CAT!

by Sydney
(Phoenix, Arizona, USA)

I have an Arizona desert tortoise and he lives in my backyard. But lately we've had a couple stray cats in our tortoise habitat.One even peed on top of his house. How can we get rid of the cat without hurting my tortoise or the cat and get rid of it the natural way(without catching it or buyinghg repellant)?

Comments for CAT!

Click here to add your own comments

Jan 03, 2011

Natural cat repellents
by: Larry.

Hi Sydney,

As a cat lover I want to thank you for wanting to find a way to keep the cats out without hurting them.

There are several things recommended as 'natural' cat repellents, none of these should harm the cats in any way.

Many cats dislike the smell of citrus. You could try placing orange or lemon peel around your tortoise habitat, or try hanging rags soaked with a citrus air freshener. However nothing works with all cats, my own cat appears to quite enjoy the smell of citrus. :0)

Other things you can try are mothballs, strong tobacco, eucalyptus, cayenne pepper and lavender.

There are commercial cat repellent products that will not hurt the cats. For example you can get automatic sprays that work off a motion sensor, the cat triggers the sensor and gets an unwelcome spry of water. After a few blasts they usually learn to keep away.

Hope this has given you a few ideas and good luck.

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Ask Your Turtle or Tortoise Question.