How to scare cats away so they don't shit, what smells cats don't like

How does a cat's sense of smell work?

Cats are very sensitive to odors, both repulsive and attractive. Usually, when owners call on smells to fight hooliganism, they only remember the first ones, but the second ones are also effective.

The sense of smell of various animal species is usually assessed by the number of olfactory receptors. According to this indicator, a cat’s sense of smell is 14-16 times better than ours, and a dog’s is 42-64 times better. Cats smell more than just their nose. They, like some other animals such as dogs and horses, have a vomeronasal organ, which provides a peripheral sense of smell. People don't have that.

If you open a cat's mouth, you will find a small round flat formation immediately behind the upper incisors. This is Jacobson's organ, or vomeronasal organ.

With its help, they smell pheromones - special volatile substances with an individual odor that animals secrete to mark the border of their territory and attract individuals of the opposite sex. In addition, pheromones can transmit both anxiety and a sense of security between members of the same species.

When a cat tries to “sniff out” pheromones, he opens his mouth slightly, breathes a little faster than usual, and breathes shallowly. The expression on his face is quite specific.

How to use “aromatherapy” to rid entryways of cats

If there is a street cat in the entrance, then it causes a lot of problems. Among the most common are: an unpleasant odor from the animal’s urine and feces, “screams” in the middle of the night and the rotting remains of half-eaten food. But you can get rid of uninvited guests in the form of cats using their dislike for certain scents. They evoke in animals an instinctive feeling of danger, anxiety and fear, forcing them to get out of their favorite entrance.

Essential oils and vinegar can best help with this. Since the entrance is a fairly large area, it will be more convenient to treat it with liquid.

To prepare it, take water and add a few drops of vinegar or any essential oil (preferably lavender or citrus), pour it into a spray bottle and spray it on the walls and floor of the entrance.

This will get rid of uninvited residents.

List of smells that cats don't like

Cats cannot tolerate any strong odors:

• alcohol;
• onion and garlic;
• black pepper;
• rosemary;
• essential oils, especially those with a citrus aroma;
• vinegar;
• sprigs or inflorescences of lavender;
• eau de toilette (cologne or perfume with a pungent odor);
• rue plant oil (use with caution, may cause irritation of mucous membranes).

All this can scare away cats, but there are also those who do not react to odors that irritate their relatives and even people. To fight for cleanliness in the house, you can go the opposite way.

It is a rare individual that will not react to an attractive smell. Cats love the smell of catnip, valerian, and some pheromones. True, there is a subtlety with valerian: it only affects adult pets. The secret of its aroma is simple: it resembles sex pheromones. With this knowledge, you can discourage your cat from one place and train it to go to another.

Powerful Fragrances

A cat's nose is more sensitive than a human's. A pet has from 45 to 80 million olfactory receptors. People have about 5 million of them. When figuring out what repels cats, a person will receive a list that includes the following products:

• perfumes (colognes);

citrus;

essential oils;

spices;

chemicals such as acetone;

spoiled meat (fish).

The analysis may give unexpected results. When figuring out what smell repels cats, the owner will find that the pet is attracted to white and other products with chlorine. Pungent for humans, the aroma causes behavior reminiscent of intoxication in some animals.

Not all of the effective “repellents” are used. It is worth using scents that meet the following criteria:

• durability;

safety;

normal perception by non-target residents.

Only a cat or other animal from which the object (territory) is being protected should react to the product. Some products that effectively repel pets are dangerous to their health.

The list includes:

• lavender – the oil is toxic to the pet’s liver;

mint, its derivatives - volatile compounds strongly irritate the mucous membranes; a cat can get poisoned by eating a plant;

cinnamon – consumption of essential oil harms internal organs.

Do not scare away cats with industrial or household chemicals. The products have an unpleasant odor for humans and can harm animals. The cat runs the risk of poisoning by licking the substance that gets on its fur.

Effective homemade remedies

Finding out what smells repel cats so that they don't poop, the owner will receive a list of citrus essential oils. Unlike cinnamon (lavender), they are considered safe for animals. Oil is applied to the surface to be protected or added to the solution at the rate of:

• 2 drops lemon;

2 drops orange

50-60 ml of water.

