I'm going thru that with the kittens we just brought in Adellabedella. I put the foil down, it's crumpled because the pieces I laid down flat had urine on them. And I bought some granuals at Home Depot or Lowes that gets sprinkled on the soil. Those seem to be working. It's called Worry Free.

cut small pieces of chicken wire in circles, put small stones on it. Might work.

I read somewhere a long time ago that putting citrus peels in flower beds keeps the cats out. Don't know if it actually works, or if it would work in houseplants, but I guess it's worth a try.

Good luck!

Now she lifts it up when she wants to go and puts it back down.

Sorry bu this visual is too much lol

She's tidy isn't she (placing the foil back down) LOL
Roll the tinfoil into balls and place it on top of the dirt.
Pine cones also work, big and prickly ones. Same as uneven shaped stones. Anything to prevent them to walk on the soil.

Citrus peels might work as well. They don't like the smell of citrus.

I use sticks liberally placed over the turned over soil in the border to our front walk to keep cats out. They don't like to be poked. Poke some sticks or bamboo into the soil.

Thanks! I'll try the sharp things in the soil.

The tree is actually an orange tree. Last year she kept it so well fertilized it started producing oranges. I don't know that citrus peels in the soil will stop her.

She is 1 1/2 years old. It's the first time I've ever lived around a younger indoor cat. She seems pretty smart and gets into a lot of stuff. She is notorious for getting into the dog treats and dropping them down to the dog. I had thought the foil would work, but she outsmarted us.

Pine cones worked for me or maybe try marbles or a wire grid.

how do you stop a cat?

.....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I was going to suggest pine cones as well.

Try several strips of scotch tape (or the wider packing tape) with the sticky side up, taped from one side of the plant pot to the other so they would have to step on the tape. Our cats hated to touch it, but it worked wonders to train them not to jump up onto the window sill.

i always have used pinecones. i pick up fresh ones every year and when the plants come inside for the winter, i put fresh pinecones on the top of the potting soil. haven't had any problems since i've been doing this. good luck!! ;)

I was thinking that maybe you should place the plant (in a pot) in a pan of kitty litter. That way kitty would still have the pleasure of using the facilities and also use the litter box at the same time. hen lift the pot out to remove the used litter. I liked those liners that you place ten in the box and lift out the used ones ,

Take her to the vet for a check-up. When a cat starts urinating in places other than the litterbox, it can signal a urinary tract infection (UTI). With a UTI, the cat associates the litterbox with pain and seeks other locations to pee. At least have her checked out to rule out anything health-wise.

My aged cat started doing that,it smelled and the plants were dying. I did the foil thing, then tried putting some gravel from my backyard over the soil. It helped a little, but her behavior continued. She passed away ion June 2010, from multiple organ failure (kidneys, liver,spleen). I agree, take her to a vet. There may be a treatable medical problem.

Well, you probably need to change the soil. Once it's marked she'll continue to pee over the same spot to remark her scent. Replace the soil, and then add a deterrant thats safe for pets.

You can get deterrants from a pet store or nursery. Pinecones are also a good idea, providing she doesn't like to carry them around or bat them throughout the house.

The bigger question is why isn't she using a litter box? Does she have a litter preference? You might need to mix some soil in with the litter if she prefers the texture.

And if she's recently started to pee outside the box, then a vet check is definitely in order to rule out a kidney or bladder infection. If she is not using the litter box you can also try a litter called Cat Attract which might bring her back to using a box.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Attract Litter

citrus slice up lemon and orange and lay it in the pot on top of the soil also the peels of citrus should work too.

My 3 cats all started peeing in strange places as they were going into kidney failure it is one of the sure signs to watch for.

My barn cat doesn't tell me where she(?) pees ... and I haven't found out, otherwise.

Life has some advantages.

ole joyful

I had her checked for a UTI a couple of weeks ago. She didn't have one. She does have some litter box sensitivities, but I think I've fixed most of those. I think her issue with the tree is just that she likes to pee in dirt. The tree is in my dining room so I won't be adding a litter box near it.

Question for you....was the orange tree outside during warmer weather? There may be other animal's smells in the soil and she's doing what comes naturally.

If pinecones don't work, get some bird netting (like you would use outside to cover blueberry or raspberry bushes) and use that around the pot and tree.

Some cats like to dig to China and the litter box doesn't always work for them. Dirt feels better on their feet too.

The tree was outside over the summer.