How to Make Your Own Cat Repellent

Whether you’re a cat lover or not, you probably get annoyed when cats get dirty in places where they’re not supposed to. Maybe it’s your garden or your favorite houseplants or the couch in your living room, and it’s annoying if some nasty cat scratches or pees in the wrong places. Fortunately, there are many cat repellents with natural ingredients that you can make yourself at home. Ingredients with strong scents such as essential oils and citrus zest, vinegar, lemongrass oil, pepper, and garlic can keep cats away. Most cat repellents can be used both indoors and outdoors, but it’s always a good idea to test them on fabrics or delicate items first to make sure they don’t stain.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Cat repellent made from essential oils

2 drops of lemon essential oil
2 drops of orange essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
Water

Vinegar-based cat repellent

1 part vinegar
1 part liquid hand soap
1 part water

Cat repellent solution from citrus

2 cups (480 ml) water
1 cup (100 g) orange, lemon, and/or tangerine zest
2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
Lemon flavored dishwashing liquid

Cat repellent made from lemongrass oil

20 drops of lemongrass oil
¾ cup (180 ml) of water

Cat repellent made from garlic, pepper and lemon

1 teaspoon (2 g) black pepper
1 teaspoon (2 g) dry mustard
1 teaspoon (3 g) cinnamon powder
1 clove of minced garlic
3-4 drops of lemon essential oil
Water

Make a cat repellent with essential oils

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Put essential oils in a spray bottle. To make the cat repellent according to this recipe, you need a glass spray bottle with a capacity of about 60 ml. Add 2 drops of lemon essential oil, 2 drops of wild orange essential oil, and 2 drops of lavender essential oil to a spray bottle. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Cats are more sensitive to scents than humans, so strong-smelling essential oils like citrus and lavender can repel them. If you like, you can use menthol and/or eucalyptus in place of the lemon, wild orange, and lavender essential oils.
It is important to use a glass spray bottle, as essential oils are easily degraded when stored in plastic containers.

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Fill a spray bottle with water and shake well to dissolve the essential oil. After you put the essential oils in the spray bottle, fill the bottle with water. Screw the bottle tightly and shake well until the essential oil is dissolved in the water. ^{[2] X Research Source}

No need to use filtered or purified water. You just need to use tap water.

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Spray the mixture where you want it. Once the water and essential oils have dissolved, you can spray the mixture where you want your cat to stay away. In particular, this mixture will work well if you have plants in your house and do not want cats near. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Be careful not to spray on carpets, curtains or other fabrics, as the oil can stain the fabric. You should test first on an inconspicuous corner of the fabric to make sure the spray doesn’t damage the fabric.

Make a solution to repel cats with vinegar

Pour vinegar and water into a spray bottle. To make a cat repellent, you will need a spray bottle. Pour one part vinegar and one part water into a spray bottle and give it a quick shake to dissolve the vinegar and water. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Mix the solution with white vinegar.
Use tap water, filtered water, purified water or bottled water.
You can use a plastic or glass spray bottle to hold the mixture.

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Pour dishwashing liquid into a spray bottle and shake the mixture well. Once the vinegar and water have dissolved, pour one portion of liquid hand soap into a spray bottle. Shake the mixture vigorously to make sure the soap is completely dissolved with the vinegar mixture. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You can use any type of hand soap, but it’s best to use a clear one.

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Spray the mixture or wipe the area to be repelled. Once the vinegar, water, and soap ingredients have dissolved, spray the area where you don’t want the cat to come near. You can spray directly from the spray bottle or pour on a rag and wipe the areas. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

You can use this mixture to repel cats in both indoor and outdoor areas.

Prepare a mixture to repel cats with citrus

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Boil water. Place 2 cups (480 ml) of water in a medium saucepan. Heat the water over medium or high heat until it boils, about 5-7 minutes. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Since the water will be boiled, you can use tap water.

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Drop in the citrus zest and simmer. Once the water has boiled, add 1 cup (100 g) of orange, lemon and/or tangerine zest to the pot. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer for about 20 minutes. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Cats don’t like the smell of citrus fruits, so any mixture of orange, lemon and/or tangerine peels that add up to 1 cup (100 g) will work.
When the mixture boils again, reduce the heat to low.

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Wait for the mixture to cool and pour into a spray bottle. After simmering for 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool completely for about 30 minutes before pouring it into a spray bottle. ^{[9] X Research Source}

If the citrus peels form large chunks, you can strain them out of the mixture to make it easier to pour into a spray bottle.

Make a cat repellent with lemongrass oil

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Pour water into the spray bottle. To make the cat repellent mix with this recipe, you’ll need a glass spray bottle. Pour just enough water to fill the spray bottle. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Tap water, filtered water, purified water, and bottled water can all be used as cat repellents.
A glass spray bottle will preserve the quality of the mixture, as the oil can decompose when stored in a plastic container.

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Add lemongrass oil to a spray bottle and shake well. After filling the spray bottle with water, add 20 drops of lemongrass oil. Dissolve the oil in the water by shaking the spray bottle well. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Like citrus and other essential oils, lemongrass oil has an extremely strong odor that cats don’t want to be around. This mixture also repels insects.

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Spray the mixture on indoor and outdoor areas. Once you have dissolved the lemongrass oil and water, spray the mixture on any areas you want your cat to stay away from. You can use it indoors or outdoors, but remember to reapply outdoors after it rains. ^{[14] X Research Source}

If you use lemongrass oil on a place where your cat usually urinates, it’s important to thoroughly clean the area before using the mixture.

Make a cat repellent with garlic, pepper, and lemon

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Mix pepper, mustard, and cinnamon in a spray bottle. To make the cat repellent with this recipe, you will need a 60 ml glass spray bottle. Place 1 teaspoon (2 g) of black pepper, 1 teaspoon (2 g) of dry mustard, and 1 teaspoon (3 g) of cinnamon in the pot. ^{[15] X Research Source}

You can replace the black pepper with cayenne pepper if you want.

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Add essential oil and garlic. After adding the spices to the spray bottle, add a crushed garlic clove, followed by squeezing in 3-4 drops of lemon essential oil and gently shaking to mix the ingredients. ^{[16] X Research Source}

You can replace fresh garlic with 1/8 teaspoon (1/2 g) of garlic powder.
Wild orange or grapefruit essential oil can be used instead of lemon essential oil.

Advice

Chopped citrus peels scattered in the garden may be enough to repel cats. Citrus peels will deter cats without damaging the plants and soil in the garden.
Coffee grounds can prevent animals from entering flower beds and are also good for plants and soil.
It’s a good idea to test any homemade cat repellent mixes on hidden parts of your furniture to make sure it doesn’t discolor before you spray it on carpets or upholstery. Spray a small amount of the mixture onto a soft, white cloth, then dab onto the fabric. If the color of the fabric is smeared with some white, do not use that mixture.
Make sure all ingredients you use are safe for animals, or the mixture could harm or even kill your pets.

Warning

Never spray the mixture on a cat. Some ingredients like citrus essential oils and black pepper can be harmful to cats. You should only spray on the areas that you want to repel them.