Keeping your cat out of your houseplants can be very frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be a constant battle. You can train them to stay away, and it’s not that difficult.
Trust me, I have decades of experience dealing with this problem. I’ve had cats almost as long as I’ve had indoor plants, so I’ve figured out what works the best by trial and error.
In this post, I will show you several proven methods that you can use to stop your kitty from eating, digging, knocking over, destroying, or pooping in your plants.
These simple methods include training, covering the pot or soil, creating a protective barrier, keeping it out of reach, and using a non-toxic repellent spray.
Why Is My Cat Eating My Plants?
There are lots of reasons why cats eat plants. It could be because they’re bored and feeling mischievous, or simply because they like the flavor.
When I asked our veterinarian about it, she told me that sometimes they do it to try to soothe an upset stomach, or to make themselves vomit when they don’t feel well (Ewe!).
It’s funny, because some cats seem to be obsessed with houseplants, while others could care less about them. I’ve had several fur babies in my life, and only a couple of them actually ate my plants.
But my newest kitten loves them way too much. She even thought it was fun to pull plants right out of their pots, ugh!
How To Keep Cats Out Of Houseplants
Rest assured, you don’t need to get rid of your indoor plants or your kitty (gasp!). Below are my best tips to cat-proof your plants. These methods are easy to use, and they are all very effective.
Related Post: 15 Pet Friendly Indoor House Plants
1. Train Your Cat To Stay Away From Plants
Believe it or not, you can train cats to stay away from your indoor plants. All you need is a clean spray bottle and some regular tap water.
Simply fill the bottle with fresh water and set it to the strongest stream. The next time your cat starts messing with your plants, give him or her a quick spray in the butt.
After the first few times, you probably won’t need to spray them anymore. Just the sound of me shaking the water in the bottle is enough to make mine run away as fast as possible.
2. Cover The Pot To Keep Your Kitty Out
Creating a barrier over the pot is another effective solution. I use aluminum foil to cover mine because cats don’t like it. It’s ugly, but it works like a charm to deter them.
If that doesn’t work for you, then try some other barrier, like chicken wire or double sided tape. Be careful with tape though, I can’t use it because one of my cats tries to eat it (weirdo!).
3. Cover The Soil To Prevent Digging
If you don’t like the idea of covering the whole pot, then try using a soil cover instead. This is a nice option because you can get creative with it, and use it to add a decorative touch.
When my kitten was brand new, I used discarded wine corks to cover the soil of one of my larger plants. Not only did it stop her from digging in the soil, but she lost interest in the plant altogether.
Other options you could try include decorative rock, marbles, vase filler pebbles, pine cones, or faux moss rocks.
Be careful what you choose to use here though. My kitten loved pulling out the corks to play with, and I used to find them scattered all around the house. So be sure to use something that is safe and non-toxic, just in case yours decides to make it a toy too.
4. Use Non-Toxic Repellent Spray
Repellent spray is another option to try, and it works great to keep cats out of your plants (it also prevents them from chewing on other things, like shoes and electrical cords, but that’s a story for another day).
I use bitter apple spray, which is non-toxic and has a pleasant odor. Animals hate the taste and smell of it though. So not only will they stay away, it will stop them from eating the leaves as well.
I highly recommend testing it on a few leaves before dousing the whole plant, to make sure there’s no damage. I have used it on several different types of indoor plants and have never had any problems, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
5. Create A Protective Barrier
Another method to try is to create some kind of a protective barrier around the entire plant. This option is perfect for protecting smaller houseplants from curious kitties.
Try using a mini indoor greenhouse, a fun decorative birdcage, a beautiful glass cloche, or a cute wire cover. That ways it’s both pretty and functional.
6. Keep Your Plants Out Of Reach
Perhaps the most effective way to keep cats out of your potted plants is to put them somewhere that your kitty can’t get to them.
If there are any particular ones that your cat likes the best, then move those to a room your fur babies aren’t allowed in. A sunny bathroom or spare bedroom would be perfect.
Another good place is up high, like hanging from the ceiling or set on top of a tall bookshelf or your kitchen cabinets. The only problem with this is that it makes it harder for you to reach them too.
If you want to learn all there is to know about maintaining healthy indoor plants, then you need my Houseplant Care eBook. It will show you everything you need to know about how to keep every plant in your home thriving. Download your copy now!
