Can I Stop My Cat From Eating Houseplants?

Question

He is an indoor cat, and I think that may be part of the problem. I thought I could 'ween' him off the houseplants by getting him cat grass...but he just eats that ALONG with the other plants. Does citrus or vinegar really work? If so, will it hurt my little guy? (because of course, that is not an option)

Answer 1

My mother used to use Cajun pepper spice on the houseplants to get the cat to stop eating them.   She'd sprinkle it on the plant, the cat would come along, sniff the plant, get a noseful, and avoid the plant forever.  I never saw the cat show any harm from this, and it got her back over to her 'nip and grass plants we had for her.  

My mother said she used the actual spice, rather than a spray, because she was worried that with a spray, the cat would get too close and her nostrils get too irritated.  With the actual spice, the cat never even got within touching distance, a few feet away she started smelling it and ran off.

Answer 2

Place some citrus (real lemon!) around in the foliage, maybe just the peel to prevent rotting, place gravel over your dirt, or buy some "cat off". None of these have caused harm to my kitty; I think it's best to used tried and true methods!

Answer 3

they make a bottle of spray that is supposed to make animals not want to eat what you spray it on, go to petco or your local pet store and ask them about it, and it's completely safe for animals

Answer 4

I went through the same things with one of my cats. She would go crazy with the house planets. Pulling leaves off, pulling them up out of their pots, spreading dirt around, and then throws it up!

The solution for me ended up giving my cat her "own" plants. I got some small pots and put catnip and grass into the pots for her to eat.

She eventually stopped eating my plants and switched to her own. I also have fun tending to her pots as well as my own.

Answer 5

Your little guy, how cute :-) My cat does the same thing, I'd suggest maybe spraying a little bitter apple on the leaves.