Natural Remedies for a Cat Blockade

Whether you own cats or not, you may need a plan for creating cat blockades. If you own cats, there may be places inside and outside the house that you do not want them to be, and if you do not own cats you probably want them to stay out of your yard or garden. Cats can jump over high fences and can learn to tunnel under even higher fences if they so choose. One of the more effective ways to curb cat intrusions is with a natural homemade blockade.

  1. Indoors

    • If you want to train your cat to stay away from certain parts of your home, use these homemade blockades made of things you can find around the house. Cats do not like the scent of mothballs, which makes tem an effective repellent. However, they are dangerous if consumed, so do not use them in an open area if you have small children. Cats do not like walking on aluminum foil, so block off an area in foil and they will learn to avoid it. If your cat is marking territory in your house, try spraying a concentrated orange spray on the affected area. The combination of orange scents mixed with cat urine can sometimes repel cats and stop them from urinating in the home. You and your family will smell only the orange scent.

    Outdoors

    • Mothballs and orange peels work well outdoors as well. If you are trying to protect your garden from cats, create a barrier made of mothballs or orange peels. Do not mix the two together, as the scents may offset each other and not repel any cats. Using coffee grounds mixed with your potting soil can also help create a scent that will keep cats away. Cat urine has a high concentration of sodium, and that can kill your plants. The more you do to keep cats away from your garden, the better your chance of growing large and healthy plants.

    Water

    • Water should only be used in extreme circumstances. If you have a garden where all other blockade methods have failed, consider using a sprinkler system to keep cats out. If you can set your sprinkler on a timer, it can go on and off when you are not there, which will help to keep cats away. Water is considered an extreme repellent because it can alter the behavior of your cat, especially if you are using it on an indoor cat. If you are trying to repel your indoor cat by using a water pistol or spray bottle, be aware that these sudden blasts of water can create behavioral changes in your cat that can range from paranoia to aggressive behavior.