We may see our domestic animals acting strangely in our daily lives, but cats sleeping in potted plants is not a very uncommon occurrence.
Because the setting is so cozy, cats will sleep in potted plants. Cats are naturally highly territorial, and plant pots can offer a wonderfully warm place for cats to rest. Potted plants are not made for cats, and leaving a cat in a potted plant for an extended period of time can harm both the plant and the soil.
This article will cover the reasons for cats’ preference for sleeping in plant pots, the risks it causes to the plant, and the precautions you may take to securely keep cats out of your plant pots.
By giving your cats a cozy place to sleep, the ThermaNAP Blanket is an easy and affordable solution that you can use to safely keep them from sleeping in your plant pots. Clicking here will take you there!
Table of Contents
Why Do Cats Sleep In Plant Pots?
A cat typically uses a pot as a bed to relax.
Animals require rest after engaging in numerous activities during the day, such as hunting and other playful pursuits.
Certain prerequisites must be met for it to rest. Like other animals, cats need cool, shaded areas to rest from the heat.
The soft, cool, and pleasant soil in a plant pot offers the ideal environment for sleeping.
This is due to the fact that plants have leaves that offer shade and produce a cool environment that draws cats.
Is It Safe For A Cat To Sleep In A Plant Pot?
The cat won’t be harmed by sleeping on the ground.
One thing to keep in mind is that cats are exceptionally clean creatures and will carefully clean themselves if they pick up dirt from the ground.
Additionally, the soil does not hurt the cat in any manner. The cat is thus secure in both scenarios.
In addition, the cat’s fur will shield it from the soil so that it doesn’t get dirty.
A certain quantity of warmth will be produced while the cat sleeps on certain well-aerated soils.
Sadly, the cat starts to make it a habit of resting on the plant soil as a result.
Only if the soil was treated to remove fungi and insects could it be detrimental to cats. If consumed, the substance used can have certain harmful effects.
Because of the saltiness that the nutrients in the fertilizer give, the cat may even lick the soil when fertilizer is added.
To learn more about the effects of potting soil on dogs, visit our in-depth article on the topic.
How To Prevent Cats From Sleeping In Pots
It may be advantageous for both the plant and the cat to prevent a cat from sleeping in a plant container.
The use of physical barriers and repulsive scents are two examples of prevention strategies. All of these are safe for cats while also protecting your plant from potential harm that the cat’s playful nature can cause.
We’ll talk about what you can do to successfully keep them out.
1. Use Lava Rocks as Mulch
The plant-soil is protected by lava rocks, which also keep the cat from lying on it.
Because the lava rock is uneven, the cat cannot comfortably rest on it. This would discourage any cat from exploring any potted plant, thus.
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2. Placing the Plant on a Height
The cat can’t readily get to the plant if the plant pot is placed at a height.
For the cat, the height itself acts as a barrier. The cat would reconsider its choice because it now requires more effort to act the part and runs the risk of being hurt.
When placing a plant on a height to break a negative behavior, caution must be exercised. The cat might try to get at the plant, and if successful, it might knock it over, hurting both the cat and the plant.
To avoid any potential injuries, make sure the plant is securely fastened to the height.
3. Using a Physical Barrier
A perforated bucket, a fence made of wire and sticks, or any other number of devices can be used as barriers.
To cover the plant, you can use old netting. This prevents the cat from getting to the plant. It has absolutely no chance of using the pot, so it will go somewhere else.
This is crucial, especially if you are not watching the cat or are gone during the day.
Sticky paws are one item we discovered that performs admirably in keeping the cat out. Until the habit was broken, this prevented the cat from getting inside the plant.
4. Using a Cat Repellant
Cats do not love the aroma that the repellent emits because of how it functions.
This strategy is effective for wandering animals, especially if your property has potted plants outdoors.
It smells, to the cat. Unpleasant scents will keep cats away from the pot, so they won’t let them rest there.
A straightforward homemade repellent comprised of vinegar and water will work.
5. Provide Enough Space for the Cat
Cats are incredibly possessive and consider everything to be theirs, including the roof.
If you give your cat a cozy location to play and relax, the cat won’t look for a place to rest in your plant pot because it will have one of its own.
The cat will also stop looking for other areas to sleep because it will feel more secure and confident in its new space.
6. Move the Pot to Another Area
Another alternative is to move the planter to a different location.
The cat might have discovered that the spot where the plant is right now is ideal for sleeping.
The cat may become accustomed to a certain habit and surroundings when it enters the plant pot if the plant is moved.
