You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
Do you wage a constant war trying to protect your house plants from your cats? Is there a dustpan in every room? Do you hear falling clay pots on a regular basis? This article will examine some of the ways to help keep kitty at bay.
To start, I have to mention that I am owned by 6 cats and 2 dogs. Yup, it's true. Five of the cats are under 2 years old, one of the dogs is a puppy. I also have over a hundred house plants.
I used to hear falling clay pots on a twice daily basis. I would walk into a room and there would be 3 cats perched in the top of my braided Hibiscus. Looking innocent of course!! I thought I could solve the problem by hanging all the houseplants, but realized I needed the window space, there was no way I could hang them all. Something had to be done to keep both the cats and the plants happily living together. I wasn't about to give up either plants or cats.
Somebody suggested strategically placed mouse traps, but I don't think they were really serious. I have to point out here that a mouse trap would break a kitty paw, so don't even think about it!! There are better, far less drastic ways to keep plants safe from kitty.
Decorative rocks, or marbles placed on the soil will help deter kitties that like to dig in the soil. Even sea shells would work well. You just have to make sure the rocks, etc., aren't holding the moisture in the soil and rot the plants you are trying to help. I tried this method and it worked pretty good, until one of the cats, a kitten at the time, discovered that if he picked up the rocks and dropped them on the floor, they would roll for him to chase. Then the puppy joined in on the fun. Kept their minds off of the plant though!!
Scents are also used. Some scents are offensive to cats and if the plants are sprayed with these scents, technically the cats won't go near them. Citrus is supposed to be one of these scents, orange and lemon peels for example. These work not too badly, although they need to be replaced on a regular basis. They can also lead to another problem if forgotten. There is nothing worse smelling than moldy orange peel, and if there are a bunch of fruit flies hanging around the plants, well, they attract kitty back to the very plant you are trying to protect. Flying toys, a kitty dream come true. Which brings up another good point. If you do notice kitty all of a sudden playing with a plant he/she has previously ignored, do check for flying insects. Kitty could be acting as an early warning system for you. There are a few scented products on the market, Bitter Apple for one, but I found it had to be resprayed almost hourly to have much effect. They also hate the smell of scented candles, I break up my old used candles and place them in the soil, the cats go all squinty eyed and back away at the smell and the wax won't hurt the plants. It's by far the best scented deterrent I have found.
Bamboo chop sticks or skewers. If broken into 2 inch pieces and pushed into the soil, they make walking, or digging in the plant uncomfortable for kitty. These are good for large plants in floor sized pots. Will stop kitty from using the soil as a litter box as well. They do work, although they don't add much to the looks of the plant. On a fun note, I was searching the web one day and found these little do-dads for floor model plants. I haven't tried them, just thought they were kinda fun. I should mention here that Daves Garden has a wonderful tool called the Garden Watchdog for researching online mail order companies.
Two sided tape, or fly-paper, works on flat surfaces. If you have a plant table and kitty is known to shove your plants aside to get more comfortable in the sun shining through the window, strategically place these and kitty will avoid these areas. Works on windowsills too.They HATE stuff stuck to their paws!! One thing to keep in mind here though, is that cats tend to leap before they think, especially with a puppy hot on their tails. I have found with windowsills that the secret is completely crowding the sill so kitty can't find any whisker room and will not even jump up. The dogs just ripped the tape off.
One of the best methods, I have to admit, is the spray bottle. A quick squirt with a stream of water and the kitties soon learn that this is a place not to be. Unless you are lucky enough to be owned by a cat that actually likes the water. My Pepper cat will just sit there happily soaking it up. The only problem with the spray bottle is, you have to actually catch them in the act, not really good for people who have to be at work, or go shopping, etc.
After all is said and done, I don't hear the sound of falling clay pots anymore, I switched them all to plastic. As the cats are geting out of kitten hood, they have more interesting things to think about, like napping. I have learned to keep potted plants away from the very edge of the table, more on account of the dogs putting their paws up there and tipping them off. I pay more attention to the size of the pot in regard to the plant in it, so there isn't a lot of extra room to dig in the soil. I have stopped them from digging in the pots that are bigger though, I use a few rocks and some smaller pots with cuttings in them placed right in the big pot. I have candle pieces inconspicuosly placed here and there. My plants get daily misting from the streams of water coming out of the spray bottle, thanks to Pepper cat. The dust pan has been put away where it belongs in the closet. The only accidents in recent memory have been due to that leaping before thinking thing we discussed earlier, and to give credit to the cats, it wasn't their fault, they were puppy propelled.
