I have noticed there are advantages and disadvantages of having a (house) cat spending time in the garden/yard.

Pros:

• A cat keeps squirrels out of the yard (entertainment for the cat). This seems to keep tomato gardeners happy
• Cat will eat a few cicadas and a few moths (entertainment for the cat)
• Keeps birds away from berry plants (entertainment for the cat)
• A more feral cat might be able to hunt mice/rats

Cons:

• Birds eat garden pests (beetles, moths, caterpillars, etc). With a cat present, the pest population can develop because birds can’t get to their bug meals
• Cats can get stung by wasps/bees that are trying to do their pest-hunting / pollenation activities, if the cat goes to play with what it perceives to be a “small flying toy”, which can cause the cat to suffer (if bee sting, bee dies). My cat got stung once and his face got red and irritated.

I think it is better for the garden to have birds around than not. Squirrels might eat tomatoes if there isn’t a good source of nuts around or a source of water, but I don’t see squirrels as pests (yet).

Overall, I don’t see any systemic benefits to the yard with a cat around. Of course, a yard is a wonderful stimulating experience for a cat and a great place for a cat to be, as opposed to having the cat stuck indoors for its lifetime. I think cats should spend most of their time outdoors, and I will certainly make sure my cat gets quality of life out there.

Pros and cons of a cat in the garden by mehron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International