Well, yesterday was not so hot for my newly potted cuttings. One of our cats was accidentally let into the room where I keep the plants. It is a strictly no-feline zone, as the same animal wiped out my tomatoes and peppers a year ago and generally prevents us from having houseplants throughout the house.

Anyway, I went to mist the babies and found fluffy, black hair dangling all over where many leaves used to be. Bits of fig leaf were strewn about. Suffice to say, I was furious. Some of the plants had top growth and very little in the way of roots when potted. And a couple were my better ones. I really hope they somehow recover.

Anyone want a stupid, destructive cat?

If anyone wants 2 more cats, let me know.

That doesn't sound good. There's always a chance they'll recover with some luck. Maybe he/she didn't see the NO CATS ALLOWED sign.
Best of luck

John - that is aggravating!!!  No cats in my house!  I like some aspects of cats but since they pretty much go where they want (and the shedding) I'll pass.

If the roots weren't disturbed to much I think they will be fine.  Good luck!!

I'm lucky since my cat is half in-door, half out-door and doesn't show interest (so far) in potted plants.  He also keeps down the mice and chipmunk population.  I agree that if your cuttings have healthy roots they should recover.

Steve

My dormant figs are encased in a dome of chicken wire, specifically because of this cat. He would chew the bark and use the pots as a litter box if they were not protected. He sucks. I had had enough of him last year; and we took him to a no-kill shelter. But my wife missed him so much that we went back and reclaimed him. I admit that I felt guilty at the time, but this latest incident makes me regret giving him another shot. Crossing my fingers that the figs recover. Thanks.

I have 2 that were adopted as adults and one that was born outside. The ones that had always lived their lives inside were simply obsessed with eating plants, mostly orchids at the time. If I had not laid down the law with the sprayer I doubt I would have been able to raise figs from cuttings at all. The other one who was feral only likes to come up and rub them with her cheek because her daddy likes them and so does she.

John, I recommend that you get a pump sprayer and have it at high pressure. Let the cat into the room while you are there, as soon as it is interested in the cuttings make a tsss noise with your mouth and then blast it till it is out of the room.

i have a spray bottle i zap our 2 cats with. after awhile i just make the sound and they run away. the wife is wantint to do a trial seperation so she can figure out what she want in life. i told her when she goes the animals go too.

Wow!  Let us all know if they don't recover, and maybe we can chime in and replace what got destroyed! 

Bummer!

I'll try the sprayer again. I am afraid though that this cat is hardcore. Nothing seems to stop him. That why the plants were, in theory, safely tucked away from him.

Nothing we have tried keeps him from eating any and all plants. Only my cacti have proven too much for him. In the past, we even tried a special spray to make the leaves foul tasting. He just chewed them, then threw them up all over. He is a force of destruction. And he eats more than just plants. He chews up carpet, woodwork, anything he feels like at the time. And if he cannot eat it, he is likely to try to urinate on it. Drives me crazy.

You need this kid, invent a time machine and travel back to 2001 to find him ; ) (no it is not me, I have never been this cool)


And here is something else you should consider

Wow!  John!  My daughter-in-law had two cats, but when she brought a puppy home, one of the cats did exactly as you describe.  That cat got put in some rescue place.  The dog is pretty crazy too, but sweet crazy!  Dog stays outside mostly!

Maybe you should put it up for adoption? and get one of those carnivorous plants instead?

Suzi

That cat with the tape on its paws was the funniest thing I saw today!!
We used spray bottles for our cat. He would jump sky high..

You never can tell what kind of personality a cat will have. Have you considered those motion detecters sold to deter cats from a certain area? Not sure if they just make a very loud noise or squirt the animal but it might help. I have plants in every room of the house and 2 cats. Only one has shown an interest in chewing the leaves of my plants but he has successfully ended the show life of about 3 or 4 very cool plants and a couple just grown for fun. I saw on the show "My Cat From Hell" that the best thing is redirection, which is give him his own plants. You can grow grasses and catnip and put it down by his food bowl, then keep squirting when he goes into your plants or try the motion detecter. Also, all that chewing sounds like some kind of nutrient deficiency. Jackson would recommend you take him to the vet and get bloodwork done. Oh is he neutered? If not, that will calm him down considerably.  I don't think taking him to a shelter is an option if the wife is attached, but hey believe me I do understand the frustration. Good Luck