How to Stop a Cat from Digging in Houseplants

Do you have a cat who loves to dig in the soil around your houseplants?

These meme*, going around the Internet recently, shows two terrific ways to thwart those kitties that  love to dig in the dirt around your potted plants. Plus, you can recycle those old plastic forks and foam plates in a useful way!

If your indoor garden is getting dug up, you can also try a couple additional tactics. First, placing plants out of reach or inside a terrarium or cage. Second, give them their own special place where they are allowed to dig, like a pot of soil place inside a tub, which is a totally natural urge. 

*If anyone has the original source for these photos, please let me know, so we can give proper credit.

The Fluff Factor

Janet Endsley, a Seminar & Judging Manager for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, shared this wonderful photo.

She wrote,"I had planted this Nepeta (Catmint) only an hour before. This was our beloved Prince Kuddles, a Blue Mitted Ragdoll. We said farewell to him about 2 years ago at age 18. This photo was taken when he was around 12. We got him when our daughter was 5, and he was the perfect cat for a young child, so calm and mellow. Most nights he would spend on my lap as I read and watched TV. What I love is that when I brushed him (his fur was downy soft like rabbit fur) I saved the fur. I made some home-made bird nesting balls with his fur, some yarn and lichen, wrapping it in bird netting and putting it out by my feeders. Within a few months the balls were nearly empty, but most of the yarn and lichen were left. They had taken all his fur. It makes me happy knowing that he lives on providing a soft nest for baby birds. I have a blue garden by the front door in his honor. Of course, it includes Nepeta!"

Cat Helping Out in the Garden

This is a fun video of a cat playing with dirt -- the ultimate "cat in a garden."