Plant Doctor Archive

My kittens chew my indoor plants

My two terrorist kittens chewed every leaf that comes from my ponytail fern. They went brown at each edge. I cut them all off (the brown bits). So far it looks okay, but have I done more damage? Also my "darlings" love to chew ALL my household plants and pepper doesn't seem to deter them. Any suggestions?

No, you have not done any damage to your ponytail palm — it is okay to cut the brown ends off your palm. As the palm grows, these leaves will drop off naturally anyway.

As for keeping the cats at bay, move the plants to where they cannot reach them, if this is practical. Give the kittens other "toys" to play with or put the kittens outside.

Pepper is another solution, which you have already tried, or you could try something stronger, such as cayenne pepper.

The kittens will grow out of this phase, but the plants may suffer in the meantime.

Advice by Dr Dan Blanchon from Unitec's Diploma in Sustainable Horticulture and Bachelor of Resource Management.

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