There are a few scented oils that are known for repelling cats - peppermint, lemon, orange, lavender and citronella.
Another tactic is to make your cat's favourite alternative peeing spot less appealing by spraying it with lemon juice. Or place its food bowl near it, seeing as they won't spoil the area where they eat.
According to the ASPCA, cats typically dislike the smell of citrus, so using orange, lemon or lime peels sprinkled around plants can help keep cats away. Using the oils of these citrus fruits is also a smart solution, since they are nontoxic to humans and cats.
Lemons. Because of the high level of citric acid, lemons are one of the most effective and natural ways to kill fleas. By spraying or brushing lemons onto your cat's coat to help get rid of the fleas. Slice a lemon and let it steep in boiling water then drain the water when cooled into a spray bottle.
Citrus: orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit
Citrus smells are widely reported as being repugnant to cats. You can use this to your advantage by throwing orange peels around your garden to keep cats away or spritzing a citrus scent on indoor fabric that you don't want your cat scratching up.
Think about how your cat responds to the smell of anything citrus. It may pull back and run to another area of your home as cats find any citrusy scent offensive. All citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, limes and lemons) are mildly toxic to cats.
Citrus fruits
They contain varying levels of citric acid and essential oils that can be irritating to your cat's nervous system. Large enough quantities can cause depression of the central nervous system, leading to tremors, seizures, or death.
Needless to say, should your cat consume pieces of lemon fruit or ingest lemon oil, it's advisable to get them to the vet as soon as possible. What is this? Consuming lemon may result in a combination of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, drooling, weakness, lethargy, tremors, cold limbs, and low blood pressure.
However, cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and as citrus fruits are very aromatic, what smells heavenly to us is way too over the top for cats. This dislike of citrusy scents can be turned to an owner's advantage.
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.
Deterrence strategies
Some people who want to deter cats from their yard use certain sounds (e.g., ultrasonic deterrents) or scents (e.g., eucalyptus, vinegar, coffee, citrus) that may be aversive to cats.
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.
For a home remedy, you can use a vinegar solution. According to Yahoo news, the vinegar smell deters cats from peeing in that same spot again and as it evaporates takes the cat urine odor with it.
Citrus – I bet you knew this would be top of the list! Cats really don't like citrus, whether oranges, lemon, grapefruit, etc. When you're trying to train your cat away from a certain spot in your house, citrus is often the recommended deterrent.
Vinegar, while a bit smelly itself, works to remove the lasting odor of sprayed cat urine because vinegar is an acid that neutralizes the alkaline salts that form in dried urine stains. A solution of one part water and one part vinegar can be used to clean walls and floors.
Only a few drops of lemon juice or a few lemon peels ingested can cause stomach discomfort, vomiting, and diarrhea in cats. The more lemon your kitty eats, the worse the symptoms. Large quantities of this citrus eaten can lead to poisoning and even death.
Lemon juice, which is a more concentrated version of the fruit, contains high amounts of citric acid, which is toxic to dogs. In addition, It's important to keep your dog away from lemon rinds and skin. The rinds of lemons contain psoralen, which is also toxic to dogs.
You may not realize it, but certain scents and pure essential oils like tea tree, citrus, and eucalyptus oil can be harmful toxic oils to your little feline. Many compounds in these pure essential oils contain toxins that can be fatal if your kitty breathes them in or ingests them.
Try orange and lemon peels, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and mustard oil. You can either sprinkle drops directly onto your flower beds or soak a cotton wool around it and place at entry points. One sniff and they'll be gone.
Cats dislike eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, and peppermint – just choose the ones you don't mind the scent of yourself.
While it is not deadly, lavender is toxic for cats. Lavender contains linalool and linalyl acetate, which cats cannot process in their livers. This means that consuming too much lavender can lead to liver damage.
Onions, garlic, chives, and leeks are in the Allium family, and are poisonous to both dogs and cats if the dose is right (if they eat a single large serving or repeatedly nibble on small amounts over time). Garlic is considered to be about five times as toxic as onions for cats and dogs.
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.