Cat grass to save my aloe plant?

[railntrailcwgrl]

So Storm is absolutely infatuated with 'Bob' my aloe plant. He was doing poorly and I wasn't sure why, DH witnessed Storm biting the tips of his 'leaves'. Moved him from the window sill to the top of the fridge, problem solved Bob starts to perk up again. This lasted for about 2 weeks, Storm learns how to jump onto the top of the fridge, poor Bob takes a turn for the worse,

. Moved him again, now on top of a book shelf that *I don't think* she can get onto. However, she is still lusting after poor Bob, trying her darnedest to get to him, if she figures out how to get up on this shelf I'm screwed and I'll have to 're-home' poor Bob as there is not other 'cat free' zone in our house.

So while at Rural King the other day my mom picked me up a 'sample' sized cat-grass package, in hopes the with her own nummy cat safe plant she'll leave Bob alone. But I'm not sure how to plant it. Do I use dirt? How much, I would think too much would turn into a major mess due to Princess Spider Monkey's ability to wreck just about anything. The package says to plant in something they can lay in, I was thinking about a disposable foil pan until I know whether or not she likes it. Then maybe I'll invest into something a little more permanent and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

 

[howtoholdacat]

I have cat grass and find it helps but it dies quickly and you'll have to replant it. If it works you might have two and seed one while the other is growing. Yes, you plant it in dirt. You can use organic if you want by my crew has suffered no ill effects from the regular potting mix. The aluminum pan sounds like a great idea unless the edges bend. Then you'll have a dirt mess. I plant mine in a rectangular flower pot. They get dirt on the floor when they pull the bits of grass out so I put it on a placemat or paper towel.

 

[howtoholdacat]

P.S. I put my plants outside in summer. That helps the most!

 

[c1atsite]

i saw this on tv - grass with no dirt http://www.vitagrass.com

 

[cococat]

I have aloe. They are considered toxic for cats. http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html
Put them outside or up way too high or in a room you can shut the door and keep kitties out.

 

[merrytreecats]

Have you tried a hanging basket/pot for 'Bob'?

Suspended high up, close enough to a window but out of any climbable or jumpable reach {meaning at least 6' off the floor}.

Outside of physically putting it out of your cat's reach, I don't think there's an easy solution...Unless, would it be possible to rub bitter apple or some other very unpalatable substance on the leaves? I'm not sure if it would harm the plant, but the stuff is allegedly safe {if unpleasant} for animals.

 

[howtoholdacat]

I forgot about this in my previous two posts (welcome to my world) but I read somewhere that you can mix water and vinegar in a spray bottle and squirt it on the leaves. That's supposed to work but you know how that can go!

 

[railntrailcwgrl]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Bob is currently safe on top of an over 6' tall book shelf. I just hope he stays that way. But then again, I thought the top of the fridge was safe too.

I'm in process of trying to find an untip-able pot to grow the cat grass in, I'm headed to Menard's on Monday and I think I'll be able to find something there. And just to clarify she didn't eat any aloe, but there were some teeth marks from where he had been bitten.

 

[pat traufield]

Aloe is harmful to the kitties. I spray my housplants with bitter apple spray while providing cat grass. I do have two pots of grass that I rotate. Keep the cat grass hidden until it is about two inches tall.