Help! I was watering my plants this weekend and found cat poop in the dirt! I have two neutered male cats and they’ve never done this before. What can I do to stop this nasty behavior? Thanks, A.P.
Don’t worry, A.P.!
Your cats aren’t the only ones pooping in your potted plants. An understanding of how cats choose their elimination areas will help you see why they would do something that seems so ‘nasty.’
The main deciding factor by which cats choose their elimination spots is texture. Most cats like to eliminate on soft surfaces (deep litterboxes with fine grained litter, dirty laundry, bedspreads, carpet) and some prefer smooth surfaces (shallowly-filled litterboxes, bathtubs, tile). Some cats even prefer to eliminate on soil. So, it’s not uncommon for cats to eliminate at the foot of the living room ficus tree.
This behavior may be normal, but it’s not at all unstoppable. The key is to make your plant pots unattractive to your cats. For example, making the area around your plants smell like citrus fruits is often effective. Most cats dislike citrus scents and will avoid the area, as long as you make sure that you refresh the scent regularly. It’s also possible to make the plants less attractive from a textural point of view by putting something that feels unpleasant to your cat on top of the soil around the plant. Sharp pebbles often work nicely, as do small, pointy pinecones. Making the area around your potted plants uncomfortable using double-sided carpet tape or an upside-down vinyl carpet protector (pointy side up and cut to size) may also do the trick.
For more tips on correcting unwanted behavior in your cats, please call the Houston SPCA Animal Behavior and Training Department at 713-869-7722, ext. 190, or email us at Behavior@hspca.org.