Most neighborhoods have more than their share of cats wandering around. Cats can be loving companions, but if they get into your garden or yard, they can cause real problems by urinating on your plants and leaving cat poop in your sandbox, flower beds, or lawn.
It’s essential to know how to make an excellent homemade cat repellent to discourage local cats from visiting your property and treating it like a litter box. As a cat lover, you don’t want to hurt the kitties, though. A good non toxic cat repellent allows you to keep your home beautiful and cat-free.
This article examines DIY cat deterrent solutions that you can use around the home. We provide you with recipes for homemade cat repellent for outdoor areas that will drive away any curious cats without injuring them. You’ll learn about some excellent natural cat deterrent options that annoy or frighten cats from your yard.
- Physical DIY Cat Repellent Options
- Scent-Based Cat Repellent Spray and Liquids
- Drive Off Cats with a Vinegar Spray
- Keep Out Cats with Cayenne Pepper
- Drive Cats Away with Citronella Oil
- Use Coffee Grounds to Keep Cats at Bay
- Make a Citrus Cat Repellent
- Keep Cats Out with a Pan of Vinegar
- Make a Pepper, Garlic, and Lemon Cat Repellent
- Drive Away Cats with a Lavender, Cinnamon, and Rosemary Spray
- Take Care of Your Cat Problem with Eucalyptus Oil
- Use Moth Balls to Keep Cats Away
- Make a Peppermint Cat Repellent
- Recipe for Homemade Cat Repellent
Physical DIY Cat Repellent Options
We’ll show you some fantastic cat repellent spray formulas that you can use to drive off cats with scents. With our help, your landscapes will stay gorgeous, and your gardens will thrive.
For starters, we need to ask: what is a good homemade cat repellent? You might be startled to learn that cat repellents don’t have to only come in spray forms.
There are a variety of ways to keep cats away from house and garden that you may not have thought of before. Check out these effective deterrents to repel cats from pooping in your yard and try a few of the solutions for yourself to see what works best for you.
DIY Cat Deterrent
Anything that drives a cat out of your garden can be a repellent or deterrent, and that includes physical items. You can deploy all sorts of equipment to keep feral cats away and off your property that won’t require you to mix up a scent-based liquid.
This section looks at physical cat repellents. You’ll learn about some cat repellent home remedies that keep neighborhood felines away from your property with the threat of noise or discomfort.
These cat repellents ensure that any kitties silly enough to venture into your yard experience enough unpleasantness to convince them to stay away in the future. Cats are smart and will learn not to go where they are not wanted.
Run a String Along the Top of Your Border Fence or Wall
A small string doesn’t seem like it would do much to keep cats off your lawn. However, cats hate anything that interferes with their sense of balance and will go to great lengths to avoid those items. Take advantage of that characteristic to create a simple DIY cat deterrent that won’t harm your family or your own cat.
Nail small stakes along the top of your fencing, so they stick up a few inches above the fence. Tie the string to the stakes along the length of the fence.
You should have a taut string running a few inches above the fence around your property. Cats will dislike the experience of walking on the fence and stay away from your property.
Make a Scarecat with a Stake and Pan
We all know how nervous cats are; it’s one of their defining traits. Cats are prey animals as well as small predators, and any loud noise or sudden motion is a threat to be avoided. Use that against them to set up a noisemaker that frightens any cats away from your landscape. It’s an excellent and safe natural cat repellent.
Hammer the stake into the ground, and measure out a small length of the string. Tie the string around the top of the stake. Make a small hole on one side of the pan with the screwdriver, and tie the line through the hole.
Use enough string to keep the pan off the ground. Any breeze will stir the pan and make lots of noise, and any cat nearby will take off and never return.
Use a Water Hose
You might find that you have a determined cat that isn’t easily scared off or discouraged by a string on fences. If you encounter a more wily foe than usual, opt for a liquid solution.
Cats can’t stand getting sprayed with water, so if you have the time and are willing to put forth the effort, use a water hose for repelling cats. This option is easy: attach a spray attachment to a garden hose and wait for local cats to come calling.
