Home Cat Care Behavior

How can I Stop my Cat From Using my Houseplants as Litter Boxes?

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How can I stop my cat from using my houseplants as litter boxes?

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If your cat lived outdoors, she would naturally use the dirt to urinate or defecate. So if she urinates in your plants, it’s because dirt is her natural toilet. So if you don’t want to remove all of the plants from your house, what can you do to stop your cat’s annoying behavior?

First, make sure that the cat’s litter box is clean and that a dirty litter box is not the cause of her behavior. Then you will need to repot your plants. Once a cat has urinated in a plant, her smell is there and she is likely to go back to that plant again. So you will need to replace the soil. Then put some type of pet repellant on the plant – these repellants are sold in many pet and garden stores.

-Dr. Larry McDaniel, DVM for the "Purina® Animal Instincts" Podcast Series

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