Cats don’t really understand the concept of “all yours” and “completely mine” because most of us don’t live that way. So the neighborhood cats are probably wondering why you don’t like sharing that flowerbed with them!

Using Scents Cats Hate As A Training Tool

Coleus canina plants can repel cats.

Okay, so I guess I can understand why you don’t want to share your flowerbeds with the cats, especially if they’re using them as a litter box. Ugh…

Here are some scents most cats hate, and you can try using them to keep the neighborhood cats away from your stuff. Our human wrote a whole article about this, but I’ll list some of them here.

• Coleus canina plants. Take it from me, these things are disgusting. Plant a neat little row around your flower beds, and the cats won’t go near them.
• Anything citrus
• Bananas
• Used coffee grounds
• Lavender
• Geranium
• Absinthe
• Lemon-thyme
• Citronella
• Rosemary
• Garlic chives
• Never, ever use mothballs or mothball flakes. Not only are they toxic to cats, they’re toxic to birds and wildlife and damaging to the environment.

Keep in mind that anything you sprinkle in your flowerbeds has to be reapplied every few days until the cats decide they really do want to stay away. And scents that cats hate can be different from cat to cat. So you might have to experiment until you find something that works. I happen to love the scent of lavender.