Pets > CatsJuly 22, 2009

Citrus Peels to Keep Cats Out of Plants

My sweet kitty just loves when I dig up the dirt to plant my flowerbeds and thinks that she's discovered a new litter box! After trying other methods: sprinkling in hot pepper (nope), cayenne pepper (nope), even adding clam shells into the soil (nope), I tried this.

I heard that animals don't like citrus and so after making orange-lemonade (3 oranges, 3 lemons and sugar to a gallon, YUM). I slivered up the peels and sprinkled them around in my flower bed under petals so they didn't show. You may also even add soil to empty citrus fruit peel halves and plant some small flower seeds and use them as pots! It worked! No more kitty visits!

I ended up doing the same around my vegetable garden fencing since a groundhog started making his rounds there soon after! Hope this helps all my creative friends out there! :D

By AHA! from Sterling, PA

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03/17/2011

Thanks for the tip. I have mine covered with paper plates. It works, but doesn't look real attractive.

03/17/2011

Great tip! It's good to see an alternative to cayenne pepper. I often see it recommended and think people dont realize how dangerous it is. If cats (or other animals) get it on their paws and then in their eyes they can scratch until they are blinded.

03/17/2011

Oh, I was so excited to read this tip, then it doesn't help. Our kitty doesn't use the plants for a litter box, but loves to play with the plants! As a result, the plants get torn up & don't always make it. Thanks anyway.

By
03/17/2011

My housecat likes to play (just play thank goodness!) in my houseplant dirt. I'm going to try this and see if it helps! Thank you so much! If it works, I'm sure my cat will thank you too as he won't need to be punished for digging in my houseplants any more!

By
07/26/2009

There's this website called Cat FAeries and they have an article about using old wine bottles (white wine in particular if I remember right) with water inside. I thought it was it wacko but I did it and my kids have not found a single cat poo in the yard since. www.catfaeries.com is where you'll find it. I like their stuff in general. Orange peels didn't work for me.

By
07/26/2009

Great tip. I have a stray cat that I will try it on. But the real question is...did it work on the groundhog?

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(Archived Jul 22, 2009)Orange Peels to Keep Cats Out of Plants

Tip: Orange Peels to Keep Cats Out of Plants

Put orange peels in your potted plants, cats hate the citrus smell. Replace every week when they start to get dry. Store the extras in the freezer in a plastic bag so that when you run out of oranges you'll still have the peels.

By Melmarr from Michigan

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RE: Orange Peels to Keep Cats Out of Plants

A great idea! I wonder if that orange cleaner mixed with water might also work? It's totally safe around people and pets. You could mix some dish soap and spray the dirt and plants both, keeping bugs away from the plants.

We have 10 cats and I often use chicken wire [yep, got chickens too!] over the dirt of my garden plants, but most of my garden is in pots. Chicken wire probably wouldn't be so good in a large garden. (02/06/2009)

By Selah

RE: Orange Peels to Keep Cats Out of Plants

Dollar stores sell small jars of room deodorizer that are orange or lemon scented. Open the top a bit, set the jar on the soil, in the flower pot. It keeps my 3 out of my plants. You can also scrape some out of the jars, put it on tinfoil, put it on floor behind the door they are always trying to get open. No more scratched up door there. (02/07/2009)

By mrs.joe

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