When one enters your property, give them a squirt with the hose. They’ll soon get the message and will stay away for good. You can also automate the process and use motion-controlled sprinklers if you want to use commercial products.
Scent-Based Cat Repellent Spray and Liquids
The next question we should ask is how to make a homemade cat repellent. Most repellents use cats’ keen sense of smell against them. Cats have finely tuned noses that are about 40 times more sensitive than ours, and many strong scents are too intense for them to tolerate.
Scent-based cat repellents work very well to keep cats out of your garden or yard. This section looks at cat deterrents that use odor to hold your neighborhood cats at bay and send them elsewhere.
You’ll get some excellent recipes that use household items such as vinegar, dish soap, and citrus oils. We also show you how to use essential oils and other non-toxic products to repel cats without risking harm to either them or your loved ones and guests. And, the use of essential oils keeps the sprays appealing to you while repelling the cats.
Drive Off Cats with a Vinegar Spray
If you spend any time cleaning around your home, you’re likely already familiar with vinegar’s many uses. Vinegar contains acetic acid, making it a fantastic cleaning agent with a distinctive odor. That makes vinegar a perfect cat repellent and a great natural bird repellent spray.
Mix the ingredients in the spray bottle. Spray the borders of your property, and give any area that cats like to visit a few extra sprays. Refresh the sprayed areas every couple of days and after rain or other heavy weather.
Keep Out Cats with Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is an excellent option for keeping away stray cats. If you’ve been foolish enough to inhale deeply around an open container of cayenne before, you know how unpleasant a snootful of the stuff can be. We’ve got an excellent cat repellent recipe that uses cayenne pepper for you to try.
It also works well as a homemade deer repellent spray. However, never spray the liquid directly on an animal or person, as it can cause injury.
Mix the pepper and water, and fill the spray bottle. Spray your property borders and any areas where cats congregate.
If the spray doesn’t deter cats from entering your yard, increase the amount of cayenne to make the solution stronger. Always wear gloves and eye protection when spraying the mixture.
Drive Cats Away with Citronella Oil
Citronella oil is perfect for repelling cats. Citronella oil contains strong scents that last for ages and stick around even after heavy rains. Best of all, we humans love citronella scents, so this option works well for us.
Your garden will smell wonderful, and cats will avoid it at all costs. If you wish, substitute lemongrass oil for citronella oil for a refreshing scent. Repel cats from flowers in your garden by planting citronella or lemongrass on the borders or spray the area with this spray to keep cats out. Either works well to get rid of cats.
Mix the oil and water in the spray bottle. Spray around your yard, making sure to coat the borders with the mixture. Wait to see how cats react to the spray, and if needed, add a few more drops of oil to strengthen the solution. You’ll need to check back from time to time and respray any areas that need a fresh coating.
Use Coffee Grounds to Keep Cats at Bay
The next time you brew a pot of coffee, don’t discard the used grounds. Coffee has strong natural scents that only get stronger after being ground up and exposed to hot water. Take advantage of this and recycle your coffee grounds by using them as an effective DIY cat deterrent.
After you finish your morning coffee, take the wet grounds outside, and sprinkle them around your property borders. Cats can’t stand the smell of coffee grounds, and they will stay away.
Even better? The grounds are biodegradable and decompose on their own. It’s a fantastic earth-friendly way to keep cats off the lawn.
Make a Citrus Cat Repellent
Like the citronella recipe, this option takes advantage of cats’ general aversion to citrus products. Use this repellent in your yard without worrying about injury risks to children, pets, or plants. It’ll keep cats away like nobody’s business.
Bring the water to a boil, add the citrus peels, and reduce the heat. Simmer the water and citrus solution for at least 20 minutes.
Remove any large citrus peel pieces that might clog a spray bottle, and fill the spray bottle with the solution. Spray around the yard and in areas that attract cats.
Keep Cats Out with a Pan of Vinegar
This method might seem like a ridiculously simple option, but it keeps neighborhood kitties away from your garden or yard. Vinegar’s strong scent lasts for a long time, and when you have a large amount of it in a pan, you can keep an area protected for extended periods.