The mixture may include other oils. It is recommended to use glass containers for its preparation. The ether solution disintegrates faster in plastic. The mixture is poured into a sprayer for application to:

• seedlings (houseplants);

furniture;

Stuffed Toys;

interior items, other objects.

Before spraying fabrics, test the solution on a small area. Essential oils may leave stains. You can mix 20 drops of citrus extract with 0.2 liters of water.

Citrus fruits are the answer to the question of what smell repels cats the most. In addition to oil, fruit peels are used. Based on it, a product is prepared consisting of:

• fresh citrus peels - about 100 g;

water – 0.5 l;

lemon juice – 10 ml (2 tsp);

Lemon-scented dishwashing detergent.

The peel is poured into boiling water. The mixture is kept on medium heat for 20 minutes. The cooled, strained liquid is poured into a sprinkler, adding juice and soap (a couple of portions of the dispenser). Shake the mixture before use.

A simpler option than scaring cats away from marking their territory is a vinegar-based product. It is mixed in equal parts with water and neutral liquid soap.

Spices are an additional cat repellent. To repel, prepare a mixture of:

• pepper – 2 g;

mustard powder – 2 g;

cinnamon – 3 g;

garlic – 1 clove (0.5 g powder);

lemon essential oil (other citrus) – 3-4 drops;

water – 50-100 ml.

The dose of the first three ingredients is about a teaspoon. The mixture is shaken before application.

The products contain potentially dangerous ingredients, but their concentration does not threaten the health of the pet. The mixtures are used indoors and outdoors. It is necessary to take into account the operating conditions before choosing the active substance. Thus, rosemary oil disintegrates quickly in a moist, cool environment.

Repellents are called unexpected products. Also, some experts claim that bananas scare away cats. It is enough to wipe the area with the peel or leave it for a day to repel the animal. The procedure is repeated if a renewed interest is noticed.

Additional measures

When thinking about what smell repels cats so they don’t shit, you should eliminate the source. The animal returns to places associated with the tray. You need to eliminate the smell of the toilet. For this use:

• detergents;

soda and vinegar (together, separately);

essential oils, other fragrant products.

Flavorings are a secondary means. First you need to get rid of the smell of waste products. To do this, use soda and vinegar, cleaning products, including laundry soap. This is one of the products whose smell is unpleasant to cats.

The protection of plantings is provided by fragrant plants. Mint, basil, lavender, sage - there are many aromatic plants. It is worth choosing potentially safe ones. A cat can try a leaf, resulting in, at best, irritation of the mucous membrane.

Now you know what smells cats don't like. Remember this information, or better yet, save it.

Making your own cat repellents (repellents)

From damage to furniture

Buy citrus fruits - the ones you love, anything from lemon to sweetie will do. You also need to buy a scratching post and catnip. You can make a scratching post yourself from a board and sisal cord, from plywood and carpet scraps (not durable, but almost for nothing), half or a quarter of a log.

1. We hang the scratching post in a way that is convenient for both the cat and the owners.
2. Sprinkle it with mint.
3. We take citrus fruits and enjoy them with pleasure.
4. We take care of the skins, they are the most important thing in this recipe.
5. When we are done with the fruit, we take the skins and go to our favorite places for a cat manicure, which absolutely do not suit us.
6. Bring the skin closer to the surface and squeeze. The essential oil from the zest is squeezed onto the surface, resulting in an aroma that is pleasant to most people and too strong for a cat.

This method is not suitable for leather surfaces: essential oil stains will remain. In this case, it is worth treating the surface where the stains will not be noticeable: a couple of corners for the smell is not a barrier.

From puddles in the wrong place

The first thing you need to do is take your urine for analysis: if the cause is illness and not behavior, no tricks with odors will help.

If your cat ignores the litter box, replace it with a new bag or absorbent diaper with the absorbent side down. Collect the urine with a sterile syringe into a sterile container and take it to a veterinary laboratory as quickly as possible. If there are abnormalities in the analysis, first visit a veterinarian.

