Cat repellents can be used both indoors or outdoors and are a humane and effective way to keep cats out. Whether it’s your own cats destroying your furniture, or the neighbor’s cats peeing in your garden, cat repellents can prevent felines from making a mess. We’ve reviewed the top ten cat repellents on the market to help you find one that meets your needs.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Colton’s Naturals Cat Repellent
Non-toxic
Easy to use
Use both indoors and outdoors
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Best Value
Nature’s Miracle Repellent Spray
Non-toxic
Indoor and outdoor use
Cinnamon and lemon scent repel cats
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Premium Choice
Sentry Stop That! Cat Spray
Smells pleasant
Safe indoors and outdoors
Designed to mimic cat pheromones
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Nature’s Mace Cat Repellent
Easy to cover large areas
All-natural
Non-toxic, environment-friendly
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Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler
No use of chemicals
Very effective
Motion-activated
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The 10 Best Cat Repellents
Sometimes an all-natural remedy is a way to go. Cats don’t like the smell of peppermint and citronella, which is the active ingredient in Colton’s Naturals Cat Repellant Spray. This product is safe indoors and out and is non-toxic to both kids and pets, making it our best overall choice for cat repellent.
Active Ingredient: Peppermint and Citronella
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
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As a spray, you’ll have to re-apply it after rain if using it outdoors.
Pros
Non-toxic
Easy to use
Use both indoors and outdoors
Cons
Have to re-apply in rainy weather
The best value for the money in cat repellent products is Nature’s Miracle Pet Block Repellent Spray. The active ingredient isn’t listed for this product, but they do guarantee it to be non-toxic. This spray smells like cinnamon and lemongrass oil, which is offensive to cats. It won’t stain your furniture, and it’s safe to use on trees and shrubbery outdoors.
Non-toxic
Easy to use
Use both indoors and outdoors
- Non-toxic
- Easy to use
- Use both indoors and outdoors
Have to re-apply in rainy weather
- Have to re-apply in rainy weather
Active Ingredient: Cinnamon and lemongrass oil
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
If you’re spraying Nature’s Miracle on the carpet, it’s best to spot-test it first. Despite claims that it doesn’t stain, it can cause discoloration.
Pros
Non-toxic
Indoor and outdoor use
Cinnamon and lemon scent repel cats
Cons
Potential to stain carpet
Our premium choice cat repellent is Sentry. Stop That! Noise and Pheromone Spray. This repellent is quite expensive compared to other repellents on our list and is designed to mimic cat pheromones and re-direct behavior. Pheromones are most effective in reducing marking behavior, so if you have problems with cats peeing in your yard and garden to mark territory, this may do the trick to stop it. As a bonus, it smells wonderful to humans.
Non-toxic
Indoor and outdoor use
Cinnamon and lemon scent repel cats
- Non-toxic
- Indoor and outdoor use
- Cinnamon and lemon scent repel cats
Potential to stain carpet
- Potential to stain carpet
Active Ingredient: Lavender chamomile
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
Pros
Smells pleasant
Safe indoors and outdoors
Designed to mimic cat pheromones
Cons
Expensive compared to other products
It relies on cats recognizing a synthetic pheromone
- Nature’s Mace Ready-to-use Cat Mace Repellent
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Active Ingredient: Peppermint, citronella, lemongrass oil, sulfur
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
While the name certainly implies the presence of a poisonous chemical, Nature’s Mace Ready-to-use Cat Mace Repellent contains no such thing. The ingredients in this cat repellent spray are non-toxic to cats and environmentally friendly. The fragrance of this product is very strong, so you might think twice before using it indoors. It is, however, very effective at keeping strays out of gardens and trash cans.
Smells pleasant
Safe indoors and outdoors
Designed to mimic cat pheromones
- Smells pleasant
- Safe indoors and outdoors
- Designed to mimic cat pheromones
Expensive compared to other products
It relies on cats recognizing a synthetic pheromone
- Expensive compared to other products
- It relies on cats recognizing a synthetic pheromone
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Active Ingredient: Peppermint, citronella, lemongrass oil, sulfur
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
For spraying your yard, Nature’s Mace comes in a canister with a spray nozzle, allowing you to spray your entire yard in time. One treatment lasts about a week, so you’ll need to re-apply every seven days.
