An Arsenal of Cats' Unloved Smells
Despite developed vision, the sense of smell is also important for furry pets. Thanks to the ability to distinguish smells, cats are perfectly oriented in their surroundings, mark their territory and communicate with each other.
All odors surrounding your pet can be divided into several categories:
- Pleasant. So, the smell of sweat on the owner’s clothes calms the cat, she knows that he is nearby. Catnip and valerian excite, as they are similar to the hormones of furry pets. Also read about grass for cats.
- Repelling - any strong aroma has a repulsive effect, and there is a direct dependence on the intensity - the higher it is, the more unpleasant the smell.
Using this feature, you can use different scents to teach your cat good manners or wean them from bad ones.
Products are herbal or artificial based.
Also read: Why cats are afraid of water.
Plant-based sources of unpleasant odors
Such means include:
- Garlic and onion cloves. They secrete phytoncides that irritate the nasal mucosa, which forces the animal to move as far as possible from the source of the unpleasant odor. To enhance the effect, it is recommended to finely chop or grind to a paste-like consistency. Prepared portions of onions and garlic should be placed in places that are subject to “attacks” from your pet. But it is important to consider that the aroma from these products is strong and will be noticeable not only to animals, but also to people. As the specific odor disappears, it is worth replacing with a fresh portion.
- Any spices: cinnamon, coriander, pepper, curry, etc. make your pet want to run away. They can be used in several ways: rub surfaces or make a mixture based on them. Add 1-2 teaspoons of spice to 200 ml of water, stir and spray on areas that need protection from animals.
- Oil from the leaves of the rue bush works well to repel furry pets. A few drops applied to problem areas will help in weaning from bad habits.
- Many essential oils have similar effects. Lavender or rosemary based oil applied to surfaces will repel the animal.
- All citrus fruits (orange, lemon, tangerine, etc.) will help cope with your cat’s bad habits. The smell of lemon is especially unpleasant for them, but the rest are difficult to tolerate. You can also add juice to water and use a spray bottle to treat surfaces or place fruit slices in the right places. The animal will avoid them.
- The smell of coffee is also hated by cats, which can be used to your advantage.
To eliminate the unpleasant odor and wean the animal from shitting in inappropriate places, you can use a combination of some of the above remedies.
For example, pour lemon juice over coffee grounds or sprinkle with essential oil and place in the right place. Living lavender or rosemary plants placed on the windowsill will wean your pet from spoiling other plants nearby.
Perfumes and special products
Any product from the perfume industry, be it expensive perfume or cheap deodorant, has an equally repulsive effect on cats. The stronger the smell, the more disgust it causes. If the composition contains the aroma of citrus or lavender, this will enhance the effect.
Vinegar is extremely unpleasant for cats; you can add 2-3 drops to water and wipe the surfaces that need protection. People will not feel a special aroma from such a concentration, but this will be enough to scare away the animal.
Pet stores provide a fairly wide range of factory-produced sprays and liquids to wean cats from bad habits. For example, the spray “Repel? Yes!" or "Biovax". They contain special fragrances and enzymes that help in the fight against pet leprosy.
Also read the article: Antigadin for cats.
Spices to help you
We continue to talk about how to ward off cats using available means. To do this, you can take aromatic spices. While the smell of black pepper seems attractive to you, people with mustaches can’t stand it. Therefore, feel free to buy peppercorns, chop them and scatter them along the beds and paths. A very effective product, but the downside is that the smell dissipates and you will have to renew it regularly.
You can experiment on your pet to find out what smell cats don’t like. Today we know that these are cayenne pepper, turmeric and ginger. You can mix them together, pour them into small bowls and place them along the garden. Don't forget to add fresh spices regularly.
How to use “aromatherapy” to rid entryways of cats
If there is a street cat in the entrance, then it causes a lot of problems. Among the most common are: an unpleasant odor from the animal’s urine and feces, “screams” in the middle of the night and the rotting remains of half-eaten food. But you can get rid of uninvited guests in the form of cats using their dislike for certain scents. They evoke in animals an instinctive feeling of danger, anxiety and fear, forcing them to get out of their favorite entrance.
Essential oils and vinegar can best help with this. Since the entrance is a fairly large area, it will be more convenient to treat it with liquid.
To prepare it, take water and add a few drops of vinegar or any essential oil (preferably lavender or citrus), pour it into a spray bottle and spray it on the walls and floor of the entrance.
This will get rid of uninvited residents.
Additional protection
If you have already tried the methods listed above and they did not bring the desired effect, then try other cat repellents. Some gardeners say mustard powder works great. They need to be sprinkled on paths in dry weather. Cats don't like bleach, but it's also harmful to plants. But if there is a rag tent or a swimming pool on the site, you can soap it with bleach so that cats don’t come close.
In addition, some gardeners make their garden inconvenient for cats to move around. To do this, a strip is made along the perimeter of the area, covered with broken stones, which are too sharp for delicate paws. Animals will try to bypass such an obstacle and walk on the soft ground.
