Cats are great pets. They can be adorable, fun and a lot of work at the same time. So it’s not uncommon for them to find their way into plants that may seem enticing or too tempting to resist. While you may get your favorite house plants from https://flowercompany.ca/collections/plants, cats may also decide to use them as their own personal litter box!
To ensure that your precious green friends stay alive, we have compiled this list of 10 ways you can keep cats out of them.
1. Distract them with catnip
Catnip is a plant that’s in the mint family, and it grows about five feet tall – so you’ll have plenty for both you and Mister Mittens. Cats are known to be attracted to catnip. So you can plant it with your other house plants or put some in a pot next to them and see if they go for the nip instead of your ferns!
Your kitty will love playing with this precious flower and take pleasure from getting high on catnip. The scentless chemicals contained within its leaves trigger something close enough anatomically akin to an opiate-receptor response which induces euphoria in cats. And your houseplants will be spared.
2. Plant sticky plants around pots
Another option is to plant sticky plants in pots or along the perimeter of your garden, such as rubber trees, staghorn ferns, or ivy that would make it difficult for cats to walk on them. This way, they will themselves avoid the pot and leave you alone!
3. Cover the potting soil with pebbles
Placing pebbles in your plant pots helps protect against curious cats who like getting into things but don’t seem keen on touching anything covered by gravel-sized particles (which would do more harm than good). You must preferably use medium-sized ones that are much safer for your feline.
4. Seashells work equally well.
Just like pebbles, you can also use seashells to cover the soil in and around your house plants. This might make it difficult for a cat to dig into your plant’s roots or mess with their leaves, so they’ll be less likely to do that. Plus, these shells are beautiful!
Plant herbs around pots
Planting herbs around your pot can help you keep cats away because many plants emit smells that make them uncomfortable. For example, Rue emits an unpleasant odour that cats hate, so it’s perfect for keeping them away from plants in the house and garden. Lavender is also good because its strong scent will repel any felines trying to get close enough to eat anything they find inside or outside! Some other options are lemon thyme, pennyroyal and Coleus Canina.
5. Add pinecones to the soil
You can keep your cat away from house plants by using pine cones. Just place them under the soil pots, and cats will be repelled because they do not like how it smells or feels on their paws!
6. Use a cat deterrent spray
Cats don’t like the smell of citrus, so spraying your house plants with a spray containing that scent can keep them away. You can buy these at any place that sells pet supplies. Spray on surfaces where they’re not welcome, such as furniture near said plants.
7. Spike your pots
Another way to keep cats out of your house plants is by installing spikes around the pots. Install in a manner that they are not visible on the ground yet are effective in keeping cats from climbing into plant pots and attacking their contents!
8. Use aluminum foils
Cats dislike the sound and feel of aluminum foil, which can be a good deterrent. Aluminum foil is also a cheap and easy way to keep your plants safe from your feline. Of course, you probably already have some in the kitchen!
9. Use chicken wires to cover pots
Cover the pot with chicken wire or mesh – this will make it difficult for cats to access them so that they won’t be a problem anymore. Or, if that’s not an option in your apartment, wrap some metal around the base of each plant as protection against sneaky kitties who’ll try climbing up like little ninjas.
10. Cats loathe citrus
Lemons, limes, oranges – cats detest them all! Try and place lemon peels or orange peels in your pots around the plants to keep the cats away. This might work best for a small area. You can also try some citrus essential oils (although this probably won’t do much). Put an oil drop of it in the soil around your plant or put it with water you use to water your plants and see what happens!
11. Install a motion-sensitive sprinkler
Cats are known to be fearful of water, so installing a motion-sensing sprinkler can work! All you have to do is install the device in an area where cats walk around or near your houseplants. Cats hate getting wet because they lose heat when exposed to cold temperatures.
12. Get an ultrasonic repellent
One way to keep cats away from house plants is by using an ultrasonic device. This repellent device emits sound waves in the 25 kHz range, which are too high pitched for humans but can bother some animals, especially dogs and cats. Cats often cannot tolerate this type of noise because their ears aren’t tuned into hearing such high frequencies, so they’ll go away when exposed to the signal emitted by this kind of product.
Wrapping up
As a cat owner, you understand that cats are naturally drawn to plants. They will usually sniff them out and start drooling the moment they see one. The last thing any plant lover wants is for their precious new addition to be scratched up by their furry friend.
Luckily different ways we just discussed can help you keep cats out of plants without much effort on your part. So try these strategies and see if you get better results, keeping them away from the greens.
Happy planting!
