How to teach a cat to chew flowers in pots

Build a barrier around the vase of mosquito or decorative mesh, which are sold in flower stores.

Why cats chew plants

Cats are not omnivores like us. They are carnivorous animals, meaning they eat meat. Their digestive systems are not designed to process the enzymes they get from plants. While their bodies can process plant matter in small amounts, more plant matter can seriously harm your kitty.

So why do cats attack indoor plants like plants are their mortal enemies? The answer is ridiculously simple.

Yes, you read that correctly. Cats are very curious creatures. They are obliged to explore their surroundings with their noses first! Since they see plants around them all the time, they want to check it out. It's like going to a new restaurant you've never been to.

Have you noticed how excited your furry friend gets when you take out his favorite feather toy or laser pointer? They may get the same playful stimulation from the moving leaves of your houseplant. This is a sign that the cat is bored.

However, if you observe your cat eating your plants regularly and notice a change in their appetite, it is best to consult your veterinarian right away. Like any other animal in the wild, cats have an instinctive knowledge to chew on grass or certain plants when they have digestive problems. It could be something as simple as constipation, or as bothersome as intestinal parasites. Either way, it's best to schedule a visit to the vet as early as possible.

How to protect your plants

Now that you know the reasons why your cat is setting up armageddon for your plants, look at what you should do to protect your plants and keep your cat away from them.

Plants can make your home more comfortable. Plants also have health benefits. Plants can clean the air and increase the flow of oxygen. Some plants can also protect your space from pests and parasites that spread disease. And, let's be honest, houseplants aren't always cheap, and it's expensive to grow and care for them.

Here are some tips to help keep your plants safe. Your plants and your feline friend don't have to be enemies.

I know a case when a lady who bought a kitten could not wean her cat from climbing up onto a window sill where she had a splendid plantation of orchids. The plants won in the end. The kitten went back to the breeder.

Why do cats eat plants, greens

Our pets are typical carnivores, whose diet is based on meat and by-products. Wild forest cats, the closest relatives of our Murky's, eat rodents, lizards, small birds. Since they eat both hair and bones, the digestive tract gradually accumulates a certain amount of undigested residues. In order to clear these from the intestines, animals need plant food – grass and wild plants. Cats living in city apartments do not get a chance to eat grass, so they find a way out by eating indoor plants.

Another reason why cats cannot do without fresh herbs is the hairballs in their stomachs. No matter how great grooming is, your cat will still lick their fur and swallow a few hairs willy-nilly. Plants are also needed to eliminate uncomfortable lumps. To put up with a pet's raids on flower pots, we must accept the fact that cats' craving for plants is not a whim, but an instinct. Grass and greens, enthusiastically eaten by our pets, not only help clean the stomach and intestines, but also normalize digestion, help cope with constipation, provide animals with vitamins and minerals, and in case of poisoning help neutralize toxins.

Our pets are extremely selective in their taste preferences. If your neighbor is complaining that her cat nibbled the young shoots of pelargoniums, don't be too quick to hide them from your cat: It may be that she prefers freshly fallen hibiscus blossoms or the downy (why not a mouse?!) leaves of senpollias. Some plants with long, narrow leaves like grass – chlorophytum, dracaena, nolina, different kinds of narrow-leaved palms – are very popular with all cats without exception.

Other Causes

One reason cats chew, pull flowers out of the pot is obsessive-compulsive disorder. Is your stressed pet chewing on a bedspread or the ear of a stuffed bunny, a rag or your fancy dress? This is a clear sign of obsessive compulsive disorder. This disorder occurs most often in Abyssinians, Burmese or Siamese, and less often in exotics. It is very difficult, and in some cases impossible to cope with it by your own efforts, so the best thing you can do in this case is to seek help from a qualified zoopsychologist.

