WGME interviews Hargest about keeping cats out of gardens
WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) interviewed Pamela Hargest, a horticulture professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for a report on keeping cats out of gardens. Cats sometimes like to join their owners in the garden, but can damage gardens if left to their own devices. “If you have a vegetable garden, you do not want any domesticated animals in there,” said Hargest. “If you find any dead animals, any kind of mice hanging out laying somewhere, or if you see an area that’s been dug. Usually when cats do go to the bathroom they’ll cover their feces so if it looks like the soil has been disturbed in some way then that’s another sign.” She recommends wearing gloves while working in the garden and washing hands afterward to prevent transmission of parasites and pathogens. To prevent cats from disturbing the garden, bird feeders, catnip or catmint can be placed in other areas away from the garden as a distraction, or the cat can be kept indoors while gardening.