Mosquito repellent for ferals

We recently had to relocate a couple of ferals. We live in central/south Texas and it is always very humid and hot here, but lately we've had some of the worst days I've ever experienced. The property they were moved to also has horrible drainage and as we found out from yesterday's rain, the entire backyard is like a marsh - and is even more so where their temporary enclosure is set up.

We need to find a safe, nontoxic mosquito repellent we can sprinkle on the ground within their kennel that is safe for both cats and dogs.

We picked up both of these today, one is a repellent, the other prevents breeding:



Before we apply them I just wanted to be extra cautious to make sure this will be okay to for their enclosure, particularly the Dr. T's.

If not, or if someone has any better suggestions, please let me know! We cannot handle them and there is no electrical outlet nearby, so our options seem mostly limited to something like the above.

Thank you!

How about planting some things that mosquitoes don't like? I know lavender, basil and lemon balm keep them away. I think cat nip does too.

(Great news for your cats)

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/11-plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/

I used a lot of basil in my enclosure.  I had pots and beds of it almost encircling the compound.  I also hung fly traps - the sticky kind - because we had such awful Strawberry Flies.  They bite like crazy.

If you have electricity anywhere near, one of the Big Zappers will work.  It is better not to place it near a house anyway, as it attracts bugs.  So the farther away it is, the better to draw them away from you and the cats.

If there is any standing water nearby - puddles, stagnant ponds, either drain it or use the Mosquito Dunks.  Something in them keep mosquitoes from landing on the water, where they breed.  We lived on a lake and there were always small depressions where water would gather.  If I couldn't drain them, the Dunks worked well.

Good job on the relocation!

Well, the enclosure is only temporary, just about 3-4 weeks, so planting something may not be the right solution in this case. I went to a local garden center to get some basil today but there were at least 5 different kinds! I didn't know which to get So I ended up taking home a bunch of catnip.

We still haven't applied the mosquito bits or Dr. T's -  I am still not sure of the Dr. T's because it contains some oils that I feel could be concerning (ingredients are lemon grass oil, garlic oil, peppermint oil, and then just fuller's earth). Of course the people at the garden center said it was totally safe for pets, and I stopped by the vet today to ask what he thought of it and he thought it was fine, but I don't always trust the vet, haha.

Both products say they are safe for pets but have a whole lot of warning labels, specifically about avoiding skin contact or absorption, avoiding ingestion, avoiding inhaling the dust, even avoiding contact with clothes and making sure to wash clothes before reuse. I realize all of this is for liability purposes, but it does make me worry about putting it in the kennel where the cats will be very exposed to it. They're walking on it, so that could cause skin contact/absorption, and when they groom themselves they may ingest it.

I am likely being paranoid, but I would be devastated if I made one of them sick ( or worse) by not doing all of my homework.

Ondine, you recommended the Mosquito Dunks... are the Bits fine? It is from the same company.

I think any kind of basil will be fine. If you cat get some in pots you could put it around the kennels and then use it in cooking when you're done. Also I've been burning these mosquito coils in my house for the past ten plus years without any adverse affects. They're called katori senko in Japanese, maybe you have something similar in the US?

 

Not sure I've seen the bits.  The dunks spread a thin film of an oily substance on the water that kept the mosquitoes from landing, where they could then mate.

Any kind of basil would work - if you planted it in pots, you could move it later wherever you needed it.

Norachan, it does look as though they are available through Amazon. I do worry about the safety of leaving them unattended though. Their kennel is a bit far from the house.

I will try to go back to the nursery tomorrow and pick up some basil. Is it to be placed around the outside of the kennel or inside of it? How often does it need to be watered? It will be my friend taking care of it, not me, so she needs to be willing.

 

Basil is pretty dry tolerant - I don't believe I ever watered mine but we had some pretty wet summers the last two years.

Plant it around the perimeter of the enclosure - you can make a formal bed or not.  Just make sure when string trimming around, you don't cut it all down.  Some types will spread, though, so expect in future to have basil in the grass.  Good thing it smells nice!