Although when we say, “hang em high,” we are not referring to nooses and the greasy necks of outlaws as in the old Clint Eastwood movie of the same name, we do, nevertheless mean hang and we do mean high. Some plants, particularly spiders, are irresistible to our beloved cats, and the only way to avoid their ingestion is to place them as far away from their territorial mouths as possible!
Although cats love spider plants, they are not as harmful to their health as other hanging varieties such as heart-shaped philodendron, asparagus fern and dieffenbachia (also known as dumb cane). The ingestion of these plants can make a cat very sick and if your cat has swallowed parts of any of these plants, you should get them to a veterinarian as soon as possible. To be on the safe side, remove all plants from cat’s eye level, if it is at all possible. If this can’t be done, there is one more way to go, and the path is not only paved with good intentions, but also a lot greener than might be expected.
Kitty grass can fulfill a cat’s need for “a green salad,” and it is very cheap and available at most supermarkets. You do need to refrigerate the grass every 48 hours or so to keep it fresh, but cats do like it and it is good for them. Regular ingestion of the grass will keep them away (hopefully) from other innocent green things. The first time I tried it on my cats, it didn’t work too well, but now they eat the stalks once in a while. I moved most of my plants to high shelves and onto plant hangers and the like.
Keep them busy and distract them (the cats, not the plants). That’s my motto. The only problem concerns what advice can I give to my poor, unsuspecting plants.
Hang em high, folks! Your cats may not thank you, but your plants will.