Hi guys, I was hoping someone can help me. I want to make a natural repellent that is inexpensive (since it would have to be applied frequently)and also non-toxic to animals. I have a huge problem with stray cats messing in the yard. I was told by Natural Living Center that peppermint oil works, however that is not very cost effective. Any suggestions that are tried and true?
ISO natural cat repellent
- Thread starter amber
- Start date
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I suspect those cats are "messing" in your landscaping, beds, etc. You might want to try laying down a band of chicken wire around the inside perimeter of the most effected areas, as cats don't like to walk on strange/unfamiliar things. This may be a bit unsightly, but I guess it depends on how badly you want to rid yourself of the buried cat dung. Alternatively, you could generously sprinkle cayenne pepper all over the place as well, but after a rain/moisture it becomes ineffective. My natural solution to that problem has been two German Shepherds for the past 12 years, no cats within charging distance.
Barb L.
Master Chef
I have heard of moth balls, years ago we had a stray that would hide under my bushes, waiting for the birds to feed out of the feeder. Been so long ago - can't remember if it worked- sorrry ! I just sprinkled a few around the bush. Read about it on the internet. They do stink !
Barbara L
Traveling Welcome Wagon
Maybe diluting it in water or a cheap cooking oil would work. I've never tried that, but it's a thought.
Barbara
A big dog works well.
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
I use peppermint oil to repel rodents and raccoons - they really hate it. The stuff is pricey if you buy it at WalMart, etc. in the 4 oz. bottles. I recently bought a 16 oz. bottle here for ~29.00
http://www.nutritiongeeks.com/detai...mint-oil-now&gclid=CMujqNLp05ACFUtyOAodECewXg
I haven't tried diluting it but I'll bet you could with mineral oil or something like that. This stuff is really strong so a little goes a long way. I put it in a spray bottle full strength for my attic and at my coast house, a couple of drops on a cotton ball in closets, under the stove, etc. keeps mice at bay. Stray cats I don't know about, though.
http://www.nutritiongeeks.com/detai...mint-oil-now&gclid=CMujqNLp05ACFUtyOAodECewXg
I haven't tried diluting it but I'll bet you could with mineral oil or something like that. This stuff is really strong so a little goes a long way. I put it in a spray bottle full strength for my attic and at my coast house, a couple of drops on a cotton ball in closets, under the stove, etc. keeps mice at bay. Stray cats I don't know about, though.
Barbara L
Traveling Welcome Wagon
Thanks Fisher's Mom! I'm going to have to try this for mice. I have had to resort to poison, as nothing else was working, and I really don't want to have that around. It's where the dog can't get to it, and where the cats don't go, but it is inconvenient and messy once they start eating it and spreading little bits of it. Not to mention finding dead mice in the cupboard or on the counter. Yuck. If the peppermint oil keeps them away, that would be better.
Barbara
Clienta
Senior Cook
We had a horrible problem with feral cats when we moved into our house three years ago. They used our palapa as a scratching post & litter box. When it rained the smell of urine was horrific. My mother gave me a book, "1001 All Natural Secrets to a Pest-Free Property", by Dr. Myles H. Bader. On page 222, in the chapter for cats....."The cat formula for keeping kitties out of soft garden beds & using it a a latrine is a little different than for dogs. Mix together 2 T of cayenne pepper, 3 T of powdered Chinese Mustard, 4 T of all-purpose flour in 2 quarts of warm tap water. Allow it to stand for 1 hour before straining & placing the mixture in a spray bottle. This will repel a mountain lion as well."
I did this & sprayed it all over our palapa. I even put it into 2 super soaker water guns which I kept by the back door & on the roof. When the cats started to avoid the palapa & hung out in the back yard, I would sneak out back with the super soaker. They would stare me down until they got hit & would tear out of there. I am happy to say, we no longer have a problem with feral cats.
A few other suggestions from the cat chapter......cats are afraid of snakes, put an old garden hose in your yard. Plant cat nip far away from your yard. Cat's don't like the herb "rue." If you scatter rue leaves around the areas that they frequent they will leave quickly. If you plant rue in your yard, they will stay away from it. Good luck!
I did this & sprayed it all over our palapa. I even put it into 2 super soaker water guns which I kept by the back door & on the roof. When the cats started to avoid the palapa & hung out in the back yard, I would sneak out back with the super soaker. They would stare me down until they got hit & would tear out of there. I am happy to say, we no longer have a problem with feral cats.
A few other suggestions from the cat chapter......cats are afraid of snakes, put an old garden hose in your yard. Plant cat nip far away from your yard. Cat's don't like the herb "rue." If you scatter rue leaves around the areas that they frequent they will leave quickly. If you plant rue in your yard, they will stay away from it. Good luck!
Clienta
Senior Cook
Thanks Fisher's Mom! I'm going to have to try this for mice. I have had to resort to poison, as nothing else was working, and I really don't want to have that around. It's where the dog can't get to it, and where the cats don't go, but it is inconvenient and messy once they start eating it and spreading little bits of it. Not to mention finding dead mice in the cupboard or on the counter. Yuck. If the peppermint oil keeps them away, that would be better.
We had a problem with mice too....you'd think the feral cats would have gotten them all. Anyways, I tried the cotton balls with peppermint & it didn't work too well. Maybe Mexican mice like peppermint.
