Even cat lovers have to admit that felines can be a problem when it comes to gardens. When you look up ways to repel cats, you will find many. But which cat repellent works best?
There are a few cat repellents that people swear by that include sprays and some homemade remedies.
Many people do not wish to go down the chemical route when it comes to repelling cats. However, some deterrents are commercially available.
If, however, you wish to go for natural ways to deter cats, you can create your cat repellent spray. You can add all the ingredients that cats hate, like pepper, vinegar, or essential oils, with the spray.
What is the Most Effective Cat Deterrent?
There are a few effective cat deterrents that are commercially available. However, if you prefer to use home remedies as cat deterrents, you cannot put a finger on which one is most effective.
With so many options available, it becomes a matter of trial and error. Therefore, you must try a certain method and decide for yourself if it is effective.
Among the different ways to deter cats, many people swear by using a homemade cat deterrent spray. In addition, you can also sprinkle pepper on the soil to discourage cats from entering your garden.
Another effective cat deterrent is to use essential oils to create air fresheners so the scent travels. Any passing cat will smell the essential oils and know to stay away.
What Cat Repellent Really Works?
As a gardener, you will be used to dealing with pests now and then. But with cats, you need to be extra careful because you do not want to harm them. There are some cat repellents you can use that work well, and some of them are:
Purpose-Made Cat Repellents
If you do not wish to make your own spray, you can get one from the market. There are now many commercially available cat repellents. Some of them are plant-based, which do not harm your garden.
This is a good option to consider as it is easy and accessible. However, when it comes to sprays, you need to keep reapplying them as the effects wear off.
Rated 5/10
Purpose-made cat sprays and powders often don’t work and can be far more expensive than making your own at home.
Ultra-Sonic Cat Repellent
If you are tech-savvy, you will love ultra-sonic outdoor cat repellents. These repellents work by emitting low-frequency sounds that cats hear and do not like.
The machine also comes with different settings like movement detections. In addition, the machines often work on a battery and is not dependent on electricity to work.
Rated 4/10
We rarely find that ultra-sonic cat repellers actually do anything. In fact, most cats seem to completely ignore them.
Home Remedies
There are tons of home remedies you can use to repel cats. With home remedies, however, there is the problem of trial and error. Some of the methods may work for you, while some will not.
However, the best thing you can do is use the cat’s powerful sense of smell to your advantage.
Fortunately, there are loads of scents that cats detest as they are strong. Some of these scents include essential oils, spices, citrus, and mint.
You can either choose to make a spray using these ingredients or put them out in your garden. Anything you do to disperse the scent of these ingredients should be good to go.
Rated 6/10
A lot of trial-and-error must go into testing different home remedies. You might strike gold from the get-go or you may need to try 5, 6 or 7 different products before finding one that works.
Water Sprinklers
You can also add water sprinklers in your garden to repel cats. If there is one thing cats are known to hate, it is water. You may have seen or know how cats react to taking a bath. Even a sprinkle of water can cause cats to become afraid and sprint.
This is another option you will love if you are tech-savvy. There are water sprinklers available that detect motion. If any cat is in your garden, the water sprinklers will go off when they detect its movement, causing it to run.
Rated 8/10
It can be a faff to set up but water sprinklers will have a near 100% success rate if you can target cats.
Do Cat Repellents Actually Work?
People have their speculations about cat repellents working, and rightly so. Unfortunately, most of the stuff you read on the internet does not turn out to be true.
Many people use certain cat repellents, and if they do not work out, they lose complete faith in them. If certain methods work for one person, it does not necessarily mean they will work for you.
Cats, like humans, have different personalities. Some cats can be persistent; therefore, certain methods will not work against them.
Cat repellents affect the behaviour of cats. Some of the repellents either scare cats, irritate, or annoy them. How the cats feel towards cat repellents depends on their behaviour and personality.
Some cats might not get scared of certain repellents or not feel irritated by a certain scent. For instance, while some cats hate the smell of mint, others are attracted to it because it reminds them of catnip.
Summary
Cats are quite the problem for gardeners. These felines tend to loiter in the garden, breaking pots and pooping in the soil. Therefore, as a gardener, you may always be looking for ways to repel cats.
There are various ways you can do that, but it is not easy to find one that works. You can get commercially available cat repellents, or you can make your own. Determining what the best cat repellent is, however, will come down to trial-and-error and what works on the problem cat you’re dealing with.
Anna is a keen organic gardener, avoiding any forms of chemicals when growing both flowers and vegetables meaning she has extensive knowledge on how to deal with pests naturally
