There are many good cat repellents on the market, but many contain chemicals and other elements that, although perhaps not dangerous, are certainly not environmentally friendly. The desired effect is to deter the animal from spraying etc, not to harm it.

Cats (both male and female) spray for a number of reasons, but none of them include cat litter or toilet training problems. Usually it is due to stress, which is probably brought about by you. Adding another member to the family, leaving a sensitive animal for any length of time, introducing another animal to the household, or sharing the property with another feline, can all cause cats to spray, which is their way of marking their territory and telling others to keep out.

Luckily there are a couple of Aromatherapy and Herbal recipes that can help keep your cat from spraying on your furniture, plants and any other vertical item in your home and garden.

Outdoor use.

If you have stray cats in your garden, or, if your own pet is spraying, the following suggestions should help:

1. Sprinkle some dried mustard, cayenne pepper, coffee grounds or dried rosemary to keep cats out of outdoor places. Some cats will dislike certain smells more than others, so if one doesn't work, try a different one, or a combination of a few.

2. Plant some herbs around the borders or interspersed with your other plants that have these scents that cats don't like. Border your garden with citronella, rue, lavender, rosemary and garlic chives. These are attractive plants that will act like a "keep out" sign to any felines passing by.

3. Find a place on your property to plant a small cat-friendly plot of catnip. This will attract the cats and they will claim it as their own

Indoor Use.

1. Take a few cotton balls and use an eye dropper to wet them with the following Essential Oils:

5 drops Cinnamon
5 drops Citronella
10 drops Lemon
5 drops Lemongrass
10 drops Lavender
2 drops Orange
10 drops Rosemary

Tuck the cotton balls into the corners of closets or rooms you want to keep the cat out of, or place them at the base of potted plants. Alternately, you can rub the oils with a paper towel onto base boards, door jambs and thresholds.

2. Steep fresh or dried herbs such as lavender, rosemary or cayenne in boiling water for five minutes. Strain the infusion and put the liquid into a clean spray bottle. Don't use a bottle that formerly held detergent or toxic chemicals, buy an empty bottle at the drug store or gardening center for this. Spray down the baseboards, mist the floors of closets or rooms, furniture, counter tops, or spray your potted plants. These will not hurt a plant, but will make cats dislike going near them. The scent will not be very detectable to humans, but will be very strong to cats. Spray areas every week or two, or as often as needed.