Tired of stray cats damaging your plants and creating a mess in your garden and porch? You are not alone.
Many people experience the nuances created by the unwelcome feline guests who intrude upon their gardens and lawns and destroy many plants and bushes, and sometimes even dirty the area by defecating or urinating.
There are many different natural ingredients that are readily available and can be used to make quick and easy DIY cat repellents.
You can make a very effective cat repellent for your garden and porch by using household items such as vinegar, coffee grounds, and even citrus peels.
In this article, we will look at how orange peels can be used to keep stray cats away from your porch and garden.
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Why Do Orange Peels Repel Cats?
Cats, by nature, are known to be very curious about their environment. However, if there is one thing that never piques their curiosity, it is citrus fruits.
Orange, being a citrus fruit, naturally falls into the category of items that disgust and repel a cat.
This dislike of citrus fruits, and especially oranges in particular, by cats, is a defense mechanism that protects them from accidental ingestion of such fruits.
Moreover, citrus fruits have a strong aroma. The aroma is so strong, in fact, that we human beings use citrus smells in our body washes, air fresheners, and even essential oils for aroma therapy.
Cats have very sensitive noses. So, this strong smell of citrus fruits becomes too overpowering for them. This makes them repelled by the smell of such fruits and essential oils.
For these very reasons, orange peels act as good ingredients for making a cat repellent to keep stray cats away from your garden, porch, and lawns.
How To Make A Cat Repellent Using Orange Peels?
There are several different ways in which you can use orange peels to repel or deter the intruding stray cats from your garden and porch.
Method 1 – Directly Throw The Peels In The Periphery Of Your Garden
One way of deterring cats using orange peels is to directly throw or place some peels of oranges at the periphery of your garden.
You could even place some peels on your fence or wall if you have one.
If there are specific bushes or plants that you need to protect from the attacks by the intruding stray cats, simply throw some peels in those bushes. The smell of the orange peels will keep the cats away.
Method 2 – Make A Cat Repellent Spray Using The Orange Peels
To make a cat repellent spray, you need to follow 3 simple steps:
Step 1 – Gear Up!
This is always the most important step for any DIY project or task. For making a cat repellent using orange peels, you will need:
- Orange peels of about 2 to 3 oranges
- Approximately 150 mL of water
- A bottle with a spray nozzle
- Funnel
- A utensil for boiling water
Step 2 – Boil the orange peels and bottle up the resulting concoction
The next step involves boiling the orange peels for 5 to 7 minutes or until you get a faint aroma of the citrus fruit. Once your concoction is ready, remove the orange peels from the utensil and let it sit at room temperature.
Once the citrus water cools down to room temperature, bottle it up. Pour the citrus water into the bottle with the spray nozzle using a funnel.
And there you are – your DIY cat repellent using orange peels is ready for use.
Step 3 – Spray the citrus water in your garden
Spray the cat repellent you made using orange peels in the locations where you want to keep the cats away. This can include your porch, garden periphery, fence, stoves, etc.
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Pros & Cons Of Using Orange Peels For Making A Cat Repellent
Advantages of using orange peels for making a cat repellent
The major advantage of using orange peels to make a DIY cat repellent is that this is one of the safest, most effective ways of keeping stray cats away from your premises without harming their health.
A secondary advantage of using orange peels, or any citrus fruits for that matter, is that the spray form of the cat repellent can actually also work as an air freshener when used inside to keep your pet cats away from stoves and other potentially dangerous places.
The disadvantage of using orange peels for making a cat repellent
One disadvantage, or rather a potential danger, of using orange peels or any citrus fruits for making cat repellents is that of accidental ingestion by the cats. Citrus fruits can cause acid reflux, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal problems in cats.
Especially if you opt for citrus-smelling essential oils, you should exercise all the more caution.
The contents of essential oils can be toxic for cats. It can lead to poisoning, severe symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, and sometimes it may even cause fatal health conditions in cats.
Interesting Read: Do Fake Owls Keep Cats Away?
Alternatives To Orange Peels For Making A Cat Repellent
There are several alternative ways and ingredients to use for making a DIY cat repellent.
For scent-based cat repellents, you can opt for:
- Lemons
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Coffee grounds
- Vinegar
And if you want a mechanical cat repellent, you could always opt for a motion-activated sprinkler system with a mild jet setting.
This will sprinkle a jet of water on the stray cat when it jumps over into your garden.
This light jet of water will be enough to startle the cat and keep it away from your garden, as it will associate your garden with water – and well, we are all aware of the relation that cats share with water.
Interesting Read: Do Moth Balls Keep Cats Away?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all citrus fruits repel cats?
Yes, all citrus fruits can be used to deter cats. You can make cat repellents using lemons, oranges, limes, and all other citrus fruits. Just ensure to avoid any accidental ingestion of these fruits or their essential oils by the cats as it can be fatal to their health when ingested.
Will orange peels harm my garden?
While there is no harm in leaving a fresh orange peel in your garden to work as a cat repellent, you need to ensure that the peels of citrus fruits do not decompose near the plants in your garden. This is because the peels will be acidic and may cause an imbalance in the pH levels of the soil, thereby harming your garden’s plants.
Final Words
Orange peels provide a pretty good way to deter cats from entering your premises. You can either use the peels directly or boil them to form a citrus cat repellent spray. The same procedure can be used with the peels of other citrus fruits as well.
Always remember that whatever method you choose to make a cat repellent, the method should only deter the cats from entering your premises – it should not harm the health of any cat.
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