Orchids and Cats

[Belinda Barfield]

I am determined not to be beaten by orchids, or at least to have one that I don't kill. My latest efforts are two "rescue" orchids that I picked up from the bargain cart at a local store. One is doing very well. The second was very near death when I got it. It was still in bloom though. So here's the second problem - with the first being my inability to successfully maintain orchids - my cat keeps "picking" the blooms. He has always loved flowers. I found one bloom a few days ago on the carpet and assumed it had just fallen off on its own. This morning I found a second bloom in the middle of the dining table. I pretty sure it didn't get there by itself. Any ideas on how to cat proof the plants?
203472

[anthony wall]

depends on the type of orchid ,some need soil to grow in so generaly they will be in reach of your cat ,others need only something for their roots to cling to this type do much better hanging up in part shade and can be hung out of your cats reach ,its half an answer at least

[Curt Harms]

Hang it up? Nice lookin' cat.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hang it up?

The orchid or the cat?

[Chuck Wintle]

I would suggest to either cage the orchid or cage the cat....probably easier to make a small cage to surround the orchid.

[Belinda Barfield]

All good ideas. Thanks. He is a nice looking cat. I've tried placing it high and out of his reach and he just tries to jump to it. Maybe a cage will work - for the orchid, not the cat.

[David G Baker]

I have the same problem with our cat. I like the cage idea. Another idea is to plant some rye grass in a place where the cat can get to it. I use a 9"X18"X2" baking pan with Miracle grow potting soil in it. The cat gets it fill of greenery and leaves the plants alone. This works for house plants but I haven't tested it on flowers yet. We have a Sun room that has a sliding door and screen that we close when flowers are brought into the house to isolate th flowers from the cat.

[Curt Harms]

The orchid or the cat?

Your post elicted 4 hisses. Daisy Mae the Maine Coon says "may a mouse run up your pant leg." :D

[Jason Roehl]

Put some pepper around/on it. The cat should be put off when it gets a whiff of the pepper.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Cat-shaped hole in the screen door.

[Belinda Barfield]

Four hisses. . . that's quite a rating! I only got one hiss today when the heat index was 110 and I told the cats they needed to come in off of the porch. Horendous thunderstorm right now so one is hiding under the bed . . . the other is chasing a piece of crochet thread. I've been attempting to make some baby booties today but the cat has interfered.

[Curt Harms]

Four hisses. . . that's quite a rating!

4 cats


I've been attempting to make some baby booties today but the cat has interfered.

That's not interfering, that's 'helping' :p

[David Weaver]

Cat-shaped hole in the screen door.

One-way door that keeps the cat outside would make the door even better.

[Brian Vaughn]

Have you tried one of the motion activated air sprayers like the Contech Stayaway? We use it on my cat to keep him off the counter, and does a pretty darn good job. Here's an Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Contech-StayAway-Motion-Activated-Pet-Deterrent/dp/B000DZFFN4/ The one thing I will say is to try to aim the motion detector away from areas you normally walk through...nothing will wake you up like a loud beep and a spray of air at 5 AM.

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

Here in Tucson, an inexperienced assistant feed the giraffes foliage from some plants that have been growing in the zoo that were poisonous.
Every one knew not to feed that plant to the animals, except the person feeding the animals yes we had a dead giraffe a very sick giraffe.
the solution at the zoo, get rid of all the poisonous plants and fire the assistant.
I guess unless you are sure it could never happen, I would sacrifice the plant, it probably would not be worth it to loose such a nice cat.

[Belinda Barfield]

One-way door that keeps the cat outside would make the door even better.

Third floor condo. Bit of a leap, even for a cat. Plus, with the heat hovering at 100 and the heat index 110 to 115 most days I hate to make him suffer. Yes, I know, he's a cat.


Here in Tucson, an inexperienced assistant feed the giraffes foliage from some plants that have been growing in the zoo that were poisonous.
Every one knew not to feed that plant to the animals, except the person feeding the animals yes we had a dead giraffe a very sick giraffe.
the solution at the zoo, get rid of all the poisonous plants and fire the assistant.
I guess unless you are sure it could never happen, I would sacrifice the plant, it probably would not be worth it to loose such a nice cat.

He seems to have lost interest in the orchid since Saturday. I did have to sacrifice a couple of nice ferns because he kept trying to eat them and throwing up. I have grown grass for him and he just doesn't seem to like it all that well. (maybe if I rolled it for him? JOKING)

[Curt Harms]

Third floor condo. Bit of a leap, even for a cat. Plus, with the heat hovering at 100 and the heat index 110 to 115 most days I hate to make him suffer. Yes, I know, he's a cat.

