Planning the Garden

The more creative you are with your garden, the more time your cat will spend there, rather than roaming.

Elevated structures provide areas in which to soak up the sun, while wooden posts are ideal for overseeing territory as well as to use as scratching posts.

Shrubs create cool shade in the heat, and grassy or large-leaved plants make a natural jungle. Instead of bird feeders, include flowering plants that attract butterflies, such as buddleia (Buddleja davidii).

Keep planting dense all year to avoid bare soil which is attractive for toileting. If your cat still digs, lay chicken wire, plastic mesh, or gravel between plants.

Rather than leaving the toileting decisions wholly to your cat, provide a toilet area exactly where you want it, preferably camouflaged, in a place where toddlers have no access but is easy for you to reach for routine cleaning.

Dig a small sandpit and scent it with litter from your cats own indoor litter tray. Regularly sift the site, and bury, dry and burn, or flush the feces; do not put them on a compost heap