Conference misery::feline_v1

      Well, you could try pine cones, a layer of them on top of the
    soil should provide an uncomfortable surface for them to try to
    climb on. It did work for me once.
      Also, cats are not too fond of foil, and a few pieces kind of
    rumpled on the top might keep them out.

                          Denise

    A layer of decorative stones?  Ones too big for them to swallow.           
    

    
    Re: .0
    
    	I have no live plants left.....  (of course, the fact that
    I don't water them may contribute to this).
    
    	And, T.K. LOVES, ABSOLUTELY LOVES tin foil, makes a great
    toy that they can carry around if it is in a ball.  
    
    	Karen

    One neat thing my sister did to keep her kittens out of her beautiful,
    large ficus tree is took a piece of cardboard and cut it to fit
    the diameter of the pot.  She cut a hole in the middle to fit around
    the tree bark.  Result:  Now she simply waters plant through the
    hole and kitties stay out of her tree!
    
    Kittens do outgrow this stage eventually, but now you will have
    to take every precaution to protect your greenery.
    

    I had GREAT success with medium sized marble chips layered over
    the top of the soil.  Easy to water, but the cats are not
    attracted to it.  A bag weighs a *lot* but is not very expensive...
    should be available at a garden supplies store near where they
    have peat moss, vermiculite, etc.  I got the chip size that
    is approx 1 inch chunks.  Actually looked attractive [to humans]
    as well!

    There are two problems here; digging in the plant and eating the plant!
    I used some type if volcanic stone to cover the plant Honey found
    wonderful to dig in.  However...I don't think there is a palm plant
    on Earth that can survive kitty warfare.  If you've got a palm,
    I suggest giving it to some cat-less person before it gets eaten.
    
    Other plants they can't resist eating are spider plants ("Oh, Mom,
    salad!") and ferns ("Oh, Mom, gourmet salad!").  And the flowers
    on my African violets.  I don't remember who wrote about how her
    violets got 'furred' to death, but mine are also covered with fur.
    Sigh....
    
    Mary

    Aja recently did in one of the Thai Hot Pepper plants I've been
    trying to raise.
    
    Apparently none of the flame lives in the leaves...
    
    Edd

    Thanks for all of your suggestions -- My plants thank you.
    I think I will try the marble chips first, and if that doesn't work, 
    I'll go for the cardboard.  
    
    My kids love tin foil too, I roll up balls for them to bat around
    the kitchen floor -- they love it because they can carry it around
    in their mouth! - Doesn't that make your teeth hurt to think about?
          
    Deb, Crowder, & Nina (alias Little Girl)
    
    
    

    I have a really huge Boston fern on a plant stand.  The kitties
    nibble the fronds, but it's not noticeable since the plant is so
    big.  Keeps us all happy.
    

    
    
    	Re: tin foil
    
    	The other day I was unwrapping some food when T.K. came
    rushing over and sat expectantly in front of me begging!!  I
    couldn't believe it!!  He never begs for food.  My first thought
    was that my roommate was teaching him some bad habits.  Then
    I realized that he wanted the tin foil.
    
    	Re: spider plants
    
    	One of the few plants that can't be killed from lack of
    water.  I actually do have 2 plants that aren't dead yet
    and they are in my office where everybody else waters them
    cause they know I won't.  
    
    	I would bring the cats favorite plants to the office
    if I were you...
    
    	Karen

    
    Well, woke up this morning to find my coleus in little pieces, and
    a big dirt pile, scattered all over my (light-colored rug).
    
    Ever try vacuming at 6:00 in the morning?  Gotta hate it.
    
    I guess the kitties have won the war.  I will have to decorate with
    other (non-living) things than plants. 
    
    I can still keep my hanging plants though - I hope!
    
    DEB & the DESTRUCTO-CATS
    (would make a nice name for a band - eh??)
    

    Yup, vaccing at 6 am sucks!  I've given up all plants - the little
    suckers can jump to get to the hanging ones.  oh well..

    re: .12
    
    Pun intended?
    
    >>Yup, vaccing at 6 am sucks!
    
    Time for a new bumper sticker?  (Holly, that's your cue...)
    
    	p

    Yup it was!! I spent most of this weekend vaccing - boy, I never
    thought I would appreciate winter - at least the kids keep their
    hair on!  All Yurii (all white shorthair) has to do is curl up
    anywhere on any part of any rug and everything around him turns
    white!  He won't have any skin left if I brush/comb him any more.
    
    E.T. the_human_hair_sucker

    
    re: plants, mine are:
    
    a) outside in the garden
    b) in covered terrariums
    c) at work
    d) cactuses with thorns
    
    Note that (d) is not *always* an option, depending on the cat. 
    My former cat, Mitzi (R.I.P.), once consumed a rather large (2 foot)
    prickly pear in an afternoon.  (No, that is NOT why she died, in
    fact it didn't seem to have any effect on *her* at all.  Raised
    my blood pressure by about 30 points, though.)
    
    Rita
    

    Extracted from 

			 "Horticulture"

		July 1988, Volume LXVI Number 7, p. 13


    Q.  My cats use my potted house-plants for litter boxes.  What 
    can I do to stop them?  J.G., Boise, Idaho

    A.  With tin snips or wire cutters, cut circles of three-quarter-
    inch chicken wire (or hardware cloth) large enough to lie on the
    rim of the plant containers.  Cut a radius from the outer edge of
    the cover to a snipped-out center hole large enough to slip
    around the plant base without injuring the stems.  Your cats
    won't walk on or dig through the wire, yet water and fertilizer
    can be easily applied. 

						by Elise Cox




    - Julie

    I've been successful using pine cones and decorative
    gravel/stones placed on top of the dirt.
    
    Donna