The presence of stray cats in the home is not always welcome, especially if they defecate, dig and break decorative or garden plants. In fact, it can even be considered a risk situation if it is also a question of wild cats, since they are not properly socialized and can be carriers of parasites and viral diseases, factors that can worry parents and owners of animals.
Therefore, although we consider ourselves animal lovers, we can find ourselves in a serious dilemma when it comes to scaring away stray cats that appear in our garden or terrace. Is there any really effective cat repellent? How to drive away cats without harming them? Is it possible to apply any effective and lasting method to drive away stray cats? Or worse yet: it may not even be stray cats, but domestic cats that take advantage of your garden to relieve themselves. What should we do then?
In this article on our site we are going to explain how to drive away stray cats with basic and effective advice, we will propose somehome remedies to use and we will explain how to solve the problem of stool and urine. If you have a problem with the presence of stray cats, this article interests you!
Why do cats come to my house?
In order to definitively drive away stray cats, it will be essential to know the cause that is causing this situation, although it should be noted that it will not always be possible. Cats are very active animals and although they always move within the same territory, the one they consider their own, they can travel several kilometers daily to be able to hunt, sniff and exercise.
Perhaps the felines come to your house spontaneously or have taken advantage of your garden to breed, using any available space. They may be getting food from your garbage because they are hungry, hunting on your deck because of the presence of birds, or they consider your home as part of "their territory" and, after defecating and urinating in it, return frequently to ensure that it remains theirs, using different forms of marking, such as rubbing, urinating and scratching.
Whether or not you have found the cause of this phenomenon, read on, below we will show you general tips and tricks so you know how to keep cats away from the house, very effectively and without hurting them!
How to keep stray cats away from my house?
Before mentioning home remedies to drive away stray cats, we must analyze some aspects of the home and follow certain guidelines to ensure that we are attacking the cause of the problem, not the presence itself. Keeping this point in mind is very important if our goal is for stray cats to leave our patio, orchard, garden or terrace definitively
Do you want to know what to do to keep cats out of your garden? Follow these 8 tips:
- Prevent them from eating your garbage by closing the bags and placing them in a closed container.
- Chase away mice and rats from your home with home remedies to prevent them from being eaten.
- If you like to feed wild birds, bet on using feeders in high areas, to prevent them from being fed to cats when they look for food on the ground.
- Explore the garden looking for nests or shelters they may be using for shelter.
- Use natural homemade repellents for cats to drive them away without harming them.
- Carry out a good cleaning of the home with the use of enzymatic products to eliminate pheromones.
- If you live in a city, contact the shelter animal collection service.
- If you live in a town, check with the town hall to find out if there is a person in charge of stray cat colonies who is in charge of sterilizing and controlling the feline population.
On the market you will also find some products to repel cats known as "cat repellents" for general use madebased on synthetic formulas that are unpleasant or that mimic the substances in the urine of certain predators, however, these products are not always effective
A good option is to combine these eight tips that we have provided you with some homemade products to ward off cats that we will show you below, remedies that you can do yourself at home, as well as the use of natural repellents for cats already made and not harmful to animals.
Remember also communicate these tips to your neighbors and relatives so that they follow the same guidelines and thus prevent cats from feeling attracted due to some nearby dwelling.
7 home remedies to drive away stray cats
If you're wondering how to repel cats at home, in this section you will find several proposals that, when combined with the advice mentioned above, turn out to be very effective. These are homemade products to repel cats that you can prepare without spending much money.
1. Citrus to repel cats
One of the most common remedies to scare away cats from the garden and from pots is the use of citrus fruits. You can use the peels of lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit and tangerines left over from your meals and place them in pots or next to your plants. In addition to being an excellent natural fertilizer, they will also serve as a repellent for cats.
You can also cut citrus fruits in half and scrub them on walls, flower pots and other areas where cats frequent, in order to that the smell remains impregnated as long as possible. This smell will not last too long, so you will have to repeat each time it is required.
two. Repellent plants for cats
If you don't consider the option of placing shells and debris in your garden, you can choose to place repellent plants for cats in your garden that will also fill your home with pleasant aromas for your senses but not for that of the felines. Some cat repellent plants are:
- Lavender
- Thyme
- Eucalyptus
- Shrub " Coleus Canina"
- Geraniums
- Thyme
- Basil
3. Pepper to repel cats
A more drastic and somewhat more aggressive solution that works as a cat repellent is to spread pepper powder in strategic places in your garden. With it, what you are going to achieve is causing itching in the cat's nose when smelling it, which will result in a series of annoying sneezes. Thus, after several similar episodes, the feline will associate these places with an uncomfortable place and, therefore, will stop visiting it.
