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Cat won't stop pooping in the plants!

post #1 of 10
7/8/10 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 
Hey all

My cat won't stop pooping in the potted plants. She'll go there and bury it.

What can I do to discourage this behavior? I have a bitter spray that I use on the cords but that doesn't seem to be working.

My gf's sister suggested that I get large stones to place on the soil so she can't dig at it. Is there a spray I can use or something else?

Thanks
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post #2 of 10
7/8/10 at 7:40pm
Stones would work. There are plastic covers (that let water through) made to keep pets and toddlers out of plants. And you could also use a wire mesh. All that matters is that you cover the exposed dirt.
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post #3 of 10
7/9/10 at 3:31am
Yes, anything that will prevent her from getting in the plant. I am not a huge believer in sprays.

There are nice glass globes that fit neatly in the plant. Styrofoam balls, although they are very lightweight and easily pawed out of the way.

Go to your local craft store and there will be lots of things, even wood blocks.
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post #4 of 10
7/9/10 at 10:32am
I once had to get rid of all my plants because he cat played in them. I hope you can find a solution.
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post #5 of 10
7/9/10 at 11:00am
try cat attract so that she has something new and better to interest her. many cats are very curious about new things especially if scent-related.

cat attract is a litter. it is also a litter additive. so you have 2 choices.
litter information: http://www.preciouscat.com/attract-litter-p-5.html

if you buy the litter, the manufacturer (precious cat) will allow you monetary reimbursement for the cost of your first bag.
rebate form: http://www.preciouscat.com/pdf/Free_Litter_Fax_Form_fill_8-17-06.pdf

the additive can only be obtained through a vet.
additive information: http://www.preciouscat.com/attract-litter-additivebronly-available-through-your-p-7.html
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post #6 of 10
7/10/10 at 10:26pm
My kitten Khalil used to do that all the time...he would go in the plants and in the fire place I couldn't get him to stop so my Auntie made me give him away. I wish I knew about the stones back then maybe I would still have him...this was 6 years ago. I was so young I just wanted to keep my kitty but my aunt didn't give me a choice
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post #7 of 10
7/10/10 at 11:15pm
I really don't think it's fair to a cat to have a nice big pot of dirt right there in the house, and expect them to know they shouldn't go potty in THAT pot of dirt, but they must go potty in the other tray of dirt....kwim? The only thing to do is to hang the plants up (that's what I do) or, if they're too big for that, to cover the dirt with something that the cat won't want to dig in. They sell commercial things that will work, or big rocks might do the trick.
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post #8 of 10
7/11/10 at 2:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane's Mommie View Post
I wish I knew about the stones back then maybe I would still have him...this was 6 years ago. I was so young I just wanted to keep my kitty but my aunt didn't give me a choice
My childhood cats would mess with a large palm tree that we had. I was probably 5 or 6 when I put some large rocks in it to keep them out. Of course you have to make sure you use fairly good sized rocks otherwise they fish them out and a rock soon becomes a toy.

On a somewhat related note. For those wanting to keep cats out of flower beds/gardens outside. Use weed barrier, old lattice, or you can even use pieces of welded wire.
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post #9 of 10
7/13/10 at 9:52am
The outside ones used one of Mitzi's planters as a litter box. She simply didn't use that pot this year. Understand most of these cats wouldn't use a regular litter box for anything but there was something about the dirt in the planter that brought them to use it(well the first one anyways, after that it was all scent.) All cats do it if the pot is big enough. They don't understand the difference between the plant and the litter box, they are the same to them. Use big rocks or put the plant out of reach.

Taryn
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post #10 of 10
7/13/10 at 2:46pm
I had a cat that did this once. This isn't actually a problem on the cat's part. It's confusion. It seems no different to a litterbox to them. It actually demonstrates that they have good litter habits. I'd do a combo of using large stones/covering plus moving the plant to another place if possible and replacing it with a new litterbox. It'd help them keep their routine.
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