Cats are naturally curious creatures, and they might find your porch to be a perfect napping spot.
This unwanted trespassing can cause you inconvenience. But there are several humane and effective ways to keep feline visitors off your yard without harming them.
Read through this article to learn how to keep cats away from your porch.
Why Do Cats Get Attracted To Porches? How To Keep Cats Away?
There are several reasons why cats love your foyer. Here are some of the common reasons discussed.
1. Shelter and Comfort
Cats love cozy places. So, they love your porch for shade, warmth, and comfort.
The cozy and private ambiance of the place can make them feel safe and secure.
A shady spot can be a great place for cats to relax during heavy rainfall or scorching summer days.
2. Curiosity
Cats, by nature, are curious creatures. They can be drawn to your porches to gather new experiences.
They often provide a great protected corner from which cats can survey their territory.
They enjoy watching the wild from a safe distance like birds, squirrels to satisfy their predatory instincts.
The outdoors offers a variety of sounds, scents, and textures that cats cherish. This enrichment keeps them mentally stimulated and content.
If your home is noisy or has various kinds of pets, porches can be a good place for cats to escape from the hustle and bustle inside.
3. Maintaining Body Temperature
Cats love to take sunbathe. This helps them maintain their body temperature.
Conversely, they can shelter in your yard or garden if they need to lower their body temperature. This natural behavior effectively maintains their body temperature within an optimal range, ensuring their comfort and well-being.
4. Social Interaction
Cats might enjoy watching or engaging with humans and other creatures while maintaining a comfortable distance.
This behavior allows them to satisfy their curiosity and social instincts in a controlled and secure environment, which can be particularly important for more timid or reserved cats.
By observing the wildlife from a safe distance, they can assess situations and then act accordingly.
Porches provide them with a perfect spot to do that in a controlled outdoor environment. This satisfies their instincts and needs. They enjoy the comforts of the indoors from your yard and can indulge in the pleasures of the outside world at the same time.
5. Hunting Options
Your porch can appear to the cats as a perfect hunting ground as many birds, rodents, and other insects can be around.
The presence of these small creatures can make the area ideal for feline predators to fulfill their natural hunting instincts.
Here, they are free and safe to exercise their predatory skills, making the area an exciting, adventurous spot for them.
6. Litter Box
Outdoor cats often look for loose soil or potted plants to relieve themselves. If you have planted some of them on your porches, they can attract cats.
They look for soft, diggable material for their bathroom needs, similar to the texture of the litter box.
As a result, garden beds and houseplant containers can inadvertently become attractive toilet sites for these feline explorers. To prevent this, cat owners might need to protect these areas or provide alternative designated spots for their cats.
How To Keep Cats Away From Porches?
To keep the felines away from your comfort zone, here are some practical measures you can take.
1. Remove Trash Cans and Bird Feeders To Keep Cats Out Of Your Yard
Make sure to close the lids of the garbage bins in the area to prevent cats from tipping them over, as these food sources can be a point of attraction to them.
If you have bird feeders, relocate them to a safe distance that are not easily accessible, as they can attract the neighborhood cats.
To deter small animals from your living spaces, you can remove or modify the spot that attracts them, such as piles of debris.
Implementing these measures can help keep the area clean and less inviting for the cats and other small animals looking for food or shelter.
2. Restrict Access To Keep Stray Cats Away
Close garage doors and any open space beneath the porch, as these can invite the cats to hide. Also, ensure you do not leave trash cans or food crumbs in the area.
These measures should help keep away the furry visitors from hiding or seeking shelter in these spaces.
3. Use Unpleasant Scents As Cat Repellents
Cats dislike strong smells.
You can use citrus peels to deter them. Scatter citrus peels from lemons, oranges, and grapefruits around your garden to keep the feline members away from the yard. You can use these scents that cats dislike as a natural repellent.
Additionally, you can use coffee grounds and cayenne peppers, which can also discourage the cats from intruding.
