What to do when your cats use container plants as a litter box.
Cats make great pets but as an owner of two of them I can say that they are some sneaky animals that will take advantage of fresh soil when they see it. When going to the bathroom your cats like soft materials that are easy on the pads of their feet. If you have plants in containers then you might be looking at a potential problem. We’re going to find a way to prevent cats from dropping those most unpleasant gifts in our plants.
Cat excrement harbors many pathogens that can cause harm to humans like Toxoplasmosis, parasites and even bacterial infections2 The urine is loaded with ammonia as well and can effect our breathing if you’re smelling this repeatedly in your home. There’s a high probability that you may need to repot your plant depending on how much and how frequently they used the container as a litter box. Keep in mind that fresh soil and repotting would entice your cat again so we need to protect the base with something.
Cats don’t like certain textures on their feet so we can find a few things that we can use to keep them away. They do not like stickiness from tape, can’t stand certain smells like citrus and certainly don’t like any spikey materials. My first option was plastic forks. Not only are they cheap but they are spikey. The issue with that was that the cats can knock them over if they really wanted to and it’s not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing.
I wasn’t too confident on the forks because if the cats really wanted to they could knock them other. Even if it did work, the fact that I have a bunch of forks sticking out in my soil was not what I want to see. Instead, I found scrap chicken wire. The material isn’t sharp but it doesn’t feel good against their pads. Just cut the wire to size of the container and now you have the option of fastening it to the planter or not. I just curled the end and domed it out on top of the soil.
You can still see the wire but it’s not as noticeable as the plastic forks. Seashells and stones are another option but it’s more of a personal preference as to what materials you want to use. No matter what option you settle on, know that your plant are safe now.
Footnotes
- https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/zoonotic-disease-what-can-i-catch-my-cat
- https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/zoonotic-disease-what-can-i-catch-my-cat