Tip to keep cats from spraying your door

A few months ago I noticed with some indignation that cats had been spraying my front door! Well, I’d clean it up only to find a new spot appear a few days later.

Going in search of an easy solution I learned there are a few things cats don’t like such as aluminum foil, citrus scents and spiky surfaces.

I went for the aluminum foil method first since it was already on hand, wrapping it around my welcome mat. That method worked very well, so well in fact that nobody wanted to step on it, not even people. But it was very unsightly and had to be redone periodically.

Aluminum foil wrapped around the welcome mat

After a while it was time to step up my game. Orange oil or some other citrus spray might work, but it would have to be reapplied frequently. And how would you know when to do it other than finding more cat pee on your door?

Unacceptable.

So I decided to hit the hardware store and get a piece of clear plastic carpet runner. The key to making this work is to put it upside down so the grippers are sticking up. It won’t hurt them, but any cat who puts his feet on that will get a nasty surprise.

So far it’s worked perfectly.

This is the one I got from Home Depot. It comes 2′ wide and you get it by the foot. I got 4′ at $1.28 per foot. Then I cut it half so I would have two pieces 1′ wide by 4′ long. I put one at the front door and one at the back door because the little buggers started spraying that one too.

And this is what it looks like up close.