You can also combine them with citrus peels for a repellent effect. While these methods are generally safe, you should be careful to ensure they do not harm the cats or the environment. You may need to reapply the peels or spray every few days, as the aroma can fade out with time.
Home remedies are far safer than using chemicals to deter animals.
4. Plant Deterrents To Keep Felines Away From Your Yard
Planting certain herbs can effectively discourage cats from entering your premises due to their strong scents. This can be a natural way to deter them away. Here are some plants that you can keep in the area. They will decorate the place and keep the cats away.
Lavender — Cats dislike the smell of lavender. So, plant some in the area you want to restrict for cats.
Rosemary – This herb has a potent scent and is also prickly. This can be uncomfortable for cats to walk through.
Rue—Rue is another plant that repels cats, so you can choose to plant some around the place.
Lemon Thyme – Cats dislike citrus flavors and smells. So, lemon thyme can be a good option to deter the felines. Planting some can help you keep them away.
Curry Plant – Curry plant has an intense smell that can appear overwhelming to the cats’ sensitive noses.
You can also plant some herbs around the area you want to protect, like chives, oregano, and tarragon, as these are known to keep the cats at bay. However, make sure they do not ingest them, as that can be harmful. Therefore, choosing the right plants and placing them strategically around the area is crucial to keeping the cats at bay.
5. Scat Mats To Repel Cats
Cat mats, available in various types and textures, can be a popular and effective way to deter cats. You can keep them at the entrance.
Plastic Scat Mats have prickly plastic spikes that provide an unpleasant texture to discourage cats from sitting or scratching.
Some scat mats can be cut to size to fit various spaces, making them versatile for use in gardens, on couches, or countertops.
6. Chicken Wire
You can also lay chicken wire below the soil surface at the entrances. This is a practical method of preventing feral cats from entering, and you can also use chicken wire as a fence to deter cats from the areas you want.
Cats dislike the texture of chicken wire. The wires give them an unpleasant feel, which deters them from visiting the area further.
This can be a humane way to deter them. It’s designed to bend and twist under pressure so that it won’t harm their paws, making it a humane option for deterring cats from jumping or climbing certain areas.
To install the chicken wire, you can lay it flat at the porch entrance. Then, cover it lightly with soil, ensuring the wire is close enough to the surface to prevent cats from digging.
Chicken wire will not harm the plants, either. They can still grow through the openings in the chicken wire, so it doesn’t interfere with the health or aesthetics of your flower beds.
- Motion-Activated Sprinklers
Motion-activated sprinklers are a popular and effective method to deter cats and other animals from entering your garden.
These sprinklers have sensors that can detect motion.
When they detect any movement near them, they get activated and starts releasing bursts of water.
This sudden water spray can surprise the cats and harmlessly deter them.
The motion-activated sprinklers have settings to adjust the sensitivity and range of the motion sensors. So, you can make adjustments as per your needs.
You can also adjust the strength of the water force.
Using motion-activated sprinklers, you can protect your plants from cats or other creatures entering the premises.
Since the sprinklers only activate when they detect movement, they are also water-efficient. This intelligent solution protects your plants while being environmentally conscious.
8. Ultrasonic Repellent
the ultrasonic repellents are designed to emit high-frequency sounds that can be unpleasant to cats. At the same time, they are audible to humans.
You can easily know when the intruders are visiting your comfort zone and can take further measures.
9. Provide Alternatives And Humane Ways to Keep Felines Away
If you have pet cats, you can create a cat-friendly zone in your yard.
Choose a quiet corner of your yard to set up a cat-friendly zone.
You can install a scratching post or catio furniture to provide a designated spot for cats to maintain their claws and fulfill their basic climbing instincts.
Ensure there is shelter and water for a safe and cozy place for cats to rest.
Closing Thoughts
So, there you have it! Using a combination of the methods stated in the article, you can effectively keep cats off your porch while respecting their well-being.
With a little patience and these tips, you can reclaim your cozy area and create a peaceful space.