More About Houseplant Pests
- How To Get Rid Of Houseplant Bugs Naturally
- Where Do Houseplant Pests Come From?
- Natural Pest Control For Houseplants
- Fungus Gnats vs Fruit Flies: What’s The Difference?
Share your tips for keeping cats out of houseplants in the comments section below.
Chrissy says
My local plant expert says that spider plants are like catnip to cats. nothing works with those and my cats. If I leave the door open to where I have them down where the cats can reach them… they will eat the whole plant. They never bother my succulents so I’ve started embracing those more and more
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yep, cats do tend to favor certain plants, but at least yours likes one that’s is non-toxic, so that’s a relief! The bitter apple spray I linked to above works great to keep my cats from eating my plants. But your plan to embrace the ones they don’t like is a good one!
Roberta Campbell says
My cats literally pull the plant out of the pot scattering soil EVERYWHERE(the heavens for Dyson) bought “special spray ” they laughed & pulled plant out again soil EVERYWHERE Will try the vicks vapour rub Fingers crossed!!!!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Oh no! The spray works like a charm for my cats, they hate it! So definitely make sure you’re dousing the soil rather than just lightly spraying it. They also really hate aluminum foil, so try wrapping the top of the pots and the bottom stem of the plants with that, and see if it deters them. Good luck!
Devona says
I like to pick up shells and pretty rocks when I go to the beach, so I always have a stash of them around. Whenever I have a plant with a lot of bare dirt in the pot, I put a few of my shells and rocks in the pot. That usually deters the pooping and digging. It works really well for outdoor pots as well.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great idea! Cats don’t like to dig in things that are sharp, so I bet this works great! Thanks for sharing your tips.
Kimm says
I believe every cat I’ve adopted has, at some point, tried all the things you described. It can be frustrating, but I still love them.
Other things I have tried are covering the po with Press & Seal. This works well, looks better than tin foil, the light can get through & I can pull it back for watering and reseal it. I’ve also used Vicks Vapo Rub around the edge of the container. The cats do not like the smell. This works well for other things you want your cats to stay away from. Such as the Christmas tree. Rub around the stand and I also place cotton balls with Vicks in the branches. (I have an artificial tree).
Now if I can just get one of the cats to stay off the counters.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Haha, my cats too! That’s why I have so much experience with keeping them out of houseplants, LOL! Thanks for adding your ideas. I’ve never tried the vapor rub, but definitely will. My cats are obsessed with the Christmas tree!
April says
My plant eater eats tape too!! He’s the only one of my tribe to have any interest. He also loves beer. Anyway, he only has one eye, and can only see movement out of the other- so he can catch a fly in mid air but often runs with reckless abandon into door frames. He’s all but destroyed my beautiful money tree… poor thing only has 1 long shoot and some small ones trying to thrive at the base, but he keeps gnawing on the leaves or breaking the new growth- the pot is big, and the shoot, tall- so while I love all your ideas, nothing really fits my particular plant problem (he can’t see foil, the young shoots at the bottom are likely to have an adverse reaction to bitter Apple so new on the scene, and it’s just too big of a plant/pot to raise up to keep out of reach- any ideas you might have, knowing my struggle, are welcomed- I put forks in my ficus, but the root system in the money tree doesn’t allow for this “I dare you to hop in here” option (which was brilliant at getting another one of my cats to stop peeing in the ficus. I can’t bear to watch the carnage anymore, haha.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Haha, I have one plant eater (the stinker in the first picture), and one tape eater! Cats are so weird! The plant eater has caused all of the damage you see in the photos in this post. Most of the time, I think she just does it to get attention. She doesn’t destroy plants like she used to, but still likes to snack on a few of them, grrr! Anyway, the only thing that will keep my plant eater from snacking on her favorites is to lock the plants in a spare bedroom where the cats aren’t allowed. If you don’t have a room that you can close off, then I would try spraying the pot and soil with the bitter apple spray. I started using it on the things that my kitty loves to destroy, and just the smell of it makes her turn and run away. So, even if you don’t spray it directly on the leaves, the smell alone may deter your cat. Then I would get very strict with the spray bottle of water, and give her/him a quick shot (or threaten to) every time he/she goes near the plant. Hope one of these ideas will work!