Keeping Cats From Eating Houseplants

Would anyone know of a cat repellent for my cat? I have numerous houseplants and I do not want him to get sick by chewing on them.

By diane rowland from Buffalo, NY

Answers:

Keeping Cats From Eating Houseplants

I've had cats all my life and only had one that ate my houseplants and couldn't be trained to leave them alone.

The cat I have now is very interested in them, but I have found a way to teach him to leave them alone. I use 2 methods in conjunction with each other.

The first is, I keep a bunch of small spray bottles around the house. I went to the Dollar store and stocked up. I made sure that each one would spray a stream for at least 10 or 15 feet. I put one everywhere that I usually sit or where it's handy to grab quickly. Now whenever the cat starts toward my plants (or anything else he's not supposed to get into) I give him a quick squirt and keep squirting till he's well away from the plants.

The other method, is I found some stuff at the drug store that is made to teach toddlers not to suck their thumbs. It comes in a little bottle like nail polish. I paint just a little bit on a few of the leaves that I see "cat-evidence". It doesn't hurt the leaves, and the next time the cat goes to chew on the leaf, even if it's weeks later, after just one or two chews the cat takes off running. Doesn't hurt the cat either, but he sure doesn't like the taste. (03/30/2010)

By Cricket