Many natural cat repellents are suggested on the internet. However, not all of them keep the safety of cats in mind. Some proposed solutions can cause injuries and other dangers.
Here are several ways to stop stray cats from trespassing in your garden without harming them:
Cat Repellent #1: Banana Peels
Cats have a superb sense of smell as their noses have about 45–200 million odour-sensitive cells. Cat owners can use this to their advantage in keeping felines away from their gardens.
One of the scents cats find repulsive is the ethyl acetate produced by the banana peel’s outer layer. It is a naturally occurring compound during the fruit’s ripening process.
The human nose can easily miss its acetone-like scent. But the powerful sniffers of cats are highly sensitive to this smell. Ethyl acetate generally emits a sweet and musky odour. To felines, the smell would be similar to that of rotten fruit.
Apart from bananas, there are also other alternatives like:
- Plantains
- Cantaloupe
- Tomatoes
- Pears
- Nectarines
The peels of these fruits contain ethyl acetate too. They are good additions to your artillery of natural garden cat deterrents aside from banana peels.
You may also like: Can Cats Eat Bananas? Is It a Safe Treat?
Cat Repellent #2: Citrus Fruits
What smells will keep cats away? Citrus fruit scents are great cat repellents for your garden. Their strong acidic smell makes them very repugnant to felines.
You might have heard that citrus fruits like orange, lime, and lemon are mildly toxic to cats. Whilst it is true, felines do not go out of their way to consume them.
Hence, you can safely scatter chopped citrus fruits and their peels all over your garden. Focus on areas where felines often hang around.
If you have spare time on your hands, also try creating a citrus cat repellent DIY spray. To make this natural cat repellent for outside, just follow these simple instructions:
What you need:
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup orange peel
- 2 cups water
Procedures:
- Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot.
- Place 1 cup of orange peel in the boiling water.
- Lower the heat and let the orange peel mixture simmer for 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and strain the liquid.
- Transfer it to a medium bowl and let it cool down completely for 30 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the mixture and stir.
- Pour the citrus cat repellent spray into a spray bottle. Always shake well before use.
Cat Repellent #3: Vinegar
Is vinegar a good cat repellent? Yes. Similar to citrus fruits, vinegar is a good cat repellent because of its acidic scent. However, care should be taken when using it in your garden.
The high acidity of the vinegar can affect the soil pH levels in a bad way. For this reason, it should never be applied directly to garden plants or flowerbeds.
We recommend soaking a cloth or sponge with diluted vinegar. Then, place it in a small container to avoid the liquid from spilling directly on your plant’s soil. Another option you can do is to pour vinegar along the garden perimeters only.
Cat Repellent #4: Cat Deterrent Plants
How to repel cats from pooping in your garden? Growing cat-repellent herbs in your yard can prevent cats from sneaking in to take a poop. Felines do not like them because of the detestable scents they emit.
You might be wondering: “Which plants repel cats?” A few well-known plants are useful, safe, and non-toxic cat deterrents, such as:
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
- Curry plant (Helichrysum italicum)
- Thyme (Thymus citriodorus)
Some cat owners advise growing common rue, pennyroyal, citronella, or lavender as outdoor cat repellent plants. Using these plants to deter cats from the garden is a bad idea.
That is because they produce naturally toxic compounds, making them potentially dangerous to felines.
If ingested, they could trigger various side effects depending on the amount consumed. Commonly, vomiting, diarrhoea, and gastrointestinal upset may occur after eating any of these plants.
Planting thorny plants like roses to keep cats out of the garden is discouraged too. Their sharp briers can pierce the skin and cause severe injuries like eye perforation.
Cat Repellent #5: Rough Ground Cover
Cats are not a fan of walking on the rough, gravelly-textured ground. Their soft paw pads prefer to stroll on smooth and even surfaces. With this knowledge, transform your garden into an uncomfortable area to walk on for felines.
Use eggshells, pine cones, small pebbles, and river rocks to cover the ground surrounding your plants. If you have short twigs lying around, place them throughout the planted area approximately 6 inches apart.
Only use blunt objects as garden cat deterrents. Avoid anything with sharp ends or spiky bodies. Remember that you aim to make your garden unappealing to felines without inflicting injuries.
Cat Repellent #6: Wind Chimes
Many cat owners ask: “How to keep cats out of the garden using sounds?” Scare cats off your property by hanging wind chimes in places they usually frequent. The noises of wind chimes are loud and distracting to the sensitive ears of felines.
No need to buy one if you own none. You can make wind chimes at home by using empty cans. Place a hole in their bottom and use yarn or rope to string them together.
It is also a good idea to invest in motion-sensitive ultrasonic cat deterrents. They emit a sound undetectable to humans but boisterous to cats. Their high-frequency noises help felines quickly lose interest in visiting your garden.
“What frequency repels cats?” Every cat has different levels of sensitivity to frequencies. However, generally, the frequency range effective in repelling cats is anywhere from 19–27Khz.
Choose an ultrasonic cat repellent that allows you to switch to different sets of frequencies for convenience.
Driving Aways Cats Is a Case of Trial and Error
What is the most effective cat deterrent? It is difficult to tell which is the best cat deterrent. Some felines are more persistent than others.
What works on most cats will not have the same effect on them. For this reason, mix and match natural cat repellents to see which works best for you.
Keep in mind that it could take days or weeks to prevent strays from returning to your garden. In certain cases, you can only reduce the duration and frequency of their stays.
If this happens, think about having a designated outdoor litter tray for them. Using a sandbox is a good idea since cats are naturally inclined to eliminate on soft sandy soil.
Just remember to clean the outdoor litter tray daily to keep it from easily getting stinky.
