The toxic plant list helps me pick plants for outside, cuz the bunnies cant/wont/betternotiftheynotwhatsgoodforthem eat it. :) D

hello :) I've had many many cats over the years, some like plants and eat them, some show no interest or seem to know which ones are not safe to eat. All of my plants that are questionably toxic at all are about 12 feet up in the air on shelves in upper windows. I use a ladder to water them. Actually? They look very nice up there and I only need to water once every 7-10 days. The cats can't reach them because there are absolutely NO lower shelves leading up to them to jump on or things in front of them that they can jump on to reach them. There is no way they can get to those plants. Cats can climb and most can climb very well, especially if they are active and curious, most cats are agile enough to be amazing. I've never had sprays (water, air, the smelly stuff, etc) keep them away reliably if I'm not there spraying. I've tried cat grass, catnip, etc. which was eaten but so were the other plants, the cat just didn't understand our conversation about the plant replacement idea... Toxic plants 100% out of reach by extreme height like I have or no toxic plants at all is the only truly safe solution I personally have been able to rely on. My non toxic plants are all over the house on window sills and shelves but none of my current cats eat plants at all. In all honesty, IMHO, since this cat is coming in and known to eat plants, if you can't get the plants up high totally 100% out of reach, I would put the toxic plants in a room where the door could always stay shut entirely away from the new cat. You can buy a cheap shop light at a box store, the last one I got was less than $10 and works fine as is for most plants, especially if it's only for the winter. There are other types of lights available but they usually cost more but would work better for higher light plants. Lots of options there. As long as the door was ALWAYS shut it'd could be the safeset idea. Possibly a closet could be used. If it's the type of cage that just has sides I can't see it working no matter how high you made the sides not only because of climbing but because it could be really easy to knock over (think playing toddlers, if it's not strongly anchored it will fall) An active cat could easily knock it over. A few projections also won't stop a cat. I personally would be afraid to try it with the new cat and the toxic plants you have. This is just what's worked for me, good luck!

I'm so glad you posted regarding non-toxic plants ! I'm ashamed that I didn't think of it ! Last year, my new chow pup became violently ill...wouldn't eat or drink water, tail drooped, sad, pain-filled eyes...We couldn't figure out what was wrong, until I found pieces of aloe vera scattered around the yard, with chew marks ! this was surprising as I know aloe vera to be considered a medicinal plant ! I've used it many times (on myself) for burns etc. Rudy is now two years old, but still has an appetite for plants ! I have a nine page list of toxic plants that I refer to every time I head for a garden center ! I also printed out the non-toxic list for a "double-check"...My lists are from the "pawprinte and purrs" website; but there's also an excellent list on ASPCA website, but I couldn't get it to print ! In case you're wondering what cured him, I'm not sure, but I gave him several doses of liquid Golden Seal (from health food store); maybe he just got better on his own...bottom line is it was a lesson learned by me, if not HIM! I just wish that the plant info tags state "toxic" or "pet safe"... I also would like to suggest that posters to our site follow suit and indicate the same when they recommend plants to us...On the other hand, I guess it's our own responsibility to check it out ourselves... But I DO wish the professional plant growers would provide the info, right along with sun/shade, water, annual/perennial etc. Thanks for bringing up this important topic !

Me too ~ clay (terracotta), or plastic. I buy tons of clay pots very cheap at one of the local home decor potteries. Walmart also carries clay pots at a decent price. They do require frequent watering, as they tend dry out quickly in the sun. But it looks very nice, and will last forever...