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How To Keep Stray Cats Off My Porch

Keep The Trash Can Covered

How To Deter Cats From your House

Many of the stray cats that you see frequenting your yard are in search of food. The trash may seem unappealing to humans.

Nonetheless, to the felines, the food scraps will provide an ideal meal. Hence, it would be best if you kept your trash cans covered to keep away cats.

Also, follow these tips:

  • Ensure that the trash lid is well fixed and fits perfectly. You can invest in a low price trash can that is easy to cover, such as the iTouchless 13 Gallon Automatic Trash Can. It is durable, easy to cover, and also odor-proof.
  • Do not have trash and food remains lying all over your yard. They will attract not only cats but also pests such as rats.
  • Dispose of the food remains before they develop a rotting odor.

Keep Cats Away With Strong Scents

As hunters, cats have keen senses of smell. You can weaponize this and turn it against strays by placing strong scents in your yard and garden.


Cats hate strong odors that we find pleasant, and that allows you to set up a cat repellent system that works well and smells great all at the same time. As a bonus, these repellents are also excellent home remedies to keep skunks away from the house.

Obvious, strong odors are a great way to stop skunks from digging up lawn areas and other portions of the yard, too. These stinkers dont like potent smells.

  • Essential oils, including citrus scents and peppermint

Fill the mesh bags with strong-scented items. Moth balls keep cats away very well, as do essential oils.

Cayenne pepper is an excellent cat repellent, but bold cats can injure themselves with cayenne, so be careful if you use it to keep stray cats out of your yard. Place the mesh bags in selective spots throughout the lawn and garden.

All of these smells are are helpful to get rid of cat urine smell outside as well, so strays wont be tempted to create their own litter box in your flower bed after a single use.


Drive Off Cats With Sound Devices

Along with their sense of smell, cats have a finely tuned sense of hearing that they use to target prey or identify potential dangers. Cats cant stand discordant or sudden sounds and try to stay far away from unpleasant noises.

You can use that to keep your yard feline-free and unmolested. There are many suitable motion-triggered sound devices you can buy to protect your garden. SsssCat! is a good example of this type of device.

Place the sound device next to a spot you wish to protect. When a cat approaches the area, the device will trigger and release a burst of compressed air. The noise will terrify strays and send them running.

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Can I Use Apple Cider Vinegar To Keep Cats Away

In a 1:1 ratio, combine the apple cider vinegar and water. vinegar can also be substituted for essential oils such as citronella, lavender, peppermint, or lemongrass . You can use either spray or both to repel cats. It will attract your cat and make him more likely to stay around.


The Many Uses Of Vinegar To Keep Cats Away

Vinegar is a great way to keep cats away from you. White vinegar can be diluted in water or used as a full-strength solution to repel cats in order to achieve the desired effect. If vinegar has the potential to damage objects or plants, diluting it with one or two parts water before using it as a deterrent. Vinegar is an effective tool to keep cats away from places they dont belong, in addition to using it in a variety of other ways. If you want to keep them out of a specific room or area of your home, vinegar can be an effective deterrent. You should be aware that cats are intelligent and will figure out how to overcome vinegar-repelling barriers. Nonetheless, using vinegar as a deterrent will most likely keep them away from your property for good.

How To Keep Stray Cats Away From Your House

Keep Cats Away From Porch / How To Keep Cats Off Your Patio Furniture ...

Look, youre an animal lover really! But that doesnt mean youre okay with your house being party central for all the strays in your neighborhood. Even the most ardent cat lover is likely to have their patience tested by a never-ending stream of stray cats, so its understandable that youd want to take action to prevent them from claiming your house as their own.

In this guide, we show you exactly how to keep stray cats at bay, without resorting to cruelty or violence.

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Remove Everything Cats Like

Essentially, deterring cats from your property means adding things that cats do not like and removing things that cats like. So what should you look for on the porch? Is there anything that might be attracting the stray cats to become uninvited guests every other day?


Cats are always looking for fresh litter boxes. Inspect your porch for any box or area where the cat might be coming to do her business very often. Besides, the cats might be getting attracted to your porch due to food. In the case of food, you can just change the location to deter them from coming.

Creating a sanctuary out of the house or on your lawn can be a good idea if you specifically want to keep stray cats off your porch only. Once their food source is moved from one location to another, they will not be spending their time on the porch.

How Do I Keep Cats Off My Porch

  • Have A Clean Yard

When it comes to keeping undesirable guests away, preemptive measures are among the most successful strategies. Prevent strays from coming into your yard by cleaning up any debris that may have accumulated there.

When cleaning, the essential item to check for is anything that may be a food source. It implies that you should not feed any of your pets outside, and bird feeders should get placed where cats cannot reach them. Whenever you are grilling food or enjoying an outside barbecue, you must also clean up after yourself.

