Your furry little friends are curious creatures and there is no reason why they wouldn’t attack your plants too. We love our pets and we don’t want to say no to them ever. But when it comes to your indoor plants, there is a lot of attachment there too. So how to keep your cat from running your plants or digging up the indoor plant pots. Digging in a natural behavior of cats and they do this to outside to do their business, but what if they find soil at home? Why would they go out now?
There are several ways you can stop your cats from digging in indoor plants. These methods involve using physical means or barriers to separate the cats from the plants, or using a repellent which are generally made for this purpose, getting a separate plant for your cat or just teaching her that its not okay to dig up your indoor plants.
All of these are extremely effective ways to stop your cat from her maddening behavior and it doesn’t require much on your part as well.
Ways to stop a cat from digging indoor plants
Physical means
There are many ways you can stop your cat from touching your plants. These methods make the plants quite unfavorable for the cats and they don’t like being near them.
- Aluminum foil
You must have heard about this crazy technique. But tell you what? It actually works! Cats are attracted to the soil because they like the texture of it and its something they are familiar with but once you cover your plants with an aluminum foil or tin foil, you cat will steer clear of it because it doesn’t like the texture or the sound that it makes.
- Hanging the plants
Another thing you can do which will not the change the look of your plants is to just change their place. This is quite an effective method. Keep your plants out of reach from the cats. Place them high up or just hang them. You can find various hanging pots available in the market. Or you can just get some rope and learn the way of how to hang a regular pot. Not only does it save your plants from cats but also give a nice look to your home.
- Using rocks
Another way to make your plants look good and still save them from cats is by placing rocks over the soil. But make sure that you don’t entirely cover the soil with rocks as it will hinder the growth of the plants. But adding rocks is a great idea as it stops cats from digging the soil.
Other physical methods involve using a net sheet or wire sheet around the plants so that your cat can’t reach the plants. You can also arrange the plants close to one another, so it is uncomfortable for our cat.
Repellents
Cats are very sensitive to certain smells and they don’t like them anywhere near their resting place. This is a great way to stop your cat from digging up the indoor plants.
- Orange peels
Cats especially dislike the scent of citrus fruits. Thus, you can use the peels of oranges and spread them over the soil to act as a repellent. Sure enough, you will see your cat is nowhere near the plants.
- Spray
Sprays as repellents are largely available in the market and you can easily buy them. People are a little concerned about using such sprays as they think it might affect their plants health. They are not wrong to think so, certain sprays can cause your plants harm. So, make sure you buy a spray which is safe for your plants and your cats. These sprays are citrus scented and works like a charm.
You can also make your own repellent spray but make sure you use the purest of ingredients as it can greatly affect your health as well.
Distracting your cat
- Plants for your cat
If you don’t want to try any of the physical or chemical means to stop your cat, then we suggest you distract your cat with plants of her own. We all know that other than digging up the soil, cats also like to chew on the plants. Some plants are highly toxic for your cats and thus can greatly affect her health. We suggest you get some cat friendly plants such as catnip, cat grass or thyme. Your cat will be having so much fun with her own plants, she will forget all about yours.
- Making it uncomfortable
Your cat just needs a single reason or an experience bad enough that she is scared to come near your plants again. People try creating a loud noise whenever the cat is near the plants. Or making the surrounding extremely uncomfortable, just as placing plastic cups all around or anything that is generally disliked by cats.
Training your cat
When your cat is too stubborn that none of these things are able to make her stop, the only thing you can do is try training her or showing your dislike over her behavior. There is no need to be harsh to your cat, just by saying a loud and firm no, your cat will understand your dislike. Do this several times so your cat gets the memo.
Conclusion
Like many of your cat’s quirky behaviors, this is another one that might be getting on your nerves. If you are a plant and a pet lover, we know how difficult this is for you to keep them nice and separated. But don’t you worry, by following these simple techniques, your cat will sure stop digging in your indoor plants.