Does Vinegar Stop Cats From Pooping – The Answer!

Owning a cat can sometimes get complicated. After all, cats are fairly independent pets, and they often have their own opinions about how things should work. That’s all well and good, but what happens when it comes to bathroom habits? Can you use vinegar to train your cat out of pooping in a certain area? Does vinegar stop cats fro, pooping?

Yes, vinegar can stop cats from pooping. Vinegar is a deterrent that can stop unwanted behaviors in cats. Some cats may not respond the same way to vinegar, however, it is an effective option to stop pooping.

Here’s what you need to know about cats and vinegar and whether you can use vinegar to stop cats from pooping.

Do Cats Hate The Smell Of Vinegar

Yes and no. Some cats react to vinegar and seem to avoid it, but it’s hard to know why those cats react. It’s likely that the scent of vinegar is just a little too strong for car’s more sensitive noses and that they don’t like getting too close to it.

On the other hand, some cats show interest in vinegar, even the point of smelling open vinegar bottles and trying to taste it.

It’s also true that cats respond to different kinds of vinegar differently. For instance, your cat might show interest in apple cider vinegar, but avoid distilled white vinegar. When it comes to vinegar, distilled white vinegar is often the best vinegar to use as a deterrent, thanks to its strong scent.

While we can’t say that all cats hate the smell of vinegar, it’s a common enough aversion that vinegar can be an excellent tool to help train your cat and deal with negative bathroom and spraying behaviors.

What Smells Deter Cats From Pooping

A wide range of smells can help stop cats pooping where you don’t want them to and encourage them back to a litterbox.

Vinegar is one of the most common options, but it isn’t always enough. Orange and citrus fruits can be another great option to help deter spraying behaviors. You can even steep citrus peels in vinegar for a more potent and effective spray to deter your cats from pooping.

One advantage vinegar has over other scents is the enzymes in the vinegar. Those enzymes can help transform the chemicals in your cat’s urine and feces so that the area doesn’t smell the same, even after the vinegar scent has faded.

That can help prevent cats from coming back to poop at the same place, time and time again.

Peppermint is another effective scent. Don’t use peppermint essential oil, which is too potent to be safe for your cats. Instead, make strong peppermint tea and spray that anywhere your cats have been pooping.

Strong smelling spices, like cinnamon or cayenne, are also good deterrents. You can sprinkle a little of these spices anywhere you want to deter pooping. But, you’ll need to add more of the spice anytime you vacuum or sweep.

Lavender is another common scent for people who want to deter pooping, but it should be used with care.

Lavender is mildly toxic for cats, making it dangerous to use if your cat doesn’t avoid the flower properly. Lavender tea is usually safer than either essential oils or whole lavender flowers.

There are also store-bought cat-deterrents in a range of different scents that can help keep your cat from pooping outside the litterbox.

Many of these products smell somewhat different to people than they do to cats, so they may be a more pleasant option if you don’t like any of the scents we’ve already mentioned.

Will Vinegar Stop Cats From Pooping In My Garden

Vinegar is a short-term solution to your cat pooping in the garden, but it’s not a good long-term solution. 

There are a few reasons vinegar isn’t as effective in your garden, starting with the vinegar scent fading faster outside. Dirt is full of bacteria and natural enzymes, which vinegar mixes with. After a few hours, the scent of vinegar should be almost completely gone.

That means that the vinegar is only there as a deterrent for a very short time.

Worse, the acid in vinegar may be harmful to your garden plants, leaving chemical burns on the leaves and roots, which can be hard to recover from.

Repeated applications of vinegar can even change the PH and nutrients in your soil, making it less suitable for some garden plants.

How To Stop Cats From Pooping In The Garden

Instead of using vinegar, you can often use chicken wire or some other physical deterrent to keep your cats out of your garden and stop them pooping on your plants. You can also plant garden plants your cats avoid, like lavender, to help deter cats from pooping in your garden.

Spreading peppermint, cinnamon, or cayenne across your garden can also be more effective than vinegar. Those scents last longer, can be smelled even once they’ve mixed into the dirt, and don’t impact your soil quality as much as vinegar.

How To Stop A Cat From Pooping On The Floor

If your cat is pooping on the floor, especially if they were previously litter box trained, it may be a sign of something wrong with their litterbox.

Your cat might be complaining that their litter is too dirty or that there aren’t enough litterboxes. You may even want to put a litterbox where your cats have been pooping since that may be a sign that that area is one cat’s territory.

Your cat might also be telling you that you don’t have enough litterboxes. Most cats prefer to have at least two litterboxes, and you should have at least one more litterbox than you have cats to avoid territorial fighting.

Things To Consider

Pooping can also signify stress, physical illness, or just that your cat doesn’t like their normal litter box. If the behavior comes on suddenly, it may be a good idea to contact a vet for a checkup.

There may be nothing wrong, but an early visit can also help diagnose digestive problems that could be upsetting your cat.

Your cat may also start pooping on the floor if the litterbox is uncomfortable for them. That may mean that you need a bigger litterbox, a deeper litterbox, or more space around the litterbox. Also, many cats dislike litterboxes with lids and won’t use them consistently.

As always, it’s essential to be patient with your cat when they are pooping anywhere you don’t want them to. Pooping can be an annoying behavior from your cat, but chances are they aren’t doing it on purpose or trying to upset you.

Instead of getting frustrated, it’s a good idea to focus on what your cat might need and how you can help your cat behave the way you want them to.