Ensure that your garbage cans are inaccessible and that you remove any areas that may attract tiny prey, such as mice, from your home. Seal up any openings or gaps in garages or sheds where stray animals may enter and take refuge. Additionally, keep an eye out for any sections of your property that have cat urine and clean them up with an enzyme cleaner. Cats are attracted to urine-marked areas and will return to them.


  • Have A Cat-Friendly Corner
  • Use Ultrasonic Repellent

There are a plethora of ultrasonic repellant gadgets available for purchase. Ultrasound technology is a standard tool for keeping undesirable cats at bay. Ultrasound devices disturb the critters by emitting high-frequency noises, making this a low-effort type of cat repellant that requires little effort. Install it in an area where cats are known to congregate and play.

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How To Repel Stray Cats With Water

Another thing that most cats dislike is water. If youre looking for one of the best ways for keeping stray cats away from your porch, then squirt them with a little bit of water. Keep a full spray bottle nearby so you can do it yourself, or set up a motion-sensor sprinkler to do the job for you.

This is such an effective method of how to repel stray cats that there are animal-specific sprinklers you can purchase. These devices sense the presence of the critters and spray right at the unwanted visitors.

As a bonus, it can be quite entertaining to sit on the porch and watch the cats approach. You get to see how fast they run away when they hit the area covered by the sprinkler.


Keeping The Stray Cat Away From Your Cat

Loose dogs caught on camera killing cat
  • 1Keep your cat indoors. If the stray cat comes to your yard because he knows that your cat is in the yard as well, you should keep your cat indoors. Stray cats tend not to be fully vaccinated and can carry a variety of diseases that could make your cat very sick, so it is primarily for safety and health reasons that you should keep your cat inside.XResearch sourceXResearch source
  • Keep in mind that the stray may continue to come to your yard, since he knows your cat is somewhere in the vicinity.
  • If your cat is used to being outdoors, provide him with plenty of toys inside your home that will keep him busy and mentally stimulated.XResearch source
  • If your cat is outdoors, the techniques needed to keep a stray cat away from your cat may startle and disturb your cat. This is another reason why you should keep your cat indoors, at least until you are confident that the stray cat will not come back.
  • 2Place a motion-activated sprinkler in your yard. One of the best ways to keep a stray cat away from your cat is to make your yard as undesirable as possible to him. A motion-activated sprinklers are available that are specifically designed to deter animals. The sprinkler will spray water on the stray cat when he walks near it. You could place the sprinkler where you usually see the stray enter your yard. After a few of days of getting splashed on unexpectedly, the stray cat will probably stay away from your property.
  • You could also make your own cat repellent.
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    What Does The Vacuum Effect Have To Do With Tnr

    The Vacuum Effect has been documented worldwide in many species, including community cats. Animal controls typical approach has been to catch and kill community cats. While this may temporarily reduce the number of community cats in a given area, it is ultimately counterproductive, as the population of cats rebounds. Other cats move into the newly available territory and continue to breedthis phenomenon is called the Vacuum Effect. Its why catch and kill doesnt work. TNR is the only effective and humane approach to address community cat populations.

    Learn more at alleycat.org/VacuumEffect.

    Diy Cat Repellent: How To Keep Your Feline Friend Safe

    Making your own cat repellent is an excellent way to keep your cats safe and away from potentially dangerous areas you dont want them in. With liquid herb supplements and scents made from various spices, coffee, citrus, and other ingredients, a potent deterrent effect can be achieved. By spraying vinegar on specific areas of your home, you can keep your cat away from those areas and improve their training.

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    Remove Anything That Attracts Them

    If you have more strays in your yard than anyone else in the area, chances are that something is attracting them to your home. Try to figure out what that thing is and remove it.

    They may be attracted to your garden or your kids sandbox, as cats are always looking for fresh new litterboxes. If thats the case, youll have to ask yourself just how attached you are to your hobby .

    Its also important to keep your yard clean and well-maintained. An overgrown lawn will attract all sorts of animals that enjoy the cover, such as mice, birds, etc. This in turn, attracts cats, which enjoy killing and eating anything in their path. By depriving them of a food source, theyll likely head elsewhere.

    How To Get Rid Of Stray Cats

    How To Keep Cats Off Front Porch

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

    It is no secret to birders that cats killing birds is one of the greatest bird conservation threats, and feral cats, cat colonies, neighborhood cats, outdoor pets, and strays kill almost two and a half billion birds per year. Fortunately, birders have many easy, effective techniques to discourage feral, stray, and lost cats from invading the landscape they’ve made friendly for birds. With care and thoughtfulness, it is possible to protect birds without being cruel to cats.