Your cat eats what can only conventionally be called edible, giving preference:

It is very likely that your pet has pararexia, a perversion of taste. The cause of this phenomenon may be genetic predisposition, severe stress, emotional overstrain, congenital anomalies. It should not be forgotten that the animal's pathological addiction to inedible objects can pose serious health risks and even lead to truly tragic consequences. Poisoning, intoxication, blockage of the intestinal lumen and damage to the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, which can be caused by blockage of the intestinal lumen with foreign objects, are the usual result of this disorder. So if your cat has an unhealthy taste for houseplants, unrelated to hypovitaminosis or constipation, the best thing you can do is keep two or three flowers that pose no danger to the cat in the house, or get rid of them all.

How to wean a cat from eating flowers.

In the wild, predators not only eat animal food, but plant food as well. Fibers help flush out clumps of hair and enrich the body with nutrients. At home, the pet can't access grass outside, so it switches its attention to potted crops. To understand how to wean a cat from eating flowers, you need to determine the method of combating the bad habit.

Cats are not trainable, it is difficult to force or coax them, and physical punishment will provoke aggression towards the owner. To keep your pet from touching the houseplants, you need to find the right tactics or combine several methods at the same time.

Method 1: Scent and Taste Discouragement

Animals use scents to navigate the space and determine if the food they eat is good or bad. Physiological features of cats allow you to wean them from eating flowers.

1. Citrus fruits. The pungent aroma of lemon, orange or tangerines is unpleasant for cats. Crusts, fresh fruit are spread around the pot. Greens are sprayed with decoctions of pulp and skins.
2. Essential oils. Lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus cause a sharp rejection in animals. Add 10 drops of preparations to 250 ml of water and treat problematic plants with a sprayer.
3. Spices, spices. Smells of pepper and mustard, garlic and kari cat nose defines poison. Spice solutions are used to moisten foliage, trunks and pots.

Aromatic substances are quickly weathered, so you will have to spray the plants 4-5 times a day. A tablet of "Levomycetin" dissolved in a glass of water will help to enhance the properties of the fragrant liquid. The concentration of the antibiotic is not enough to poison, but the bitterness is enough to discourage.

To wean a cat from eating flowers, you can use ready-made veterinary preparations. Repellents labeled "anti-cat chewers" have an unpleasant odor and taste, fence off potted crops from eating. Discomfort after 2-3 contacts with treated vegetation will discourage pesting.

Recommendations

To consolidate the result, you need to combine several working methods. Comprehensive measures will wean the cat from eating indoor plants. Even if the pet has completely torn the flower, it is forbidden to use physical punishment.

Shift attention

The source of problems is often the hunting instincts of cats. In the pursuit of prey, the animal does not notice how it tilts the vase to the floor or rubs the foliage. First, cats gingerly touch the plant with their paws, determining if the object is dangerous. If the object is safe, the pet springs into action.

New toys that don't resemble the object of attack can help divert the cats' attention away from the flowers. To keep the pet from destroying vegetation, you need daily physical activity (15 to 40 minutes). Entertaining with a mouse on a fishing rod or with a wrapper on a string will satisfy the hunting instincts.

Replace flowers with grass

Cats have delayed peristalsis, and greens help improve digestion. Plant fibers protect against constipation, intestinal obstruction and remove lumps of hair (triggers the gag reflex). In case of parasitic infestations, foliage helps to mechanically get rid of worms.

Pets that eat dry food or have gastrointestinal diseases are more often hunted for flowers. Avitaminosis occurs with an unbalanced diet and home life. By ingesting greens, cats saturate their bodies with beneficial micronutrients. Indoor lawn will teach the pet to chew ornamental plants. In order not to collect grass in parks and along the roads, it is necessary to grow greens at home.

Seeds are planted in a pot or plastic food container. The vessel is placed on a bright window sill, regularly watered. The vegetation is cut off and added to the food or offered to the pet to nibble on its own. If the cat likes dry grass, the greens are pre-dried.

Monitor health

Dangerous problems veterinarians include mental changes due to trauma (medication) and compulsions due to stress. Animals lose the line between edible and poison and relieve stress with uncontrolled eating. Regular (every 6 months) visits to the clinic can help eliminate the risk of pathology.

