Cats, especially young ones, are very curious animals. Therefore, if you have a garden at home, your kitten may decide to bite the plants, play with the leaves or dig in the ground. This could be really dangerous, as some plants are very poisonous to cats (such as lilies). Also, even if you don’t have toxic plants at home, this behavior could damage your flowers and ruin your garden. Here we explain how to prevent your pet from eating the plants.
Train your pet
First of all, you should train your pet to stay away from plants. A good idea is to have your cat associate approaching plants with something negative, such as being sprayed with water. Therefore, if you see that your pet bites a plant, you could spray it with a little water with a spray (if possible without seeing you so that it does not associate the punishment with you). Also, you should never yell at him, as your pet could get scared and run away from you.
You could also use positive reinforcement, rewarding your pet with a healthy treat every time he gets away from the plants.
Give your cat an alternative
Your cat may chew on the plants because he is bored at home. Therefore, if you want to avoid this behavior, a good option is to give him toys. If you dedicate time to it every day, your pet will surely forget about the plants little by little. Rope toys tend to work very well, as cats run around the room trying to reach for the rope.
Likewise, if you have a laser pointer you can play with your kitty without getting tired, since your cat will run all over the house trying to reach the red point.
Place catnip
You can take advantage of your cat’s attraction to plants and place catnip at home. Hopefully your cat will focus on the catnip and not destroy your favorite plants.
Also, cats hate plants with strong scents like lavender, rosemary or orange tree. If you opt for these plants, your kitty may not want to approach them.
