How to... create a garden for pets

Prima online 13.02.2007

Top tips for a pet friendly garden

White dog sitting in the garden

Tips for dogs

Introduce a paved area for your dog to sit with you. Dogs love relaxing on warm stone.
Create a sand pit for your dog to dig in to keep him out of your borders.
Avoid these plants, as they can be poisonous to dogs: laburnum, Ricinus communis, Daphne mezereum and foxgloves. All the parts of daffodils can be harmful (and even the water they stand in). Also, cocoa mulch can be dangerous if eaten.

Tips for cats

Cats can be a nuisance in neighbours' gardens if they're allowed to roam free, so try the following to keep your cat occupied in your own garden.
Create a maze of tunnels from one area of the garden to another, with pens built in the different areas for your cats to play.
You could try attaching unobtrusive netting to the top of your fences to keep your cats in or other cats out.

Keep foxes out

Fox cubs start exploring in August and September and will be attracted to toys or small items left in the garden, so don't leave them lying around.
It is thought that the smell of humans can keep foxes away. The easiest and cheapest way is to go to a barber or hairdressers and ask for a bag of hair clippings. Put big handfuls of hair into old tights and hang them around your perimeter fence. The smell should keep them out. And quite possibly rabbits too!

And in general, try pet-proof slug traps and chemical-free or organic methods of pest control.