Cat-Safe Weed Killers?

AaronKI

The weeds in the grass at our new house are becoming an incredible nuisance, but we've held off spraying them with Roundup for the sake of the cat that came with the property (previous owners didn't want to/couldn't want to take her with them). She's a purely outdoor cat and periodically eats/chews on grass around the back patio and deck where the weed problem is the worst. We've tried a few cat-safe home remedies suggested by friends, family, and the internet but they didn't seem to phase the weeds. Are there any commercial products out there that won't poison her if she accidentally ingests it?

Obligatory cat photos:

mts

AaronKI

Haha. We're on the wrong kind of farm for that, unfortunately.

mts

its really not the time to do anything about weeds.
if its crabgrass you would need to hit it with a pre-emergent once temps drop and then reseed with the good stuff a week or so after.

conversely, we get our lawn treated and once its dry for a couple of hours its safe for animals and people.

zilo

Yeah, if you can kennel the cat for awhile your options open up a lot. Talk to your local nursery and see what they recommend.

MetroidZoid

I've seen some organic weed sprays that are primarily citric acid based, so it's not going to poison your cat by being on the leafs. I can't vouch for how good a herbicide it is, but the citrus should be enough of a taste deterrent to keep your pets safe. Also, if it's leaves on sidewalks and not-wooden porches and such, you can torch them or use boiling water as well.

SwashbucklerXX

MetroidZoid wrote:

I've seen some organic weed sprays that are primarily citric acid based, so it's not going to poison your cat by being on the leafs. I can't vouch for how good a herbicide it is, but the citrus should be enough of a taste deterrent to keep your pets safe.

In fact, cats hate citric acid, so kitty isn't likely to even get close enough to take a taste.

AaronKI

mts wrote:

its really not the time to do anything about weeds.
if its crabgrass you would need to hit it with a pre-emergent once temps drop and then reseed with the good stuff a week or so after.

conversely, we get our lawn treated and once its dry for a couple of hours its safe for animals and people.

The dry-for-a-few-hours leaves are safe even if the cat nibbles on them?

I'll look into the citric acid sprays. Even if they don't end up working too well, maybe we can use them as a barrier to keep the cat away from the sprayed areas for a few hours.