WE'VE all seen this somewhere. A transparent bottle filled with red liquid is strategically placed in locations such as lawns or car porches.
When asked, it was said that it's meant to repel and mainly keep cats (and dogs too, depending on who you're talking to) from pooping in the area. The explanation is that the colour red scares them away or makes them uncomfortable.
But is it true that it works?
Verdict:
FALSE
While it may repel cats for other reasons, saying cats dislike the colour red couldn't be further from the truth.
Cats don't really see the colour red. The colours cats do see are less vibrant than what humans see.
Besides blue, the colour felines see most clearly, the rest of the world has a dull grey tint to it.
They can see shades of blue and green, but reds and pinks can be confusing.
This means that a cat will have trouble telling the difference between red, brown, orange and purple.
So how come the bottle with red liquid tactic works for some people?
There are two reliable explanations behind this trick which may work. "May" because countless experiments have proven that it does not work. But since it's so easy, cheap and harmless, it's worth a shot, right?
First, any new object or a change in surroundings can cause cats to feel uneasy. This is why some (there are cats who couldn't be bothered by this) tend to avoid these changes to not get out of their comfort zone.
But even so, as soon as cats figure out that it is nothing to be worried about, it's business as usual again for them.
Another explanation is that light that hits the water bottle refracts and creates confusion for the felines.
Although cats see less colour than humans, they are more sensitive to light, which explains why they have better night vision than us.
With that being said, if it doesn't work for you, just get rid of it.
Maybe a mild temporary inconvenience like cat faeces is not so bad compared to a glaring eye sore like plastic bottles with red water scattered all over your property.
References:
1. www.color-meanings.com/what-colors-do-cats-like/
2. www.businessinsider.com/pictures-of-how-cats-see-the-world-2013-10
3. catsaway.org/water-bottle-and-cat-myth/
4. youtu.be/S9LrhZRZvD4?si=zXVLlfTePsxwDK5E
5. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKQ6eSUF8wk&ab_channel=BurkesBackyard
