Cat Repellent

About Cat Repellents

Cat repellents, like all animal repellents, are meant to break bad habits and change unwanted behavior. All cats exhibit territory-marking behaviors, like rubbing their cheeks on objects and sharpening their claws, which releases pheromones that leave their scent behind. However, they also spray urine and use feces as a way to mark territories as well, which is extremely unwanted behavior. Unneutered male cats spraying are often a problem. Cats are creatures of habit and will continue to visit spots that smell familiar. Repellents, which contain ingredients that smell or taste unpleasant to the cats, are used to deter cats from using your lawn, garden, and property as their litter box or spraying zone. The repellents will make the area smell unfamiliar and bad to the cat and will hopefully not use the treated area. With diligence, you can use cat repellent products with some other tactics to break the cats of their habits and keep your lawn a cat-free zone.

How To Use Cat Repellents

When trying to break cats of bad habits, you should take an integrated approach to repelling cats rather than just relying on a single product, like putting up non-permanent fences. Products will be very useful, though, to keep cats away from your plants, garden, and lawn, but make sure you follow all the instructions and these tips carefully for success.

• To begin your cat repelling process, begin by digging up and removing any buried cat feces and surrounding soil. Also scrub down any surfaces that may have been sprayed by cats.
• Choose the right product for your situation. There are several types of products available, with different types of active ingredients that may be more or less successful depending on the cat. You might have to cycle through a few different products to find the most effective one.
• A majority of cat repellent products contain natural, botanical ingredients like essential oils, like peppermint, cinnamon, thyme, citronella, geranoil, etc. Garlic and white pepper are also popular ingredients. You’ll find similar ingredients in Liquid Fence Dog & Cat Repellent, I Must Garden All Natural Dog and Cat Repellent Granules, and Ropel Dog and Cat Granules.
• You may find some products that include predator urine as the active ingredients, like Shake Away Coyote/Fox Urine Granules For Domestic Cats Repellent. This will make cats think a predator is nearby and will stay away from the treated area.
• The most common formulas for cat repellent products include cat repellent granules and cat repellent spray. These are generally formulated for outdoor use only, but can be used nearly anywhere necessary. Lawns, garden beds, potted plants, surfaces, and even in places playgrounds and golf courses since the active ingredients are safe for humans to be around.
• A heavy, frequent application may be necessary at the beginning of the repelling process to reinforce the behavior change.
• Make sure to follow all instructions carefully, because often they will include important steps to help you achieve success in keeping cats out of your yard.
• If using a product seems impractical for your situation, consider the Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler. This is a motion-activated sprinkler that will shoot a stream of water at the intruding animal. It requires only water and a long lasting battery, works night and day, and you can link multiple units together to cover a wide range on your property.