Cat sitting in the potty

A cat may be sitting in a pot, but not chewing on the plants, digging up the soil, or shitting in it. The reason may be curiosity. Cats love to watch the outdoors. But when the window sill is filled with flowers, there is no room and the animal climbs into the vase. To avoid this, you can move it or remove it.

You can discourage the cat from sitting in the pot by turning on the ultrasonic repellent. The cat will not come within 5 meters of it. Ultrasound causes panic, fear, negatively affects the nervous system. But frequent use of the device destroys the psyche of the animal. Therefore, the device is rarely used. Other gentle methods are the priority.

Cats are natural born hunters. They can choose a vase to watch what's going on, to lurk. And vegetation creates a semblance of shelter. You can scare away the animal by putting lemon and orange slices on the ground, sprinkling fresh zest. The fragrance of citrus fruits does not last more than two days – then fresh slices (lemon may be) are placed in the pot. Additionally, slices or zest can be placed around the flower vase.

The cat plays in the pot

If cats do not have toys or do not like the existing ones, they can use plants for this purpose. Pets rub their leaves, trunks, and chew on twigs. Pets are also attracted to pebbles, jewelry (e.g., beads). Small kittens, once in the house, begin to explore it. They might play with unfamiliar objects (like flowers) or begin to mark their territory.

Sometimes a cat seems to play with a plant by pawing at it. However, it can be a manifestation of aggression if the animal is disgusted by the smell of flowers or feels the mark of another pet. Then the cat will not stop until it breaks or digs up the plant. In this case, the flower should be moved to a place inaccessible to animals. But there should be no curtains nearby (it is easy to get to the plant by them).

How to wean the kitten and the adult cat from shitting in flowerpots

Flowerpots attract cats of all ages – they love the smell of damp earth and fresh herbs. A kitten enjoys playing with the flower sprigs and digging in the soil. But, sometimes the flower pot becomes a mini toilet for the cat. If you can put up with the scattered earth, then the constant smell of cat urine no one wants to put up with. Then the question arises – how to wean an adult cat and a kitten from shitting in flower pots.

The behavior of the kitten does not depend on the harmful nature, but because the owner does not observe the proper conditions of the animal, makes gross mistakes, raising the pet. First you need to find the reasons why the cat chose a flower pot instead of a litter box for the toilet:

• Vitamin deficiency. In the beginning, the cat may be attracted to the green shoots of plants. So the pet tries to replenish his diet with vitamins and trace elements. Digging up sprouts, the cat breathes the smell of the earth, which reminds him of the toilet. If you plant vitamin grass for the cat, then he will stop paying attention to flower pots. Sell grass seeds for kittens at a florist or pet store.
• Distance from the bowl. A cat will never poop where it eats. If the litter tray is next to the dinner bowl – she will look for another place to go to the toilet. Therefore, the litter tray and the feeding area must be away from each other.
• Dirty litter tray. A cat is very clean; a dirty litter box makes her squeamish. Irregular litter changes will affect the cat's behavior. He will avoid a dirty litter box that smells bad. The size of the litter box, its composition or the pungent smell of air freshener can also be a reason to find another litter box.

Need to know! If the cat is attracted to the smell of earth, buy a clay-based toilet filler. It gathers in clumps, smells damp, and resembles earth.

How to wean a cat from shitting in flowers

If the methods of "re-education" do not work, then the plant needs to change its place of residence. It is placed on a high shelf or cupboard. This method creates inconvenience when watering, but will get rid of the smell of cat urine. Or the owner should take the pet's behavior under constant supervision.

When the above deficiencies are eliminated, but the animal continues to attack the flowers, then you need to take steps to wean the kitty to shit in flower pots, consider each in detail.

Toothpicks

To make it uncomfortable for the cat to rake the ground, it is necessary to stab the entire surface of the soil with toothpicks. The sticks are placed so that most of the toothpicks remain on the surface. Such a "pile" looks nice, and as soon as the kitten comes to the vase to poop, it will immediately prick its paws.

Citrus peels

The smell of citrus fruit disgusts cats. Orange, lemon and grapefruit peels together with the peel are cut into arbitrary pieces and sprinkled on the ground around the plant. Old peels are periodically replaced with fresh ones, as citrus peels lose their scent over time.

