Cat Repellant & Outdoor Deodorizer?

February 14, 2007

There are some large tomcats hanging around the neighborhood, spraying property,

fighting...is there something *I* can spray to deter them, and what will

alleviate the odor they leave on everything from bushes to car tires to siding?

My neighbor thinks these cats belong to someone on the street behind us but the

person won't admit to it. He has a history of keeping his unaltered,

unsocialized cats outside to breed and breed and breed. I spent an entire summer

finding homes for the seven kittens one of them had in my garage. I figured if

they were born on my property I was within my rights to do that. The guy wanted

to know where the kittens were and I said I had no idea, what kittens?

I wonder...am I within my rights to turn this current crop of tomcats over to an

animal organization? (Assuming I can even catch them. They are soooo not

friendly).

There is also a young male who isn't at all feral. I can't keep him in the

house--my son is allergic--but we take care of him as much as possible. I'd like

to get him neutered so he won't add to the burgeoning cat population, and in the

hope that he won't end up fighting with the other males. Am I allowed to neuter

a cat that isn't technically mine? He does spend a good portion of his time in

my yard. Might I even find a home for him?

jaime in California

Wondering why on earth she had such a rodent problem last summer with all these

cats hanging around. Lazy bums.

February 15, 2007

Around here we are supposed to destroy any stray cats we see as they do so much

damage to the last vestiges of the wildlife, but I could not do that.

We have the same thing with Tom cats doing twinkles on the roof, it really does

stink and is embarrassing.

There is a herb you can use, cats hate it apparently, it has the opposite effect

to catnip.

Planted around the borders of your property it should deter any cats from

entering.

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Keeping Cats Out of the Garden More Gardens Solutions

By Cait Johnson, Assistant Producer, Healthy Living Channels

We love our next-door neighbor, but I think she's trying to tell us

something: she put moth balls all along the line between your yards, I guess to

keep our kitties out of her garden. But moth balls are toxic!

Here are several easy, safe, and effective ways to deter cats from using

your neighbor's garden as a litter box, but, unlike moth balls, they don't pose

a health hazard to cats or humans. Or, heck, you could do what my boss suggested

and try releasing a whole herd of gophers or mice. Then your kitties will be the

guests of honor! (Just kidding!)

Simple Solution:

printer friendly version

1. There are many herbs that cats don't like to be around, including

lavender, rue, geranium, absinthe, and lemon-thyme. Also, a German professional

gardener, Dieter Stegmaier of Essingen, has created a hybrid so repulsive to

cats, they stay a yard away from it. It smells like schnapps to us, and is

actually a pretty and hardy plant with blue flowers that bloom throughout most

of the summer. Its Latin name is Coleus canin. You can order it through various

mailorder services in Germany, for example here: here.

2. This mixture is easy to make and can be used anywhere you want to

repel cats (or groundhogs, for that matter):

2 parts cayenne pepper

3 parts dry mustard

5 parts flour

Simply mix together and sprinkle.

3. Use large flat river stones in your garden beds to make the soil

less diggable, and so less attractive to cats. Besides, river stones are pretty.

You can also use them in houseplant pots to keep the furry little darlings out

of those.

4. Cats don't like tea leaves, so empty your used ones onto the

garden soil.

5. You could also try using a sprinkler that is activated by a

motion-sensor. All it takes is a time or two of getting dowsed with water to

deter any cat. It can work for intruders, too.

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Do cat repellents work? How to stop a cat from using garden as litterbox?

Tell me how to keep cats out of my garden. These are common questions of concern

to all gardeners but is there a real answer?

The first line of defence is to ensure that your yard boundaries are

secure. Any gaps in your fence should be blocked to deny low level access. But

cats can jump so fix a taut wire or string some six inches above the top of your

fence to deter this approach.

Once inside your garden many people say that the best cat repellent is a

dog who will soon see off any feline invader. If you are not a dog lover then

you will have to resort to more passive methods. Since cats like to lie on

freshly dug soil you should lay mulch on your borders so that no bare soil is

left exposed. Seed beds should be covered with wire netting or twigs arranged as

a barrier.

Young trees should have plastic guards fitted around their trunks to

protect them against use as a scratching pole. Your garden pond should be

covered with netting to keep your fish safe.

Cats are generally known to dislike water so a well aimed bucketful or a

squirt with the hose will certainly make an intruder run. After one or two

dousings it may learn the lesson and stay away.

To protect plants and borders both mothballs and citrus are said to be

effective deterrents. Place the mothballs, orange peel or lemon rind in the

borders. Alternatively spray cloths with orange scented air freshener and place

the cloths around the plants you wish to protect. Other known cat repellents are

cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, lavender oil, lemon grass oil,

citronella oil, eucalyptus oil and mustard oil.

Certain herbs are said to deter cats. In particular rue but not catmint

which has the opposite effect. Coleus canina is another plant which is marketed

by one merchant as a cat repellent.

The broadcaster Jerry Baker has suggested treating your yard with a tonic

made from chewing tobacco, urine, birth control pills, mouthwash, molasses,

detergent and beer. A smallholder has reported success using dried rabbit blood

but you may feel that the ingredients listed in the previous paragraph should be

tried first.

If you visit your local garden center or hardware store you will find

several cat repellent products on sale. These range from electric water

sprinklers and ultrasonic devices to sprays and granules.

Motion activated sprinklers act in the same way as a burglar alarm using

an infra red detector. When the cat enters the area covered by the detector the

sprinkler shoots out a jet of water to scare the animal away. It is claimed

that, after one or two encounters with the jet, the cat will learn to avoid the

area.

Ultrasonic devices emit a high frequency sound which is annoying to cats

(and dogs) but is not audible to humans. There are various different models some

of which operate continuously and others which have an infra red detector and

only emit a pulse of sound when the cat triggers the device. To be successful

you need to ensure that the model is powerful enough to cover the area you wish

to protect. In addition make sure that the sound frequency is designed for

larger animals since some models are intended to deter insects and so would be

no use for cats.

There are also commercial scent cat repellents. Those that use chemicals

should be kept away from any food crops but the essential oil based granule

varieties act in the same way as orange and lemon peel mentioned above. Another

way to keep a cat out if the garden is a repellent evaporator which consists of

a container holding puffed rice which has been impregnated with essential oils.

These are effective for three to four weeks and can then be refilled for a

further period. Another natural product which many people claim really keeps a

cat out of the garden is lion's dung. You may need to visit your local zoo to

obtain this although some stores do stock zoo poo.

In Ontario, Canada the local township provides a cat trap service. Once

the animal enters the cage it cannot escape but is completely unharmed. The

owner has to pay to recover his pet and so should be encouraged not to let the

cat stray in future. Apparently few owners bother to reclaim their cats but just

obtain another kitten. However this sounds like a good way of dealing with a cat

that cannot be deterred by any other method. If there is no such scheme in your

area, just buy your own trap.

So, to recap, the first priority is to secure your boundary fences. Then

you have the whole selection of suggested cat repellents ranging from homemade

recipes to expensive commercial gadgets. I would suggest that you try the orange

peel and prickly twigs for a start. If you are around when the intruder appears,

try the bucket of water or hose. Even if you miss, the shock may be a sufficient

deterrent. If these do not do the trick, then you may have to consider the

commercial alternatives.

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