stray cats

Question
How do we keep the neighbors cats out of our yard. Is there a smell to deter them. Our garden in full of cat waste and we do not own a cat.

Answer
Sharon,

I'm very sorry I didn't answer your question earlier but the hard drive in my computer died and I was just able to get it replaced.

It's difficult because cats do not have any reasoning ability and they don't know this yard they can go in and that yard they can't. Outside areas are all the same to them. They aren't being 'bad kittys', they are just doing what comes natural to them. But I understand very well how annoying it can be.


Here are some options to try:

Cat do NOT like the smell of citrus. Put some orange or lemon peels mixed with some water and put in the blender. Sprinkle that along the path the cats are using. Refresh periodically. They should take another route.

Use a mesh bag with several moth balls inside, or a can with holes in the lid and mothballs inside. Put them around where the tomcats spray. Cats do not like the smell of mothballs. NOTE: They can be toxic to the cat if ingested which is why you put them in a container.

Add a small amount of Eucalyptus oil to the soil. Cats dislike the smell and will be less likely to dig in the soil.

You can spray a Scat Cat product outside the house around the windows. I've never used it buy others have said it works to keep stray cats away from your home.

If you have the money to spend you can get motion activated sprinklers that act in the same way as a burglar alarm using an infra red detector. When the cat enters the area covered by the detector the sprinkler shoots out a jet of water to scare the animal away. It is claimed that, after one or two encounters with the jet, the cats will learn to avoid the area.

Tabbi