Repelling cats when they defecate on the bed
Pets bring not only joy to their owners, but also inconvenience, starting to “misbehave” in the apartment, for example, by choosing a secluded place in the bedroom that is not intended for the toilet.
Before you start weaning your animal from such an unpleasant habit, you need to find out why it does it. Among the main reasons for this behavior are:
- Protest. When a pet is scolded or punished for something, it develops stress, and with such behavior the animal shows its disagreement.
- If there are problems with the genitourinary system, the act of emptying the bladder can be painful and the cat looks for a more comfortable and soft place for the toilet.
- Young kittens are often afraid to get out of bed on their own or do not remember where the toilet is, which leads to bowel movements in the bed.
- Some especially clean individuals do this when their tray is full; you should pay attention to the regularity of changing the filler in it and the problem will be solved.
- Cats whose owners are rarely at home or pay little attention to them begin to get bored and try to attract attention and diversify their lives with this behavior.
- Many elderly pets, having lived in a family for a long time, suddenly begin to shit on the bed. This is not due to a deterioration in character, but to the aging of the body; the animal could simply not have time to reach its tray in time.
- Cats are terrible owners, and the bed smells like the owner; by peeing on it, they mark their territory.
Dealing with “indecent” pet behavior
Having understood the reasons for this behavior of your pet, it is much easier to understand what motivates him at the moment of dirty tricks and begin to fight it. In order to minimize stress, you should be more attentive to the animal, caress it, and play more. Keep the toilet clean and wash it more often, install additional trays with other types of litter.
You can use essential oils or wash clothes with a fabric softener that has a lavender or citrus scent. But it is worth considering that not only people, but also animals have allergic reactions, so you should use the products carefully. A few drops of oil can be applied to the bed frame.
It is possible to wean an animal from the bad habit of relieving itself on the bed with the right tactics.
Ultrasound devices
A device for repelling cats from a property today can be found in almost every store for summer residents; it is not expensive or rare. These are ultrasonic devices that produce high-frequency sound. People don't hear it, unlike cats. Most models run on batteries, so it is important to change the battery every few months to keep it in working condition. There are not many reviews about the device, since it did not manage to gain popularity in our country. But, compared to the listed methods, the device is resistant to bad weather conditions. Its effectiveness does not decrease after rain, it does not erode.
Mr. Cat warns: danger to people
Rut oil is an effective remedy in the fight against bad habits of cats. But you need to know that if it is used in excess, the owners may experience unwanted reactions from the skin:
- development of allergic scabies;
- the appearance of urticaria;
- signs of allergic dermatitis.
When using this oil, you should adhere to the rule - the less, the better.
Vinegar and ammonia
And to them you can add kerosene, gasoline, crealine and all other strong-smelling liquids. You don’t have to choose which smell cats don’t like from this list. They are all simply unbearable for the delicate sense of smell of delicate creatures. Therefore, we take old rags, moisten them with what is available, and scatter them throughout the area. Of course, this spoils the appearance of the garden, and in the evening it is much more pleasant to inhale the aroma of flowers rather than vinegar. But what can you do... But the cats will remember that your area is too smelly for them, and will avoid it. True, you will have to re-wet the rags every day, otherwise the smell will lose its pungency. But such a remedy won’t break the budget: vinegar is cheap and easy to purchase.
How to protect plants from cats
When cats mark territory, a special secretion is released along with urine, which, when it gets on the leaves of plants and flowers, spoils them. Many animals like to sleep in beds and flower beds and organize a toilet there, digging up the soft soil. This causes a lot of grief to owners of plots and gardens. Scratched tree trunks don't add joy either. But it is possible to fight such hooligans. It is enough to plant along the edge of the plot or on the windowsill where there are flowers, onions or garlic.
Ornamental plants will also come to the rescue. For example, lavender, which will not only repel cats, but will also decorate the area.
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Attractive corner
Tell the owners of rowdy pets how to keep their cats away from their neighbor's property. To do this, you need to attract them to some corner of your garden. This can be done by installing trays (if they are toilet trained) or creating a special “cat” corner. There is a plant called catnip, or catnip. Very attractive, it blooms almost throughout the entire summer period and will decorate the site. Cats will be happy to visit this corner, sleep there and chew leaves. And if you pour sand there, then the toilet will be in one place, and not throughout the entire area.
By the way, if the owner has not responded to your requests, and the neighbor’s cat continues to periodically come to visit, then you can arrange such a corner on your site. At least the cats will only visit it, forgetting about the rest of the territory. Of course, there are no guarantees, but most animals really like the smell of this plant.
Last resort
If all else fails, the owners of the site begin hunting for furry pets. Some watch them at the scene of the crime, others lure them with treats. After that, they give them a beating and send them back to their station. It’s not very humane, but usually after 2-3 “explanatory conversations” the cunning creature understands that retribution cannot be avoided, which means it’s better not to come here again. Of course, hunting a cat in the garden is a long and rather complicated job, so we recommend using one of the methods listed above. Proven repellent sprays from leading manufacturers will provide guaranteed results. But if it’s a pity to spend money on them (and they are not cheap), you can try traditional methods of fighting the invaders of the territory.
