You might be thinking that Cats are carnivorous animals and asking yourself, out of frustration, why do cats are ingesting herbs and how to stop cats from eating Houseplants?
Cats are basically obligate carnivores, means that these animals rely mainly on flesh for their survival, they digest 70 percent fleshy food, while they consume herbs and plants to satisfy their remaining 30 percent hunger.
This article is a comprehensive Guide about why cats eat house plants and how to stop them?
Why are Cats eating my Plants?
Since your feline is your family member, you expect them not to do abnormal behavior like destroying, chewing, and eating houseplants. But being a family, they are entitled to walk around every corner of your house.
Sometimes, they try to graze on the greenery of the house. They may also adopt this destructive behavior out of frustration or if your kitty feels alone at home or has an anxiety disorder.
However, the main concern of our article is how to quit this annoying habit of a feline because your house plants are at stake.
By adopting the following tips, your cat will definitely start to avoid doing so.
How to stop Cats from eating Houseplants?
There are a few things you can do to try and stop your cat from eating your houseplants. First and foremost, make sure that you are not providing them with any reason to eat houseplants.
You can also try a deterrent, like citrus on or around the plants, as cats generally do not like the smell of citrus. Another way is to train your kitty to adapt to plants.
If all else fails, you may need to move your plants somewhere your cat cannot get to them.
If you follow these 7 proven tips mentioned below, you can stop your cat from eating Plants in your house.
1. Train Your Cat to Adapt Plants
Plants play an important and indispensable role in our lives. So it’s crucial to have gardens in our houses for a pleasant and healthy environment. But if your pet is trying to diminish this beauty, you may train them to adapt house plants; try making them fond of plants at a very young age.
Try to keep those plants in your garden that sense appealing for felines. Nepetalactone from catnip, for example, is attractive to cats.
Other cat-friendly plants are valerian root, silver vine and Indian nettle.
2. Make Your Plants Unappealing
If your cat is trying to chew up the leaves of plants, use cat repellent sprays made of citrus, like that of lemon or orange can keep your kitty away from touching it as cats are sensitive to smell.
Gardening thorny plants like Cactus, Hawthorn, Pyracantha, and roses are also a good idea. Because they are prickly, the cat won’t dare to cause any harm to them.
There are some strong-smelling plants; for example, rosemary and lavender have the capability of keeping the cats away from your garden.
You can also try something other; if you know for sure your cat does not like it, placing that thing around the plant may disperse them from yelling around. But, remember! Always make sure to use things that produce no harm to your kitty.
3. Use Fake Plants and Grass
Another choice you can easily adapt is using fake plastic trees and artificial houseplants. By using this, your feline will be able to fulfill their annoying desire without any harm since these dummy plants won’t be bothered.
Artificial grass for cats specifically designed for them is also a good idea. These synthetic grass are totally safe for pets.
4. Hang Your Plants Above
What about hanging your household plants? Sounds interesting, huh… Well, there must be several places in your house where you can strategically put your plants above to make them unreachable.
You can also purchase different hanging pots and hooks from any nursery farm nearest to you or seek online help for buying such pots. These hanging baskets will add more beauty to your sweet home!
5. Provide Your Cat with Alternative
Providing your feline with distractions such as fake plastic trees and other interactive toys might diminish the risk.
Start playing different games with your kitty, also present treat your kitty loves the most whenever they try to chop the plants.
6. Protect Your Plant with Fencing
Make your garden a no-go area for your kitty by protecting it with fencing and elevated boundaries.
Garden fencing will keep your cat away from plants; they also create a nice visual barrier that will enhance the beauty around your garden.
7. Cover the Plant Keeping Soil
Cats sometimes start scratching and rubbing out the soil around the plants. If your queen also does such destructive behavior, try to cover the soil with something like that of aluminum foil. Since they are allergic to the sound and feel of aluminum, they will definitely stop roaming around there.
Showering small decorative pebbles on the plant-soil is another alternative to keep your kitty from creating a mess in the garden.
