Citrus or lemon scents (orange peels, lemon peels), garlic, ammonia, vinegar, coffee grinds, pipe tobacco, mustard, citronella, or eucalyptus all deter cats as well. The scents diminish over time, so re-applying is necessary.
Citronella oil is a homemade cat repellent that many people have had success with. Citronella is best known as a mosquito repellent, but cats find the Citronella odor to be distasteful. Simply mix one part Citronella oil to four parts water and spray liberally in the troubled areas.
Like citrus and other essential oils, citronella oil has an extremely strong odour that repels cats.
As a general rule, cats are sensitive when it comes to smells, but there are a few scents they hate that might just surprise you. They can't stand citrus and as much as you might love the smell of fresh herbs, cats hate rosemary and thyme. Banana and mustard are a big no-no too, as well as lavender and eucalyptus.
Orange and lemon peels (cats dislike citrus smells), cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, & mustard oil.
Humane deterrents are the best approach.... Smells that repel cats: To keep cats out of yards or gardens, plant the herb rue or sprinkle dried rue. Citrus or lemon scents (orange peels, lemon peels), garlic, ammonia, vinegar, coffee grinds, pipe tobacco, mustard, citronella, or eucalyptus all deter cats as well.
Mix together lemon juice, rosemary and white vinegar - three things cats detest. Put the liquid in a spray bottle so it's easy to use around the garden. Simply spray near where the cats spend time - on planters, the patio, or even inside.
Lavender, geranium, and eucalyptus
Some gardeners use lavender plants to deter deer, but you can also try this as a deterrent for felines. Likewise, geranium and eucalyptus plants give off an odor that cats dislike.
Vinegar as a cat repellent
Spraying Outdoors – Straight or diluted vinegar can be sprayed around the edges of a garden, and on plants, fences, posts and garden décor to keep cats away. Concentrate the spray on areas that the cats frequent or that you particularly want to protect.
Cats dislike the smell of certain scents, such as citrus, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, and rosemary. You can use these scents to deter cats from entering certain areas of your home or garden by using essential oils, planting these plants, or using citrus peels.
Citronella is toxic to pets
Citronella candles and oils are a popular mosquito repellent, but the citronella plant is toxic to pets. Use caution when using citronella products around your pet, and make sure they don't have access to any citronella plants in your garden.
The citronella plant is toxic to pets and topical exposure can cause a rash. Large ingestions of the plant or oil can cause vomiting, weakness, depression, and hypothermia.
Yes, citronella repels cats because of the strong odour. Cats dislike strong, fragrant smells. Citronella is an essential oil made from lemongrass leaves. While the essential oil is packed with benefits for humans, cats do not like its smell.
In addition to mosquitoes and other flying insects, citronella also works on flea larvae and ticks. The strong scent of the oil repels them which makes it an effective deterrent against these parasites. For dogs, citronella can be a great tool in keeping them safe from biting insects like mosquitoes and fleas.
Citronella candles are great for setting a mood, but they're not so great for the very thing they're advertised to do: repel mosquitoes. That's one conclusion from a new study that tested 11 types of repellents on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—the vectors of Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and other diseases.
Lemongrass oil is most often found in the form of a hydrosol, a 100% non-alcoholic aroma that is made by steam-distilling or hydro-distilling plant matter. Lemongrass is a safe essential oil to use around cats at a low concentration. It should not, however, be ingested by cats or directly applied to their skin.
Squeeze 2 drops of lemon essential oil, 2 drops of wild orange essential oil, and 2 drops of lavender essential oil to the bottle. Cats are more sensitive to scents than humans, so essential oils with strong odors, such as citrus and lavender, can help repel them.
Most cats find the pungent smell of vinegar to be overwhelming and flee the area. Most cats have an acute sense of smell and are discouraged by new, foreign, and powerful aromas. Vinegar for a cat repellent can be a humane, simple, and non-toxic solution.
Peppermint oil is highly toxic to cats.
Without the enzymes required to break down phenols, cats exposed to peppermint oil can experience: Liver damage. Breathing difficulties. Wobbliness and seizures.
Sprinkling Epsom Salt As A Deterrent
You can also make a pet deterrent by sprinkling some Epson salt around your garden and around every plant. When you plant seeds, sprinkle some salt in a row and reapply every two weeks.
Cats, being fairly territorial, are unlikely to feel comfortable doing their business in a place that smells like another, much larger, feline already frequents it. Put down extra strength hot chilli powder. It annoys cats' paws and whiskers without causing them serious harm. They'll stay well away.
You can try orange and lemon peels (cats dislike citrus scents), the herb rue which can also be planted live, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco and various oils, including lavender, lemon grass, citronella, peppermint, eucalyptus and mustard.
Do cat repellents really work? “Yes, the ones that work do,” says Nagelschneider. “You also need to use the right deterrent for the job.