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Homemade Cat Repellent

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Date: 09/27/2009 Topics: Pest Control > Cats | Readers Request > Pests  
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Is there a natural repellent that I can use to keep strays from using my shrubs as a litterbox?

By born2win from SE MN

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By Deeli (1581) Profile Contact
Yes, citrus! And please do not use moth balls in your yard! Not only are they not a 'natural' substance but are also highly poisonous because they are made from two dangerous chemicals and can be deadly not only if ingested but also from the fumes they can create!

Posted on 09/29/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse

By Stormy Seas (16) Contact
I use coffee grounds (used) and tea grounds (used). It works very well to keep the critters out of my garden.

Posted on 09/29/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse

By sameoleme (56) Blog! Contact
Try orange and lemon peels. Cats hate the smell of citrus.

Posted on 09/28/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse

By MCW (1010) Profile Blog! Contact
Try laying some moth balls around the shrubs.

Posted on 09/27/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse

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Request: Homemade Cat Repellent

Archived on 09/27/2009

I have two cats, but there are a lot of stray cats in our neighborhood. This is a problem because a stray tom cat has been sneaking into our basement window and spraying. What can I use as a cat repellent that won't bother my own cats? Is there anything that I can use to take the tom cat's spray smell out?

Desirae

Feedback:

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Wow, there's lots of controversy about cayenne pepper. I'd stay away from it just in case. And mothballs can cause liver damage to cats, both yours and the stray, so I'm sure you don't want to take a chance on harming your pets. It might just be easiest to close the window or at least screen it. Stores sell lots of enzyme cleaners to clean such smells, but I've never had to buy them so I'm not sure of their names. I'm sure if you Googled it, you'd find the brand names. Best of luck. (03/07/2009)

By susanmajp

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

For the smell that the male cat has left in your house, use OUT!. It is by far the best product I have ever used. You can get it at Walmart or Kmart (I buy it a Kmart, 11.99 for a gallon vs. 8.99 for 1/2 gallon at Walmart). I raise boxers so I often have puppies in my house.

My friend had a male cat that was marking in all the corners of her house before she got him fixed. You would walk in her house and the odor would hit you like a wall. I took a spray bottle filled with OUT! over, sprayed it in all the corners and the next day the smell was gone.

This product is not just a cover-up, it actually neutralizes the urine smell. It smells nice too which is just an added bonus. It has to be tested for color-fastness, but can be used on hardwood floors, concrete, carpets, furniture and even put in your washing machine for your laundry. It will even get dried poop stains out. I even put it in my steam cleaner every time I shampoo my carpets. (03/07/2009)

By boxergirl76

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Request: Homemade Cat Repellent

Archived on 03/05/2009

Does anyone have a recipe for natural cat repellent? I have heard there is such a recipe using vinegar but that is all the info I have. Thanks

Alisa from Wytheville, VA

Answers:

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

This is no joke. A famous TV gardener mixed urine, hopefully male, citrus juice, cayenne and vinegar and sprayed the area. The urine dissuades cats and dogs from sharing the area with another possibly dangerous species. (07/06/2007)

By vickipoo

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

If you're looking for an outdoor cat repellent, moth balls work well. Put the moth balls all around the base of the house, in bushes and any other places you want to repel the cats. (07/10/2007)

By SATellite

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Try a half hardy plant called Coleus Canina also known as Scardy Cat. It will grow in any kind of soil, has grey/green foliage, tiny blue flowers and when crushed emits a foul odour. But cats cannot bear this plant at all. Plants need full sun or partial shade and require protection from frost during winter. (09/03/2007)

By Steve

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Saw a recipe in newspaper. Vinegar, liquid soap and water. Equal parts. Spray on lawn. Recipe said use Dawn soap but any seems to work.

Urine or ammonia not good, will have cats return. In some climates citrate solutions (orange or lemon) attract bees. I've been trying the vinegar mix and getting good results no cats, or dogs. (10/01/2007)

By D. H. B..

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

If you can afford it you can get one of those sprinklers that has an electric eye on it that squirts the cats as they enter your yard. That would be the 1st step. Then I use cayenne pepper spray and spray it as a thick as possible all around the perimeter. I mix this myself (ground pepper and water). I make it just thin enough to be able to come out of the sprayer nozzle.

Spray a path from the edge of the property (or beyond if you can, about 18 inches) to inside your property line about 6'. Cats can jump a long way in length and very high. I use one of those back pack weed sprayers that you don't have to constantly squeeze. I have a big yard. Spray the surrounding bushes and plants too. I avoid spraying the open blooms. You will have to repeat this regularly to keep it fresh until the cats learn it's not going away. You can also buy this with a wax base that will last longer. Hope this helps. We have to deal with coyotes and mountain lions, and this helps with them also. I spray it all around my gardens which the cats used to use as a cat box and the dogs would bury bones. No problem anymore! (03/25/2008)

By ChefBeth

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

  • 5 tablespoons of flour
  • 4 tablespoons of powdered mustard
  • 3 tablespoons of Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 quarts of warm water
Mix together and spray the perimeter. (05/03/2008)

