How to Keep Stray Cats Away from Your Outdoor Patio Furniture

Hate the cat hairs all over the patio furniture?

Cleaning the poop, pee, and hairs everywhere on the patio can give nightmares. If it is not your pet, this is even more frustrating. The philanthropist nature also poses a hindrance to harming the animals.

Thankfully, it is possible to avoid the mess by following effective and safe methods to keep stray cats off your patio furniture. This way, your furniture will remain clean and hygienic for the entire family while saving hours of tiresome cleaning jobs every day.

In this article, we have shared the proven tactics to keep stray cats away from outdoor furniture.

The best part, we have also provided some helpful tips to keep off other animals from your patio…dogs, squirrels, bugs, and raccoons.

Ways to Protect Your Patio Furniture from Stray Cats

#1. Animal-Safe Cat Repellent Sprays

There are numerous ingredients in your kitchen to prepare a cat repellent spray. Cats are more sensitive to strong smells compared to human beings.

Add lavender, vinegar, cinnamon, or peppermint to water to make organic and pet-safe cat repellent spray. Spray the solution regularly around the furniture. The odor may not bother your family and friends, but it will definitely keep the cats away.

Don’t like using homemade sprays?

Use commercially-prepared cat repellent sprays. Buying an over-the-counter repellent is easy. These products are made with complex chemical formulations to liberate an intense smell. Cats can’t tolerate the aroma of these sprays and will keep away from the premises. Don’t worry about health issues. The items are safe for animals.

Caution

Avoid spraying fruit juices on the furniture or other parts of the patio. The cushions and padding can become sticky and also attract bugs to the place.

Never use essential oils to make cat repellent sprays. Ingesting or inhaling essential oils can be hazardous or life-threatening for these animals.

#2. Cat Deterrent Plants

This is the most effective long-term solution to keep cats away from your patio area. It gives you freedom from using messy sprays or other products every day.

Choose any of the aromatic plants (especially with a citrus smell) such as:

• Lavender
• Lemongrass
• Lemon thyme
• Citronella
• Pennyroyal

A huge plus, some of these plants also deter mosquitos and other insects from your patio area.

#3. Fresh Citrus Peels

If you love citrus scents, this can rejuvenate your senses while keeping cats away. Cats hate the tangy taste as well as the smell of citrus edibles.

Spread some freshly plucked thyme or lemongrass peels near the patio furniture. Your cushions will get a pleasant smell while keeping the cats away.

#4. Cat Repelling Sticky Tapes

This may seem messy and inconvenient. But if nothing else works, you can try the trick once.

To prevent the glue marks on the furniture bedding, you may wrap everything with a plastic cover before attaching the both-sided adhesive tapes.

Cats get frightened if they step on a sticky surface. They will struggle to get away from the sticky surface. After repetitive incidents, these animals will abandon the place permanently.

#5. Aluminum Foil Covers

This trick works but takes some effort and adds to landfills. The foils will go into the garbage after use.

Cats hate the noise, shiny appearance, and feel of aluminum foils. You may place some aluminum foils on the furniture to deter cats from the place. However, use some sticking tapes or otherwise to ensure the sheets don’t blow away in the wind.

#6. Animal Repellent Furniture Pads

This is a safe, brilliant, and effective method to keep animals away from your patio furniture.

Cats love to rest on a soft, cozy surface. Animal deterring pads have rough surfaces or hard nubs. The contact with these pads gives a weird experience without harming the animal. The stray cats will leave the place unharmed and healthy.

These pads are washable and safe for prolonged use. So whenever you are away, let the uneven objects protect your outdoor furniture.

#7. Mothball Stuffings

Using mothballs needs some preventive measures. The chemicals in mothballs have a powerful odor to repel bugs, pests, and even cats. However, the substance is very toxic. Never spread the mothballs on the patio sofa or table.

You may insert the mothballs inside the cushions, bedding covers, etc. This deters the animals and insects while keeping your furniture safe for years.

#8. Protective Furniture Covers

Furniture covers are great possessions to protect the chairs and tables from cat visits. These covers are generally made of waterproof materials. Just take off the covers and wash for repeated use. Animals will have access to the surface area of the cover away from direct contact with the sofas and chairs.

#9. Store Your Patio Furniture in Locked Premises

This is a preventative method to protect the entire garden stuff. But the job can be laborious if the bistro set is too heavy. At least, you can remove the cushions and paddings from the patio sofas.

