How To Keep Cats Out Of Plants? Stop Cats to Eating Plants

Cats playing and jumping around the house is a common scene. But these little felines can make it impossible to grow houseplants. They are curious by nature and start sniffing the leaves, digging the soil. In the end, the felines end up ruining your favorite plants. 

Do not worry if you can not grow your favorite plants because of the cats. I will tell you how to keep cats out of plants. There are several tricks and you will get all the details in this article. So, do not forget to give it a read. 

Why Are Cats Destroying The Plants?

Your curious mind may be wondering why a cat does this behavior. Experts claim that there must be a particular reason why a feline goes after a tree or plant. They do not do it out of personal outrages.

Let’s explore the probable reasons:

• Cats have a similarity with humans. They put everything in their mouth just like we used to do when we’re kids. Whenever they are finding any plant, they try to chew the leaves or lick it. Watch out for your cats in case there is a toxic plant in your house. 
• Sometimes cats play with plants out of boredom and frustration. If you leave your cats for a long time, it will start feeling unwanted. And out of frustration, it will start destroying the plants. 
• The movement of the plants and their leaves can make the cat curious. It will sit by the plant and observe it for hours. In most cases, the cat thinks this is a game. And so, it catches the plants and uproots them. 
• The texture of the plants is another thing that makes the felines curious. The cats will try to touch the plant, feel the texture. Those little houseplants can not bear all these blows.

How to keep the cats out of plants 

Keeping cats out of plants is easy if you know what to do. You can not give up on your dreams because of the felines, right? Here are some tricks that might help you: 

1. Cats can pee in the houseplant pots. This is clearly unpleasant and not something that you want. 

Your cat can do this if its litter box is not clean and in an odd place. The pet may find it easy to do their business in the pretty houseplants. So, make sure to clean the litter box of the feline, and place it in an accessible place. 

Sometimes cats do not like the sand in the litter box. You can offer them another type if you can. However, some cats will do a potty in the plant pots anyway. In that case, you need to move the plants into other places. 

2. Discouraging your cat to come near the plants is the best thing you can do. For this, use the spray bottle technique. This is a classic movie. All you have to do is to spray water to your cats whenever it is near the plants. 

The spray bottles are cheap and you will find them in any local hardware shops. However, some cats can be sneakier. They will go near the plants when you are not around. But others will avoid going near the houseplants. 

3. Creating unpleasant surroundings can be a way to keep the felines out of the plants. If your cat finds something scary while playing or jumping over the plants, it will not do the action again. So, what can you do? 

If the pots are on a shelf or a table, cover the place with aluminum foil. Or, you can use strictly tapes to cover the surface. You must know that cats hate the sound of the foil and walking on the sticky surface. 

4. Many people ask me how to keep cats out of plants using cat repellent. You can definitely use repellent sprays. In fact, there are a number of products available in the market that are safe for both cats and plants. The cats avoid going near the pots due to the strong smell of the spray. 

5. You can also make homemade cat repellent sprays. Use garlic-based water or strong perfume with soapy water. Some experts suggest sprinkling a little amount of chili flex. If it goes into the cat’s eyes or nose, that can be dangerous. 

You can place the cat repellent plants right beside your favorite herbs. This will also discourage the cat from coming near. Some plants to keep cats away are lavender, rue, pennyroyal, etc. 

6. Some cats are the real diggers. They will dig the soil for many reasons. You can place pebbles or stones on the soil so that the feline can not dig. But do not make the stone layer too tight that water can not reach underneath. 

7. Do you know cats hate citrus? I have talked about homemade cat repellers. A mixture of lemon, orange with water can be the spray you are looking for. Even if the smell does not work on your kitty, the bitter taste definitely will. 

8. However, you can place all the plants in a place where the cats can not access. Making the plants inaccessible can work in your favor. You can hang the pot or place them on a high shelf. But make sure the height is unreachable for the felines. 

9. The best way is to provide the feline plants of their own. A pot of catnip, cat grass, or mint will be safe and perfect for the kitty. This is one of the best home remedies to keep cats away. 

But after providing the felines with plants, you need to keep a close eye on them. Observe how much they are consuming or what they are doing with the leaf. 

How to keep cats from eating plants

You can apply the same tricks to discourage cats from eating plants. Do not expect the felines will leave the habit in one day. No, it may take a few days to break their chewing or playing with plants. 

Cats ruining the houseplants is a problem for many cat parents. I hope with this article on how to keep cats out of plants, you can solve the situation.

Related: What Can Cats Not Eat? – 10 Harmful Foods Cats Never Eat