Q&A for How to Repel Cats

Cats crawl under the hood of your truck because it's warm and sheltered. If you can create a warm, secure shelter for them far away from your truck, they'll likely start using that and stay away from the truck. Even so, always check for cats before you start your truck, especially in the wintertime—they can get injured or killed if they get stuck up there while the engine is running.

Clean up spilled seed as soon as possible—cats will be interested in the seed itself, as well as the birds that sit on the ground to eat it. You can get a drip tray that attaches under your bird feeder to catch the seed so that it doesn't fall to the ground. Use scent deterrents, such as lavender or citrus, around the bird feeder. These scents won't bother the birds but cats tend to avoid them.

Do whatever you can to block the washer and dryer so that she can't get back there. For example, if there's a door to your laundry room, always keep it shut. If you can't close off the washer and dryer, try scent deterrents—such as lavender-scented dryer sheets.

Create an outdoor litter box for the cats far away from your bedroom window by tilling up some soil and sprinkling sand over it. Sprinkle or plant catnip near the litter box to entice the cats to come near it. Once they start doing their business there, they'll leave the area under your bedroom window alone. Use white vinegar to get rid of the smell under your window.

Contact your local humane society about their TNR (trap-neuter-release) program. Once the cats are neutered, they should stop spraying. Clean your boat with white vinegar to remove the smell so other cats won't go there either.

Have a piece of chicken wire or the nubby side of a floor mat around to put on the seat when not in use. Cats hate the feeling of both on their paws. You could also buy a hammock cover.

If your cat is jumping into a litter box, then maybe the cat is too small to climb in normally or the litter box's walls are too high. Try buying a smaller litter box.

Clean the corner very well to get rid of the smell, make sure the cat's litter box is cleaned daily, and spray the corner with a citrus scent to deter it.

Figure out how they're getting in and seal it off. Spray cat repellent in the meantime.

You can call the animal shelter in your area.

Calmly place the cat next to you where he can still be very close or be touching another part of you. Eventually this new routine may become natural for your cat.

Try using an enzyme type cleaner, found at many pet stores or online, or use diluted white vinegar as a cleaning solution to get rid of the pee smell. Stay away from ammonia based cleaners, as an ammonia smell will make a cat pee on it. Try to deter cats from getting up there by blocking their way if possible. Then, try putting some kind of material up there that they wouldn't want to step on, such as tin foil, or those clear, plastic carpet mats with the spikes on the bottom. These are found in most hardware stores, and can be used with the spikes up to deter cats from stepping on them.

Spray your cat with a squirt bottle until he/she jumps off the counter.

Use a citrus-scented spray around your carport to discourage the cat. Also, talk to your neighbor politely about your cat pooping in the soil.

Use very strong citrus incense packets, and chicken wire around the bottom part of the gate, just in case.

If your cat is spraying, I'm guessing this is an un-neutered male. The easiest thing to do is to neuter him. Then clean your stuff with an enzyme-destroying product designed for cat spray, so things no longer smells like cat markings. If it doesn't smell like he's marked the spot, and he's neutered, it is unlikely he will keep marking it.

Close your doors!

Put a really comfortable bed somewhere near the car in an elevated position that the cat would prefer over sleeping on the car.

You could catch the tom with a cage trap baited with food. You would need to keep your cats out of the garden while doing this. Once the tom is in the trap, you can take it to a shelter or simply drive far away and release it into some woods.

The deodorizer will fade with time. Until it does, try putting a thick throw or blanket on the furniture.

This could be fatally dangerous! You can stop her from going outside for just a couple of days and find out the source of the trap and get them to rid it. Or, you could sign up for a training session at your local pet trainer. They will often have sessions for your cat to be trained many things, including avoiding a trap.

If there's a gap between the washer on the wall, push the washer so it touches the wall fully. That would prevent your daughter's cat from getting behind it. Another way would be to spray the back of the washer with citrus spray. Cats hate strong smells, so he should stop scratching the washer's back.

Put the cords away if you can. You can try putting something like garlic on the cords. That way, if he chews on the cords, he'll find it disgusting and learn not to do it again. There are also cord covers that can protect cords from being chewed.