Is your garden being invaded by cats? There are many natural ways to repel them without using harmful chemicals. In this blog post, we will share some easy-to-use DIY home remedies that will keep cats away from your garden and plants.
Let’s get this straight first – cats are adorable pets. However, they can also be a nuisance, even if you’re a cat lover. If you have cats scratching furniture, accessing off-limits areas, or doing their business in the garden, you might need to consider an intervention plan.
One of the most effective and cheapest ways to keep cats out of certain areas and from ruining furniture is to make your own natural cat repellent. Keep reading to learn about a couple of different home remedies you can try to regain control over your cat.
Why Do I Have Cats Hanging Around?
Cats may be hanging around your home and yard for various reasons. For the most part, cats are drawn to our homes in search of essential items.
Food
Feral cats may be coming around your home in search of food. However, food scraps in the trash and pet food attract cats most often.
You can keep cats away by keeping your yard tidy. For example, secure your trash to prevent easy access. If you feed your pets outdoors, make sure to clean up after they eat and never leave pet food outside.
Water
If water is scarce, feral cats may be coming around because your yard provides them with easily accessible water. Pools, ponds, and puddles may provide valuable water for hydration and bathing.
Shelter
Cats may be hanging around your property because they have found shelter there. This is particularly true for pregnant female cats planning to have their litter soon. Piles of debris, wood, backyard sheds, and the crawl spaces underneath patios, decks, and porches can all function as a valuable shelter.
If you think cats are using these areas around your yard as shelter, we recommend that you quickly close off access to these areas. If you suspect that cats and kittens are already living there, we recommend you call an animal control professional to safely and humanely remove the cats.
How to Keep Cats Away from Certain Areas
If you’re a homeowner, then you know that cats can be both a blessing and a curse. They’re adorable, but they can also wreak havoc on your yard and garden. Here’s how to keep them away.
Scent Deterrent
Cats are attracted to a lot of smells. Pleasant smells may be why cats enter certain rooms or go into parts of your garden. However, there are also smells that cats hate. You can utilize these scents to deter cats from going into specific areas.
Cats are intelligent creatures. With time, they will learn to avoid the unpleasant smells and the areas associated with the scent.
Sound Deterrents
Cats can be skittish animals. Certain sounds startle them. Nowadays, there are motion-activated sprays that will startle your cat with a sudden noise and teach it to stay away. You can also try filling a glass jar with beans and shaking it when your cat enters off-limits areas. Ideally, your cat will not see you shake the jar so as not to associate you with the sound.
Touch Deterrents
Cats are sensitive to certain textures. They will do anything to avoid areas that don’t feel good to their paws. Double-sided sticky tape and foil are two examples of textures that cats dislike. You can cover specific areas like countertops with either of these materials to teach the cat not to jump up.
What Home Remedy Keeps Stray Cats Away?
If stray cats visit your yard, you do not want them to become accustomed. The last thing you want is for them to think that your yard is a safe space to hang out and your property is their own personal litter box. If you don’t like seeing cat poop around your garden, it’s time to do something about it.
We routinely spray and sprinkle cat repellents to keep stray cats away from our garden. All of which are homemade.
When it comes to cat repellent sprays, we rotate between solutions that utilize vinegar, essential oils, and hot peppers. You can also save your coffee grounds and sprinkle them around certain plants to repel cats away.
See more: How to get rid of stray cats permanently
What Smells Do Cats Hate the Most?
There are a lot of smells that cats do not enjoy. You can utilize these scents to make homemade cat repellent spray.
- Lavender, geranium, and eucalyptus
- Rue, rosemary, cayenne pepper and thyme
- Banana
- Mustard
- Pepper, curry, and cinnamon
- Menthol, mint, and wintergreen
- Orange juice or wild orange essential oil, grapefruit, lemon juice or other essential oils from lemon
Homemade Citrus Cat Deterrent Spray
Cats have a keen sense of smell. You can capitalize on their sensitive smell by using repellents that incorporate aromas they hate. Citrus cat repellent is one of those scents.
When making your citrus-based repellent, essential oils are the best. You can quickly dilute the oils into a spray bottle with water. Afterward, simply spray or wipe the repellent you want the cats to avoid.
For example, this works well for keeping cats off certain pieces of furniture and countertops.
What Can You Put Down to Keep Cats Away?
Neighborhood cats may visit your yard and go to the bathroom because they find the soil around your yard pleasant. Soft sand and rich soil make for easy digging. So essentially, you need to make the area less enjoyable for them.
One of the best ways is to put down gravel mulch. You may also consider decorating with river rock and other boulders. If you are a cat owner yourself, you may consider creating a sandbox for your cat to incentivize them to stay out of the garden and to do their business in an approved area.
Can Vinegar Keep Cats Away?
Yes, vinegar can be an effective ingredient in cat repellents. Because you will be spraying a lot of repellents, we recommend buying a bulk amount of white vinegar. Then, mix the vinegar into the water with a little bit of liquid hand soap. You can also use apple cider vinegar or lemon scented dish soap.
Once you’ve created your vinegar-based repellent, you can spray or wipe the repellent over areas of concern. If you are spreading your repellent outdoors, reapply after watering and rainfall.
A Remedy a Day Keeps the Cats Away!
In other words, keeping annoying cats at bay is an ongoing process. This is particularly true for preventative tactics like spraying homemade cat repellents. But eventually, they will get the message and choose to move to other areas.
The peace of mind you will get when you’ve solved the problem will make all the effort you put into keeping cats away from your yard worth it.
FAQs
What smells will keep cats away?
Cats are generally averse to strong odors, so scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus peels are effective at keeping them away. These scents can be used in the form of essential oils, sprays, or natural deterrents placed around areas where cats are unwanted.
What smell do cats hate to pee on?
Cats dislike the smell of citrus, vinegar, and certain herbs like lavender and rosemary, making them less likely to pee in areas where these scents are present.
How do you make homemade cat pee deterrent?
To make a homemade cat pee deterrent, you can mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and apply it to areas where cats are prone to urinate.
See more: How to keep cats from pooping in my yard
