I have cats and birds, but I provide lots of thick shrubs and small fruit trees, along with big shrub roses and herbs to give the birds some 'cover'. Cats like catmint, which will grow very well by squashes and melons. Along with radishes, catmint is supposed to bring in beneficial pollinators and help discourage 'bad' bugs. The kitties will probably enjoy it, too. If you don't want the cats too silly, don't break the catmint. Once the branches break, the cats can get a bit carried away and actually kill the plant. My cats also like pathways through the garden. They make them, themselves, often between the rose bushes and the herbs I have growing in front of the, to discourage the deer. Any cool, shady spot is fun for kitty, too :) Oh, and there are lists of toxic plants for cats, dogs and horses on the Internet. I'd consult that, too!

Thanks for all the suggestions! They mainly attack my plants at night, and since my apartment is small I can't really keep them out of the room when I'm not around. My plants are on a windowsill, so they get trampled when moths show up. @Photo Synthesis, that's too funny about not wanting the cords once they're dead. They're no fun once they stop fighting back lol. That's my fear about fake plants too, one of my cats just loves chewing on and eating plastic. I'd rather keep replacing plants that are beaten up and munched on than dealing with the vet bills from a stomach full of plastic. The funny thing is, I have a small balcony garden and the cats don't bother my rose or tomatoes at all. Even the little catnip and catmint garden doesn't take quite the beating any indoor plants get. I've seen the feliway sprayers that are compressed air with a motion detector, so that might have to be what I try next. I also thought about this air cannon thing called the Airzooka that got lost in a move a few years ago that scared the bejeezus out of my mom's cats. If I could find another one that might scare them off permanently. Either way, lots of good ideas to try before throwing out my succulents. Thanks again everyone!

@texasranger2, The place where the mosquitoes are the worst there none of that is present for the parts that we control but it borders three to four other properties that we have no control over. The biggest problem was that the mosquitoes were attacking the indoor dogs, one in particular, when they were outside. We started doing things to treat/repel the mosquitoes from the dog and this is going to be an additional measure. It did cross my mind about only being able to control our side of the fence/property but I hoped the plants would serve as a barrier/deterrent, which may be reasonable but one of the properties does have a lot of overgrowth and the odds are fairly high that there is standing water off our property but near where the dogs roam, so as I write this it is becoming clearer that the parts I have no control over are more of an issue than I initially thought. @ken_adrian, Interesting point about them knowing what to avoid because I have foxglove seeds and was very disappointed when I read that they are toxic. I have a few large/tall containers and am considering adding the foxglove as a companion plant but I am still looking into if and how much that will mitigate the risk. @mattp321, I will look into those two plants. @floral_uk , They are car tires. They are now covered in leaves so you really can't see what's in them. If necessary I will remove excess catnip, mint, and oregano to make space. You may be right that I will have to make the repellent. When I read about the repellent properties of catnip, I read that it was better than citronella and assumed that all that was needed was the plant but I don't know now, maybe even with citronella you have to actually use parts of the plant to make repellent.

I'm hoping to get ideas for a low-maintenance porch paint color for my porch steps and floor; comfy seating for people; and homes for 3 feral cats that have adopted me (I live in an area in which pets get dumped, unfortunately.) My porch is small: 5' w x 17' l x 8' h. I have to paint it yearly because these colors show dirt so easily. I'd love to have an inviting place for people to sit, as well as a safe place for the feral kitties. I've added some photos of a neighbor's porch that I love - but their porch is a lot bigger. Any help with colors, seating, and pet-friendly suggestions? I'm thinking of painting the porch steps and floor a dark gray - for low maintenance - but nothing about my house is gray. Thanks for your help. (And I'm hoping this isn't a double post. If so, apologize.)