Pets and plants don’t usually go with each other very well. As a result, it may sometimes become very difficult for a person who is a nature lover to keep plants at their homes without cats digging the soil off or treating them as litter boxes. But, there a few good methods that are sure to keep your cats off the region of your plants. Keep reading to find out.

  1. Grow Plants that Cats do not Like

One of the best and most effective methods of keeping your cats away from those beautiful plants is that you choose plants that are disliked by cats.

  • Rosemary, for example, is a great plant that you can grow indoors and that helps you in providing cooking essentials too, since the aroma of the plant is too high, cats tend to avoid it and hence your plant is safe.
  • Also, plants such as cactus and roses are a great option because your cat will only try to mess with them once until they get scared off by the thorns.
  1. Try Citrus Fragrance or Cayenne Pepper

You can sprinkle cayenne pepper around the plants and your cat will never come close to the plants ever.

  • Also, the smells of citrus fruits seem to drive them off.
  • You can put lemon peels and the orange in the plant pots along with the plants to deter your cats away.
  • Another option is to spray the leaves directly with some lemon or citrus juice or oils.
  • Please keep in mind that the citrus extract found in insecticidal sprays, shampoos, food additives, etc are toxic to cats and should not be used.
  1. Hide the Soil

Most people who have issues of their cats using their plants as litter boxes tend to purchase plants with offensive textures.

  • This surely helps in keeping the cats away. Another option is to cover the soil with some large stones or pebbles around the base so that the cats are unable to dig.
  • Aluminum foils or pinecones also help to get rid of the cats easily.
  1. Get a Different Room

You can also try keeping all your plants in a different room altogether that has enough amount of sunlight. The door should always be kept close in order to keep the cats out.

  • If nothing works, you can put the plant caged sing wire shelving units. This will help protect the plants but if your cat is really adventurous and keen on disturbing the plant, this method may prove to be futile.
  1. Put up Sacrifice Plants Instead

If your cat still manages to screw up, you can always put a sacrifice plant for it. Sacrifice plants are available widely.

  • Cats love catnip and lemon balm; put one of these in a non-breakable pot and this will keep your pet busy while your main plant is secure.

TIPS

Some cats chew off the leaves or flowers of the plants which result in ultimate damage to the plant and a total waste of your efforts. So it is better to take the steps away.