Expert: Jessica - 9/6/2009

Question
we are looking for a solution to 3 stray kittens ppoping in our gravel walkway, it not only stinks but is everywhere... we have an outdoor litter box they use quite often but need a deterant for the gravel path. any suggestions would be appreciated. also i am 38 weeks pregnant so no chemicals. there has to be some household item we are over looking. vinegar? im no tsure. Thanks

Answer
Hi Jamie.  You could certainly try vinegar if you can stand the smell!  It also tends to dissipate quickly in the outdoors so will need to be applied rather frequently.  Some other natural repellents include coffee grounds, ground ginger and cayenne pepper.  Also, citrus fruit peels, but this may not be aesthetically pleasing to have in your walkway, unless you have a food processor that will mince the pieces finely enough to hide them amongst the rocks.  These things all get expensive when you are trying to treat an entire walkway, so you may try lining the borders, first.

Some people actually use coyote urine-based repellents, which is commercially sold in granules, to deter cats.  Supposedly, the odor is very tolerable.  The idea is that coyotes are predators, and if coyotes are in the area, the cats won’t want to be.  However, this may mean your kittens will entirely relocate elsewhere.

In actuality, the best deterrent, as it turns out, is a sprinkler set up in the area you want the cats to avoid, to come on at various times.  People who are handy have set them up in different ways.  Cats are smart, so if the sprinklers are set to come on at specific times, the cats just avoid coming to the spot at that particular time.  But if you can turn them on when you see the cats on the walkway, or you can rig them to a motion sensor (once you’re home for the day) that will turn the sprinklers on if any cats trip the sensor, it may be more effective than an olfactory repellant.  

I hope one of these options works out for you.  Congratulations on your upcoming bundle!

Jessica