Make Your Plants Unappealing
Cats have a strong distaste for anything citrus. Using either juice of a lemon, lime, or orange diluted with some water can be sprayed on the leaves of your plant to ward off any feline invasion. If you don't feel like creating your own mixture, Bodhi Dog makes a Bitter Lemon Spray.
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.
Cats are very territorial creatures that like to have a place to call their own; some cats may even scratch on the bark or stalks of plants as a way to mark their territory (the same reason they may scratch on your furniture).
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.
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.
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.
Spray Plants with Diluted Lemon Juice
(It's also perfectly safe for plants.) But if you don't want to spray down your plant, "try putting orange and lemon peels in the pot with the plant," says Fulcher, because their scent can also keep them away.
The answer may be unsatisfyingly simple. Wild felines regularly ingest plants, and it seems to be a behavior that our domestic cats have inherited from their ancestors. Many cats eat plants because they enjoy the taste. Others consume plants because they are bored, stressed, or attracted by the movement of the plants.
One of the reasons that cats find comfort in extra small spaces is because of instinct. They can hide from predators and feel safer in a flowerpot than on a large couch or bed. It feels good knowing that they have walls around them and can touch each of those walls with their bodies.
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.
Spray plant leaves with a homemade blend of water, a few drops of Tabasco sauce, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. 4. Cats don't like getting wet. Keep a loaded spray bottle close to your plants and give the cat a quick spritz if it approaches restricted areas.
The smell of vinegar can keep your cats away from some specific areas and items in and around the house. Vinegar can work as an effective cat repellent and training tool. Using Vinegar can make you prevent your cats from going to that your favorite furniture or any other area in the house.
One of the most common uses for household vinegar is as an all-natural weed killer. You have to be careful when spraying it around certain plants as it may be harmful to some, but when used on those pesky hard-to-kill weeds, they will disappear in two to three days' time.
Strong spicy aromas like pepper, curry, and cinnamon also tend to ward off cats. However, we do not recommend using cayenne pepper or other pepper flakes to keep cats out of the garden, as this could potentially harm them. Cinnamon is non-toxic to cats.
While all of the plants listed above are toxic to cats, perhaps the most dangerous is the lily. Lilies can cause kidney failure in cats who come in contact with the flower's pollen, then ingest the pollen during grooming.
Nibbling on toxic houseplants can cause issues for your cat or dog. While not always life threatening, eating plants can often cause vomiting, swelling, irritation of your pet's mouth and more.
First, try classic positive and negative reinforcement training. When you notice your pooch approaching one of your plants, firmly shout “no” to get their attention. If your dog starts to back away from the plant, immediately praise them with a kind tone, some treats, or even their favorite toy.
It works well by keeping the soil close to a neutral level or making it slightly acidic, which is good for acid-loving plants. For this, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a gallon of water and pour this solution into the base of the plant. Make sure you don't wet the leaves with it, or else they'll burn.
Three compounds in a lemon, limonene, linalool and psoralen, are toxic, if not deadly for your cat. Limonene is a terpene that leads to the citrus scent of lemons. D-limonene has been used in dog shampoos and fragrances. The small amount present in dog products is safe for most sizes of dogs.
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.
SPRINKLE USED COFFEE GROUNDS
Because they don't like the smell, you can use coffee grounds to deter cats from using your garden as a litter box. By regularly sprinkling used grounds (either wet or dry) in and around your garden, cats eventually will decide to find a new bathroom spot.
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.