How can I stop my cat from digging into our house plants?

Question

I've tried hot pepper and putting a blanket over top but she still digs!

Answer 1

The best thing I've found is to go to your local hardware store (Ace, Home Depot, etc.) and buy some window screen. You can cover the soil but it keeps the cats out while still allowing you to water. It can be done one of two ways...
1 - Just lay the screen directly on top of the soil. It will keep your kitty from having direct contact with the soil, but mine figured out that they could pull the screen up and still dig in the dirt.
2 - Cover the soil with the screen so that it's level with the top of the pot, then attach the screen to the pot. You'll have to cut an opening to allow the plant to pass through but this way it keeps the screen and, more importantly, the cats out of direct contact with the soil. Depending on what type of pot your plant is in you may have to get creative to attach the screen to it. The pots that I have that have are plastic and have lip on the outside that I folded the screen under and stapled.
If you have a ceramic or terra cotta pot then you may have to go with the first option I suggested, unless you can find a way to get the screen attached.
Good luck!

Answer 2

I found that putting marbles or stones the size of marbles or larger, on top of the dirt in the plant pots stopped the cats from trying to dig in the plants. You can still water the plants but the cat won't want to dig in the marbles or stones.

Answer 3

in case you reside close to a zoo then circulate and ask them for some Lion manure. Dig some into your flower beds and nextdoors cat won't come close to. Plus it is sturdy for Roses. i do no longer think of it needs to be a Lion. Any enormous animal which a cat could routinely run from will do. Wolf, Hippo, better half's mom...

Answer 4

Cats digging around your plants could be saves you money for buying fertilizer..... but if you really like to stop that cat from digging around your plants try putting medium sized rocks around your plant.

Answer 5

When she is doing it grab her and put her up to the plant and slap her butt. I do not mean hard just enough to get the message through and while you are smacking her butt say stuff like " no, bad girl, bad,bad,bad" then let her down and just keep doing that, and make sure that you are saying it firmly and in no way being nice abou it. And anytime that you see her head for it or getting ready to put her paw in it say loudly and firmly 'no'. This what i had to do with my cats (and i have had a LOT of cat in my life) and it works.

p.s. if that does not work get a water sprayer, like a squirk bottle and spray her with it when she is in it or even around it.

Answer 6

Have you tried Quartz? The pretty rocks/stones. They aren't fun to handle but some plants love them.

She would probably get sore paws and change her mind about digging then XD

Answer 7

Put moth balls on the top of the dirt, they hate the smell and will stay away from them. You can remove them after the cat learns that the plants smell bad.

Answer 8

Put vinegar in a spray bottle and sprtiz the top layer of the dirt. Kitties hate the taste of yuckky vinegar!!

Answer 9

Just mix 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and anise powder or star of anise in a small tea like bag and hang near your plant. good luck

Answer 10

PetSmart, Pet Barn and Wal-Mart sell cat repellant in spray form that you can spray on all kinds of areas you don't want your cat to go to. It is harmless to pets, humans, plants and furniture (and odorless).