How to Keep Cats Away from Plants

Cats are curious creatures. They may find the dangling leaves of your house plant especially intriguing. Some cats even like napping on the foliage or soil of your indoor plants. If they are being real jerks, they might dig in the soil or even chew on your plants! If you share your home with plants and cats, you have come to the right place.  I’ll be going over how to keep cats away from plants so your plants and cats can stay safe and happy.

How to Stop Cats from Digging in Plants

If your cat is digging in your house plant, he is probably leaving a giant mess. There’s probably soil all over the floor. Hopefully, he hasn’t damaged any roots. And the worst is if he ends up with muddy paws.

Plastic Drip Trays Over Plant Pots

One of my favorite and inexpensive remedies is to use plastic drip trays that are made to put under pots, except fit them over the pot. Plastic drip trays can be found at any home improvement or garden store.  You want the tray to fit over the top of your pot. Then you just trim the tray with normal household scissors to fit around your plant. This is easiest for plants that have one trunk or a few trunks clumped together. See the photo below for an example sans plant. One downside to this solution is that it makes watering your plant slightly more difficult because you will have to move the tray each time.

Plant Pot Covers

There are actual products made for this purpose and they’re pretty neat. It’s really a similar idea to the drip tray. It provides a physical barrier to the soil. However, these plant pot covers are like grids so if your cat is really good, she could get her claws under it and possibly rip it up. The grid design is a plus for watering though, as you do not need to move it to water your plant.

How to Keep Your Cat Off of Your Plants

If your cat is snoozing on your plant or in its pot, that can be harmful to your plant. Cats are pretty careful creatures, but your plant may still incur broken leaves or stems. Also, even if your cat is not digging, she’ll still be tracking dirt around if she’s napping in your plant.

Pointy Deterrents in Soil

A common tactic to keep cats off of your plants is to insert pointy blockades into the soil. Some people suggest sticking plastic forks handle side down into the soil. I like using bamboo kabob skewers in the same way. It’s something I tend to keep on hand, works the same way, and in my opinion, looks nicer than the forks. These are kind of haphazardly placed, but you can see an example below.

Keep Your Plants Out of Reach

Hanging Planters

This one is a little obvious but I’ll put it here anyway. There are only a few ways to keep your plants out of reach. Cats are acrobats, so you can’t just put them on a tall shelf. Your best bet is a hanging planter. Nowadays they make hanging planters in all types of styles from very modern to the more bohemian look. If you love your pot and have some rope you can easily DIY a hanging pot holder too. The Spruce Crafts has one of my favorite tutorials for DIY hanging plant holders. No matter which hanging planter you choose, make sure it has drainage holes, an important key in keeping the appropriate soil moisture for your plant.

Keep Your Plant in the Bathroom

You may also have luck keeping your plant in a room that your cat doesn’t visit often. For example, my cat doesn’t really go into the bathroom unless we are actually in there. You may locate plants in your bathroom in the hopes of making them off of your cat’s radar. In fact, many plants might like the extra humidity your shower or bath provides.

How to Keep Your Cat from Eating Plants

If your cat is munching on your plants, it’s definitely not good for your plant and it could be quite dangerous for your cat as well. You need to know what type of house plant you have because many common indoor plants are toxic to cats. Check out the ASPCA for a complete list of plants that are toxic and non-toxic to cats.

Spray a Foul Tasting Deterrent on Your Plant

There are a number of products on the market for this. My recommendation is Gannick’s Bitter Apple spray. I have personally used this on a Dracaena that my cat was crunching on and it worked quickly. My cat found it unappetizing. I only sprayed it on my plant once, and my cat gave up. More importantly, it did not harm my plant at all. It had no sticky residue and no smell either.  

Keep Cat Friendly Plants

There are plenty of house plants that are non-toxic to cats. Some plants may even be sturdy enough to share their soil with a cat. Below are some recommendations that are cat-friendly plants.

Spider Plant

Spider Plants are easily found at most home improvement stores. They are a popular house plant and are often regarded as one of the easiest to care for. The Spider Plant may stand up to some munching, but it’s probably not a good option if your cat likes to sleep on plants or in the soil.

Light Needs	Watering Needs	Soil Needs	Fertilizing Needs
Bright indirect light. Tolerates low light.	Top inch should be dry before watering.	Well draining potting soil.	Every 2- 4 weeks during the growing season.

Calathea

Calatheas have very ornate foliage, so it might be heart-wrenching if your cats chew on them, but they are non-toxic to cats. These plants come in a variety of leaf colors and patterns. They are quite striking. Like the Spider Plants, Calatheas will not stand up well to being slept on.

Light Needs	Watering Needs	Soil Needs	Fertilizing Needs
Bright indirect light. Tolerates low light.	Keep soil moist but not soggy.	Well draining potting soil.	Every 2 weeks during the growing season.

Money Tree

Also known as Pachira Aquatica is non-toxic to cats. They typically come with braided trunks. I put these on the list as an option that could be tough enough to share a pot with your feline friend. If you get one that’s fairly tall, your cat can easily curl up around the base without damaging the plant.

Light Needs	Watering Needs	Soil Needs	Fertilizing Needs
Moderate to bright indirect light.	Top inch should be dry before watering.	Well draining potting soil.	Monthly during the growing season.

African Violet

I always like to include a blooming option in my recommendations if I can. African Violets are very petite plants so they won’t do well sharing a pot with your cat, but they are not toxic to cats. They bloom frequently if well cared for. Their flowers are typically purple, pink, red, or blue.

Light Needs	Watering Needs	Soil Needs	Fertilizing Needs
Bright indirect light.	Keep soil moist but not soggy.	Well draining potting soil.	Monthly during the growing season.

Do you have a novel way of keeping your plants and cat in harmony? Share it in the comments.