Does your feline furbaby seem to have it out for your houseplants?
Have you already had casualties? Woken up to find spilled potting soil tracked through your house, your favorite plant missing leaves, and a smug look on your cat’s face?
What is your cat’s DEAL, anyway?
Why does your friend Amy have no trouble keeping her cat out of her plants? She never even had to tell him “no”, or spray water in his face!
Welcome to the mystery and madness we all know as a “cat”.
We currently have two of these enigmas, one of which, Pixie, is basically a calm, little old lady, who doesn’t get excited about much, unless she smells tuna.
The other cat…well, this is Beaker.
Beaker is like an obsessive toddler, wanting whatever he has been told to leave alone. If there is a closed door, he begs and scratches until it is open. He has no interest in anything on the other side, he just can’t stand to be locked out.
And new houseplants? Hmm…
So far, I’ve only had to move two plants to a spot out of the cats’ reach: the grape ivy, and a China Doll plant that I recently brought home. I’m not sure why they were suddenly so interesting, but I suspect it’s because they both move in the slightest breeze, which provides just too much temptation for any cat worth his curiosity.
Anyway, the grape ivy has been moved upstairs to my daughter’s bedroom, until I can get to the hardware store for more hanging hooks. The China Doll lost its appeal after a few moments of supervised sniffing, which yielded nothing worth bothering one’s catself over.
I did put it on a high shelf, though.
Getting Along
Tips for helping your cats and houseplants coexist:
First off, I’m assuming you’ve already done a bit of research, and know that your houseplants are nontoxic to cats. If not, check out my post on finding cat-friendly houseplants, or see if your plant’s name is listed in the ASPCA database of plants considered poisonous to cats.
But this post isn’t just about your pet eating leaves or ingesting toxins. A playful cat may bump into pots, knocking your plant out of its soil.
Or Princess McFluffy may LOVE rubbing against a plant she takes a liking to. She may even climb in and take a nap, breaking stems. And for some cats, what’s better on the paws than digging through some lovely soil?
In the case of cacti or other spiny plants, you could even be protecting your cat by preventing her from rubbing against them!
But let’s not forget the real truth about cats: they know where your attention is, and they will find their way to the center of it, literally. It’s just a fact of life when you live with cats. Yeah, you’re excited about your new houseplants, and they KNOW that, but this is their house, and they must approve all new additions.
So, some tips. Most of the ideas here have to do with keeping kitty’s attention elsewhere. In other words, make that new houseplant as boring as possible. You want your cat to glance at it and think, “Not worth it.”
Keep Indoor Plants out of Reach
Okay, so that one seems obvious. But it’s also easier said than done, I know. Some feline acrobats can get ANYWHERE, even if it means they have to make a death-defying leap to get to that “unreachable” spot. But if you hang plants from the ceiling or put them on a high shelf, it can save them from damage.
For larger houseplants, or in situations where you can’t keep them out of reach, you may have to resort to some clever tricks. But with some preparation, you can prevent disaster. Let’s start with…
Introductions
Keep an eye on the curious cat. He may just want to check out anything new in the house.
In fact, you could introduce the new houseplant the same way you would a new pet or baby in the house, through a supervised introduction.
Set the plant in the middle of the room, or go ahead and place it in its permanent spot. like it’s no big deal. If he’s interested, give your cat a chance to sniff the newcomer. If he decides to do some taste-testing, try a firm “No!” or make some noise that will startle or distract him.
Don’t make it about punishing your cat. We’re just distracting him, if necessary. Remember, this plant is NO BIG DEAL. It is totally not something you will be loving and caring for and showering with your cat’s rightfully owned attention. Right? Right!
Observe his reaction. He may just turn and stroll back to doing something more interesting, like watching birds outside the window, or checking to see if someone has opened a can of tuna recently. You know your cat. If he’s chill, we’re all good.
Unless he’s plotting destruction for later, when you’re not looking.
Basically, I wouldn’t leave a new pot anywhere near the edge of a table or shelf…just sayin’.
And don’t make it harder than necessary on your cat: he may be doing his best to leave your new plaything alone, but when he goes to take a nap, his favorite sunny spot has been taken over by this leafy nonsense?
That’s just pushing it too far. Don’t be surprised if you find that new pot on the floor.
Eating Plants/Chewing on Leaves
This is something that will depend on your cat’s habits, and on how alluring the particular plant may be.
You may get away with a simple “No!” and live happily ever after in your peaceful kingdom.
But if you have a determined nibbler, you could try spraying or rubbing some Bitter Apple on the leaves. A taste of that, and Mittens should lose interest. It may seem unfair, but it will go a long way toward having a peaceful cat-plant coexistence!
You can also try a homemade deterrent: mix one part white vinegar with three parts water, and use a spray bottle to apply it to the leaves of the plant your cat has been interested in. The smell should make things less appetizing.
If your cat likes to wait until you’re not looking before they stir up trouble, you may want to put the new plants in a closed room at night, or at any time you’re not home. When to stop? Again, it depends on your cat. Whoever has the most patience, wins.
If it’s impossible to keep the plant in a separate space, you can try lining up empty soda cans, or anything else that will be knocked over and will make plenty of noise when Sneaky McSneakSneak tries making his smooth approach. Talk about embarrassing.
(By the way, set them back up. He’ll try again.)
Digging
Let’s face it, cats dig. In dirt, sand, litter. They may even try to use your new plant’s pot as a litter box!!! If your cat is digging around your plants, there are a few things you can try, to stop this behavior.
Cover the dirt, temporarily (until he loses interest), or permanently (if he doesn’t).
Put annoying obstructions in the dirt, that don’t feel good. Crumpled up tin foil, scattered around the plant, may be enough of a turnoff to deter your little claw-monster.
You can also try citrus oils. Cats dislike the odor, which has led to countless gardeners scattering orange peels around their plants, hoping to keep their neighbor’s cat from using the flowerbed as a litter box! Other feline-annoying scents that may help create a no-digging zone zone are lavender and peppermint.
Boredom/Curiosity
Is Kitty simply bored? Make sure she has plenty of her own things to play with. Or maybe a new cardboard box. You know you want to order something from Amazon, anyway.
In the end, if your cat is as much of a human toddler as our Beaker is, then distraction may be the only answer!
It may be time for some new cat chew toys, or a food puzzle. (Yes, these exist. A cat food puzzle totally occupied me at the pet store the other day. I wasn’t sure Beaker would have the patience for it, but I’ll be doing some more research on these!)
And if nothing will do but green things, provide plants that your cat can eat, play in, or bat around. You could even start a bed of grass for him, or create a kitty’s paradise herb garden.
The idea being that your cats will be so busy interacting with their own plants, that they’ll leave yours alone.
If you really want to go crazy with this idea, you could build an entire “catio”.
Which is a topic for another post!