Will Cats Poop on Artificial Grass?
Cats are wonderful to have around the house. Whether for their company or fun, they can be a great way to obtain companionship, play, and maintain a low-stress home environment. However, sometimes they can and will go other places besides their litter box if not properly trained.
Cats will poop on artificial grass, especially if it’s an outdoor unit. Cats are naturally curious and will poop on your artificial lawn from time to time. As independent creatures of instinct, cats may attempt to dig the installation to hide the poop, but this damages synthetic grass.
Read on to understand why cats poop on artificial grass and ways to stop these pets from messing with your artificial grass.
Is Artificial Grass Safe for Cats?
Artificial grass is becoming incredibly popular in most homes. Whether installed on the balcony as your cat’s designated indoors play-zone or an outdoor unit to add to the aesthetic value of your home, artificial grass is a great low-maintenance way of ensuring an ever-green and neat lawn.
Often, pet owners make these installations for their cats to vary their play environment while indoors.
Artificial grass is safe for cats. For indoor cats, artificial grass is a great way to vary the experiential and textual feel of the house floors. Their natural curiosity will have them occasionally roll over or lay on the synthetic grass while basking in the sun.
However, cat parents have concerns regarding the high heat absorption that characterizes artificial grass, unsuitable for cats laying around. Currently, there are artificial grass fiber innovations that help cool the surface lower than most other surfaces.
In certain instances, the cats may attempt biting on the artificial grass, but this isn’t harmful to these pets as artificial grass doesn’t contain toxic materials.
However, artificial grass may be susceptible to occasional damage, whether by playful kittens or when the cat’s stretching and pawning. In addition, cats may poop on the synthetic grass, assuming it’s the same as the outdoor natural grass.
In these instances, cats, being clean creatures, will attempt to dig into the grass to cover the poop, which can cause unintentional damage to your artificial grass.
Also, cat wastes may linger on the grass, resulting in a pungent smell on the artificial lawns or indoor balcony synthetic grass unit.
Waste removal and cleaning are never enough of an action step. Because cats rely on smell to identify their poop-designated areas, there’s a high chance that even if pet owners clean the spot, the cats will repeat this behavior in the same spot later.
Overall, most artificial grass products in the market today are safe for pet cats.
Reasons Cats Poop on Artificial Grass
Having cats introduces risk factors for occasional pooping or urination and damages on the synthetic grass. Pet waste is a common challenge for artificial lawn owners, creating a dilemma for such pet owners.
Usually, cat parents are torn between doing away with their pets or the artificial grass. In most cases, they compromise and choose to live with both.
There are numerous reasons why pet cats will poop on your artificial grass. If the owner leaves the cat locked up in the house for an entire day without an exit, the cat will likely poop on your artificial grass.
Additionally, if the cat isn’t well-trained about using the litter box, it’ll most certainly poop on the artificial grass.
Most times, when the weather is too rainy, cats being mostly hydrophobic could, instinctively, result in pooping on your indoor artificial grass. Because of the fine resemblance of natural and synthetic grass, cats may confuse the two, accidentally pooping on the synthetic grass.
Interestingly, cats rely on their strong sense of smell to determine where they will poop.
When they poop on the artificial grass, there’s a high likelihood of repeat behavior even after proper cleaning. Therefore, cat parents may have to brace themselves for occasional repeat habits from their pet cats.
How To Stop Cats From This Behavior
There are various methods, including mechanical and chemical ways, of intervention to prevent cats from pooping on your artificial grass.
For most people, some of these techniques may appear harsh. However, if you just incurred huge costs for outdoor grass installation, they’re a necessary means to protect your property/ investment.
Let’s take a look at these techniques.
Deploy Ultrasonic Cat Repellers
This is a great mechanical technique that helps keep pet cats away from your outdoor synthetic lawns. This installation is a cat deterrent method that detects cat motion on the grass, making ultrasonic sounds and flickering lights.
The technique scares cats running on synthetic lawns looking to relieve themselves. It’s most effective as it creates a behavioral pattern-breaking old habit based on the reward-punishment model.
Cat Mace
This is a chemical method of cat deterrence from pooping on artificial grass.
It involves purchasing cat mace products and spraying the lawn with these chemicals usually scented with strong odors that cats don’t like. However, this method involves continuous practice as you’ll have to spray the artificial grass with cat mace.
Also, depending on the weather conditions, rain, heat, or snowfall, it may require a more frequent application to keep cats off your artificial lawns.
This is an effective chemical method of keeping cats off your artificial grass.
Pet Correctors
These are more mechanical means of scaring cats off your artificial grass installations.
The pet corrector has a canister, and pressing the top button releases a loud high pitch noise that scares the cat away. However, it involves in-person presence to work. In the long run, however, it might be rewarding as it may instill desirable pet habits, training the cat to avoid pooping on the artificial grass.
However, its effectiveness in training the more independent-minded cats could pose a challenge. This aspect makes the sole method of in-person activation inevitable, making the method effective but cumbersome.
Scat Mats
This technique involves installing scat mats around the section with artificial grass, meant to deter cat access to the grass to mitigate against pooping.
Laying the scat mats prevents the small-stride cats from accessing the synthetic grass, as they can’t walk on past the scat mat.
Though the initial expense to install scat mats is high, depending on the size of the artificial lawn, it’s an effective technique to stop cats from pooping on your artificial grass.
Final Thoughts
Artificial grass offers a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass that’s more costly and demanding to set up.
Cats can inadvertently poop on your artificial grass. However, there are several effective methods to prevent cats from messing on your artificial grass, enabling you to enjoy the full utility of your property.
Sources
- A Home for Pets: How To Stop Cats Pooping On Artificial Grass Quickly And Easily!
- Appliance Abode: How To Stop Cats Pooping On Artificial Grass With Ease!
- Improved Yard: Is Artificial Grass Safe for Cats?
- Neograss: Artificial Grass & Cats – All Your Questions Answered
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