A lot of cats dislike the strong, sharp smells of citrus peels such as lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. Sprinkling vinegar and rubbing raw onions in key parts of the garden have also been known to keep cats at bay.
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.
Citrus peels, used tea leaves and raw onions can all be spread around the garden to keep cats out. Black or cayenne pepper, as well as cinnamon can also be sprinkled throughout your flower beds to keep cats at bay.
Citronella oil is a homemade cat repellent that many people have had success with. Citronella is best known as a mosquito repellent, but cats find the Citronella odor to be distasteful. Simply mix one part Citronella oil to four parts water and spray liberally in the troubled areas.
Try orange and lemon peels, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and mustard oil. You can either sprinkle drops directly onto your flower beds or soak a cotton wool around it and place at entry points.
Certain Fruits and Vegetables. While fruits and vegetables might smell good to people, cats have another opinion altogether. Some varieties of produce, such as tomatoes, onions, and garlic, can send your cat's olfactory system reeling.
All onions — whether cooked or raw or even free-dried — are a danger to your pet. It takes a small amount of onions to poison your cat or dog, with cats being more sensitive to onion's effect than dogs.
Onions contain a compound called thiosulphate that is extremely dangerous for cats (and dogs). It can break down a cat's red blood cells to the point of anemia (aka a lack of blood cells). “Anemia means there are not enough red blood cells to supply oxygen to all the cells of the body,” Dr.
Coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, oil of lavender, lemongrass, citronella, and eucalyptus also deter cats. Cats will only go the restroom where they can dig. By placing chicken wire with the sharp side facing down, lattice fencing, or river rocks over the soil will keep feral cats from using your garden as a litter box.
Texture: Sticky paper, aluminum foil, heavy plastic or a plastic carpet runner (knubby side up) can be placed in areas you want to be off limits. Cats hate walking on these surfaces.
Coffee Grounds
The strong smell of coffee can be enough to keep cats off of your garden. Simply take your fresh, wet coffee grounds and distribute them around your borders and plants where you want to discourage feline attention.
Water: Cats hate it, so keep a water pistol (Super Soaker) handy and spray any time you see them in your yard. A spray with the hose also works well. Scarecrow Motion Activitated Sprinklers: The “Scarecrow” senses animals the same way security lights detect people; movement and heat.
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.
Put a sprinkler on in the area you don't want them to go (cats hate wet ground). You could try putting the sprinkler on a timer or using a motion activated 'scarecrow sprinkler' that is setup to trigger when it detects a cat. Move the sprinklers around regularly so the cats can't learn to avoid them.
Symptoms of Onion Toxicity in Cats
Elevated heart rate. Weakness. Hematuria (blood in the urine) Hemolytic anemia / Heinz body anemia (breakdown of red blood cells)
Every part of the onion, including the bulb, flowers, and stem, are toxic to cats. An onion can cause oxidative damage to red blood cells, known as Heinz body anemia, making it impossible for the cat's bloodstream to transport oxygen to different parts of the body.
No, Not At All—and Here's Why. Any plants in the Allium family like onions are toxic to cats, whether as a sliced vegetable or as a spice. Our curious cats frequently want a nibble of what we're eating, and sometimes those persuasive meows are hard to resist.
Put down extra strength hot chilli powder. It annoys cats' paws and whiskers without causing them serious harm. They'll stay well away. Over many years of battling to protect my garden from these little beasts, I've found the following deterrents to be most effective.
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.
You might also do well to place a few rubber snakes around to scare cats from loitering around your garden bed!
In particular, cats hate the smell of rue, lavender, marigolds, pennyroyal, Coleus canina, and lemon thyme. So if you have a problem with curious kitties or strays in your yard, consider planting these specimens throughout your garden or along the edges of flowerbeds to serve as a natural cat deterrent (11, 14).
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.