Cats in the Garden…

Written By Amber Barone

Are cats wreaking havoc in your garden?

Very few things annoy me more than weeding along in the garden only to find a fresh pile of cat poo. Yuck! It would be one thing if it was my cat doing his business there, but I don’t even own a cat! Which begs the question, why are dog owners required to leash walk and pick up their dog’s poo, while cats get to roam free? I’m just saying, rules for one should apply to all. Perhaps a topic for another day.

I honestly love both cats and dogs but cats arguably have more hazard potential for humans. Aside from the threat of toxoplasmosis, finding a pile of fresh cat poo in your garden is just gross, not to mention super smelly and disgusting. What’s even grosser is that my dog, given the smallest window of opportunity will eat it! Winston (pictured below) who apparently lives by the motto “the smellier the better” devours this disgusting pile of cat poo like it’s a form of “kitty” Roca, Ewww!!! I know, it’s a terrible cycle that I couldn’t wait to break.

For all those who might be in the same boat with neighborhood cats mistaking your nice backyard garden bed with their new luxury sized litter box.

Here’s 3 ways you can try to keep cats outs and veggies/soil safe and healthy.

1)Ammonia- Cat’s and dog’s both hate the smell of ammonia and will avoid entry with this on the perimeter. Put on some gloves and fill a small jar (jelly jar, baby food jar, supplement bottle…) about 1/2 full with ammonia and dig a hole so the jar is below ground and the rim is level with top of the soil. Caution: Wear gloves, don’t breathe directly-straight ammonia in undiluted form like this is not safe for kids in any amount so use your best judgment if you have little ones around.

Side note: In a pinch, 2 tsp of Ammonia can be diluted in 1 gallon of water and used as fertilizer. In this diluted form is safe for children, pets the environment and plants.

2)Back Pepper- Yep, spice that soil up ! Black pepper won’t hurt cats but it will irritate their paw pads just enough so they’ll move along. With any luck, before dropping a deuce.

3)Marigolds- These blooms attract pollinators, detour common garden pests and cats all in one. It’s apparently in the odor that repels cats.

Cats I love you but this ain’t your litter box~

“Yeah, maybe I did eat it, whats the problem?” Winston, 2023



Amber Barone

Amber is a Holistic RN and Functional Medicine Practitioner who supports whole body integrative health and uses primarily diet changes, whole foods, herbs along with lifestyle tools and supplements to help clients restore balance and align with their highest sense of well being.

Amber started her nursing career in the clinic setting where she built a solid understanding of disease progression and contributing factors along with pathophysiology, biochemistry, psychological and trauma aspects. From there she became a travel nurse, working in various settings including cardiac rehab, med surg, psych, long term care, ICU’s and ER’s. These ever changing environments satisfied her ferocious appetite to learn and grow through challenging and inspiring case loads in diverse settings. It was through all of this that she realized her true passion and where she could serve at her highest capacity was working with patients on how to prevent and reverse chronic disease.

As a functional medicine, holistic RN Amber strives to bring in the best evidence based tools and resources from both conventional and alternative schools of thought. She is dedicated to continuing her learning to stay up to speed with the latest research and trends and has built her practice around educating and empowering patients to be proactive with their health.

Most patients come to Amber through a referral network of practitioners in various medical and alternative settings including MD’s, FNP’s, Acupuncturists, Dentists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists and Yoga Teachers… who wish to support their patients in this way but don’t have the time, education or resources to do this effectively.

The functional medicine addition to client care seems to be the missing piece of a true wellness model. It becomes a collaborative movement too, working together to promote wellness in our respective communities. It expedites healing through deep understanding and promotes life long transformation. Win! Win!

Functional medicine is a deep dive into root cause correlations contributing to one’s current state, it views each patient as unique and in so doing, more fully supports patients on their road to wellness by nourishing unique pathways effecting body systems, organs and glands. Much like regenerative farming and soil health, our bodies are designed to be resilient they just need the right inputs and tools to mitigate cumulative stress, toxins and burdens of our time. Feeling empowered with your health starts here.

EDUCATION / TRAINING

BS Nursing Montana State University-Registered Nurse

BA Psychology and Sociology University of Montana

Equine Veterinarian Technician-Penn Foster

Clinicians Mastermind Circle a one-year Functional Medicine Intensive

Functional Nutrition Alliance 10-month Full Body Systems Immersion

Yoga Motion 240 hour RYS teacher training

http://www.bar1wellness.com
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