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EATING PLANTS
It is not really known why cats eat plants. There are a
variety of explanations that have been offered: a nutritional
deficiency, a way to induce vomiting, perhaps because the
cat has worms, or that it is just plain fun. Whatever the
reason, it is an exceedingly dangerous habit. Many household
and garden plants are poisonous.
One
good meal of the common houseplant Dieffenbachia is usually
the last meal a cat will eat. If the cat is developing a
habit of eating plants, until the problem is solved, either
remove the plants or confine the cat to an area with no
plants.
Give
your cat some plants that are safe to eat. There are a number
of commercially available kitty herb gardens for this purpose.
POISONOUS
PLANTS
Be aware of what types of plants are in your home and whether
they are toxic to cats. Be aware that there are VERY FEW
places where a determined cat can't get to, so it is best
to remove all toxic plants from your home entirely . . .
this includes certain types of pine trees, so be careful
at the holiday season.
Does your cat seem to like horticulture as much as you do?
Here are a few suggestions for you on how to keep
your kitty critters away from the plants and also stop them
from digging the dirt around them:
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Keep
the soil nice and moist, since cats prefer to dig in dry
places.
-
Place
decorative rocks on top of the dirt.
-
Mix
some green vegetables in with your cat's food.
-
Buy
your cat his own plant of grass blades or catnip, so he'll
favorite instead of your other plants.
-
Hang
the plants up too high for him to reach.
-
Put
a thin layer of pebbles over the soil around the plants
which will take away some of the soil smell that attracts
your cat and may make him urinate in the soil.
-
To
keep him from eating the plants, you can also put substances
that he doesn't like on the leaves.
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