Pros
Easy to cover large areas
All-natural
Non-toxic, environment-friendly
Cons
Very strong smell that is overpowering indoors
Must re-apply every week
- Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler Cat Repellent
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Active Ingredient: Sprinkler
Safe Indoors: No
Garden Safe: Yes
In many cases, cat deterrents are purchased to keep either feral cats or the neighbor’s wandering cat from causing damage to your property. The Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler Cat Repellent is designed to do just that, but without adding harsh chemicals to your yard.
Easy to cover large areas
All-natural
Non-toxic, environment-friendly
- Easy to cover large areas
- All-natural
- Non-toxic, environment-friendly
Very strong smell that is overpowering indoors
Must re-apply every week
- Very strong smell that is overpowering indoors
- Must re-apply every week
Active Ingredient: Sprinkler
Safe Indoors: No
Garden Safe: Yes
Anything passing in front of this sprinkler will get sprayed with water. This does a great job of keeping cats out without harming them, but it will also spray your kids, mother-in-law, dog, etc. It detects motion up to 40 feet away, so unless you have a very large yard (it will spray 3,840 square feet), you’re setting yourself up to get wet every time you enter it. This sprinkler also runs on battery power, so you’ll have to replace the batteries.
Another huge downside to using a sprinkler to deter stray cats is that it can’t be used year-round in places where the temperatures plummet in winter.
Pros
No use of chemicals
Very effective
Motion-activated
Cons
Sprays everyone within 40 feet
Requires batteries
It can’t be used in winter
For a sensor-activated cat deterrent that’s safe to use indoors, try PetSafe SSSCat Motion-Activated Dog and Cat Spray. This product is designed to keep certain areas of your home off-limits to pets and releases a quick burst of spray to anyone passing within three feet of the device.
No use of chemicals
Very effective
Motion-activated
- No use of chemicals
- Very effective
- Motion-activated
Sprays everyone within 40 feet
Requires batteries
It can’t be used in winter
- Sprays everyone within 40 feet
- Requires batteries
- It can’t be used in winter
Active Ingredient: Odorless spray
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
Each can contain about 80-100 sprays, and the device is battery-operated. You can adjust the spray range and direction to ensure that it hits your pet instead of you.
Pros
Automated
Safe indoors
Adjustable spray
Cons
Effective
Battery operated
- Stelucca Amazing Shields Furniture Protectors for Cats
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Active Ingredient: N/A
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: N/A
Stelucca Amazing Shields Furniture Protectors for Cats are designed to help keep your pet cats from scratching your furniture. They do this by blocking your cat’s access to your furniture. They have a slippery surface that ensures your cat’s claws can’t grab onto the shield, and they’re transparent, so you’ll never know they are there.
Automated
Safe indoors
Adjustable spray
- Automated
- Safe indoors
- Adjustable spray
Effective
Battery operated
- Effective
- Battery operated
Active Ingredient: N/A
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: N/A
Stelucca Amazing Shields are easy to install, but cats can’t take them off. They also don’t ruin your furniture if you decide to remove them later. To adjust to different furniture, simply cut them to fit.
While these shields do a great job at protecting your furniture (which is appropriate to do, especially with small kittens), they don’t do anything to teach your cat where to scratch. In the long term, you may want to try an additional solution that teaches your cat what is and what isn’t ok to scratch on.
Pros
Easy to install
It keeps cats from using furniture as a scratching post
Cons
Block cat’s access without training
- Petwudi Ultrasonic Animal Deterrent Cat Repellent
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Active Ingredient: N/A
Safe Indoors: No
Garden Safe: Yes
Ultrasonic devices are a popular option for keeping stray cats out of your yard. The Petwudi Ultrasonic Animal Deterrent Cat Repellent uses an ultrasonic signal. It’s solar-powered, so you won’t have to worry about plugging it in or changing batteries all the time, and the sound it emits is unheard by humans. It is at a frequency heard by cats, so it does a great job of chasing them away.