The best prevention strategy, according to our expert, is to keep the plant in a different room and forbid the cat from entering.
7. Use Cat Grass as a Distraction
Cat grass offers cats a seductive diversion from your indoor plants.
Cat grass can grow in nearly any container and is very simple to grow. However, a flat, rectangular container is advised since it allows the cats easy access to the grass so they may play with it and eat it without having to get close to any inside plants.
The cat will recognize the grass as being his due to its territorial character.
View the cat grass selections on Amazon by clicking here.
8. Use a Bright Light
Maintain a strong light beaming on the plant’s base.
A bright light can assist prevent the behavior by creating an unpleasant habit for the cat while it is looking for a spot to sleep.
In order to prevent the circadian rhythm of the plant from being impacted, the light must be kept at the base.
9. Use Distractive Toys
Keeping cat-friendly toys out of the plant container can also serve as a good diversion.
The cat will become fatigued after its playtime and just fall asleep where the toys are placed if it is allowed to play with the toys away from the plant, which will help break the habit of sleeping in the plant.
Can the Cat cause Harm to the Plant
In a perfect world, anything should condense under pressure, if not break.
The dirt may become compacted under the cat’s weight.
Although some could counter that the cat’s weight is too light to compact, the truth is that compactness will nonetheless result from the cat’s weight, no matter how little.
It’s possible for the soil in potted plants to have various particle sizes and shapes.
Some become sticky when moist as well. Now, the type of soil in the container will determine how much the soil compacts. Â
The plant will experience issues if soil comes into contact with it now, following a series of the cat’s actions that included napping nonstop for a few days. We’ll talk about this in more detail next.
How will Soil Compaction Affect the plant?
The dirt particles will be forced to converge as weight is applied to it.
Poor drainage is the general result of compaction because water either sits on top of the soil or drains into and out of the soil very slowly.
This results in waterlogging and a lack of aeration for the plant’s roots, which has the knock-on effect of causing root rot.
Why do Cats Play in and Around Plants
Because of the bouncy structure of the leaves and branches, cats frequently play around plant pots.
Because of this, cats frequently paw at the leaves in a playful manner, causing the leaf to bounce back and forth.
Cats also enjoy playing with houseplants since the soil contains valuable prizes for them to locate. The cat will enjoy digging in the soil and removing any stones from the potted plant’s soil so they may play with them later.
The Takeaway
The discussion’s obvious conclusion is that the cat sleeps in plant pots because they provide a very comfortable setting for it to do so.
The cat can rest safely in the pot because nothing will hurt it while it is there.
Due to potential harm from the cat, such as stepping on the plant or having a long conversation on the plant, it is not very safe.
Therefore, to prevent cats from getting into the plant pot, employ the strategies we listed above in the article.
Cats often have no negative effects from the soil in potted plants. The soil in the container could, however, become compacted due to the cat’s weight.
Cats can be deterred from getting into potted plants by using a barrier, and giving them a more comfortable location to sleep can reduce their propensity to look for a place to sleep elsewhere.
Some of these preventive measures are cheap to set up and simple to implement.
FAQ
How do you keep cats out of pots?
Houseplant leaves with cayenne pepper sprinkled on them will cause your cat to swiftly retreat. Citrus smells are also repulsive to cats. To help keep pests away, mix orange and lemon peels with your plants in the pots. Another choice is to directly mist the foliage with orange or lemon oil that has been diluted.
Why do cats sit in plant pots?
Cats’ propensity to feel safe in cramped areas is one of the reasons they do. Instead of lying on a big couch or bed, they can hide from predators and feel safer in a flowerpot. Knowing that they are surrounded by walls and that they can physically touch each one makes them feel happy.
How do you keep cats from pooping in plant pots?
You can use some kind of barrier or deterrent to prevent cats from urinating on your potted plants. In addition to teaching your cat to relieve itself outside or in a litter box, you can cover it with stones, use chicken wire, cat repellant spray, and a motion detector noise distraction.
How can I protect my pots from my cat?
Make the Plants Disgusting Richardson advises covering the soil and plant with aluminum foil to stop cats from digging. She suggests “covering it with double sided sticky tape” for cats that scratch at the pot. These surfaces don’t appeal to them in terms of how they feel to their paws.
Do cats dig in plant pots?
Based on the instinctual behavior of cats to dig before eliminating, plant digging is a completely normal behavior for cats. This inclination frequently arises from the natural cat litter known as soil. Digging is probably fun for cats as well because it comes so naturally to them. According to Kroll, curiosity about the plant is frequently the initial draw.