Orange peel can stop cats peeing on your flower bed or wherever else you want to stop them. Personally, I’ve had mixed results as some cats are pretty stubborn, but it’s certainly worth trying.
Why Do Cats Pee Where We Don’t Want Them Too?
There are a few reasons why outdoor cats pee in places we don’t want them too. It mostly revolves around the fact that cats mark their territory by leaving their scent.
They do this with a combination of scratching, rubbing their glands, and peeing. Male cats are more much likely to pee as a way of marking their territory, but females also do it.
It may also be because they’ve found a spot they like. Carefully arranged flowerbeds are often what annoys people, as cats scratch around after peeing and cause damage.
The reason they choose flower beds, by the way, is because they have a little privacy and they like peeing on the soil.
Once a cat has marked that area, it’s either going to attract more cats as they try to cover the scent with their own. Or, the same cat is going to keep returning to refresh their mark.
As to why cats use places that annoy us; well there literally aren’t many places you’d want a cat to pee in your yard or around your home. Right?
How Effective Is Orange Peel at Stopping Cats Peeing?
This is a tough one to answer because it depends on who you ask and how determined the cat is to pee in the spot you’re trying to deter them from.
Anyone who owns cats – and probably most who don’t – will know all too well how there really isn’t a “one size fits all” solution when it comes to cat behaviors.
I’m not trying to be negative or put you off trying orange peels. I’m just making sure I mention first that despite what you may have read or heard elsewhere, don’t expect 100% success.
I would say that over the years I’ve used orange peels and zest from other citrus fruits around 10 times or so.
I know it’s worked for sure regarding some cats. But there has been a couple of cats that simply ignored the smell. Maybe I just needed more peels, I’m not sure. I would love to hear your comments on this.
Anyway, I’m happy to list it as a tactic to try, and I have recommended friends try it. So, I do consider using citrus peels as a way to deter cats from a flowerbed or another area.
Related – How I used mouthwash to stop my cats peeing on my furniture.
How to Use Orange and Citrus Peels to Deter Cats
If you eat oranges on a regular basis you’ll have no problem getting peels together. If you don’t, it may seem like an odd request to friends and family but you’ll have to ask them to keep some for you.
Then all you need to do is cut the peels into smaller pieces and scatter them where you want to give a cat a not so pleasant surprise.
You might end up attracting certain bugs that like feeding off peels, so be aware of that. It’s less likely if there isn’t any actual orange flesh attached though.
For the first few days and weeks, you’re going to have to monitor the situation. If you’re seeing that cat approaching with caution, have a sniff, then turning away – it’s time to celebrate.
Then, you just need to monitor how long the scent stays strong enough to keep them at bay. It’s going to be an ongoing war for a while, but cats will find somewhere else to pee eventually.
What Smells Deter Cats From Peeing on Stuff?
If you’re not finding orange effective or you just can’t get your hands on enough peels, there are some alternative scents and methods you can try.
Cats dislike most citrus scents. So, you could try some lemon juice or peels, grapefruit, etc.
Moving away from citrus, they also detest peppermint and eucalyptus. As well as some strong-smelling herbs like lavender, rosemary, cinnamon, and thyme, and strong peppery scents like cayenne pepper.
If the homemade peels aren’t working for you, something that I’ve always found to be a lot more effective is using essential oils.
Essential oils are basically oils made by extracting compounds directly from plants and fruits. What you get is a super-strong smelling concentrated oil that smells exactly like the plant or fruit it’s been made from.
Don’t use essential oils directly as they’re too strong. Instead, make a water mixture in a spray bottle and just spray that anywhere you want to repel cats.
I like this method because essential oils also have some unique health and wellness benefits, and they smell awesome (to us).
If you’re completely new to essential oils or want to see how you can make up a spray, here’s a useful video guide:
Related – How to keep cats off your car using scents they hate.
In Summary – Does Orange Peel Stop Cats Peeing?
Like I said earlier, I’ve had some success using orange peels and so have some of my friends.
There’s no guarantee though, so I’ve included some other scents and methods to try if it’s not working for you.
My parting advice is not to give up. You’ll find something that works, every cat has a scent that’s their kryptonite. You just need to find out what it is, then they’ll move on and pee elsewhere….
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Image credits – Header Photo by joesef key and cat in plants image by Zoë Gayah Jonker on Unsplash, orange peel image by congerdesign from Pixabay
