How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants: 15 Friendly Ways

Here are some tips on How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants. These are the cat-friendly ways to keep them away from poisonous plants, along with cat-repellent homemade spray.

Indoor plants can be an excellent addition to a house as they add a splash of color, a sparkle of interest, and of course, provide oxygen.

Unfortunately, if you are a cat owner, you may be unhappy to know that your cats may enjoy the houseplants as much as you do, which does not lead to any good.

Cats are known as curious animals, and it is no wonder that any moving thing in the house may be their focal point and can end up being unfortunate prey.

Cats also love to explore things, which can turn out to be pretty bad for your plants.

If your cats’ curiosity levels have not been piqued yet, they may find joy in digging up your indoor plants or even defecating in them- gross, no?

What Are The Reasons For Cats Eating Plants?

There are many different reasons why cats eat plants.

How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants

1. They like The Taste

Cats like to explore things using their mouths. It may seem weird, but even when we, humans, are babies, we tend to put everything in our mouths. And oh well, kitties do the same.

2. They Like The Movement Of Leaves

  • Cats are natural hunters and carnivores. Despite them being carnivores, they are unable to resist moving leaves.
  • The flowing leaves allow their hunter instincts to kick in, which leads them to pounce on it.
  • If you can, spare a long plant for your cats and allow them to play with it. Even then, you should make sure that they do not consume them.

3. They Are Attracted To The Texture Of The Plants

When you take your cat outside, you may notice that they get attracted to the long green grass reeds that are moving and start to gnaw at them.

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They do this because they like the texture of the grass. One more possibility is that they have an upset stomach and are consciously trying to intake some fiber to help their gastrointestinal tract.

4. They Like Chewing When They Are Bored

When cats spend a lot of time alone, they become bored. Many cat lovers do not realize that their feline is tired of being alone.

  • People think of cats as low-maintenance animals as compared to other canines, but that is not true.
  • If you are not keeping your cat mentally and physically active, this can give rise to destructive behavior.
  • Cats will find ways to fulfill their natural needs at home if you do not provide them with stimulation, and your planters may end up taking the brunt of the boredom.

5. They Eat Plants To Ease Their Stress Levels

Cats experience stress and anxiety. They can show it in many ways, like ingestion of non-food items, chewing fur, sucking blankets, and chewing on things that they should not eat.

You can look at your cat’s body language and see if they seem highly alert to unsettled, as this can lead to stress chewing.

How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants: Pro Tips

Here are 6 Effective Ways to Keep Cats out of Toxic plants like Peacelily.

How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants

1. Make The Plants Inaccessible To The Cats

While your pets can be seen jumping everywhere, you need to strategically place the plants in such a way that your cats can not reach them even after several attempts.

You can either hang them up or place them on a high shelf where your cats’ won’t be reached.

If you need to go to extreme lengths, you can get an intricate and large-domed birdcage and place the plants in it for safety and decor.

2. Make Planters Unappealing To Cats

Cats find citrusy things to be distasteful. So, you can work with that and use the juice of orange, lime, and lemon along with some water to dilute it – and spritz it to the plant.

  • This spray can work like a charm to battle the feline invasion.
  • People also use vinegar diluted with water as a spray. Another common spray to combat this problem is adding a puree of garlic in water as it gives out a pungent smell.
  • If not, you can also use a repellent spray from the market. These are scented rather strongly and can make your cats run away when they are too close to the plants.
  • However, you should know that citrusy and strong smells may linger in the entire room, which could be a bit unsettling for all.

3. Give Your Cats A Scare

  • If your cat is startled every time she tries to come close to a planter, this can help break the habit of eating plants.
  • If the plant is on a table, then you can surround the extra space around it with some loosely placed plates of tin foil.
  • Whenever your cat comes over, it is bound to create a racket that would give it a good scare.
  • Another good idea is to make the area sticky with double-sided tape, as this can make an excellent barrier. Make sure that there is no space for the cat to jump around from between.
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4. Train Them To Go Away

You can train your cats to do nearly everything. However, this can take some time, a lot of patience, and consistency.

  • You can use the right incentives to teach your cat to leave the plant alone. Direct them to an alternative behavior slowly and steadily till it becomes an unconscious practice.
  • Every time you see your cat aiming for a plant, you can call or pick them up and place them on the ground in a neutral way.
  • Do not talk to your cat, or it will lead your cat to think that this is a good way to get your attention.
  • You can wait for a minute or two and then redirect them to something else that would grab their attention.

