plants from the "Deadly" section are always removed from the yard, and with lilies even pollen on the coat is enough.

Step two: set up cat spots

A cat is less likely to get into flower beds if it has favorite spots of its own. It is best to set them up in advance.

• A sunny shelf, an old crate or a wide board up high, with a view over the yard.
• Shelter from heat and rain: an awning, a dense shrub without thorns.
• A patch of loose soil or sand away from the vegetable beds.
• Plant cat grass and lemon balm. Offer catnip in moderation: eaten in large amounts, it causes an upset stomach.

Step three: water and containers

Cover rain barrels with a lid: a cat can fall in and be unable to get out. A pond should have a gently sloping exit, otherwise an animal can drown even if it knows how to swim. Empty saucers of standing water and containers used for mixing fertilizer right away.

Step four: tools and sheds

• Lock away everything that has been in contact with chemicals. For more on what is especially dangerous, see the article on garden chemicals.
• Before closing a shed, greenhouse or garage, check that your cat is not inside. A closed greenhouse can quickly overheat in summer.
• Bird netting and fishing line are dangerous: a cat can get tangled and injure its paws. Take down old netting and store it rolled up.
• Mowers and string trimmers injure animals sleeping in tall grass. Walk around the yard before you start.

Step five: the property boundary

Only fencing can fully protect a cat from the road and other people's dogs. There are different options: an inward-angled fence top, an enclosure against the wall of the house, a covered walkway run. The simplest and most reliable idea is a mesh enclosure with access from the house, fitted with shelves, a bed and grass.