I was worried about poison because of my dog & young son (2 1/2), I put out the sticky traps that are non toxic. I put a piece of a dog biscuit on it & they worked very well. It is a little unpleasant when you catch them, they just get stuck, they don't necessarily die. But it took care of the problem. Also remove any food sources. They love dog biscuits. I put all my "treats" in tupperware now instead of ziplocks. Good luck.
Barbara L
Traveling Welcome Wagon
Thanks Clienta, but I will pass on the sticky traps. A friend tried that and the description she gave of that poor little thing screaming was enough to stop me from using them. I'd rather have mice.
Barbara
BarbaraFisher's Mom
Executive Chef
You're welcome. It really works great for me. But be warned - you need to put enough cotton balls so that you have a good, strong smell.Thanks Fisher's Mom! I'm going to have to try this for mice. I have had to resort to poison, as nothing else was working, and I really don't want to have that around. It's where the dog can't get to it, and where the cats don't go, but it is inconvenient and messy once they start eating it and spreading little bits of it. Not to mention finding dead mice in the cupboard or on the counter. Yuck. If the peppermint oil keeps them away, that would be better.
We had a mouse invasion when the city cited a neighbor behind the house and made him cut his yard and then they mowed the alley. All the houses in that area suddenly had the little critters. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for about a month, so when I discovered it, it was a mess. Mouse poop everywhere! Anyway, you have to clean up all "evidence" of the mice and then spray the area with clorox or lysol or something that will eliminate the mouse urine odor - which attracts other rodents. Because they had really moved in on me, I ended up putting 3 cotton balls that were soaked in oil in every closet and the kitchen cabinets and under the stove. Let me tell you, this stuff smells strong. I personally like peppermint but some folks really hate it! But, it's been 3 years since then and I've never had a mouse come in since but I do renew the oil every 3 to 6 months. And no little mouse corpses to deal with.
Barbara L
Traveling Welcome Wagon
Thanks again Fisher's Mom! We live in the country, so I guess they are just a fact of life. We have cats, but the mice are pretty good about staying out of reach. Fortunately James and I both like the smell of peppermint.
Barbara
Barbara
Lead works well and is fairly inexpensive. You need to catch them in the act though
LOL that was my DH's solution...... BB's.
All he's caught so far was an accidental Blue Jay. WHOOPS!
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
Here's a really long story about lead-based rodent control. A friend and I were walking around the block in my neighborhood when we went past a neighbor's house the next street over. He was in his back yard having margaritas and invited us in. We were sitting there chatting when a guy came out of the house wearing boots and a cowboy hat and smoking a cigar.Lead works well and is fairly inexpensive. You need to catch them in the act though
He sat down with us and just started talking, not introducing himself or asking who we were. Well, he was telling some really outlandish stories and dropping names like Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker etc. So I asked him if he was a musician. He said he used to be and had had his own band a few years back and had played with Willie and the boys for years but that he didn't do it anymore except for fun. He said he was now a writer. I asked if he had gotten published yet and he laughed and said he'd had several books on the NYT Bestsellers list. Honestly, my girlfriend and I thought this guy was a really charming and funny BS artist.
So I turned back to my neighbor and asked him if he had gotten mice in the winter when they cut back the brush at the city park near our homes. He said yeah. I asked him what he did about them because I was freaked out and didn't want to use poison. He said "I shoot em". I blinked and said "Shoot 'em with what"? He said a 357 Magnum. I started laughing, thinking he was teasing me. Then the cowboy friend said come and see.
We went in the kitchen and sure enough, there were 3 really huge holes in otherwise perfectly restored kitchen cabinets! (We live in an historic neighborhood.) I couldn't speak for a minute and then I said "Well, you can't just shoot them in your house". That's when the cowboy said "Yeah, I told him it didn't work in my house and to just get a cat but he wouldn't listen."
By this point, I'm thinking these guys are a little nuts and maybe it's time to leave. So as we're leaving, the cowboy says we should have another margarita. I demurred and said it was a pleasure and then said I hadn't caught his name. He apologized and tipped his hat and said his name was Kinky Friedman. I thought this was another joke and laughed and said "I'll bet you are". So he pulls up his pants leg to show a pair of custom made boots with the name Kinky across them. Well, then I really thought he was an odd duck so we got out of there fast.
The next week, I came across a full page spread with his picture touting his latest book! The article was long and sure enough, confirmed all of his outrageous stories, but there was no mention of his lead-based rodent control method.
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Ive read some of Kinky Friedmans articles on the back page of Texas Monthly .jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Ive used peppermint extract to repel mice. Don't need it here as our two cats have it well under control. Its because of the cats I still have not gone out to get my new sofa I want it to be leather but the last sofa and love seat I bought the cats tried tried to make them into scratching posts. Apparently cats are very attracted to new leather.I never heard of Kinky Friedman, but he sounds like someone I'd like to drink margaritas with
I knew a guy (not a friend... knew) that got in an accident and had to have a metal plate put in his head. I know he suffered some brain damage, too, but he still got out and about and I'd run into him once in a while. He had to spend time in jail for discharging a weapon inside city limits. He was shooting mice in his apartment with a .22
An apartment building! Geesh!
I knew a guy (not a friend... knew) that got in an accident and had to have a metal plate put in his head. I know he suffered some brain damage, too, but he still got out and about and I'd run into him once in a while. He had to spend time in jail for discharging a weapon inside city limits. He was shooting mice in his apartment with a .22
An apartment building! Geesh!