Pet stores offer decorative compositions, on which citrus peels are fixed, they are installed next to the flower.

Insulation

To deprive the kitten of the pleasure of loosening the soil, the surface of the soil is insulated in the following ways:

• from cardboard cut a circle, in the middle – a hole in the size of the trunk of the plant, make a slit in the radius, cover the soil with a cardboard circle;
• several layers of food foil cover the surface of the vase, the foil will scare away the cat by rustling;
• make a helmet out of a plastic cake cover, cut a hole in the top and cover the flower with it;
• from a rubber mat with a perforated base and stiff bristles cut an oval to the size of the pot, cut a hole in the middle, cover the soil;
• the soil is covered with a dense layer of stones, shells, pebbles;
• the surface of the vase with oblique strips of double-sided tape, when the kitten's paws stick to it – it will experience a shock, it will avoid the dangerous place.

Poisonous plants for cats

So far we have talked about protecting flowers from cats, but we should also touch on the issue of protecting cats from flowers. Yes, it does happen. Some of the plants are poisonous to our furry pets, they cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and even serious food poisoning (up to death). Cats do not distinguish between edible and poisonous plants intuitively or by their smell, so you should either put flowers that are dangerous to them in inaccessible places (inaccessible means that the cat cannot get into by any means), or not keep them at all.

– Calla lilies – contain oxalic acid, cause swelling of the mucous membrane of the mouth, can lead to collapse;

– lilies (autumnal perennial, hyacinth, lily, etc.) – contact may cause allergic dermatitis;

– milkweed (all species) – causes contact dermatitis of the mouth or at the place of touch;

– primroses, including primrose – sap may cause burns and allergic dermatitis;

– Ivy – causes cardiovascular problems, seizures, and kidney failure;

– rhododendron – causes cardiovascular disorders, diarrhea and vomiting;

– Boxwood evergreen, or buxus – systemic poisoning, up to and including death;

If you notice symptoms of poisoning – heavy salivation, nausea, vomiting, coughing, wheezing, diarrhea, edema – you must urgently take the cat to the clinic. So, a cat can chew flowers either out of necessity (to get some substances or to get the hair out of the body) – in this case you should change its diet and/or buy special grass for chewing, or out of boredom or desire to take a profitable place on top. In the latter case, you can't do without giving her alternatives – games and a special cat corner.

The reason is unbalanced nutrition

The best place to start is with the assumption that the cat is chewing on something because she is lacking something. Especially if she chews or eats flowers. In this case, her behavior doesn't seem too strange. In the wild, predators, which includes cats, eat food not only of animal origin but also of plant origin. The coarse fibers of plants help digestion and contain many vitamins. A cat also eats grass to rid its digestive tract of hair that it swallowed when it licked its fur. The tough leaves that the pet swallows to clean the stomach irritate the organ's mucosa, stimulating regurgitation. Thus, your pet is simply missing some of the vitamins and minerals that are in the greens. And by chewing on the flowers, the kitten is trying to replenish them. In fact, this is a signal to you that his diet is unbalanced.

Most often this problem occurs if you feed your cat food from your table. Human food is not very good for the cat, since he and we have different metabolisms. Cheap economy food is no less harmful. They are completely devoid of useful minerals and vitamins (there is no meat in them either, it is replaced with bone meal and waste from the meat industry). Not surprisingly, the cat tries to replenish the missing, but necessary substances. In this case not only flowers can be used (there is a logic here), but even inedible objects, especially those made of wool, cotton and synthetic materials. Wires can also be affected.

So the first step to take if you see your cat chewing on flowers or wires is to show it to the vet. Only a doctor can tell you if your pet's health is okay, and will make the necessary recommendations. After that, your pet's diet will need to be changed.

