Cats frequently play with houseplants until their leaves fall off, chew on them and destroy their foliage, or use them as litter boxes. Due to this, growing indoor plants and enjoying your feline pals might be challenging. While many cat owners simply give up trying to nurture indoor plants, this is not necessary. You don’t have to give up your greenery or your cats because there are techniques to protect plants from cats.
If I have a cat, may I have plants?
Please always check to see if your plants are poisonous as this list is not comprehensive! Also keep in mind that it would often take quite a bit of most plants for your cat to become ill.
25% of the cats in our Instagram Panel have consumed a poisonous plant at some point. Fortunately, for the majority of them, nothing happened, but most cats did vomit up the leaves they had consumed. Be cautious because there are tragic tales of cats dying after consuming plants (we frequently receive letters about it). Be safe rather than sorry!
Plants suggested by our panel’s plant- and cat-lovers: • Hanging plants; spider plants (out of reach, if your cat can reach it, they are attractive because of the movement) • Palm trees (some cats love to eat juicy sweet palm leaves, which destroys them) Olive trees and cacti (but their spines can harm cats!) succulents Haworthia and Echeveria; zamioculca • Peperomia (the taste repels cats!) Grasses, Tillandsia air plants, Calathea, Ferns, Strelitzia, and Calathea (mildly toxic) • Large-leafed plants (less tempting) • Maranta • Lemongrass • Staghorn ferns (which can be mounted and hung out of reach)
Our Instagram panel was consulted for advice on how to coexist peacefully with both cats and plants. These are their top advice and techniques:
- Start with non-toxic plants and watch how your cats interact with them. To preserve more harmful plants, keep some areas off-limits to cats. Put your plants on a refrigerator or plantshelfie or somewhere else where cats can’t get to them. Or in a space you can lock up when you’re not there to keep an eye on your cat’s antics. Where your cats cannot reach, suspend plants from the ceiling using plant hangers. Use wall-pots instead, but only if your cats aren’t too clumsy! Make sure there is no way for your cat to jump up there if you place a plant up high. There must be room for your cat on the #plantshelfie or else the planter can get knocked over. Make sure your plant containers are heavy enough to prevent your cat from knocking them over. If my cat were more of a curious taste tester, I’d advise placing the plants on higher shelves where cats can’t curl up next to them. For your cat to continue to feel that they are the owners of the house rather than you, create another perch location, as I like to call them. When they are little, teach them not to worry them. Behold a spray bottle’s might. A cat-hating essential oil can be found. Cats generally loathe citrus. Put a drop of citrus essential oil on each pot or around the space where you store your plants. This ought to discourage your cat from trying to play with, consume, or harm your plants in any other way. Give your feline pals their own wheat grass, cat grass, or catnip! Set this up at ground level next to your non-toxic plants so that they may easily get it (before they reach your expensive houseplants). Regularly prune growing plants to prevent them from becoming too long becoming cat toys. Maintain the more sensitive plants in terrariums. In order to prevent her from removing the plant from the water so she can drink it, I keep my plants that I am propagating in water safe for her as well. Because my cat enjoys playing with water, I also make an effort to avoid leaving any on my plant trays. Play with your cats to exhaust them. A content and worn-out cat will respect your plants. Chicken wire should be flattened and laid on top of the ground. This will stop your cat from making a big mess by digging up the dirt or by using it as a litter box. To partially cover the soil, you might also add some larger stones or diamonds. Make sure they have all they need and don’t use your plants as a litter box or a scratching post by providing a good scratching pole and a clean litter box. Accept the fact that your cats will eat (some of) your houseplants, and that certain cat scars won’t make them look their best. Acclimate yourself to your plants’ imperfections. After all, your cat also calls it home.
“Larger leaf plants, like the fiddle leaf, are preferable in my opinion because cats can’t really take care of them. Cats can benefit from certain plants! For them to chew on, I actually have an indoor herb garden. Their digestive systems will thank you!
