My top 3 loves are Cats, Interior Design and Plants. Living with plants and cats is not always easy but is possible. There are many tings to take into consideration when living with cats and plants.
3 Points to Consider
Choose your plants wisely
I have mostly thick, waxy or succulent leaves. It is obvious that a cat is not going to eat a cactus but thin grassy leaves of a spider plant will be eaten and destroyed quickly.
Placement
Cactus, succulents or thick leaves you can place almost anywhere. But plants that are toxic, are highly valuable to you or are desired by your cats, these plants should be placed out of reach of your cats. You can do this by hanging them, placing on high shelves, plant shelves or furniture.
Placing plants on plant stands make it near impossible for my cats to reach their leaves. They don’t even bother trying to reach these plants.
Cover Soil in Big Plants
In my home this is the most important step. I have a large Fiddle Leaf Fig tree and if I didn’t cover the soil, my cats would dig, sleep and even pee in the soil. eek.
In the past I have covered the soil with various things such as wire, clothing hangers, cardboard, etc. They worked but never looked great. Finally, I purchased this plant pot grid protector. These come in different sizes and they are completely customizable. They are made of a thick plastic which you can cut to any size. They still allow water and air to flow but prevent my cats from touching the soil. I wouldn’t bother for small plants, but for big plants it has proven to be worth it for me. I bought the large size which is 20.8 ” and a two pack from Amazon for $22.
In my experience my cats are interested in the novelty of new plants. When I first bring home a new plant they want to check it out but afterwards they are not interested. I have also found the more plants I have the less they care.
Breanna from TerracottaDC made a comprehensive video sharing her tips and tricks to live with cats and plants. She creates lovely videos about living with plants and carefully considers the design of her home while doing so.