How to Make Your Own Natural Cat Repellent to Protect a Parrot

You need to be careful when your cat is near your bird.

Sylvester and Tweety taught pet owners a valuable lesson in all those cartoons: Birds are natural prey for cats. If you keep a pet parrot and a pet cat, chances are that you spend a good deal of time trying to keep one away from the other. There are effective techniques to do so, however, including scented and unscencted repellents.

Things You'll Need

• Squirt bottle
• Orange essential oil
• Water

Instructions

Orange Oil Cat Repellent

1. Unscrew the nozzle from your squirt bottle.

2. Add five drops of orange essential oil to the bottle. Be sure only to use five drops. Less is more when using essential oils around pets.

3. Fill the bottle with water, and replace the nozzle.

4. Shake well and spray mixture on carpet or floor around the parrot cage. Cats dislike the smell of citrus, so it acts as a natural repellent. Do not spray the cat directly with the mixture. It is diluted enough to be safe around cats, but you still shouldn't take any chances. Do not spray the parrot with the spray for the same reasons. Essential oils create fumes when burned that are dangerous to parrots, but in this spray they are safe.

Water Spray Cat Repellent

1. Unscrew the nozzle from your squirt bottle.

2. Fill the bottle with water, and replace the nozzle.

3. Keep an eye on your cat, and when it approaches the parrot cage give the cat a quick, direct squirt from the bottle.

4. Repeat this process consistently every time the cat approaches the bird cage. This trains the cat not to approach the cage. Remember, consistency is key. You have to make sure to deliver one quick squirt every time. Some cats learn faster than others, so be patient and keep trying until your cat understands.

Tips & Warnings

• You may find it more effective to spray the orange oil spray around the cage, as well as use a separate bottle of plain water to train the cat to stay away from the restricted area.

• Remember that cats are predators, so they are naturally inclined to hunt your parrot and are not intentionally misbehaving. Be patient while everyone learns the boundaries.

• Your parrot also knows that a cat is its natural predator. If at all possible, place the cage in a room with a door, shut the door and do not allow the cat inside. Keep these pets away from each other as often as possible because the stress may adversely affect your parrot's health.

References

• Home Remedy Reference Center: Cat Repellent
• Parrot Parrot: Unseen Dangers in the Home
• "Cat vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat"; Pam Johnson-Bennet: 2004