I can't stop my cat from doing anything. So I just don't buy plants anymore.
this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2023
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My cats are really smart. They know exactly what the word "No!" means.
Unfortunately, their definition is of "no is something like "only do this when the human isn't looking"
Cats know you don't want them to do something. But they also know that they want to do that thing... See the problem?
Mine only do these things for attention. We try to encourage positive behaviors for getting our attention, but there are times we can't pay attention to them and they hate that. I love those spoiled brats, but they can get frustrating. Especially if the game you're playing can't be paused or you have your hands full at work (from home).
This right here. Smartass little rascals.
Stop buying delicious plants.
Or sacrifice one of your cats to appease the plant god. That should get the message through to the other cats.
There is a plant called cyperus zumula (cat grass) that you can buy for your cats to munch on. It's not much but maybe they will prefer to eat that instead of trying to take a bite out of your cactus. Also place your plants higher up if you can, in a place where they have no way to jump up to.
I got my ragdoll that and instead of nibbling he took a whole mouthful, bit down, picked the whole thing up and wrung it around like a dog that just got a squirrel, he sprayed grass, seeds and dirt all over lol. He's a bit of a bam bam.
This mostly worked for me. He preferred the catgrass over the succulents.
I eventally bought like 4 pots of catgrass and would rotate them every week or so so theyd last longer.
My cats will absolutely chew on catgrass. After every thing else has been munched up.
put double faced tape at the base of the plant (or anything you dont want cat around) cat hate having their hair stuck... after a few days they wont touch that place anymore.. you can take the tape of
You could try spraying them with a strong smell like lemon juice or pepper water. Depends on the cat, but generally they don't like these smells. You could also try and find some more bite-able toys, and trt and encourage them to target those instead of the plant, although in my experience, most cats are too stubborn for that.
My gf feeds her cats leafy greens whenever they go after her plants.
It's not a perfect solution but it works-ish
They are not your plants. They are the cats’ plants. :-)
There's nothing mine in my apartment anymore, I keep forgetting that.
I think you need to try and figure out why they're eating the plants.
Are they indoor cats? If so try growing some cat grass for them (any pet supplier should have some), I would imagine they would choose that over a cactus any day!
If they don't though - it might be worth asking your vet since that really isn't healthy behaviour.
If they do go outdoors, I would suspect it isn't that they're missing anything but that something is stressing them out, are the plants all in the same area or by windows? There might be something outside making them act strange (I think it's more likely they would spray if it was this, but it's worth considering).
Good luck!
They are indoor cats. I will try the grass, but ask the vet as well because it is becoming a bit of an obsession. They also throw the pots to the floor all the time and make a mess.
Push and pull technique.
Push: bitter spray or cayenne pepper on plant leaves to discourage biting
https://www.chewy.com/dp/504510?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=504510
Pull: cat grass and lots of cat toys. Seriously, buy more toys. Give them something else to focus on.
Love this! What kind of toys do you suggest? I have lots of sticks with feathers and small mice or balls to chase, but at some point they get bored of everything.
I dunno, cats are so individual. One of mine loves this ball-in-circle toy so much, she'll play with it for hours on and off. My other one wants ME to play, no matter what toy it is.
Here's the ball-in-circle toy:
https://www.chewy.com/dp/193219?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=193219
I think you have to just try different things and see what they like most. Maybe try a catnip stuffed toy?
I also find that they are just like humans and the things they like most are whatever is new. So I buy them like one new toy a couple times a year. It's almost Christmas; I'll get them a new toy as a gift haha
Hang them from ceiling hooks, away from ledges
The cat or the plants?
Either works
Bitter apple spray has veen the key for our cats.
If you put a ! In front of the link, like this;
It should show inline
Buy some cat grass so they can eat that instead of your other plants.
I will try that! Anything to appease their sudden herbivorous appetite.
The best thing I found is a product called SSSCAT. It is basically canned air with a motion sensor on it. When your cat gets near it, it lets out a small burst of air. I bought one a few years ago to keep our cat away from the Christmas tree.
Now if there is something I want to keep the cat away from, I just place it there for a few days. After that she'll tend to leave it alone for a long while. She is obsessed with chewing on cords, so I just move it around the house anywhere there are cords she can get to. 90% of the time I don't even need to turn it on. Just seeing the can keeps her away.
I hang all of mine from the walls and the ceiling in pretty macrame hangers.
I worry they will try to jump to anything hanging. Its not a big apartment so they have high furniture everywhere to jump to anything in the ceiling...
Mine would try, too. But I have hung every plant in a spot that they can’t get to no matter how hard they try.
It's a natural instinct for them to chew at plants, so I agree with the cat grass suggestion s. If there's one particular cat that's the problem, ask the vet to check it's teeth at it's next checkup: sometimes they chew more plants when there's buildup or something wrong with their teeth.
Thank you! It's vaccine time for the small one today so I will ask. I will also try the grass, it's not even expensive so it's worth a try.
Put ornamental snakes near them.
You know what? I am going to try. I got nothing to lose.
Not plants per se, but we had a problem with one of our cats jumping up in the kitchen counter. So we put a few coins in a coke can and then shook it furiously every time he jumped up. You have to watch them for a while, but it doesn’t take long for them to learn.
Smart trick! I will try that but they mostly do it at night, when I am sleeping...
Contract a trained dog to watch out for your plants. Then the cats won't have the courage to eat your plants before you anymore.
I think the dog wouldl end up becoming theirs, as well as all of my other possessions.
Maybe time to start growing cactus?
The eat my cactus too 😱 I don't even know why
Fill up their water bowl with engine coolant and they'll never eat a plant again 👌
\s
To those that didn't read this as dark humor: coolant tastes sweet, and it's poisonous. Your animals will want to drink it, and it will kill them.
Good disclaimer, maybe I should've had one