Cat using corner on my property as toilet. How to react?

Hello permies.

at least 1 of 4 cats started using a south-west facing corner as a cat toilet.
The soil years probably decades old leaves of Chamaecyparis.
In this first year i grow sunchockes there, which loved the spot: +3 Meters

I noticed the smell, so they dont cover properly.
I tried to stop them from using it, but it didn't work.

So now my permaculture question:
What can i plant, what would make sense to
cover the smell
maybe give hiding space
give litter to cover
can use the high nitrogen amounts
...

Also: How do i encourge them to use this spot and not any other in my garden?

This reminds me of the Bill Mollison quote - “You don’t have a slug problem, you have a duck deficiency”, so maybe you have a dog deficiency problem!

Do you have the option to create an outdoor cat litter elsewhere on your property, some where secluded? Maybe add some of the deposits from your bed to the new location? This worked when I was training my dog to use a patch of bark chippings as a garden toilet. My father-in-law uses loose dry birch twigs over his seedlings, effectively blocking the soil from cat access but not blocking out light, air or water for the plants.

Here are some plants that cats may not like:

Rue
Lavender
Pennyroyal
Lemon thyme
Absinthe
Geranium

Also, water the area to get rid of the cat pee smell, spread some lemon or orange peels, and put out pans full of vinegar.

I have never had this problem so I can't say that any of these will work.

Your cats? Or somebody else's?

Yes i realize i missed that detail Sorry.
They are my cats. so i dont want to deter them from the corner, since my garden is very small and this i unproductive, uattractive area.

I could use an outdoor litter system but i would have to get a roof over it.

Also: How do i encourge them to use this spot and not any other in my garden?

Plant catnip.

Sorry, it never dawned on me that they were your cats.

Sorry, it never dawned on me that they were your cats.

Likewise - so dog deficiency solution wouldn’t be appropriate.

If they are males, and not neutered, good luck -- they will spray where they like in order to mark their property.  

My fella is an indoor cat but I let him enjoy the yard outside only when I am out there.  He prefers to pee outside and I prefer him to do that also since that makes less work for me cleaning the box.  He is neutered so I don't have the spraying issue.  He prefers to dig in the bare dirt, even for his pee.  He doesn't like to dig in bark or wood mulch and he straight up will not dig at all in straw mulch.   So, I have reserved one of my smaller rectangular beds for him, and planted catnip around the edges, leaving the middle as bare dirt.   It does smell, but watering the patch helps.  I take him to the patch right when we go out, put him in it, and move his front legs in digging motions in the earth.  He usually gets the idea and does his business first thing.    But, he won't poo outside. Probably everything is a bit too distracting for him to be in the right mental headspace.   So I still have that to deal with.  Odd cat.

Maybe try a similar sort of "spot" training for yours?  Of course, if they are outside all the time unsupervised, that probably wouldn't work.

Keep the soil dry and bare and pick up the droppings when it gets to dirty and they will keep using it.

Maybe collect dry leaves this fall and store them in a container and keep adding them to the dirt to balance the nitrogen? Once every week or two would likely be often enough. Too much nitrogen and moisture tends to increase smells in my animal shelters. I can't add too many leaves or they will pack down an go anaerobic, so you do have to observe what's happening and adjust for quantity.

I agree with Anne about the catnip. However in a ring further out, consider planting comfrey to soak up the nitrogen. The comfrey can be chopped either for compost or dropping as mulch elsewhere in the garden.

# 1 method Holly. The prickly tree (weed?). Get twigs & branches, leave the leaves attached. Put thickly where they are using and beyond. It stays a pretty green, drys a pleasant tan and makes little kitty hind ends stay up high, unable to deposit. Be sure to leave the leaves attached. #2 method Stick many many upright sticks/chopsticks/even yucky glik plastic forks with points up. Make it too uncomfortable for them to squat.