Easy to install
It keeps cats from using furniture as a scratching post
- Easy to install
- It keeps cats from using furniture as a scratching post
Block cat’s access without training
- Block cat’s access without training
Active Ingredient: N/A
Safe Indoors: No
Garden Safe: Yes
This device can be put on a stake or hung on a wall, so you will need to poke holes somewhere to hang it.
Pros
Solar-powered
Silent
Cons
Requires installation
The Four Paws Keep Off! Cat Repellent Outdoor & Indoor Spray works for 24 hours to keep cats out of sprayed areas. While it does a good job of keeping cats away, it contains toxic chemicals to do so. This spray can’t be used on flowering shrubs or food crops and isn’t safe to be consumed by humans or pets. The label even says to wear gloves and goggles while spraying.
Solar-powered
Silent
- Solar-powered
- Silent
Requires installation
- Requires installation
Active Ingredient: Unknown
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: No
Pros
Very effective cat repellent
Cons
Smells unpleasant
Very toxic
The final entry on our list is the PetSafe Generation 2 ScatMat Electronic Dog & Cat Training Mat. While this isn’t a cat repellent per se, it keeps cats out of certain areas and is very effective for training, thus landing it a spot in our reviews. Scat mats can be used to block access to the flower bed, doors, or countertops, and they won’t harm your cat in the process. They work with static electricity, so they’re extremely unpleasant for animals to walk on.
Very effective cat repellent
- Very effective cat repellent
Smells unpleasant
Very toxic
- Smells unpleasant
- Very toxic
Active Ingredient: N/A
Safe Indoors: Yes
Garden Safe: Yes
Pros
Safe and chemical-free
Effective training method
Use indoors and outdoors
Cons
It will also “shock” you if you step on it
Safe and chemical-free
Effective training method
Use indoors and outdoors
- Safe and chemical-free
- Effective training method
- Use indoors and outdoors
It will also “shock” you if you step on it
- It will also “shock” you if you step on it
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Cat Repellent
Cats are cute, cuddly pets, but the fact remains that their instincts are those of wild predators. Whether you are raising a new kitten who’s wreaking havoc in your house, or the neighborhood strays are using your flower bed as their litter box, sometimes it’s necessary to intervene. With different kinds of cat repellents available, it can be hard to know what to buy, so here are a few tips to help you decide.
Keeping cats out of the garden
Cats are famous for destroying flowerbeds and gardens. They’re good hiding spots to catch pretty like birds and rodents, and they dig holes and use it as their bathroom. Outdoor solar or battery-powered cat repellents are the most effective at keeping your yard free from strays. Both sprinklers and ultrasonic sound devices are equally effective, but they can be problematic if you have your own pets who use your yard. These products are best for homeowners who are not pet owners but want a safe way to keep cats out.
If you have pets that are allowed outdoors, a scent-based product will work best to keep them away from certain areas. There are many options for smells that cats dislike, and they will avoid places with these smells.
Training cats in your house
If the problem is your own housecat that’s scratching furniture or jumping on counters, a deterrent can be an effective short-term solution, as well as a training tool. Cats are smart creatures. If they learn that your counter smells repugnant, they will only re-visit the location a handful of times before they stop trying. While some repellent sprays don’t smell that good, it may be worth using for a few days until your cat learns to stop going to certain places.
Conclusion
Our best overall recommendation for cat repellent is Colton’s Naturals Cat Repellent Spray. It’s all-natural, non-toxic, and can be used anywhere. The best value for the money is Nature’s Miracle Pet Block Repellent Spray. It is another non-toxic option and can be used indoors and out. If you’re looking for an effective cat repellent, you are sure to find one in this review list that will work for you.
You might be interested in these other great reads:
- 10 Best Cat Repellents and Deterrents in the UK
Featured Image Credit: ThamKC, Shutterstock