By Chocol35

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

  • 20 drops -lemon oil
  • 10 drops -capsicum (Liquid) which is cayenne pepper
  • 20 drops -eucalyptus oil
  • 1 quart -water

Mix, shake well. May be sprayed on furniture, carpet, upholstery. These are approximate amounts. Experiment. (05/19/2008)

By ellens

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Some crushed garlic, cayenne, sugar, water, lemon, cinnamon. That is the best one. Cats hate it. (06/20/2008)

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Ladies and Gentlemen, I realize that cats can be destructive, BUT PLEASE DO NOT use cayenne or capsicium in your yards. It is extremely irritating and can be toxic to small children and animals. It activates pain receptors in a way that is difficult to turn off. As noted below, children and animals can get it in their eyes and cannot wash it out and it is excruciatingly painful.

(07/05/2008)

By Biologist

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Actually, it is just fine to use cayenne or derivatives. That's the point of pepper spray, which we in Colorado often carry on hikes to keep the predators at bay if needed. It won't cause, and has never caused, an animal or a person to claw their eyes. It burns (which is the point of spraying at a bear or cougar) for a while but is temporary. Plus it is better to effectively ward off stray cats from your children's play area than to have them contract Toxoplasma gondii. With cayenne, cats and other animals are generally smart enough to smell (or taste) and avoid. (07/06/2008)

By Coloradoan

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Look, stop poisoning animals, and just buy the darn Shake-Away stuff. How much do you spend on your garden and your gas-guzzling lawn mower? Maybe the citrus might be okay I guess, but cayenne, no! and mothballs--come on! Mothballs are a poison and you should NOT be using them at all anywhere near your home. (07/24/2008)

By Knitsy

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Just discovered this. Rosemary Essential Oil - cats run in fear. Try mixing a little of rosemary with water, and mist it onto areas that are problematic. If you have cats pee in your house like me, you'd much rather live with the rosemary smell than the cat urine smell. (08/19/2008)

By Josh

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Citrus will work. Don't use cayenne or moth balls! Moth balls are poisonous to all the animals in your yard, and if you need me to post a picture of a cat that has destroyed its own vision trying to get pepper oil out of its eyes, I can. Their tears are not the same as ours, and they have a membrane between their outer eyelid and eyeball. Imagine having a wet tissue soaked in cayenne between your eyelid and eyeball. (09/24/2008)

By redstar

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Citronella is great to use. It's safe as a repellent for all animals. My vet recommended I use a collar that sprays citronella instead of using a shock collar on my deaf border collie. I've also used it outside to keep cats off my porch, and to keep the cats inside off the kitchen counters, dining table, and pool table. (09/27/2008)

By Johnny

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

For those of you who have houseplant-pottying cats: rather than using a substance as a deterrent, I have taken wooden chopsticks/bamboo skewers and placed them at intervals of a couple of inches in the dirt of the plant-pots. They're not unattractive -- you'll get used to it in a few days! -- and since our kitties would prefer not to have their bottoms poked, we've not had any houseplant-pottying since. This also works in small areas in the garden -- we've got our vegetable plot skewered (and laid-flat chicken-wired) as well. (11/09/2008)

By LoveMyKitties

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Upon reading a bit of the posts and seeing that there are orange trees in my own yard, I decided to try my own solution on my new outside cat that keeps sneaking in through the door when we enter the house. I'm not looking for some plant solution, some this or that fix, but I have found it thanks to you guys! I grabbed an orange (still green), brought it inside, and squished some juice into a cup. Then I added a little warm water, put it in my DIY water dripper (water bottle with small hole in cap), and dripped water all over the entry rug. The cat instantly would refuse to enter the house!

Ta da! Instant fix as of a few minutes ago. I'm not sure if this will bring other pests (ants, etc.), but for now it is definitely doing its job well. Just thought I would share! (12/02/2008)

By Orange Grove solution??

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Plant rosemary all around your perimeter, low maintenance, and it works. Cats hate it.

(12/15/2008)

By lvm

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

I feel most of these solutions are inhumane. With all due respect. I decided to make a little fun from my out of control cat problem, 8 cats and about 12 offspring. I decided to teach my 9 year old daughter how to make a nice cat trap. We started by feeding the cats and getting them to come around more and more. Then we made various forms of traps using everything from blankets, boxes and milk baskets. We then trap the cats and take them to the local humane society. It made for great quality time with my daughter and the cats are unharmed. Great fun! (01/09/2009)

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Request: Homemade Cat Repellent

Archived on 07/02/2007

Is there a homemade cat repellent, to sprinkle on cement, wood etc. so the wild cats won't poop all over and stink up the place? I like the cats, but the poop really stinks.

Mary from Atascadero, CA

Answers:

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

My dh uses cayenne pepper, just sprinkles it on.

RE: Homemade Cat Repellent

Believe it or not citrus works really well, we use cut up lemons, oranges or whatever surplus citrus we have. It works, we put in gardens to stop our cats using the gardens as toilets, also works on the wild strays that come around.

By nimwe

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