What Are the Scents Cats Hate?

To cat lovers the domestic feline is an adorable furry creature. To some home gardeners they are pests that dig up plants in search of a convenient bathroom. Both of these kinds of people need ways to protect possessions from cat damage. Since cats posses an acute sense of smell, certain common scents cats hate make natural and inexpensive repellents.

  1. Citrus Scents

    • Citrus scents repel cats. Hanging an artificially scented lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange air freshener amongst the branches of your Christmas tree will prevent a cat from climbing it. If the tree is set in soil, the addition of fresh or dried peels from either fruit will discourage your cat from digging in the dirt. The peels eventually lose their scent, as the essential oils evaporate, so replace them with fresh ones once a week or as soon as you can no longer detect any smell.

    Spicy Scents

    • Cats shy away from spicy scents such as cloves and cayenne pepper. A mixture of three parts of dry mustard powder, two parts of cayenne pepper and five parts of flour is an effective cat repellent, according to North Dakotas University Extension expert horticulturalist, Ron Smith. Sprinkle this mixture wherever you need to discourage cats from digging or sleeping.

    Herbal Scents

    • The scents of herbs such as rue also repels cats. Plant rue close to treasured garden plants to keep cats away. If this is not possible, try offering cats their own patch of herbs as a decoy, since cats like the smell of other herbs, such as sage, catnip and parsley. Another herbal repellent is the plant, Coleus canina. This plant repels cats, dogs and foxes. The scent isn't apparent to humans, so it can be safely planted anywhere in your garden. The best results come from spreading out these plants, every one or two yards, across the entire garden you wish to protect.

    Chemical Scents

    • Dislike the smell of mothballs but mothballs should never be used as a deterrent, particularly in homes where small children can pick up or eat the balls. Mothballs are also hazardous to the health of cats, giving off fumes that kill cells inside a cat's liver. Cat-safe alternatives to discouraging moths include cedar blocks. Cats naturally dislike most chemical odors, but ammonia echoes the scent of their own urine and cannot be used as a repellent or cleanup agent, since it may encourage more accidents.