Hopefully, some of this can help all of you plant lovers out there. I do speak from exerience, learned by trial and error. Don't give up, kitties and plants can co-exist relatively peacefully.
Many thanks to plantladylin for her kitty picture, palmbob for his marbles and my friend Slant in New Zealand, who, I hope, doesn't think I'm crazy for asking her to take a picture of her skewers.
..
About Lee Anne Stark
I am an avid gardener who shares my gardens with 2 other equally avid gardeners. I garden for fun and relaxation, never paying attention to the rules!! During the long, cold winter months I occupy my time playing with over a hundred house plants, my six cats and two dogs.
Posted by Jasmine329 on March 13, 2008 at 7:16 AM:
One of my friends has a cat that eats some of her house plants...the leaves. The cat then gets sick and throws up. She is wondering how she can deter her cat from eating some of her house plants.
Any advice is much appreciated. Her cat eats house plants at her Mom's house also.
Thank you:-)
...
Subject: cats and coleus
Posted by candyinpok (from Poughkeepsie, NY) on January 28, 2008 at 4:07 PM:
I loved this article. Some years ago I bought some "Scaredy Cat Coleus" and have them placed as a line defense in front of the house plants. The cats clearly don't like it (but the dog will eat it if she gets a chance) and just brushing against a leaf will release the smell that is reminiscent of skunk. It helps some.
...
Subject: Cats and plants
Posted by baileyweb (from Rome
(Italy)) on January 28, 2008 at 1:28 PM:
I've beaten the pussy diggers in my garden by putting wire netting or an old barbeque grill over freshly dug soil. It can be removed as the plants start to fill out. It also foils the blackbirds, great diggers also. As my cats are indoors-outdoors I haven't had any particular problems with house plants, not like a friend of mine who has given up putting up a Christmas tree because of climbing Mitzi.
...
Subject: cats and house plants
Posted by hihosilver63 (from Sunderland
(United Kingdom)) on January 28, 2008 at 5:16 AM:
I also have cats, four of them to be exact. I find the main problem is that all my plants now have serrated edges. I did try planting cat grass in a plant pot, but with their very delicate roots, the cats would pull the pieces of grass out of the pot instead of eating or chewing it. Every time I went to the windowsill it was covered with pieces of grass covered in soil. One of my kittens (the very mischievious one) likes to lick the soil. I have just finished potting out 150 germinated monkey puzzle tree seeds, (my beautiful trees had babies for the first time this year) the trouble is the original seed has to stay in the pot for the first couple of years with the new growth (to feed it I presume,) but Sally one of my kittens likes to pull off the original seed, drop it on the floor and play football with it. Of course the other three cats then join in. Sally isn't naughty all the time, only when she is awake, which thankfully is getting shorter and shorter now that she is three years old, roll on old age. It doesn't work putting lots of plant pots on the windowsill so that the cats have nowhere to walk, my cats manage to get up and then dislodge them one by one. I now have to make sure that doors are always closed behind me so that the cats only have access to the kitchen and the lounge, and are safely locked in the kitchen when I go out or go to bed. I love my plants but if I had to make a choice my cats would win every time
...
Subject: Your friend Slant..aka Rugcat
Posted by rugcat (from Whangarei
(New Zealand)) on January 26, 2008 at 9:40 PM:
Loves taking pics for the great articles from Lee Anne. Well done Lee Anne. Keep it up. I'll keep watering my weeds !!
...
Posted by threegardeners (from North Augusta, ON) on January 26, 2008 at 9:59 PM:
OMG...Hi!!!
Sooooo glad to see you here, and I really appreciate the pictures on such short notice. :)
...
Subject: Great Job Lee Anne!
Posted by plantladylin (from East Central, FL) on January 26, 2008 at 12:51 PM:
Loved your article Lee Anne ... being owned by 4 cats at the moment I can relate to your cat in the hibiscus story, and cats digging in the bottom of large potted plants! A couple of our kitties like to chew the leaves on certain plants! I tried the spraying with water trick - works for one of the cats but another one thinks it's a game and will sit there staring at you. When you point the spray bottle in her direction she squints her eyes and waits for the squirt of water in the face! She will run away, but immediately come back, sits down and squints her eyes tight - waiting to "play the game" again!
