Easy and effective natural cat repellent
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Make a friendly but efficient natural cat repellent in just a few minutes! This homemade cat repellent solution is made with a handful of simple, affordable ingredients and won’t hurt the environment!
If you’re frustrated with cats messing around your garden or home, whip up a quick and friendly natural cat repellent in minutes, using common household items! This easy homemade solution uses simple, affordable ingredients. Plus, it’s eco-friendly and safe for the environment!
What I love about this homemade cat repellent is that it’s not only effective, but also safe for both cats and the environment. I know how important it is to protect our furry friends while still finding ways to keep them out of certain areas. This recipe is perfect for keeping your garden or indoor plants safe from curious felines without causing any harm. No need to worry about harmful chemicals when trying to keep your cat away from certain areas.
Even if you’re a big cat lover as myself, sometimes your beloved pets can be a huge pain, especially when messing around the garden, ruining all the plants and your hard work and spreading “unfriendly” odors. Deter cats safely with a natural cat repellent that is safe and harmless for your cat, your family, home or the environment!
Or maybe you need to keep your cat away from dangerous areas? It’s in their nature to explore but…curiosity killed the cat, they say! Stop them from using your garden as their own personal litter box with this simple, non toxic homemade cat repellent. With this easy and natural cat repellent, you can safely set boundaries even the most stubborn cat will eventually learn to respect!
Natural cat repellent – How to make
All cats are different and will react to this spray differently. That’s why I wanted to try a mild approach for my DIY cat repellent and I used only natural ingredients that I know my cats normally hate, like citrus peel. In addition, I used a citrus scented dish soap and lemon juice to make the scent more powerful in my natural cat repellent.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups orange peel, white pith removed
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 Squirts lemon scented dish soap
You could also add some lemongrass essential oil or lime essential oil.
Equipment you will need:
Instructions to make the homemade cat repellent:
- Add water to a medium pan and bring to a boil.
- Squeeze the orange juice. You might as well enjoy a healthy glass of refreshing orange juice while the water is boiling!
- Using a sharp knife, remove as much of the white pith as possible.
- Chop orange peel in small pieces.
- Add the chopped peel to a medium pot and pour the boiling water over.
- Keep the pot on a low heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cool the mixture and strain through a sieve.
- Pour orange “soup” in a spray bottle.
- Add lemon juice.
- Add dish soap.
- Shake well until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
- Apply to home and garden but not directly on cats! Test on an inconspicuous area first to ensure that the ingredients won’t damage the material.
Variations
- Not a fan of the scent of citrus? Try using lavender or peppermint essential oil instead!
- Want to make it even more potent? Add in some cayenne pepper for an extra kick!
- For outdoor use, try mixing in some vinegar for added repellent power against stray cats. Remember to always test a small area first before applying the solution onto your plants or furniture. And don’t worry if you see your cat sniffing around the repellent – the ingredients are safe and won’t harm them.
Tip to maximize performance
Sprinkle some dried herbs, such as rosemary or lavender, in the areas you want to keep cats away from, for added effectiveness. For the outdoors, you can also try planting flowers and herbs that smell “awful” to them, like lavender, rue, geranium, penny-royal or lemon thyme. Cats will hate the scent and leave your garden alone. But you will have a nice smelling garden all around. Double win!
Frequently asked questions
What smells will keep cats away?
In addition to citrus, other scents most cats hate are lavender, rosemary or thyme, so you can try switching them until you find the one that works best for your cat. One of my cats, for example, can stay in a rosemary or geranium bush for hours and cannot be bothered by the smell. Most cats would, though. I found him munching on geranium leaves, so I think he’s broken…
What are some other outdoor cat repellent solutions?
- Adding string or metal wire along the top of your fence. It’s an awful surface to walk on, so they will learn to avoid going there. Double it with an essential oil they hate and you’re done;
- Tie a disposable aluminum pan somewhere in your garden. The noise it makes while the wind blows will make them feel very uncomfortable;
- If you feel like investing a little in your garden, a motion-activated sprinkler will activate itself when any little furry intruder passes by, and they will hate the water spray. This is also a good, harm free way to keep raccoons, skunks, rats or other wildlife away from your yard.
- Some people swear by using repellent sprays made of peppers (like cayenne pepper or hot paprika), garlic and vinegar.
- I recently started to experiment with another option: used coffee grounds spread in the mulch in the garden. It seems it work as long as the coffee grounds are fresh.
More ideas you will love:
- Homemade flea repellent for home
- Natural flea killer for dogs
- Fruit fly repellent ideas
- DIY spider repellent
How to protect the furniture
If you’re using this natural cat repellent indoors, make sure you don’t use it directly on furniture as lemon juice may cause discoloration. Test on an inconspicuous area first to ensure that the ingredients won’t damage the material.
If you fear the oils and substances in this cat repellent may ruin your furniture or you just don’t like the smell, try putting some sandpaper or aluminum foil on restricted indoor areas. Cats don’t like feeling these surfaces on their paws and will soon learn to avoid these areas. Sticky bands also work well, but they will also gather a lot of dust, so they have to be replaced often.
So far my cats and the neighborhood cats seem to be pretty responsive to this simple but natural cat repellent (or they’re just done exploring lol). But I’ll be continuing to use my DIY cat repellent for until I’m 100% certain they’ve learned that those areas are off limits. In spite of the common beliefs, cats can in fact be trained. That is if they let you train them lol
DIY natural cat repellent
Materials
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups orange peel white pith removed
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 squirts lemon scented dish soap
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil.
- Squeeze the orange juice and remove as much of the white pith as possible. Chop orange peel in small pieces.
- Pour boiling water over peels. Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool the mixture and strain through a sieve.
- Pour orange "soup" in a spray bottle. Add lemon juice and dish soap.
- Shake well until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
- Apply to home and garden but not directly on cats!Test on an inconspicuous area first to ensure that the ingredients won’t damage the material.
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ABOUT PETRO
Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…