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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09/27/2012

Great tip. I have a cat toy near plants to give him something else to focus on. Doesn't always work.

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?