Essential Oils As A Repellant

[kzee]

Has anyone had any luck with using essential oils to keep their cats out of their house plants? We have a new kitten who likes to dig in the dirt. I read that citrus and peppermint can be repellants. We've tried placing rocks over the soil, sticky tape, pinecones, seashells, tin foil, etc. to no avail.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Unfortunately just about any essential oil that will repel your nosy little furball could be toxic as well.

The rocks didn't work? Did you use larger river rocks that would be harder for your kitty to actually move? That's the key, the rocks need to be larger and somewhat heavy. Seashells and pinecones aren't heavy enough and some cats couldn't care less about tin foil.

 

[imjustacatmom]

Yes most essential oils are very toxic for kitties...I would try redirecting with a toy whenever your baby goes to dig...hope this helped

 

[Columbine]

I would also say that enormous care needs to be taken with essential oils, and especially so with kittens. Rather than the actual oils, you could try scattering citrus peel in the pots. That should have enough smell to turn your kitten off, whilst not being strong enough to be toxic. You'll probably need to replace it fairly regularly to keep the scent strong enough, but it's a much safer option

Another non-toxic possibility would be to use apple cider vinegar to deter her. It likely wouldn't be great for the plants if you sprayed them directly, but you could maybe get creative with some puppy pee pads taped over and maybe around the pots. They're waterproof underneath, so will keep the vinegar out of the soil, but have absorbent tops perfect to soak up the vinegary scent. I should note that I've not tried this myself (we gave up on indoor plants over a decade ago) , but am just thinking outside the box to find something that will be both safe and effective for you

Whichever method you try, it might help to extend it to the areas surrounding the pots as well as the pots themselves. A bigger 'barrier' might deter your kitten from even going too close to the pots.
Alternative Treatments For Cats: How To Minimize The Risk
Solving Cat Behavior Problems: The Key Ingredient
The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification
Cats And Discipline Don't Mix

 

[aliceneko]

Have you tried Feliways? It might help calm your kitten's behaviour if he's still digging up dirt, though as others said I've read that a lot of oils are toxic for cats.
We also got Toffee and Fudge some scented stones from our local pet store that we place on places where there not allowed to roam, which is something else you could consider putting on your soil?

 

[susanm9006]

You can try sculpting wire mesh from an art store. It is sort of a cross between fabric and wire, so it holds its shape and you should be able to wrap it around the plan and tuck it down into the soil

 

[Columbine]

You can try sculpting wire mesh from an art store. It is sort of a cross between fabric and wire, so it holds its shape and you should be able to wrap it around the plan and tuck it down into the soil

What a fantastic idea! I could see that working amazingly well, and without being as labour intensive to maintain I think my instinct would be to try this first, maybe adding a few citrus peels over the top as an extra deterrent for the first few days/weeks, just in case the kitten is initially tempted to try and dig through the wire mesh.

 

[kzee]

Hi!
Unfortunately just about any essential oil that will repel your nosy little furball could be toxic as well.

The rocks didn't work? Did you use larger river rocks that would be harder for your kitty to actually move? That's the key, the rocks need to be larger and somewhat heavy. Seashells and pinecones aren't heavy enough and some cats couldn't care less about tin foil.

Very good to know about the essential oils! The rocks were what they called river rocks at Home Depot, but the little stinker was somehow able to get in there and dig in the dirt. I feel like I need something heavier so am going to check around. Thank you for taking the time to respond!

 

[kzee]

Yes most essential oils are very toxic for kitties...I would try redirecting with a toy whenever your baby goes to dig...hope this helped

I'm so glad I asked about the essential oils before using them! It's crazy that it was recommended in several articles I read. I will work on redirecting him when I am home. He DOES love his fishing pole toy!

 

[kzee]

I would also say that enormous care needs to be taken with essential oils, and especially so with kittens. Rather than the actual oils, you could try scattering citrus peel in the pots. That should have enough smell to turn your kitten off, whilst not being strong enough to be toxic. You'll probably need to replace it fairly regularly to keep the scent strong enough, but it's a much safer option

Another non-toxic possibility would be to use apple cider vinegar to deter her. It likely wouldn't be great for the plants if you sprayed them directly, but you could maybe get creative with some puppy pee pads taped over and maybe around the pots. They're waterproof underneath, so will keep the vinegar out of the soil, but have absorbent tops perfect to soak up the vinegary scent. I should note that I've not tried this myself (we gave up on indoor plants over a decade ago) , but am just thinking outside the box to find something that will be both safe and effective for you

Whichever method you try, it might help to extend it to the areas surrounding the pots as well as the pots themselves. A bigger 'barrier' might deter your kitten from even going too close to the pots.
Alternative Treatments For Cats: How To Minimize The Risk
Solving Cat Behavior Problems: The Key Ingredient
The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification
Cats And Discipline Don't Mix

Very grateful for this site and the warnings about essential oils!
I will give the orange peels a try and maybe proceed on to the apple cider vinegar if needed.
I appreciate all the links, too. Thank you for taking the time to respond!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[kzee]

Have you tried Feliways? It might help calm your kitten's behaviour if he's still digging up dirt, though as others said I've read that a lot of oils are toxic for cats.
We also got Toffee and Fudge some scented stones from our local pet store that we place on places where there not allowed to roam, which is something else you could consider putting on your soil?

We did try the Feliways, but he seems immune to it, lol. I haven't heard of scented stones. Where do you get them and what kind of scents are they? Thank you for your reply!

 

[kzee]

You can try sculpting wire mesh from an art store. It is sort of a cross between fabric and wire, so it holds its shape and you should be able to wrap it around the plan and tuck it down into the soil

That is an awesome idea! I think you have a winner with this idea. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!