If vinegar spray isn’t cutting it, try this method. Fill a baking dish with about three inches of white vinegar. Place the container in an area you wish to protect from cats.
Keep an eye on the pan, and refill it as required. This option is excellent for small high-traffic areas and other out-of-the-way spots that get a lot of furry visitors.
Make a Pepper, Garlic, and Lemon Cat Repellent
Garlic is another excellent animal repellent, with a strong odor that cats find unpleasant and avoid at all costs. When you combine garlic with the equally powerful fragrances found in pepper and lemon, you wind up with a powerful cat repellent that can take care of any persistent pest around your home.
Combine the pepper, water, cinnamon, and mustard in the spray bottle. Then, add the garlic and essential oil. Shake the bottle gently until all of the ingredients combine, and spray any items that cats like to visit.
Use this solution safely on bushes and plants, too. Add an additional equal parts water, dish soap, and citronella oil to give this method an extra boost.
Drive Away Cats with a Lavender, Cinnamon, and Rosemary Spray
Like garlic, lavender and rosemary are strong-scented ingredients that please us but upset cats’ more delicate noses. Make a dynamite cat repellent from these items that smells great and keeps even the most determined cats away from your garden. This recipe won’t damage your plants or property, and it will take care of your pest problem.
Bring the water to a boil, add the rosemary, cinnamon, and lavender, and reduce the heat. Simmer the solution for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the mixture, and leave it overnight.
The next day, strain the water through the cheesecloth to remove any significant bits of debris. Add the orange essential oil and vinegar, and fill the spray bottle.
If you’re not interested in using a spray all the time, grow some repellent plants like lavender and rosemary to keep cats out of the yard.
Take Care of Your Cat Problem with Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus is a fantastic home remedy. You can use eucalyptus on sunburned skin, and its fresh, pleasant scent soothes your senses, too. Cats can’t stand the smell of eucalyptus, though, which makes it an ideal cat repellent ingredient. Mix up a quick DIY cat deterrent with eucalyptus that will do a number on visiting cats.
Pour the ingredients in the bottle, and shake it to combine. Spray all borders and garden areas as well as any other spots that cats frequent. You might need to strengthen the solution a bit if it doesn’t keep cats away. Reapply to all areas as required.
Use Moth Balls to Keep Cats Away
Moth balls are great for their intended purpose of keeping moths from visiting your clothes and eating holes in your fabric. The scents that drive away moths can also drive cats from your garden.
Use moth balls as a quick and easy cat repellent solution when you don’t have time to mix anything. Place moth balls along your fence and in spots in your yard and garden that attract furry visitors.
Check on the moth balls from time to time, and add additional ones as needed to keep your yard cat-free and happy. Pets won’t like the way moth balls smell, so keep an eye on them, and remove the moth balls if they seem too unhappy.
Make a Peppermint Cat Repellent
Our final cat repellent recipe involves peppermint oil. Much like citrus oils, peppermint oil is highly concentrated and irritates cats’ eyes and nose. Make a dynamite spray from peppermint oil that does a great job of keeping cats off your property.
Combine the soap, oil, and water in the spray bottle, and shake gently to mix the ingredients. Spray all areas in your yard that attract cats, making sure to give the bottle a good shake now and then to keep the elements combined. Respray as needed, and add more peppermint oil if required to keep cats away.
We hope you had a great time with our DIY cat deterrent recipes. Keeping neighborhood cats from treating your yard as a personal litter box can be a never-ending battle, but it doesn’t have to be such a chore.
Our DIY cat repellent spray recipes and homemade repellents will keep your yard beautiful without risking harm to your family.
Recipe for Homemade Cat Repellent
Homemade Cat Repellent
Keep cats away with this natural spray.
Materials
- 8 ounces of water
- 8 ounces vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid
Tools
- 24-ounce sprayer
- Measuring cup
- Tablespoon
Instructions
- Add the liquids to the spray bottle.
- Shake well.
- Spritz areas where you want to keep cats away.
- Repeat as needed, especially after rain.
Notes
This mixture repels bugs, too!
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