To prevent your cat from scratching hard surfaces around you home, dab the areas with a little
If you have a cat that loves to scratch a particular piece of furniture, try applying some vapour rub to the area you're trying to get them to avoid. They hate the smell and it will act as a natural deterrent. It works for dogs, too!
Some of the scents that are known to deter cats from scratching furniture include: Citrus scents such as orange, lemon, and lemongrass. Mint and peppermint. Eucalyptus.
Lions, tigers and other big cats are attracted to menthol, too. Some zookeepers apply a menthol-containing ointment such as Vicks VapoRub to surfaces inside the cat enclosures to entertain the great cats.
The best way to stop cats scratching them is to provide scratching mats around your home and encourage your cat to use them with toys. Other ways of stopping your cat from scratching carpets include spraying them with a citrus scent or cleaning them with ammonia and vinegar.
Simply spray the no scratch cat spray directly onto areas to be protected. Reapply every 2-3 days until your cat stops scratching, then once a week to keep them away from the area. Although our cat scratch spray has been thoroughly tested, always patch test initially to ensure no discolouration.
Mix together 3/4 parts water with 15 drops of each essential oil. Cats dislike eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, and peppermint – just choose the ones you don't mind the scent of yourself.
Examples of some common trade names containing camphor include Carmex, Tiger Balm, Vicks VapoRub, Campho-Phenique, etc. Camphor is readily absorbed across the skin, and should never be applied to dogs or cats due to risks for poisoning.
Never use essential oils or products like Vicks Vaposteam with the humidifier, as these can irritate your pet's eyes, nose, and skin. Some oils are even toxic for pets. Certain oils can be fatal when ingested and even cause severe complications if inhaled over some time.
Cats are often attracted to menthol smells. Menthol is common in products like Ben Gay and other creams like Vicks vapor rub.
Toxicity to pets
Small ingestions of a few leaves or low concentration eucalyptus oil leads to mild gastrointestinal distress, but ingestion of highly concentrated eucalyptus oil has been associated with severe signs including seizure, tremor, and, rarely, acute renal injury.
Likewise, geranium and eucalyptus plants give off an odor that cats dislike. Keep in mind that lavender, geranium, and eucalyptus are all somewhat toxic to cats; if ingested, they can cause excess salivation, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, depression, or dermatitis.
Citrus or lemon scents (orange peels, lemon peels), garlic, ammonia, vinegar, coffee grinds, pipe tobacco, mustard, citronella, or eucalyptus all deter cats as well. The scents diminish over time, so re-applying is necessary.
Peppermint oil, listed in some products as menthol, is toxic to cats when ingested or inhaled. Of note, some formulations (like wintergreen oil) may contain aspirin derivatives, making them even more dangerous for cats.
The smell of Vicks is a strong smell coming from the use of camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus oil. All these chemicals and oils are toxic to dogs. Vicks is used for treating nasal congestion and other ailments in humans. It is not a medication recommended for dogs due to the toxicity attributed to the core ingredients.
A few common essential oils that are SAFE to use for your cat include lavender, copaiba, helichrysum, and frankincense. If you diffuse oils in your home, it should not cause a problem for your cat, as oil used in a diffuser is highly diluted (versus direct topical application or dietary supplementation).
While it is not deadly, lavender is toxic for cats. Lavender contains linalool and linalyl acetate, which cats cannot process in their livers. This means that consuming too much lavender can lead to liver damage.
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.
Use a vaporizer to help unclog the nose. Put your cat in a fairly small room with a cool-mist humidifier and use it just the same as you would for a child a couple of times a day. That not only helps break up the congestion, it moistens inflamed or tender eyes and nostrils and make them feel better.
While all essential oils can present problems for cats, products high in 1,8-cineole, camphor, pinene, limonene, methyl salicylate, ketones, and phenols are especially dangerous.
Most cats don't like vinegar or citrus; you can try mixing citrus oil or apple cider vinegar with water and spray it on the areas you want your cat to avoid. You should, however, test the spray before coating your furniture to ensure it doesn't cause any spots or damage. Peppermint oil works, too.
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 have 40 times the number of odor-sensitive cells in their noses as humans, according to PetPlace. Because of their superior smelling abilities, they are sensitive to citrus-based products and Eucalyptus oil.
Add plenty of fresh lemon juice and a sprig of rosemary — both smells that cats hate but humans may enjoy. Spray this mixture onto furniture or areas where you don't want your cat to scratch. The citrus and vinegar smells will act as a deterrent and discourage your cat from scratching that area.
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.