Eating a Houseplant

How can I keep my cat, Soloman, from eating my plant? I don't know what kind of plant it is but I have many and it's the only one he eats. I would think that if it were poisonous he would be sick by now since he has eaten at least half of it. We have tried to squirt him with water when we catch him eating it. The problem is we don't always catch him in the act. The squirt worked to stop him from trying to run out the front door but thats cause we caught him everytime. What else can I do?

Well first off, do you have a room that you can put all your plants in, one that your cat doesn't have access to? Just to make it easier.

I don't know what type of plant this is, but can you hang it from a ceiling out of his reach? Or on a narrow shelf where there's no possible space left to jump up and fit his body on there.

If it's especially a floor plant, I know there are others on here who can give you suggestions to help.

a lemon sented car air freshener at the base of the plant, wipe the leaves with lemon oil, place foil under the plant so the kitty has to step on it to get to the plant, or transplant it outside and get a silk plant to replace it.
I can send a list of poisonous plants if you want it so you don't buy one by mistake.

I've tried Bitter Apple spray, and it works as long as you keep applying it everyday. If you go a week without spraying, they usually come right back, and start munching again. You don't have to use a whole lot though, so a bottle will last a while.

Thanks for the tips. The only room I could put the plant in and close the door is my room. Then he wouldn't be able to sit on his favorite window ledge and watch the birds. I'll try the lemon oil or bitter apple spray for sure. Hissy, I'd love a list of poisonous plants.

Here is a list that I found on the web of plants which are poisonous or otherwise harmful to cats.


List of Plants Poisonous or Harmful to Cats
Note: This list is not all-inclusive. When in doubt, contact your vet.

A. Houseplants:

1. Give rash after contact:
Chrysanthemum
Creeping fig
Weeping fig (ficus)
Poinsettia
Pot mum
Spider mum

2. Irritants (mouth gets swollen, tongue pain, sore lips):
Calla lily
Red princess
Boston ivy
Pothos
Caladium Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)
Emerald duke
Marble queen
Majesty
Nephthytis (arrowhead vine)
Parlor ivy
Heart leaf, split leaf, and saddle leaf philodendrons

3. Toxic (can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, tremors, heart and
respiratory and/or kidney problems):
Amaryllis
Asparagus fern
Azalea
Bird of paradise
Creeping charlie
Euphorbia (Crown of thorns)
Elephant ears
Algerian ivy
Heart ivy
English Ivy
Jerusalem cherry
Pot mum
Spider mum
Sprengeri fern
Umbrella plant Spathiphyllum
Hydrangea
Christmas rose
Lily of the valley

4. Other houseplants with assorted toxic effects:
Tulip
Daffodil
English holly
Iris
Mistletoe
Spider plant
Schefflera
Pencil, peyote, and candelabra cacti

B. Outdoor plants with toxic effects:

1. Outdoor plants that may produce vomiting and diarrhea:
Delphinium
Daffodil
Castor bean
Indian turnip
Skunk cabbage
Poke weed
Bittersweet
Ground cherry
Foxglove
Larkspur
Wisteria

2. Trees and shrubs that may produce vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea:

Horse Chestnut
Western Yew
English holly
American Yew
Mock Orange
English Yew
Privet
Black locust
Balsam Pear
Japanese plum
Wild cherry
Peach
Apricot
Almond
Buckeye

3. Outdoor plants with varied toxic effects:
Rhubarb
Spinach
Loco weed
Lupine
Matrimony vine
Buttercup
Nightshade
Poison Hemlock
Water Hemlock\t
Mushrooms
May apple
Dutchman's breeches
Jasmine

4. Hallucinogens:
Marijuana
Morning glory
Nutmeg
Periwinkle
Peyote
Loco weed

5. Convulsions:

China berry
Water hemlock

List of plants safe for cats

Begonia
Wandering jew
Cast iron plant
Coleus
Dracaena
Grape ivy
Mosaic plant
Piggyback
Pink polka dot
Peperomia
Prayer plant
Spleenwort
Ti plant
Cacti other than pencil, peyote, and candelabra
Succulents (including jade plant, donkey tail, coral bead)

Sources: Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M.
and James M. Giffen, M.D., ISBN 0-87605-814-4, 1983 and Cat Fancy,
November, 1992, pgs. 38-41.

I've also heard you can deter kitties from munching on plants by spraying the leaves with a mixture of tobasco & water. Won't hurt the plant, won't hurt the cat, but kitty won't want to eat it after a taste of that! I think I remember you can apply the tobasco sauce straight to the leaves for the first while, then spritz so the smell is still there even if the taste isn't as potent.

What about a shamrock? I heard once that they are posionious to cats, or have some effect on them in some way.
Does anyone have a complete listing of all this? If not I'll just try to look it up myself.

I used to have a streptocarpus (sp?) or an african vilote that my cats chewed on from time to time, but I was told they were not harmful. We'd like to get some plants for our house, but we don't have any good places to put them, I'd love a floor plant but I don't think that would be to smart.

Ok, as I was reading Hissy's list of bad plants for kitties, I saw Morning Glories on there as a Hallucinogen....would that explain why Shorty keeps eating the leaves on them? She has left all the other plants alone, but she seems to like eating the leaves on my morning glories. I had started them from seed, thinking it was gonna take at least a month for them to start growing (they did the last time I started them from seed), but they sprouted in like 3 days! So I had them on the counter in the window, and I come home, and Shorty has eaten about 1/4 of the leaves! So I put them in my room, and closed the door, and she never bothered them. Yesterday I put them in a larger pot so I could have them still until it gets warm enough to plant them outside, and thought that she wouldn't bother them. I got home from work tonite, and she has eaten another bunch of leaves! So now I really have to put them in my room!!! Also, if they are outside, will she still eat them? I had them outside last year, and none of the other kitties (at least 4 or 5 of them) never bothered the flowers. Do they eat the flowers? Are they bad for them? Thanks for the help....i was just gonna post a question like this (better keep on reading, might find out more!! lol)

Ooopsss.....sorry it wasn't Hissy's list that I was reading, it was Mom of 10 cats. Sorry guys!