Mom's Advice: Sprinkle Cat Hair in the Garden

In true millennial fashion, I decided the best way to solve this problem was to call my mom. Her advice: Leave cat fur and chili powder around the base of the plant. At first, this sounded like some witchy woo-woo concoction straight out of the movie Practical Magic—but I decided it couldn't hurt to try.

I grabbed my cat’s brush, gave her a quick grooming, then headed outside with a handful of cat fur and my spice jar of chili powder. I sprinkled the cat hair and spice in a circle around the roses, hoping the whole time that none of my neighbors were watching. I did this every few days for about 10 days, and surprisingly, it appeared to be working.

Do Cat Hair and Chili Powder Really Repel Rabbits?

If you're looking for a way to stop rabbits from eating your plants, this all-natural method is worth a try. There haven’t been any more bites taken off the rose bush since I started using this unlikely combination, and the plants around the bush have remained intact too—even though there are plenty of bite marks out of my hostas on the other end of the garden.

Rabbits naturally avoid the smell of predators, so while my cat is strictly an indoor pet, the scent of her fur may be enough to ward off bunnies. They also tend to avoid strong fragrances and spices, so the chili powder may provide an additional deterrent.

If you're dealing with pesky squirrels, rodents, or rabbits, this pet hair and chili powder combination might be an unlikely tactic that can help protect your garden.