If you have wicker furniture, this trick can do wonders. The uneven texture of the rattan sofa or chair won’t provide much comfort to the stray animals for resting.

#10. Electronic Animal Repellents

Installing ultrasonic repellents in the yard is the best way to create a barrier for rodents, cats, and other animals from the region. The high-frequency waves are audible to the animals and not to human ears. The ultrasonic waves keep your surroundings safe from animal attacks.

#11. High Animal-Proof Fencing

Cats can’t enter your yard if there is a tall fence around the house. This can protect your compound and patio from other animals.

#12. Install Water Sprinkler in the Garden

This also works great to keep the plants in your garden hydrated. Cats, dogs, and many other critters hate water. A motion-activated sprinkler system will automatically start releasing water if a creature is in proximity.

#Bonus Tip- Create a Cat-Friendly Zone in Your Backyard

Cats invade your patio in search of comfort and food. Making a cat-friendly area at a distance can divert their attention. You can use alluring cat food, toys, and scratching posts to attract them to the place. Certain aromatic herbs like marigold, catnip, and bean sprouts are good selections to welcome these species into the zone.

These tips help to keep cats and some other animals at a distance from your garden bistro sets. However, if you are particularly troubled with any type of stray animal, read our tips below to get the most effective ideas.

Safe Tips to Keep Other Stray Animals Away from Outdoor Furniture

Dogs

Dogs have ultra-sharp teeth and tend to chew upholstery, sofas, cushions, etc. You may use commercially sold dog deterrent sprays to keep dogs away from the garden furniture. These sprays are safe for ingesting but give a bitter taste. Dogs lose the urge to chew the surfaces treated with these repellent sprays.

You may also train your puppy not to get on the couch, chairs, chaise lounges, etc. Prepare a separate cozy spread for your dog to lie down in comfort.

Squirrels

Squirrels get on your patio sets in search of food. If you have coffee and snacks at this place, the smell of food can draw them to the spot. However, if you are already using a dog deterrent spray, this can prevent squirrels from chewing your furniture.

If you love watching squirrels in the garden, you may build a food zone for these creatures near the trees or in your backyard. These critters have a great time noshing on the bird foods, seeds, etc. Give a daily serving to block them from invading your outdoor spaces.

Bugs

Bugs can make your life miserable in the patio area. If you have a large garden, your outdoor furniture is vulnerable to being swarmed by bees, butterflies, roaches, and more. Spiders are the worst attackers. Apart from biting, they also create messy cobwebs. You may have a tough time removing these.

Following are some helpful tricks to keep pests and bugs away from your patio furniture:

• The smell of food and drinks attracts ants and flies to your outdoor furniture. If there was a spill (beverages, fruit juices), clean the place immediately. Ants love sweet, sticky foods.
• White lights attract insects to the patio space. Replace these lights with warm hues such as yellow and orange may reduce the presence of insects in the surroundings.
• Specific potted plants can keep insects and pests away from your patio. Keep a few pots of garlic, chives, marigold, rosemary, and lemongrass in the garden area.
• Make a bug repellent solution with essential oils. Mix a few drops of lavender eucalyptus oil in a liter of water. Spray this repellent around the garden furniture to keep pests away.
• You can spray any mint-flavored mouthwash under the chairs and tables to keep mosquitos away from the place.

Raccoons

If you live in the bushy areas in the US, raccoons can make your life miserable. Wooden patio furniture provides the ideal room for these animals to live comfortably. These creatures sleep during the day and will enter your garden at night in search of food.

• Here are some tricks to keep raccoons away from your outdoor furniture:
• After having food, clean the leftovers
• Don’t keep the trashcans open. The smell of food waste can attract critters.
• Grow hot peppers, garlic, and onions in pots near the garden seating arrangements
• Raccoons seek a hiding shelter under the sofa, chairs, etc. Spray a solution of Epsom salt or peppermint oil below the furniture. They will find it hard to bear the strong odor and leave the place.

Final Thoughts,

Animals can do potential harm to your patio furniture. Besides shedding hairs, they may leave mites and flies growing on their body. Cats and dogs take sheer pleasure in scratching and tearing the garden upholstery.

Some animals also enjoy doing business on outdoor furniture.
Don’t panic! These tips will help you enjoy the summer outdoors without the mess and strenuous cleaning job every day.