repelling animals?

Question

Anyone know of a way to repel cats? I have a problem with cats deficating in the flower bed under my window! It stinks and attracts flies.

Answer 1

Great question. Unfortunately, most of the answers u've recieved will have little effect. You have to think about the habits of the animal ur trying to discourage. Cats and dogs for example have two very different habits or methods for deciding where they will do their business. And believe it, they are more picky than you think. Cats will not pee on ur concrete sidewalk or in a healthy well maintained lawn. Dogs however, will. Cats are looking for/ choosing a location that has loose soil that they can dig/bury their mess. That's why they are choosing ur planting beds. To discourage them, you must make changes to the soil's surface.
Anything that will prevent them from being able to move or dig the suface layer will solve ur problem. They will move onto better locations. Some good examples would be the use of low growing plants that act as ground covers beneath ur plantings. Plants like horizontal junipers etc. that cover the ground and soil. Or, you can go to covering ur ground with rocks, large gravel, etc. So long as the pieces are too large for the cats to easily move around with their little paws. One person answered you with the chicken-wire method. It can work.. but how will it look in ur garden? As far as the other answers you got..like things that smell or throwing water, cats are not initially guided that way. True, you must first try to clean up the smell by removing generous amounts of stinky soil. But no amount of pepper or strange smell will deter a cat that has found nice loose soil it can dig in. And true, throwing water at a cat will make it run away. but it will simply learn to come back at night or when you seem to be away.
Cats have a habit of digging where ever it is easiest to do, recognise it! use that against them.
Dogs have completely different habits for choosing where they go. Dog-proofing requires a different strategy alltogether.
Know ur animal, and understand why they have chosen ur location. Use their habits against them.

Answer 2

You can keep a container of water close at had and keep an eye on the cats, you can toss the water on the cat. Sometimes just after getting soaked just once the cat will get the hint. It's called learning association...in other words, the cat will associate getting wet to using the bathroom by your window, and since cats hate to get wet it probably will avoid your window area. I've also heard that sprinkling black pepper in the area works, but I don't really know. Call your local animal control office and request a cat trap and set it up in that area. Trap the cat and turn it over to animal control. And if all else fails, get a dog!

Answer 3

This one is easy and works: Go to the store and buy "bulk" red pepper flakes, the ones they have in pizza parlors. If you don't already have a can, also buy a can of PAM (spray oil). In the flower beds, lightly spray the PAM. Now sprinkle the pepper flakes where you sprayed the PAM. Cats will visit you just once more. You may need to repeat once or twice more.

Answer 4

Hi,my friend,I could tell story's all night about wonderful cats.I have had problems like you. what I had to do is lay chicken wire where they did their business.You can get a roll at builders supply or hardware store.I also spread hot pepper around area.It`s your friendly neighbor that is letting their cat out all night.They do not realize what their cats are doing.I found the wire helped .Good Look ROSCO

Answer 5

I've been trying to teach the birds to attack the cat. We put up two birdhouse feeders and we keep them stocked with the best bird food. The least the birds could do is attack the cat when it comes abound. I was teaching them, but so far no luck. My wife says I'm crazy.

I may be wrinkled, crosseyed, dumb, and lop-sided; but crazy I'm not.

Answer 6

Try putting chickenwire under your mulch or beauty bark, cats don't like the feel of it when they step on it, or try cayenne pepper sprinkled in your flowerbeds, they don't like that either.

Answer 7

Believe it or not my neighbours used coyote urine. They bought it at a local ace hardware store here in Chicago. It worked for them.

Answer 8

spray bleach around the outside of the bed.

Answer 9

its not 100 p.c. authentic. yet people say that it extremely works because even as animals sniff for teritory they scent it and instinct imagine its alreaddy taken. yet that doiesnt mean u could pee everywhere :) haha

Answer 10

put some cat-nip in your neighbors yard cats can't resist it. they won't pay any attention to your flowers.