5. Create A Cat-Friendly Plant Zone

If your cat does not want to leave the plants alone, you can give in and create their very own cat garden.

  • You can use cat-friendly options like rosemary, parsley, cat thyme, wheatgrass, and valerian.
  • If you want to give it a proper feel, you can have grass there, too, but make sure that it is safe in case the cat ingests it.
  • Also, make sure that you are using small pots so that the cat does not get in the habit of excreting or digging in the soil. It would be best if you used chemical-free and organic potting soil.
  • This is a safer alternative, but you should keep a lookout for consumption. You can also visit your veterinarian and talk about the concerns you have about cat grass.

6. Add Stone Mulch

If your cats like to dig, they may always be found near the plants. They would dig the loose soil to aid their excretory needs.

  • To prevent this, you can add a layer of heavy pebbles on the surface.
  • Make sure that the pebbles are not packed too tightly, as they would end up restricting the flow of water to the soil.
  • With the pebbles, the cats would not get the same feel and would prefer the litter box to it.
  • If you want a more decorative appearance, you can use rough pine cones, smooth glass pieces, and broken ceramic on the plants, too.

Follow these tips to keep cats away from toxic plants. If you suspect that your cats will still consume the plants, you should get rid of such plants; otherwise, it may be fatal to your cats.

homemade spray to keep cats from eating plants

How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants

Mix all the below ingredients together and fill it in a spray bottle. You can keep this spray bottle in the fridge for few days.

These below home made spray are safe to use on teh house plants.

Recipe 1:

  • Water
  • Spicy chilli or tabasco sauce
  • Sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Recipe 2:

  • Sprinkle of cinnamon
  • Orange or lemon essential oil
  • Sprinkle of fresh or dried rosemary
  • Sprinkle of lavender
  • 3 cups of water
  • ½ cup of vinegar

What Houseplants Do Cats Not Chew On?

You can grow plants that your cats dislike, which will help you in keeping them away from the plants.     

Cats do not like strong smells, and such plants can help in keeping their cats away.

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Here are a few indoor plants that the cats do not like:

1. Rosemary   

Rosemary is aromatic, and hence cats do not like it. So, while you keep the cats away, you can also get fresh twigs to add a delicious touch to your recipes.      

2. Scaredy Cat Plant      

As the name suggests, the scaredy cat plant helps deter the plants due to their smell. You can get it for your house to get rid of the plant-gnawing habits of your cats.

3. Thorny Plants     

You can get roses and cacti to set in your home. The cats will just mess with them once and run away due to the prickly thorns.                                                                                                       

How To Keep Cats Away From Toxic Plants FAQs

Q1: Are Lilies Toxic To Cats?

Yes, lilies are toxic to cats. The leaves, stems, pollen, flowers, and even the water in the vase are toxic.

The floating pollen can rest on the fur of the cat, and licking the fur while grooming can lead to fatal kidney failure within three days.

Q2: Is Mint Poisonous For Cats?

The mint plants have essential oils that can trigger a negative response when high consumption is done.

Too much of the garden mint can cause gastrointestinal problems.

Q3: Does lemon spray hurt plants?

Lemon is acidic in the nature, a direct application can burn the plant’s leaves. In order to use this as a cat plant repellent, dilute it in water.

Q4: Rocks to keep cats out of plants?

Yes, rocks are a great way to repel cats from the plants. Covering rocks with the dirt will stop the cat from digging.

Q5: Can you spray vinegar on plants to keep cats away?

Yes, you can spray vinegar with water on plants to act as a deterrent for cats.

Never use direct application on vinegar, mix it with water and dilute it before the application.

Q6: Lemon juice on plants to keep cats away?

Yes, lemons are the great option to prevent cats from chewing toxic plants. Because of its acidic smell cats hates it.

Mix it with water, and peppermint oil and spray on your houseplants.

Q7: Can I spray peppermint oil on my plants?

Yes peppermint oil is a natural home made repellent that keeps cat away from poisonous plants.

Conclusion

Make sure that you take care of your pets and follow the tips to keep cats away from toxic plants.

Some plants can be quite toxic for cats, and if you are not certain that you can keep your cats away from them, then you should not keep the plants inside the house.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.

While plants are an important aspect of your home, so are your cats. Make sure that you take care of them in the best possible way.