If you’re wondering, “does cayenne pepper keep cats out of the garden,” we’ll let you know.

There are times when your neighborhood cats don’t want to give you a break. The felines seem to always be in your garden messing things up. You’ve tried consistently to put the cats off but to no avail. Well, don’t just give up yet; there’s a humane way to achieve your desired goal, all with the help of cayenne pepper. Yes, you read that right; cayenne pepper can help you fend off cats. Kitties hate the smell of cayenne pepper, and that’s one advantage that you have. So, you can simply add it to your garden. Sprinkle the spicy chili around your plants, or you can choose to spray it. The method you choose is up to you. You’ll still end up humanely keeping cats away. The extra good news is that cayenne pepper isn’t harsh on most plants. Click for Product Review…

Cayenne Pepper

The actual chemical that repels cats away in cayenne pepper is called capsaicin. Many commercial repellents use this spicy ingredient with natural oils like eucalyptus. You can purchase a branded product or make your own spray, which is easy. Just mix water with a cayenne pepper base, like grounded spice flakes or a hot sauce. We’ll let you know how to get the right balance of ingredients to spray on plants. Combine 16 parts of water with one part of cayenne pepper sauce. The spicy scent should be strong enough to keep cats out of your yard or garden. Click for Cat MACE questions and Answers…

Applying the Pepper

You can grind cayenne pepper flakes into a fine powder to place on leaves. Another option includes sprinkling the spice at the bases of your plants. Make sure you’re extra careful when applying the pepper in any form. You don’t want to accidentally get the mixture in your eyes or face. Always use gloves when working with cayenne pepper. Protect your hands, so you don’t accidentally touch your face with your fingers full of the spicy mix. Apply the cayenne pepper once a week or as many times as you want to keep the cats away.

Benefits to Plants

There are some cool benefits that cayenne pepper has when it comes to plants. The spice keeps cats away and deters other animals like rabbits, dogs, and squirrels. In addition, cayenne pepper can also serve as a natural insecticide. The spice repels some nasty bugs like lace bugs and spider mites that are harmful to plants. Currently, there are no known adverse effects of cayenne pepper on most plants. Although it’s recommended to try the pepper on a few leaves before applying it to the entire plant. As a precautionary, wash off all edibles you’ve used the pepper on before consuming them.

Kitties and Pepper

The cayenne pepper scent won’t affect some cats, no matter how much you use it. However, the pepper still is very much helpful in deterring kitties. When walking in your garden and yard, the spice can get into the cat’s paws and fur. Cats are playful, often rubbing their eyes with their paws. Chances are, the kitties will feel the peppery sting, leading to severe pain. If you think this method is cruel to cats, you can use less painful deterrents.

Considerations

There are other repellents you can use to prevent cats from causing damage to your garden. Try our deterrent, Cat MACE cat repellent, or other solutions. You can use pine-cone mulch and citrus peels which can be as effective as cayenne pepper. These options won’t cause as much pain as cayenne pepper would on your neighborhood cats. You can also utilize fencing and plant nets to act as a blockade against cats.

You can also plant a separate garden for kitties, away from your main one. Create a distraction to lure cats away from your yard. Add barley grass and catnip to the kitty garden. The neighborhood felines will have an alternative place to hang. 

Pepper the best squirrel repellent for plants?

Things you shouldn’t do to keep dogs out of your yard

Natural bed bug killers

Ways of getting rid of Squirrels

Effective strategies for repelling deer from crop