“I had been hanging out with my cat after work for several hours when suddenly she perked up and we both heard a rustling in my living room plant collection. Before I left for work, the neighbor’s cat managed to enter and spend hours hanging out in my plants without our knowledge. In the wild, anything is possible.
“My kitties occasionally just really enjoy sniffing and leaf-peeping. Additionally, I’ve had cat grass and other plants that cats may eat from. The cat likes to be outside and in the wild, therefore I make an effort to surround them with plants and pine cones to bring out their natural side.
“Every time I bring a new plant home, which is rather frequently, my cat examines it for a while before looking at me and appearing to ask, “Really? yet another?”
“In front of a mirror, I placed the cat grass. My cat once nearly died when he saw another cat coming out of the plant where he regularly sticks his entire head to show his love and adoration. Poor person!
“We initially cultivated a cat lawn so that our cat could eat the grass; as a result, we neglected to consider the size of the low pot. He began to sleep there every day for a short period after we discovered him there one day when the grass was almost fully grown. Just seeing him alter the intended use of his gift was entertaining.
* “My boy cat is a real troublemaker. He admires “Plants’ leaves can be punched. He stands beside the plant and begins to beat the leaf with one paw, forcing it to fall. He keeps doing this until I become enraged and remove him from the plant. He constantly makes eye contact when he starts pounding because he knows how much I dislike it when he does so. Lol.
“My first-ever Spider plant offspring made me incredibly happy. After a few unsuccessful efforts, it eventually became rooted. I placed it in his own own tiny pot. The following morning, my cat Moos was sitting over my head and had brought me a gift. Yup! baby spider plant I have. ripped it out of the pot right away and used his teeth to destroy the roots. Sigh*. Since then, Moos has a penchant for tearing little plants out of the ground. As a result, the Ikea Socker greenhouse contains all of the newborn plants securely.
“For a very long time, our cat Simba’s favorite place was a planter with some old soil in it. There once was a Bromelia there, but he kicked it to death with his butt. Simba held his position since we hadn’t yet thought to throw it away. After some time, my husband commented, “I think Simba is breeding something,” and when we lifted his tail, a new Bromelia started emerging from the pot beneath his butt.
Cats Like the Taste of Plants
Cats begin much of their investigation with their jaws. Even though it doesn’t sound all that appealing to you and me now, we both had similar first-time experiences with many things when we were infants. We all put everything in our mouths as babies, and cats are no different. Your cat will likely request more food if it tastes delicious.
You should keep an eye on how much they are chewing off, even with non-toxic plant kinds. Even safe plants can make you feel queasy or sick if you consume too many leaves or fronds.
Hopefully, you’ve read our post on the Top 10 Indoor Plants Safe for Cats, which will help soothe your concerns about your home’s plants’ safety. However, your cat will find non-toxic plants to be just as alluring. You should keep an eye on how much they are chewing off because even safe plants can upset the stomach or even create a gastrointestinal obstruction if enough is swallowed or if they swallow a huge frond.
If you think your cat is acting in an odd way, you should call your veterinarian right away. This can involve a shift in their typical eating patterns or issues going to the bathroom in the litter box.
Cats Like the Texture of Plants
When you take your cat outside, you might have seen that they are immediately drawn to the long reeds of grass and start nibbling on them. It’s possible that they like the plant’s texture.
It’s also possible that your cat has an upset stomach and is trying to ingest some fiber out of instinct to help their digestive system function more smoothly.
Cats Love the Movement of Leaves
This is most likely the main factor for cats’ fondness of plants. Cats are hunters by nature. Even though they are carnivores, it can be quite difficult to resist the movement of a leaf or palm. The Spider Plant is one of our favorite houseplants because of how alluring its long, velvety leaves are. For us, designating one plant as collateral damage was a fantastic idea, and this was the one!
Cats Chew Up Plants Out of Boredom
Many cat lovers may not be able to tell when their feline companion is getting impatient with being left alone or showing signs of boredom. Although it has long been believed that cats require less upkeep than dogs, this is not always the case. Long lengths of time alone with a cat can result in undesirable behavior. Your plant will wind up bearing the brunt of their irrational anger because destructive aggressiveness is one of those behaviors.