4. Coffee to repel cats
Like citrus fruits or some of the plants mentioned, coffee is often an uncomfortable aroma for cats, precisely because of its intensity As with citrus peels, we can spread coffee beans around pots and different areas of our garden, which will also serve as fertilizer for our plants. This is an excellent home remedy to repel cats.
5. Cat repellent with vinegar
Another remedy that can help us repel cats from our garden is the use of white vinegar, which is especially unpleasant for them. You can place a mixture of vinegar and water in a diffuser and spread it near the areas where the feline frequents, spraying with intensity to impregnate the aroma well and so it acts as a powerful cat repellant.
6. Garden fences for cats
If we talk about architectural elements that can prevent cats from entering your domain, we are of course referring to the installation of a fence for catsalong the perimeter of your home. Even more effective will be if you give the fence a slight outward slope , to make it even more difficult for cats to climb it.
7. Concentrated repellent to repel cats
If none of the home remedies to repel cats have worked for you, there are concentrated and natural commercial repellents to scare them away without harming themThe Señor Cat® brand manufactures repellents made with natural ingredients so as not to leave residues that could harm felines, but there are many more brands that exist that also offer similar products without endangering the lives of animals.
What else can I do to keep away stray cats?
It may be obvious that not all the home remedies that we have given you will be effective in driving away all the stray cats that are around your home. Each cat is a world and they all have their own character and way of facing adversity. In addition, although there are smells that cats generally hate, not all of them repel them in the same way. What we can assure you is that with the correct combination of elements you can achieve, without damaging the feline, that the access and stay in your territory becomes a whole challenge of obstacles for him, and consequently, a place less hostile to his interests will be sought.
If you want to continue learning more tricks, below we will show you some tips to prevent cats from urinating and defecating in your home, which also implies territory marking (and thereforehis return ), as well as the marking of other felines that may approach and claim your home as their own.
What to do so cats don't shit in the garden?
If what bothers you most about the presence of stray cats in your home are the faeces and thebad smell of urine , below we will explain how to prevent cats from shitting in your garden or in the pots in your home:
- Get a garden shovel.
- Whenever you see urine or stool, remove it, including the surrounding soil.
- Then spray the area with vinegar or any other substance that acts as a homemade cat repellent.
- Clean pots, walls and floors with urine using enzymatic products.
- Avoid using ammonia or bleach.
Following these tips will not only eliminate the bad smell, you will also be completely removing the pheromonesthat the feline may have left in your home, which will prevent it from recognizing that area as its own and will prevent other felines from coming with the aim of marking, thus eliminating the presence of stray cats.
Also remember that there are some diseases that can be transmitted by stray cats through feces, so that you must remove them as a priority. In addition, you must not forget that the feces of carnivores do not serve as fertilizer for plants, so keeping them at home is never a good idea.
Tricks to drive away stray cats that you should NOT use
Here are some "cat scaring tricks" you shouldn't use. We will also explain why its use is not indicated, take note:
- Cat poison: The use of poisons can be very dangerous in homes where there are children and other pets, since they could be ingested by accident. Also, in the case of having an orchard or fruit trees, the feline could transport these substances and you could ingest them unintentionally.
- Use of toxic repellents: the problems derived from this type of repellents for cats are the same as in the previous case, in addition, you will be harming the flora and fauna of your garden.
- Scare a cat: Scaring a cat will most likely make it run away in a panic. However, it may happen that he does not know where to hide or go and the conflict ends in attack. If you have never seen an aggressive cat, it is better not to try this type of technique, which can also turn against you causing serious injuries.
- Wetting a cat: Wetting a cat, whether in winter or summer, is cruelty. The bath causes a significant drop in defenses, which can favor the feline's poor state of he alth.
It is better to stick to gentle techniques that show how to chase cats away without killing, hurting or harming them.