I might have to try the scented wax candle's broken up around the plant! Maybe if they don't like the smell they will not get near enough to chew the leaves.
Cats and plants ... over the years we've had many, many of both and there's nothing cuter than a kitten climbing a tree and hanging at the top looking so innocent as if to say "Now how did I get up here?" Years ago during the Christmas season we had a kitten that would get under the Christmas tree and climb up through the middle of the tree to the very top and perch there! Prettiest ornament you ever did see! And then of course was the kitty who liked to un-decorate the tree for us. I would come home from work and find ornaments and garland trailing throughout every room of the house!
Kitties ... ya gotta love em! :)
...
Subject: fun article
Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on January 26, 2008 at 7:32 AM:
Not having any pets I dont have these problems, but I think these are very good suggestions.
...
Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on January 26, 2008 at 8:40 AM:
Loved your article, what fun. I have only one cat and she so far, knock on wood, hasn't dug in any of the houseplants, I have mostly cacti, that may be the reason. LOL But she loves to curl up around the pots and snooze. Go figure!
Thanks for sharing :)
...
Posted by gardengus (from Flora, IN) on January 26, 2008 at 10:32 AM:
Great article ,I too have 6 cats and one out numbered dog.
...
Posted by mommie (from Weslaco, TX) on January 30, 2008 at 7:37 PM:
I am the "mother" of 8 cats & 1 dog who thinks she is the mother of those cats. I only have a few house plants & don't have a problem with digging. My problem is chewing or biting on the leaves. Any solutions? I don't think it's harmful,but it sure looks ugly!
...
Posted by threegardeners (from North Augusta, ON) on January 30, 2008 at 8:19 PM:
You should try the Bitter Apple stuff. Like I wrote, you have to apply it often, but it does work.
...
Posted by cherigbs (from Fort Lauderdale, FL) on February 2, 2008 at 2:52 PM:
I often sit for my daughter's four cats. I have one long haired daushaund - who is not afraid of cats and stands his ground - even when out numbered. The older cats are used to him and they now play with each other- the two younger ones want to fight him. So I have plants and anything else that go flying off in the blue yonder. But the suggestions for the older cats to stay out of my pots - works nicely! Do admit that the dog runs for his life when he sees one of my pots on the floor to let the cats take all the blame. That is the only time he is smart when it comes to the cats. Now for my daughter - she needs to de-claw the cats so my furniture and curtains will stay intact and the dog's nose isn't so scared - or she will need to find a new sitter for her cats. Old saying - three strikes and you're out....this has been the third out sitting for the cats at my house. I have been raised with cats and dogs and never had a lot of problems till she got her cats. Any ideas of why?? Strays in the neighborhood come to this house, but pretty much leave my plants alone - to be fed or get attention. Oh, yes - the dog leaves the cats alone most times or they will play tag - looks like the game of tag anyway. . . husband and dog play tag inside the house. Another idea - when a new stray comes around, I put out moth balls around my delicate plants and the cats will leave the area alone. After awhile I don't need to use the moth balls.
...
Posted by gardenwife (from Newark, OH) on February 5, 2008 at 1:11 PM:
I can just see the squinty-eyed cats backing away from those scented candle pieces! One of my cats would follow that up with "burying" the offending area with her paw.
Decorative rocks, or marbles placed on the soil will help deter kitties that like to dig in the soil. Even sea shells would work well. You just have to make sure the rocks, etc., aren't holding the moisture in the soil and rot the plants you are trying to help. I tried this method and it worked pretty good, until one of the cats, a kitten at the time, discovered that if he picked up the rocks and dropped them on the floor, they would roll for him to chase. Then the puppy joined in on the fun. Kept their minds off of the plant though!!
Bamboo chop sticks or skewers. If broken into 2 inch pieces and pushed into the soil, they make walking, or digging in the plant uncomfortable for kitty. These are good for large plants in floor sized pots. Will stop kitty from using the soil as a litter box as well. They do work, although they don't add much to the looks of the plant. On a fun note, I was searching the web one day and found 