Can cats kill houseplants?
This approach to feline training consequences works well as a cat plant deterrent and is frequently utilized.
So what can you spray on plants to deter cats, if that’s what you’re wondering? You are fortunate. You have several choices.
You can buy cat repellent spray for plants or make a homemade spray to prevent your cats from devouring your plants.
- Keep a spray bottle with your preferred method of solution handy.
- Water alone will suffice.
- Keep an eye on your cat at all times, but try to be discrete about it.
- When your cat approaches your potted plants, spritz them with the bottle. This will help children understand that biting plants is a bad habit with unavoidable repercussions. This is regarded as one of the most important methods for preventing cats from getting into potted plants.
Play videos to distract troublesome cats
Those who are at home more frequently commonly find this method to be effective. Keep in mind that cats are naughty animals and often surprise their owners. I adore my kitten for this reason, so much! No matter how much problems he brings me every day, I can’t live without him.
Your plant hasn’t even been touched much, and your cat hasn’t even bothered to touch your plants much.
Unbeknownst to you, however, your cat is utilizing this time to plan their upcoming move.
Your cat will get out and trample your plants the moment you leave the house to conduct a brief errand or even go outside to water your outdoor garden. Trust me, I understand how you feel.
Turning on background noise, whether it be the TV or the radio, tends to help when you need to leave the house for a brief amount of time.
Even though they might not see you, your feline companion will think you are home if you do this.
Try a plant repellent spray
Cats are excellent at learning from consequences. This motion-activated pet repellent will be your lifesaver if you don’t have time to follow your cat around or if your schedule is busy.
It will assist in teaching your cat which locations are off-limits. Likewise, protect your plants from harm. The nice part is that you can put this bottle almost anywhere.
This spray deterrent works by spraying your cat as soon as it is three feet away from the spray bottle thanks to a sensor on the bottle.
Therefore, you are free to place this spray bottle anyplace close to your plants, or even next to your furniture if pets often use it as a scratching post. and the spray activates as soon as your dog approaches the plant.
My cat loves to scratch at the door to my bedroom until someone opens it. When she approached the repellent I had set in front of the door, it sprayed her directly in the face. She leapt and took off. She hasn’t even come close to my bedroom door, needless to say.
Which indoor plants do cats dislike?
Geraniums
Cats might stay away because of the smell and the dense texture of the leaves. Cats also seem to be put off by cactus, tiny roses, and other spiky or thorny plants.
How can I make my indoor plants cat-proof?
Cayenne pepper shouldn’t be used. According to Susan Krebsbach, a veterinarian from Preventative Vet who specializes in animal behavior, the spice can cause eye discomfort and excessive licking in cats if it gets on its paws. Skin sores, mouth irritation, and even stomach trouble might result from this.
Warning
Don’t give your plants cayenne pepper. For cats, it may lead to a number of health problems.
Lemon juice, on the other hand, is a secure alternative to try, according to Alison Meindl, an assistant professor at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The actual fruit of the lemon is not harmful and should be a deterrent for most cats, she said, even though lemon oil or the concentrated peel can be toxic to cats at high quantities.
How to Introduce Citrus Fruits Safely
According to Krebsbach, cats typically avoid eating fruit, especially citrus fruits, since they lack sweet taste receptors. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes contain oils and other substances that might irritate the digestive system and produce vomiting or diarrhea. Therefore, the best method is to spray the plant’s leaves with lemon, lime, or orange juice that has been diluted with a little water.
But keep in mind that every cat is unique. Some people might despise the lemon, while others would not seem to care.
Different Experiences
More than 100 plants, two cats named Mi and Ding, and the artist Vionna Wai all share her house. She claims that putting plant repellents around her vegetables, including lemon, mint, and vinegar, helped to keep the cats away. (Wai’s episode of In the Weeds With Plant People gives you a tour of her apartment, plants, and her two cats.)
However, Plant and Curio creator and owner Leslie MacDonald attempted trying to keep her kitty, Moira, away from her plants but was unable.