Cat Repellent

Cat Repellent or How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden – Do cat repellents work? How to stop a cat from using garden as litterbox? Tell me how to keep cats out of my garden. These are common questions of concern to all gardeners but is there a real answer?

The first line of defence is to ensure that your yard boundaries are secure. Any gaps in your fence should be blocked to deny low level access. But cats can jump so fix a taut wire or string some six inches above the top of your fence to deter this approach.

Once inside your garden many people say that the best cat repellent is a dog who will soon see off any feline invader. If you are not a dog lover then you will have to resort to more passive methods. Since cats like to lie on freshly dug soil you should lay mulch on your borders so that no bare soil is left exposed. Seed beds should be covered with wire netting or twigs arranged as a barrier.

Young trees should have plastic guards fitted around their trunks to protect them against use as a scratching pole.

Your garden pond should be covered with netting to keep your fish safe.

Cats are generally known to dislike water so a well aimed bucketful or a squirt with the hose will certainly make an intruder run. After one or two dousings it may learn the lesson and stay away.

Cat Repellent

To protect plants and borders both mothballs and citrus are said to be effective deterrents. Place the mothballs, orange peel or lemon rind in the borders. Alternatively spray cloths with orange scented air freshener and place the cloths around the plants you wish to protect. Other known cat repellents are cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil and mustard oil.

Certain herbs are said to deter cats. In particular rue but not catmint which has the opposite effect. Coleus canina is another plant which is marketed by one merchant as a cat repellent.

The broadcaster Jerry Baker has suggested treating your yard with a tonic made from chewing tobacco, urine, birth control pills, mouthwash, molasses, detergent and beer. A smallholder has reported success using dried rabbit blood but you may feel that the ingredients listed in the previous paragraph should be tried first.

If you visit your local garden center or hardware store you will find several cat repellent products on sale. These range from electric water sprinklers and ultrasonic devices to sprays and granules.

Motion activated sprinklers 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 cat will learn to avoid the area.

Ultrasonic devices emit a high frequency sound which is annoying to cats (and dogs) but is not audible to humans. There are various different models some of which operate continuously and others which have an infra red detector and only emit a pulse of sound when the cat triggers the device. To be successful you need to ensure that the model is powerful enough to cover the area you wish to protect. In addition make sure that the sound frequency is designed for larger animals since some models are intended to deter insects and so would be no use for cats.

There are also commercial scent cat repellents. Those that use chemicals should be kept away from any food crops but the essential oil based granule varieties act in the same way as orange and lemon peel mentioned above. Another way to keep a cat out if the garden is a repellent evaporator which consists of a container holding puffed rice which has been impregnated with essential oils. These are effective for three to four weeks and can then be refilled for a further period. Another natural product which many people claim really keeps a cat out of the garden is lion’s dung. You may need to visit your local zoo to obtain this although some stores do stock zoo poo.

In Ontario, Canada the local township provides a cat trap service. Once the animal enters the cage it cannot escape but is completely unharmed. The owner has to pay to recover his pet and so should be encouraged not to let the cat stray in future. Apparently few owners bother to reclaim their cats but just obtain another kitten. However this sounds like a good way of dealing with a cat that cannot be deterred by any other method. If there is no such scheme in your area, just buy your own trap.

So, to recap, the first priority is to secure your boundary fences. Then you have the whole selection of suggested cat repellents ranging from homemade recipes to expensive commercial gadgets. I would suggest that you try the orange peel and prickly twigs for a start. If you are around when the intruder appears, try the bucket of water or hose. Even if you miss, the shock may be a sufficient deterrent. If these do not do the trick, then you may have to consider the commercial alternatives.

Hugh Harris-Evans is the owner of The Garden Supplies Advisor where you will find further articles, gardening tips and product reviews.

