Cats dislike the smell of rue, lavender and pennyroyal, Coleus canina and lemon thyme. Plant a few of these throughout the garden. (Interplanting can attract pollinators and other beneficial insects too.) Cats steer clear of strong citrus scents.
Rosemary, thyme, and rue
Cats certainly turn their noses up at certain common herbs, including rosemary, rue, and thyme. Rosemary and thyme are typically harmless to cats, while rue may cause a negative reaction (as it can in humans, as well).
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.
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.
In the home, cats are often scared of noisy household appliances, especially if they didn't become accustomed to them as young kittens. Vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers, printers, washing machines and hairdryers are common culprits.
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.
Strong-smelling herbs
You can plant wildly fragrant herbs around your raised beds and most prized plantings, or grow them in containers so they're portable and easily moved when you have a new cat problem. Effective herbs to try include rosemary, thyme, mint, and lavender.
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.
Put down extra strength hot chilli powder. It annoys cats' paws and whiskers without causing them serious harm. They'll stay well away. Over many years of battling to protect my garden from these little beasts, I've found the following deterrents to be most effective.
In particular, cats hate the smell of rue, lavender, marigolds, pennyroyal, Coleus canina, and lemon thyme. So if you have a problem with curious kitties or strays in your yard, consider planting these specimens throughout your garden or along the edges of flowerbeds to serve as a natural cat deterrent (11, 14).
To keep cats away from gardens, flower beds, or specific areas of property, scatter fragrant items that don't appeal to a cat's sense of smell, like fresh orange or lemon peels, organic citrus-scented sprays, coffee grounds, vinegar, pipe tobacco, or oil of lavender, lemongrass, citronella, or eucalyptus.
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.
To make a special cat repellent, mix 1 teaspoon of black pepper, dry mustard, cinnamon, crushed garlic cloves and citrus oil. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and fill with water. Spray this on your lawn and garden beds. The pungent smell is said to keep cats away.
Citronella is also said to be effective. One of the things that has worked for me in the past is to save teabags and spray them with a muscle heat spray, like Deep Heat. The tea leaves absorb the strong odour. Place them around the spot in the garden where the cats damage the plants.
Cats dislike the smell of rue, lavender and pennyroyal, Coleus canina and lemon thyme. Plant a few of these throughout the garden. (Interplanting can attract pollinators and other beneficial insects too.) Cats steer clear of strong citrus scents.
The mystery of why cats hate cucumbers is normally explained by the natural fear cats have towards snakes. To a feline's eyes a cucumber can look similar enough to the pesky reptile to elicit their fear response and make them jump a few feet in the air to avoid being bitten.
Texture: Sticky paper, aluminum foil, heavy plastic or a plastic carpet runner (knubby side up) can be placed in areas you want to be off limits. Cats hate walking on these surfaces.
Many liquid potpourri products and essential oils, including oil of cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree (melaleuca), wintergreen, and ylang ylang, are poisonous to cats. Both ingestion and skin exposure can be toxic.
Yes, you read that right; cayenne pepper can help you fend off cats. Kitties hate the smell of cayenne pepper, and that's one advantage that you have. So, you can simply add it to your garden. Sprinkle the spicy chili around your plants, or you can choose to spray it.
Cats don't like scents that are too strong, like the smell of hot peppers or Altoids. “Strong, biting smells, like pepper and cinnamon (both spicy) and mint or wintergreen, are repulsive to cats,” Hudson said. Cats also hate vinegar because of the pungent smell.