    Feral cats not only kill birds and other wildlife but also cause other problems when they become accustomed to visiting the same yards. Carefully cultivated flower beds can become open litter boxes. Garden sheds can become breeding grounds for litters of unwanted kittens. Trees, fences, or other structures can be territorial markers for spraying males. Aggressive cats can attack pets or fight for territory, causing neighborhood disturbances. Wandering cats may even transmit diseases, fleas, or other pests to your pets. Small children have even been bitten or scratched by aggressive, wandering cats.

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    How To Keep Cats Away

    This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years. This article has been viewed 692,627 times.

    Cats can make great pets and be welcome company in or around the home. However, in some cases, having a stray cat or too many cats around your house can be a nuisance. If you have too many cats around your house or one bothersome one, using some simple techniques can help keep them away and let you reclaim your territory.

    What Damage Can Cats Do To Outdoor Furniture

    You may already know the trouble that can be caused by a cat sitting on your outdoor furniture. However, if this is new to you, this is how neighborhood cats can wreak havoc on your patio furniture.

    • Scratching or clawing at the furniture, especially wicker, will cause it to deteriorate quite quickly .
    • If you have cushions on porch furniture and stray cats are laying on it, there could very well be fleas, ticks, or bacteria on the cushions.
    • Hair. Lots of cat hair. Nothing like having friends over and watching them walk away with cat hair covering their clothes. Its embarrassing, and its made even worse if its not even your own cat sitting on the furniture.

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    What Is The Most Effective Cat Repellent

    The most effective repellents include activated sprinklers, ultrasonic devices, barriers around flowers, and commercial repellents.

    Lets look at each one of them in detail:

    Ultrasonic Devices

    One of the unique properties of cats is their ability to detect sounds that humans cannot decipher. Ultrasonic repellents take advantage of this feature. They will produce a sound pitch that is scary to the cats.

    Nonetheless, you dont have to worry about the sound being a nuisance as you will hardly hear it. For the cats, it will be a different story. They will take off and avoid coming close to the porch area.

    Therefore, the best idea is to place the ultrasonic device in the path of the stray cats. The ZOVENCHI Ultrasonic Animal Repellent will be a perfect fit for scaring away the animals.

    It has sensitive detectors that will identify the slightest motions. In turn, this will prompt the production of the scary sound.

    Barriers Around Flowers

    You do not want to have stray cats making your flower beds and gardens their litter box. If you allow them, they will destroy the flowers and plants and have a reason to frequent your yard. Hence, shielding the flowers is imperative in preventing this from occurring.

    You can create the barriers in two primary ways. First, you can erect chicken wire mesh around the flowers. Alternatively, you can lay the chicken wire just above the soil surface. Cats will avoid digging where there is such a barrier.

    Commercial Repellents

    Natural Repellents

    How Do You Keep Cats Out Of Your Yard

    Outdoor Cat Tormenting YOUR Indoor Cat? What You Can Do!

    on June 18, 2020:

    Neighbors have like 10 cats. I have no cats in my house, basement smells like cat urine. They go to the bathroom at the foundation of my house. Tried mothballs, cayenne pepper, some kind of cat repellent. Doesnt work for long.

    Donna on May 04, 2020:

    .22’s work perfectly

    Agnes on May 01, 2020:

    I am damn tired of stray cats in my entire yard i tried to clean my place and sprinke domestos as the smell is very strong they’ll dissappear after two to three weeks they are back again leave stron smelly feases all over even on the bed of my lawn i am tired of flies and i cant even open my kitchen door please help me what to do or what to use as now all different cats come and go new ones as well i dont know what is attra ting them my biggest and most is the urine feases they leave.

    Derek on March 28, 2020:

    Does Cayanne Pepper do the trick?

    F U on March 15, 2020:

    Wow, youâre all a bunch of psychopaths. Enjoy rotting in hell.

    Joy on March 13, 2020:

    These kids are shitting and pissing all over the top of my garage this is the second time Iâve had to have the garage roof place because the stray cats shitting and pissing all over the roof what can I do I would just like to kill them all

    Ash on February 28, 2020:

    psychopaths on February 18, 2020:

    Sandy and Adam, are you the couple who killed your own kid and staged that someone kidnapped your kid ?

    Graciela lopez on February 02, 2020:

    Pj on July 13, 2019:

    Any advice on how to trap them?

    Adam on June 18, 2019:

    John

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    How Do I Keep My Neighbors Cat Off My Porch

    Quick Tips:

  • Shift the cats food source to a less central location, where you wont mind if they hang out.
  • Apply fragrances that deter cats around the edges of your yard, the tops of fences, and on any favorite digging areas or plants.
  • Install an ultrasonic deterrent or a motion-activated sprinkler.

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