Squirrel Repellent

Mechanical Traps

Custom made traps are a good, humane squirrel repellent. They are a non-toxic way of encasing and ridding squirrels from attics or outside areas such as gardens or trees. The live traps used as squirrel repellents can be hung from trees or placed in areas where squirrels inhabit. Place peanut butter or bread inside the trap to lure the squirrel into the trap. Once the squirrel enters the trap, it will close encasing the squirrel without harming it. The animal can then be transported to a different area away from your home.

Squirrel Repellent

Organic Squirrel Repellents

Organic methods of squirrel repellent are the use of hot red peppers, chili peppers, or cayenne spice. Other spices such as black pepper or lemon juice can be spread in areas to deter squirrels. Placing these spicy ingredients on bird feeders or places where squirrels frequent will keep them away. The hot spices when ingested by squirrels will keep them from returning.

If squirrels are bothering your flowers or vegetables, consider another organic method of squirrel repellent. Using urine from natural predators of squirrels will give warning for them to stay away. Using urine from a fox, bobcat, or coyote will keep squirrels from eating your vegetation. The urine is condensed into small pellets that can be spread around the garden or trees to rid the area of unwanted squirrels.

Other ways of keeping squirrels away is wired fencing around your gardens. Covering your gardens with proper wire fencing will keep squirrels away as well as other pesky animals. Wire meshing is also a safe and humane way to keep animals away without any kind of traps or organic material.

Poison Squirrel Repellents

One thing to consider when deciding on squirrel repellents is to never use any kinds of poisons. Exposing poison to natural wildlife habitats is illegal in some regions. Other animals such as hawks or predators can feed on the poison as well, and it can be a dangerous way to kill natural wildlife while trying to rid your area of squirrels. In addition, your pets or children can be exposed to open poison which can be lethal to them as well.

Squirrel repellents can be an effective way to rid squirrels from your garden, home, or tree areas. Make sure to keep any methods of elimination safe to the wildlife and environment surrounding the location. Most solutions for squirrel repellents are safe for children and pets especially designed traps. The important thing to remember when trying to get rid of squirrels is to remain patient.

With patience, your efforts will finally win over these pesky creatures.

Elena Semick writes for RepelAll.com – a repellents related information resource and online community. Visit http://www.repelall.com to protect your family and enjoy in your outdoors activities by applying various rat repellents.

Spider Repellent

If your home is being invaded by spiders don’t sit there afraid to put your feet on the floor. Get up and get angry and try some or all of these tips that you’re about to get on spider control using natural spider repellents.

1. Chestnuts are a wonderful deterrent for spiders. Just place some of them around your home where you think spiders would be attracted to and you’ll find they will look for other living quarters.

2. Don’t smoke? Well don’t knock it! When tobacco or chewing tobacco is mixed with water and lemon dish detergent it is deadly on spiders. When mixing don’t forget to strain off the tobacco.

Spider Repellent

3. Peppermint and Lavender combined and brewed with pennyroyal, cinnamon or orange oil can work fantastically. Place the brew in a bottle and spray, spray and spray.

4. There are ultrasonic insect repellants on the market that work and offer excellent spider control. These may cost you a few bucks but they are so worth it if you’re looking for a natural spider repellant.

5. Horse apples can become a real good friend when they is sliced and hung in every room of your home. Spiders hate them.

6. Another simple spider control is coconut oil, vinegar and water. It works so well you knew vinegar, the woman’s right hand cleaner, had to be in there somewhere didn’t you?

7. Cleaning your home every week will decrease the chances of spiders wanting to move in drastically. Spiders love dust and debris, they also like remains of other dead insects so clean well when you do it.

8. Then there is the last but not the least way of safely getting rid of spiders and this one although a little bit out in left field works. Puree some dead spiders with water, strain and put water in a spray bottle and start spraying. This works like a charm.

So don’t sit there and be surrounded by spiders. Get up and provide your own spider control with some of these tips. You will be so glad you did and once again you can feel safe when the spiders decide to move out.

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