An epic with repellent odors will not help if the tray is not clean enough or is in an inconvenient place. Try placing a second litter box where your cat likes to poop, and if the tray is accepted, gradually move it to a location that is acceptable to you.

If the reason is behavioral, then smells that cats don’t like won’t help. It is necessary to minimize odors in the litter box area: cats are clean animals, and if the litter box smells too much of their waste, they will not go there.

1. Try using less litter and changing it more often.
2. Wash the tray with cleaning products thoroughly and rinse them well.
3. The place where the cat likes to shit must be made unattractive. It’s good to wash puddles with water and vinegar (it also works well against the smell of urine itself), but you don’t need to rinse off the vinegar solution too thoroughly.
4. On top, the repulsive smell can be flavored with citrus essential oil, as in the previous recipe.

From marks

It happens that a cat does not leave puddles, but comes up to the wall, lifts its tail and splashes a small amount of urine or a very odorous secretion of the paraanal glands onto the wall. These are marks. This is how sexual behavior can manifest itself, which means it is better to castrate the cat. But more often than not, animals mark their territory in this way, and castration in this case will only make it easier, not correct the situation.

Territorial behavior is not related to either gender or the presence of gonads. The cat shows that she is in charge: only the eldest in the pride always marks. Therefore, the task is to show the cat his mistake. In addition to other measures (feeding regimen, creating behavioral frameworks), smells will also help. The repellent will be specific.

1. Wash the mark, maybe with vinegar.
2. Now understand who is in charge in your family: who does the cat obey?
3. You will need something from this family member, preferably underwear, but ideally a sock, not clean, but after wear.
4. We take an item of clothing and put a “mark”, rubbing the marked area with the owner’s scent.

Maybe not the first time, but the cat will understand that he is not in charge and will stop marking. By the way, this method can be used in addition to means for protecting furniture: claw marks are also a type of mark.

Why do cats shit in the apartment?

The cutest furry pets do not always please their owners with exemplary behavior. Competent adjustments to the behavioral manners of your pet will help eliminate innocent pranks, but what should you do if a kitten, an adult cat, or a female cat begins to crap in the apartment in the wrong places?

© shutterstock

Unfortunately, this problem is not only familiar to many owners of furry purrs, but also causes a storm of negative emotions. Why did an obedient pet start making puddles on the carpet, in corners, under the front door, or even worse, defecating on the bed, personal belongings, shoes or flowerpots? What should I do to stop the cat, so that the cat doesn’t spoil things, stop crap in the house or apartment?

Before you begin to fight such a bad habit, it is necessary to establish the root cause of this behavior of your pet.

A cat may crap at home for the following reasons::

• The pet takes revenge . Cats are animals with a delicate mental organization, so disrespectful, rude attitude, lack of attention can cause the animal to show its resentment. Cats need to be loved and respected.
• Sexual hunting, rut . During this period, the pet tries to attract individuals of the opposite sex with its scent.
• The cat, the cat is not litter box trained . Train your kitten to use the toilet from the first days. This will help avoid problems in the future.
• The cat doesn't like the litter tray . Perhaps the cat's litter box is in a place that the pet doesn't like. The size or shape of the tray is not suitable for the pet.
• For diseases of the genitourinary system.

Another reason why cats start pooping in an apartment is insufficient litter box hygiene. Therefore, after the cat has done its business, be sure to remove the cat litter box.

Industrial products and sprays

The industry offers a wide range of cat repellent products. Most of them are made on the basis of perfume compositions. Basically, such means have a deterrent effect, but there are also soothing means for litter box training.

As a rule, they are effective, but they may not be suitable for a particular animal: they may not have an effect if the specific smell does not cause rejection in the cat, cause allergies, and so on.

Before using industrial or homemade repellents, make sure that the animal is healthy and establish chain of command within the family. Without solving these problems, the situation with odors cannot be solved. Otherwise, repellents will be excellent helpers in establishing life with a cat in the house.