However, little heavier stones will be preferable as the cat will find it difficult to dig out. Batting these decorative stones around the garden will charm the scenery.
What kind of Plants can cats eat?
Plants that cats can eat are catnip, oat grass, bean sprouts, herbs, and certain flowers, i.e., roses, sunflowers, snapdragons, zinnias, etc.
Since they are obligate carnivores, they rely mostly on meat, while for the remaining 30%, they digest plants and herbs edible for them.
What common House plant is poisonous to cats?
To take proper care of your cat, you should be aware of what common house plants might be poisonous for them. Your kitty’s health is our concern!
To rest assure the safety of your pet, we are suggesting some plants that are poisonous to cat’s health.
Following are the plants that are toxic to cats.
| Plants/Herbs | Possible Reaction & Side Effects | |
| 1 | Spathipuyllum | Vomiting, excessive drooling and also breath-difficulty in adverse cases |
| 2 | Aloe Vera | Lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea |
| 3 | Pothos | Experience burning of the mouth and lips, and vomiting |
| 4 | Daffodil | Vomiting, diarrhea, and low blood pressure |
| 5 | Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) | Drooling, decreased appetite, and diarrhea |
| 6 | Azalea | Depression,Vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, fragility, coma and death |
| 7 | Jade Plants | Depression, anxiety, difficulty keeping balance and vomiting |
| 8 | Snake Plants (Sansevieria trifasciata) | Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea |
| 9 | Chrysanthemum | Skin infection, vomiting and hypersalivation |
| 10 | English Ivy (Hedera helix) | Vomiting, abdominal pain, excessive vomiting, and fragility |
| 11 | Amaryllis | Vomiting, depression, diarrhea and abdominal pain |
| 12 | Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia) | Vomiting, burning of the mouth and in severe cases difficulty swallowing or breathing |
| 13 | Asian Lily | Vomiting, lethargy, kidney failure and death |
| 14 | Ceriman | Intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue and lips; difficulty swallowing and excessive drooling |
| 15 | Cyclamen | Vomiting and diarrhea |
Symptoms of Plants poisoning in Cats
- Vomiting
- Excessive drooling
- Breath-difficulty
- Lethargy
- Low blood pressure
- Decreased Appetite
- Anxiety
- Abdominal pain
- Fragility
- Difficulty swallowing
- Restlessness
- Hypersalivation
- Difficulty keeping Balance
You May Also Like To Read:
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- 8 Reasons Why do cats smell your Breath and How to Stop?
Conclusion:
Cats are natural predators and love to hunt. This means that they love to eat prey, including small animals, such as rodents, birds, and insects as well. While this may not seem like a big deal, it might be a problem if your cat starts to eat and destroy the plants in your house.
How to stop cats from eating Houseplants? Plants are not their obvious prey, and they can’t digest them properly. Unfortunately, this means that the plant matter will stay in your cat’s digestive system for a long time, leading them to constipation, diarrhea and even vomiting. In some cases, eating plants might even be fatal for cats.
FAQ:
Why do cats eat plants and then throw up?
It is an obvious curiosity that why do cats eat plants and while sometimes why did they even throw it up.
Well, the first reason is if they did not like the taste of the plant, they might quit chewing it up and keep it aside. Secondly, since Cats’ digestive system is not generally designed to digest all of the plants; therefore, they give up eating that plant.
However, fewer people suggest that some fungi, bacteria, and parasite increase their hunger. As a result, they constantly eat plants and throw up some of them.
Why is my cat eating all my plants?
Since cat families, including lions and tigers, are obligate carnivores. Obligate carnivores are animals whose diet covers 70% meat as they cannot properly dissolve vegetation.
However, certain plants are edible for them (which we mentioned in this article above), and this is why your cat is snipping around your plants.
How can you tell if a plant is poisonous to cats?
Suppose you notice unusual symptoms such as vomiting, digestive disorders, frequent urination, diarrhea, or drooling. Then it might be because your feline has consumed poisonous plants.
However, if you suspect or watch your cat swallow poisonous plants, rush them immediately to the veterinarian.
