Cats may make cute and playful pets but the four-legged felines can be troublesome for gardeners.

Many cats enjoy exploring the outdoors and will freely wander around gardens for a spot of exercise, some fresh air or to hunt down prey. While some folk don’t mind the occasional visit from their neighbourhood cats, for others they can become an unwelcome nuisance that they would like to keep out. Cats are considered pests for some gardeners as they often use flower beds as litter boxes and will trample through plants and damage them, which can be incredibly frustrating if you’ve worked hard to get your garden in good shape.

Cat faeces can be damaging to plants as it can introduce harmful bacteria and parasites into the soil, which can then potentially be transferred to things like fruit and vegetables if consumed, posing a possible health risk.

While you can turn to things like physical barriers, including fences and netting, to protect plants, or place cat scarers in your garden to keep cats out, there is a more natural method you can try that is much cheaper.

Cats have a strong sense of smells and so they are particularly sensitive to strong odours. They tend to dislike strong, sharp and bitter smells, so sprinkling curry powder in your flower beds can help keep them at bay.

Curry powder is made from a blend of dried, ground spices, and usually consists of cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander and black pepper, although some blends may be sweeter and contain cinnamon and cardamom. The powerful aroma of the curry powder can act as a natural deterrent as cats will generally steer clear of the strong scent.

Big Blog of Gardening explains: "Known for its spicy taste, curry can intensify the taste of some dishes but also repel felines. The spicy aroma overwhelms a cat’s senses. Sprinkle some curry powder near flower beds and potted plants to help protect them from any cats and bugs."

Animalia adds: "While spices add flavour and nutrients to our meals, cats could most definitely do without them. As with herbs, cats don’t like spices with too-strong smells. Think how overpowering strong scents must be too creatures with such powerful noses!

"At the top of a cat’s blacklist are spices like cinnamon, pepper, mustard powder, and curry powder. Some of these even include harmful compounds, so keep your cat away from spicy foods."

Of course, if you want to introduce a more permanent solution to your garden to help keep cats away, you could try planting a curry herb plant (called Helichrysum italicum) instead.

The plant releases a strong odour when it’s brushed against, which will attack a cat's sense of smell, and it also has a coarse texture which felines won’t like. But gardening experts advise using this plant sparingly in your garden as it is technically a weed so it can spread uncontrollably.

Online garden centre Primrose explains: "Cats don’t like curry. This spicy plant grows into a thick bush that releases its odour when animals brush past, offending the creatures with both its smell and coarse texture. 

"You may want to use this one sparingly, however, as it is seen as a weed by many due to the harmful effect it can have on other flowers."