He won't stop eating plants!

One of our cats Plue is obsessed with a few of my mom's plants. We tried this special cat safe formula to spray on the plants that supposedly keeps the cats away because they don't like the flavor. It didn't work, he just started licking the leaves and then eating them! And he likes water so giving him a little squirt of the water bottle doesn't work either. x_X And hes naughty because he waits untill your about a foot away THEN he runs off. Both cats know the word "Nono!" but only one of them acually stops doing the "nono" thing. Is there anyway that you can think of that we can keep him off of the plants so we can keep him upstairs when we arn't around instead of keeping him downstairs when we're gone?

Have you tried growing him his own kitty grass? More often than not, this will deter cats from the house plants since they have something specifically for them... Oliver loves his! I get my seeds from www.poopsiecat.com

He won't touch kitty grass. =( I'm kind of helpless right now lol. The only thing I can do is keep him downstairs or have to hold him the entire time he is upstairs.

Something you might try is putting seashells of various types in the dirt so kitty can't get in the pot.

Honestly, I had such a problem with this, I stopped having plants. There are too many that can harm kitties if they eat them, and they just wouldn't stop (haven't had a cat, really, that DIDN'T delight in eating my plants), so I decided just not having plants was best. If it helps, they have some really beautiful fake plants nowadays that you could get.

I'm sorry if this doesn't help much. The only other advice I can give is to just be sure your plants are safe for him to chew on. I've heard cats don't like the smell of vinegar or oranges. You might that. Other than that, I'm not terribly sure.

I hope this helps a little! Let us know how it goes.

Silly Plue! Sleeves did this too so in the end, after putting our plants higher and higher I just don't have any now. Well, they are outside on the landing where he can't get to them.
I tried cat grass too and he did eat that (I need to get more).
Unfortunately it looks like your plants might have to go, just to make your life easier...Good luck with it.

ive actually never had that problem and i have more then 70 houseplants in my living room and kitchen. Anytime one of my cats got up there, i just shoved them off the table and distracted them with something else. Sorry

I didn't know they didn't like the smell of viniger or oranges. =/ Maybe I should try squirting some citris from an orange on the plants he especially likes?

what i resorted to doing was getting some kitty grass and once it was sprouted and grown, put it on the floor for them, and they loved it!

also, i got a few fresh lemons, and cut them into slices, and placed them on the rim of the plants. that worked 1000% to keep my lil touble makers OFF my plants,lol. every once in a while, i do it again, just to remind them to stay off.

Hmmm...do you think if I get lemon-scented cleaners, my babes will stay off counters and such that they're not allowed on?

BTW...since I wrote about them being on the kitchen counters, I gave Hobbes a piece of brocolli, and he's stayed off them since! YAY!!

Originally Posted by maherwoman

Hmmm...do you think if I get lemon-scented cleaners, my babes will stay off counters and such that they're not allowed on?

BTW...since I wrote about them being on the kitchen counters, I gave Hobbes a piece of brocolli, and he's stayed off them since! YAY!!

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i dont know, if the lemon scented cleaners would be strong enough, but you could try one of the glade plug ins that have a citrus smell? worth a try!

Lemons! Thats what I could do! Do you think oranges would work too? Like if I put wedges in the pots? Its more the leaves he likes eating. He doesn't play in the dirt.

I wouldn't use the lemon scented cleaners. If it doesn't work and he licks that you don't want him eating that stuff.

Try putting some orange extract on one side of a q-tip and sticking the other end in the plant, and then putting a few of those around the whole plant. I think the orange extract is stronger than the lemon.


And when the scent weakens, just stick the end back in the bottle and back in the dirt.

What about getting him a harness (4-pt 'H') and taking him out once a day to nibble real grass? He obviously feels the need of it, and his regular diet might not be giving him the fiber/salad/digestive help he wants.

i dont have plants. they destroy them.