This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Cats and Plants

Hi!

Saw a post regarding cats and plants and thought I'd pass on some of my tried-and-true methods of
keeping kitties out of plants.  I have two kitties, Mischief and Angel, respectively four and five years old, and found out
after losing a few plants to them that apparently they liked biting on the leaves, as well as digging in the dirt, and, with
larger pots, using them for a litter box.  Try a few of these ideas to see if they help:

1) Ground red pepper on the dirt in the plants.  Apply after each watering for a couple of weeks.  This may mold up in the dirt
slightly, but won't hurt the plant.  It won't hurt kitty either, but once kitty gets a noseful of it, won't bother that plant
for a long time...I've checked with a vet on this, and she applauded me on the idea.  Chili powder works too.

2) Double sticky-backed tape applied in criss crosses over the top of the pot.  Cats don't like stepping or putting their paws
on anything sticky, so this works well too.   Also putting aluminum foil, in a sheet, across the tops of the plants too.  I've
never tried the aluminum foil one, but hear that cats won't step on it, since it makes noise and it feels strange under their
paws.

Hope you have better luck with the kitties; they and the plants can coexist happily.  My cats now leave my plants alone, even
the four foot schleffera tree with the litter-box sized pot (although both of them like laying under it on sunny days, like two
bitty little lions).

Take care!

Kelly Sutton
aka LadyPenguin
President, The Domesticated Penguin
http://members.xoom.com/ladypenguin/theigloo.htm
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index