The Murkoshi team, based on years of experience with cats and studies of food composition, recommends feeding only super-premium or holistic cat food. Because only such food is fully balanced, as close as possible to the natural diet of cats in the wild, enriched with all the necessary vitamins and minerals. In this case, it will not even be necessary to give the pet any additional vitamins. If the reason for the cat's morbid attention to flowers or inedible objects was exactly the lack of some substances, then after switching to a quality cat food there is a chance that you can wean the cat from chewing them, even without resorting to any other methods.

The reason – the need to flush the hair out of the body

In the case of flowers there is another no less common reason why a kitten chews them – he tries this way to get rid of the hair in his stomach, which he often swallows while licking. In the wild, cats cope with the excess ingested hair this way – by eating certain herbs. It really is vital for the cat, and greenery helps your pet in such an important matter. If he does not have anything more suitable, he will solve the problem with the help of indoor plants. And this need does not depend on the quality of the food.

Fortunately, to teach the kitten to chew flowers in this case is quite simple. You need to buy a special grass (or a mixture for planting it), which is sold in any pet store and even in some supermarkets. All cats are happy to eat such green sprouts. And in getting rid of hair in the stomach, they will help better than houseplants.

At first, a pot or container with this special grass should be put in the place where the most nibbled flower stands. Very quickly the pet will realize that the new grass is much better than the old one, and will get used to it. Then you can move it away from the indoor plants. Eventually the predator will have his way only to his personal lawn. Keep in mind that this weed should always be available for your pet.

Why does a cat want to eat houseplants?

Pets of all ages have an irresistible craving for plants, regardless of their gender. If the cat bites into your favorite flowers – don't scold it and try to find out what's going on.

A desire to eat the flower

Eating the leaves and stems of indoor plants indicates a lack of vitamins. Outdoor animals eat grass all the time, so they do not face a similar problem. Pets have no such opportunity, so they often lack folic acid, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and sodium.

When avitaminosis is pronounced, the whiskered pet begins to eat not only greens, but also the ground. This can lead to diarrhea, vomiting and severe poisoning.

Also do not forget that any greens are enriched with fiber. This important element is necessary for comfortable digestion and artificial vomiting stimulation. In addition to trichobezoars (hairballs), the animal may be bothered by worms, GI abnormalities and infections.

Interest in digging in the ground

Cats love digging in the ground, so they often spoil the summertime cottage areas. Particular interest is shown by pets with a sedentary lifestyle, often left home alone. Because of the lack of toys, they have fun as they can.

The holes that appear are quickly filled with the body of a contented whisker. It is warm and quiet in such a hole, as it perfectly controls its surroundings. Similar associations are evoked by the usual box, which has a huge popularity among all representatives of the feline family.

The digging instinct of domestic cats is transferred to the soil in which indoor flowers are grown. Many pets are curious about simply digging in the ground, which is a kind of feline leisure activity.

Problem-solving methods

When the cat approaches the pots, say "ew" or "no" while spraying water from a sprayer. This method is very effective, but requires a lot of time. Cats are less trainable than dogs. It is much easier to eliminate the cause of their increased love for plants or to go for a trick.

Discourage an unpleasant odor

Cats have a very sensitive sense of smell, so they are well repelled by pungent smells. Defuse the soil surface, leaves, or pots with:

Renew the odor as soon as it disappears. In addition to the above, you can use special sprays available in pet stores.

Sharp or rustling objects.

Frequent digging of the soil can be prevented by protective nets and grids. In addition, decorate the soil with shells or stones. This will make it harder for the flower to spoil.

Cats are afraid of rustling and sticky objects, so cover the area with double-sided tape, foil or food wrap. If you get into such a trap several times, the pet will quickly lose interest.

For larger plants, any loud objects will do. Decorate the indoor tree with rattles and jars with buttons or grits. Each encroachment will be accompanied by a loud rattle and a swift escape of the intruder.

Some owners recommend the use of toothpicks. Although effective, they negatively affect the appearance of flower pots and can cause injury to the animal.

Replacing plants with cat grass

Never pluck grass near your home. Although logical and cheap, such a decision can lead to serious poisoning. Cities often struggle with rats, so particles of poisons get on the soil. If you bring such grass home, you could ruin your pet.

How to teach your cat to chew on potted flowers

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