Bad height. There was an article on Dogs vs. Cats in Parade magazine (Sunday newspaper supplement) this past weekend. They interviewed a vet in NYC about cats falling from high rises. The cats that fell from 10 floors or higher usually fared better than those who fell from 2 or 3 floors up. If they have enough time airborne, they can maneuver their bodies to land in the least damaging position. 2 or 3 floors doesn't give them enough time.

[Marty Paulus]

We are up to three cats now. We have no live plants in the house. Since getting the third cat we have learned that there is no horizontal surface in the house that at least one of the cats cannot get to. It is amazing to watch them learn from each other on what is possible. Our largest cat has been taught by the youngest that he can get on the fireplace mantle. We have watched the youngest go up the counters and on top of the kitchen cabinets. The little furball has even been able to get on the six foot tall entertainment center in the living room.

Unfortunately the cage for the plants may be the best option unless the cats lose interest.

[Belinda Barfield]

Bad height. There was an article on Dogs vs. Cats in Parade magazine (Sunday newspaper supplement) this past weekend. They interviewed a vet in NYC about cats falling from high rises. The cats that fell from 10 floors or higher usually fared better than those who fell from 2 or 3 floors up. If they have enough time airborne, they can maneuver their bodies to land in the least damaging position. 2 or 3 floors doesn't give them enough time.

We're not allowed to screen the porch by condo association docs, so we made removable panels with bird netting as the screen. It's not nearly as visible as regular screen, and the cats can't get through it. This allows us to give them some "outside" time which my SO is convinced they need. I'm sitting beside one of them right now and he seems pretty content to be in the air conditioned environment.


We are up to three cats now. We have no live plants in the house. Since getting the third cat we have learned that there is no horizontal surface in the house that at least one of the cats cannot get to. It is amazing to watch them learn from each other on what is possible. Our largest cat has been taught by the youngest that he can get on the fireplace mantle. We have watched the youngest go up the counters and on top of the kitchen cabinets. The little furball has even been able to get on the six foot tall entertainment center in the living room.

Unfortunately the cage for the plants may be the best option unless the cats lose interest.

We're up to five total. Two at home, two regulars at work, and a stray male that wandered up several weeks ago. I've scheduled the male to be neutered and then I have to find a home for him (or not - everyone is pretty attached to him at this point). Never having been a "cat person" until I took in the first rescue, it is amazing to me how different their personalities can be. Squirrels? Now that is a critter with some attitude. I took one in before his eyes were open and had him for almost a year. He was very good at communicating what was on his mind.

Yesterday I was getting ready to leave work and I couldn't find one of the cats. I knew it was in the office and of course it wouldn't come when called. I knew this cat had a particular liking for being on top of the kitchen cabinets. Finally, I cracked the top on a tin of food and suddenly ear tips appeared above the crown on top of the cabinets . . . the I saw two golden eyes . . . cat found. I still don't know how she gets up there. 9 foot ceilings and nothing to launch herself from other than the counter below. These are display cabinets that were in our showroom a while ago and there is a section for wine bottles. I think she climbs that like a ladder.

[Jason Roehl]

Bad height. There was an article on Dogs vs. Cats in Parade magazine (Sunday newspaper supplement) this past weekend. They interviewed a vet in NYC about cats falling from high rises. The cats that fell from 10 floors or higher usually fared better than those who fell from 2 or 3 floors up. If they have enough time airborne, they can maneuver their bodies to land in the least damaging position. 2 or 3 floors doesn't give them enough time.

That's not how I've heard it. Ten floors gets them to terminal velocity, after which point they relax, which distributes the shock of the impact throughout their body. Just a few floors means they are still tensed up, which gets them seriously hurt or killed. I've had several cats over the years, and from my waist (~3 feet), I can hold them with their back down, drop them, and they'll maneuver in the air to land on their feet every time--but you can tell they're tensed up.

[Curt Harms]

That's not how I've heard it. Ten floors gets them to terminal velocity, after which point they relax, which distributes the shock of the impact throughout their body. Just a few floors means they are still tensed up, which gets them seriously hurt or killed. I've had several cats over the years, and from my waist (~3 feet), I can hold them with their back down, drop them, and they'll maneuver in the air to land on their feet every time--but you can tell they're tensed up.

That's entirely possible, Jason. I've heard similar about why intoxicated drivers survive crashes that they shouldn't.