Humane Deterrents for Free-Roaming Cats

Traditionally, trapping and bringing free-roaming cats to shelters has been a popular choice for population control. However, many of these cats are typically euthanized in shelters and this method is often not effective. Removing the cats from an area can be an invitation for more cats to enter that territory. So, people are frequently caught in a vicious cycle where free-roaming cat populations are not controlled.Need to get rid of unwanted free-roaming cats? Humane deterrents are the best approach....Smells that repel cats: To keep cats out of yards or gardens, plant the herb rue or sprinkle dried rue. Citrus or lemon scents (orange peels, lemon peels), garlic, ammonia, vinegar, coffee grinds, pipe tobacco, mustard, citronella, or eucalyptus all deter cats as well. The scents diminish over time, so re-applying is necessary.Motion-activated sprinklers: These have motion sensors that trigger a short blast of water.Motion-activated, ultrasonic alarm: This alarm emits a high-pitched sou...