Homemade Cat Repellent for Cars

Effective Homemade Cat Repellent

• Cats use urine to mark territorial ownership. Once a stray cat has used your garden or yard as a litter box, she will consider your territory hers. This means the cat will be more likely to use your car as her bed. While this creates a nuisance for you, the cat means no harm. No cat can comprehend how the human territorial system works. As long as stray cats feel safe and comfortable in your yard you will have to contend with stray cat nuisances.

  Effective homemade cat repellents will prevent stray cats from feeling safe and comfortable in your territory. Cats do not like water or citrus smells. A simple homemade cat repellent is to make your car smell like citrus. Hang a citrus-scented air freshener from your car mirror. Cats have a strong enough sense of smell to detect the air freshener from outside the car. Another way to make your car smell like citrus is to use citrus scented cleaners to clean your car.

  Having a dog will protect you from stray cat nuisances, too. In the animal kingdom your territory is the dog's territory. Stray cats will avoid your territory in order to avoid making enemies.

The Don'ts of Homemade Cat Repellent

• There are certain materials you should not use for homemade cat repellent, including cayenne pepper and mothballs. Some herbs, such as eucalyptus and lavender, can be used to successfully repel stray cats without harming the animal. Cayenne pepper is not one of these herbs. Cayenne pepper can be very dangerous if the cat gets the repellent in its eyes.

  Mothballs are poison and not meant for outdoor use. The last thing you want is for a neighborhood child to accidentally get exposed to the poison you were using as homemade cat repellent.