Cat's can cause issues if they are hanging out where they don't belong. Because of this, many people look for types of cat repellent. While there are many products out on the market that claim to repel cats, not all of them are safe and nontoxic. There are several types of natural cat repellent, but one of the most popular cat repellents is citronella oil.
Citronella Oil
Citronella oil is a strong smelling oil that is usually thought of only as a repellent for mosquitoes, but there are several other uses for citronella oil, one of which is repelling cats from places that they don't belong. Citronella is a natural substance that originally comes from Sri Lanka. It is believed that the strong smell of this oil is what will keep the cats out of the areas that you don't want them to be in. Citronella oil is safe to use indoors and outdoors so no matter where you are trying to keep the cats away from this should work for you.
Why Citronella Oil Works
Cats have an extremely strong sense of smell and because of that they tend to stay away from areas where there are strong scents that are off-putting to them. Citronella oil is one such scent that most cats find distasteful. Using a cat's own senses against them is why using citronella oil as a cat deterrent works.
How to Make the Citronella Solution
Making the proper citronella oil solution is key to the success of using citronella oil as cat repellent, particularly if you are going to use the solution indoors. The Citronella solution should be 20 drops citronella oil diluted into 200ml of water or about one fourth citronella oil to water. This solution should be the proper strength for effective indoor and outdoor use.
Applying the Citronella Solution
When it comes time to apply the citronella oil solution that you have created, the best way to do it is to spray the solution onto the area that you want to repel the cats from. When spraying the solution outside you will need to spray the area regularly to account for any rain or other weather that may dilute the smell of the solution over time.
A few things to keep in mind is that you must first clean the area of any existing cat feces and other bathroom scents. Once you clean the area then you can apply the citronella oil solution and likely have much more success repelling the cats than you would if you don't pre-clean the area in question.