They’re adorable as kittens and can be irresistibly affectionate, but cats are also notorious for their proclivity to misbehave, especially strays that know no boundaries. They’ll eat what they want, sleep where they want, kill what they want, and relieve themselves where they want, including your home garden. If you’ve ever owned an indoor cat, you probably didn’t have to train them to use a litter box. That’s because cats cover their waste with dirt, sand, or soil by instinct, so yes, those feral felines could convert your front yard garden into their own personal litter box. Some cats are even known to lie on plants or eat them.
The good news is, using eggshells in your garden can prevent cats from destroying it, and you don’t have to spend a dime on any special repellent products. All you need to do is break the shells down in pieces small enough to be scattered across your garden, but not too small. Depending on how large your garden is, you may need to use several eggshells.
How do eggshells deter cats?
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♬ original sound – JoDee Martin
It’s easy to hear the “walking on eggshells” idiom and imagine a person gingerly walking across the floor. Of course, walking barefoot on those sharp edges can be pretty uncomfortable, especially if one of them punctures your skin. Well, cats feel the same way about their own bare paws, so eggshells can easily deter them after just one step.
There are many surfaces that cats dislike, including aluminum foil, sticky surfaces, and rough surfaces — like eggshells — that may poke their paw pads. Cats prefer a soft, granular substance to cover their waste with, but they likely won’t want to dig up those eggshells to expose the soft soil. It would be much easier for them to simply find another area to relieve themselves. Another thing to keep in mind is that you just might be doing the cat a favor by preventing them from prancing through your garden; there are many plants that are poisonous to cats, according to the ASPCA. These include azaleas, tulips, lilies, and daffodils, so if you have any of these in your garden, eggshells can keep the kitties away for their own safety.
