Hi all, I’m new here and really happy to find this space. I’ve always loved animals, especially pets, and recently got more into gardening as well. One thing I’m struggling with is keeping my plants safe from my cat who loves digging up the soil and messing around in pots. I don’t want to stop her from enjoying the garden, just trying to find a balance.Has anyone dealt with this before?
To stop indoor cats from digging in house plants, I used to put rocks in the top of the pot, spaced around the stem. Not gravel, but rocks the size of my fist or larger, so cats wouldn’t move them. This would probably work for outdoor plants with only a few stems, like peppers or tomatoes. Obviously it would not work for certain herbs or flowers with many crowded stems, where there would be no space for rocks.
Here I have seen people chuck seedless limones (Citrus × latifolia) down under plants when first planted until the ground hardens to keep cats from them. I think the cats do not care for the smell so avoid them?
These limones are used in local cuisine so extremely plentiful here (I have three trees in my garden alone) so this may not be economically good advice everywhere. But perhaps another smell that would act to dissuade the cat from being interested in a particular plant?
Both of the suggestions so far are good; here’s a third for you. Wire window screen mesh—not the fiberglass stuff, but old-fashioned fine wire—cut as an insert to the pot, with a little bit of soil over the top.
You’ll cut the piece to fit inside the top of the pot to start; doesn’t have to be a tight fit, but big enough to go almost to the edge of the dirt all around. Then you make a cut to the center, and cut out a circle big enough to fit around the plant with some room to spare. For instance, if the pot has a 9 inch (22.86 cm) diameter, then the mesh circle should be no more than 8.5 inches (21.5 cm) across. The inner circle is probably big enough at 1.5 in / 3 cm, unless you have a plant with multiple stems.
I’ve used @roadside_rambler’s rock method, and @ItsMeLucy’s suggestion of citrus peels (in my case, limes and lemons). They both work, but I’ve had the best luck with screen mesh, because it deters squirrels. (Seriously, I’ve seen them dig under rocks so that they could get to the roots of a plant.) My suggestion would be to try all of the deterrent methods, and see which one works best for your cat.
Good luck, and welcome!
Another possibility is to have a “sacrificial” plant, something that you don’t mind your cat damaging that will be more attractive to the cat than the other plants. Some cats will spend all their time on catnip or young grasses if they are available. Have those as an option (in a difficult to knock over pot) and the cat may leave the rest alone.