How to Keep Cats Away With a Natural Repellent

Those of us who have our dogs playing in the yard know how dangerous it can be to have a stray cat around, since our dogs would go after them, putting themselves in danger and putting other people in danger too, from crossing roads or paths.

That's why we always use a homemade natural cat repellent — this way we can keep cats away and our dogs won't put themselves in danger. The repellent isn't poison or anything that would hurt the cat, it's just a natural product that smells really bad to them.

We're going to explain how to make a natural, effective repellent to keep cats away, without having to buy anything, using only products we normally have at home.

Cat Repellent Made With Vinegar and Lemon

Ingredients as natural and common in any home as white vinegar and lemon can help us make an excellent homemade cat repellent, which will help us a lot in keeping cats away. This repellent won't harm cats at all — it will simply keep them away because of its smell. Knowing which smells cats hate is key to being able to repel them naturally.

It consists of squeezing one or two lemons into half a liter of water, to which we'll add half a liter of white vinegar, giving us a liter of very effective natural cat repellent as a result. Cats hate this combination of smells, so it's super effective.

Just put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it generously around your house and garden to keep cats from coming in to snoop around. Also, if we place the used lemon peels in our plant pots, their smell will make it even more effective.

Cats hate the smell of lemon and vinegar, so there's nothing more effective for repelling them than surrounding our home with that smell. And yes, for the first hour we'll be able to smell the vinegar too... but after a while the smell fades away completely.

However, cats' keen sense of smell will keep picking up on the vinegar and lemon for many days, so they'll stay well away.

How to Repel Cats With Essential Oils

If you don't like the idea of using vinegar because you hate its smell, you can always use essential oils to make a mixture with a smell that's very pleasant for us humans, but very unpleasant for our feline friends.

To do this, you'll need to get lemon essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil — you can find them at herbal shops or online stores at a very low price, and with a small amount you'll have enough for thousands of batches.

We'll add ten drops of eucalyptus oil and ten drops of lemon oil to half a liter of water. We'll shake it well and, with the help of the spray bottle, we'll spray the solution around the perimeter of our house.

This distinctive smell, very pleasant for us, will act like an invisible barrier that keeps cats from entering our house or garden. It's a very effective cat repellent that's also natural — it doesn't poison them or cause them any harm.

Why Keep a Cat Away From My Home or Garden?

Everyone has their own reasons — from dogs in our garden that might run off chasing cats, to a simple cat hair allergy. If someone doesn't want cats at their home, these are the best options, since they don't harm them, they just keep them away.

Some people use poisons or harmful chemical products — remember that your dog or a child could also touch them and get poisoned. Going with harmless homemade repellents is without a doubt the best option.

If you've already tried these repellents or know of a different one that's also effective, leave us your opinion or suggestions in the comments.