However, cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and as citrus fruits are very aromatic, what smells heavenly to us is way too over the top for cats. This dislike of citrusy scents can be turned to an owner's advantage.
Citrus: orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit
Citrus smells are widely reported as being repugnant to cats. You can use this to your advantage by throwing orange peels around your garden to keep cats away or spritzing a citrus scent on indoor fabric that you don't want your cat scratching up.
You may not realize it, but certain scents and pure essential oils like tea tree, citrus, and eucalyptus oil can be harmful toxic oils to your little feline. Many compounds in these pure essential oils contain toxins that can be fatal if your kitty breathes them in or ingests them.
Citrus fruits
Stems, leaves, seeds, and peels of citrus fruits are dangerous to cats. They contain varying levels of citric acid and essential oils that can be irritating to your cat's nervous system. Large enough quantities can cause depression of the central nervous system, leading to tremors, seizures, or death.
Limes, lemons, grapefruits, and oranges are all a no-go. However, there is an evolutionary reason for this. In large amounts, the oils that make the citrus smell are toxic for cats. Therefore, they have evolved to stay away from it.
However, cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and as citrus fruits are very aromatic, what smells heavenly to us is way too over the top for cats. This dislike of citrusy scents can be turned to an owner's advantage.
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.
According to the ASPCA, cats typically dislike the smell of citrus, so using orange, lemon or lime peels sprinkled around plants can help keep cats away. Using the oils of these citrus fruits is also a smart solution, since they are nontoxic to humans and cats.
Needless to say, should your cat consume pieces of lemon fruit or ingest lemon oil, it's advisable to get them to the vet as soon as possible. What is this? Consuming lemon may result in a combination of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, drooling, weakness, lethargy, tremors, cold limbs, and low blood pressure.
As a general rule, cats are sensitive when it comes to smells, but there are a few scents they hate that might just surprise you. They can't stand citrus and as much as you might love the smell of fresh herbs, cats hate rosemary and thyme. Banana and mustard are a big no-no too, as well as lavender and eucalyptus.
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 placing citrus peels like oranges and lemons under your tree skirt. In general most cats detest citrus and will keep their distance. As an added bonus, it will make your living quarters smell lovely and won't harm anyone (albeit 2 or 4 legs).
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.
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.
If you want some cat-friendly air fresheners, there are certain smells that cats love. “Cats love the smell of catnip, olives, non-citrus fruit for the most part and plants like honeysuckle,” Dr. Evans said. A lot of cats like the scent of valerian root, “which induces a similar euphoria to catnip,” Hudson said.
Lemons can be a safe and easy way to treat skin problems and repel fleas in dogs and cats. You can make an easy lemon rinse in a spray bottle (see recipe below) to spritz your pet to help repel fleas and soothe the skin in dogs and cats.
All citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, limes and lemons) are mildly toxic to cats. Consider every part of the fruit, from the seeds to the fruit and skin, to be toxic for your feline.
However, avoid using citrus, such as orange peels and lemon peels, which can be a highly unpleasant smell for many cats and can irritate or even stress them out.
Citrus peels
Another natural and simple solution to deter cats from your outdoor space is to finely chop citrus fruits (such as lemons, limes and oranges) and place them around the garden. Similar to lavender and peppermint, cats don't like the strong citrus scent.
It's thanks to the lemon and rosemary scents to which cats have a natural aversion. They apparently HATE both the smell of citrus and rosemary.
*Bonus: we've heard that citrus can be used to discourage curious cats from climbing your tree, so if you have a faux or natural tree at home that you'd like to protect from a cat attack, these dried citrus slices might be just the thing.
The second part of the outdoor cat predator problem is that cats are themselves prey. They will be killed by coyotes, eagles, owls, raccoons, dogs and otters. Two cats were killed by an otter when the cats got to close to their nest. Cars and humans also kill cats.
Some of the most toxic food for cats include onions & garlic, raw eggs & meat, chocolate, alcohol, grapes and raisins. Avoid feeding your cat table scraps, especially around the holidays, as these may contain potentially toxic ingredients.