We're going to be adopting a cat or most likely 2 cats when we get back from vacation in a couple weeks and we have lots of questions before we get them since both me and my husband haven't had a cat in a long time. We have a bay window that faces South (and faces a couple bird feeders that I bet cats would love to watch). It's been a perfect place to grow cactus. We're wondering if we can just move the cactus to the corners of the bay windows giving the cats space to lay up there. Do you think they'll knock over the cactus or worse yet hurt themselves on them or try eating them?
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Will cats hurt themselves on cactus?
- Thread starter peeps
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I would imagine they will give themselves a poke once and then stay away. It might be a little dangerous if they start playing near them and fall into it.
Does your bay window have any wall on either side? You could put up little shelves for your cactus to keep them out of the way. I don't think it'll be a huge problem though. Candelabra cactus is listed as poisonous, though, so if you have that particular kind you're better off just getting rid of it.
As for knocking them over... well, yes. Anything not nailed down has the chance of being knocked over, and dirt is fun to dig in. You can put sort of a fabric mesh over the soil and then if it tips it won't spill and they can't dig in it.
Good luck kitty-proofing!
Does your bay window have any wall on either side? You could put up little shelves for your cactus to keep them out of the way. I don't think it'll be a huge problem though. Candelabra cactus is listed as poisonous, though, so if you have that particular kind you're better off just getting rid of it.
As for knocking them over... well, yes. Anything not nailed down has the chance of being knocked over, and dirt is fun to dig in. You can put sort of a fabric mesh over the soil and then if it tips it won't spill and they can't dig in it.
Good luck kitty-proofing!
please be careful with cactus around your cats.
(warning, graphic story below)
i was watching Animal Cops the other day, and this cat had wandered into cactus and gotten stuck, and was literally COVERED with cactus spines. ive never seen anything more horrible. im not exageratting-the cat looked like a cat-shaped cactus, and it was laying on the ground and crying so pitifully..i could tell even the animal control lady was shaken. the rushed the cat to the vet and sedated it immediately, and pulled all the spines out. thankfully the cat recovered, but i'd imagine it's going to take a while for it to fully recover from the trauma. thats the only Animal Cops that's ever made me cry. seriously, it was really bad. so just please, be careful with cactus and your kitties...if it was me, after seeing that show, i'm never going to have cactus in a house with my cats. it was outdoors that this happened, but still... better safe than sorry.
(warning, graphic story below)
i was watching Animal Cops the other day, and this cat had wandered into cactus and gotten stuck, and was literally COVERED with cactus spines. ive never seen anything more horrible. im not exageratting-the cat looked like a cat-shaped cactus, and it was laying on the ground and crying so pitifully..i could tell even the animal control lady was shaken. the rushed the cat to the vet and sedated it immediately, and pulled all the spines out. thankfully the cat recovered, but i'd imagine it's going to take a while for it to fully recover from the trauma. thats the only Animal Cops that's ever made me cry. seriously, it was really bad. so just please, be careful with cactus and your kitties...if it was me, after seeing that show, i'm never going to have cactus in a house with my cats. it was outdoors that this happened, but still... better safe than sorry.
Depends on the cactus, IMO. If in doubt, move the cactus.
But our only experience has been with Sheba (RB) who was known to unpot small cacti and play with them and sleep in the 8 inch cactus garden pot!
But our only experience has been with Sheba (RB) who was known to unpot small cacti and play with them and sleep in the 8 inch cactus garden pot!
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I have LOTS of cacti in my house, and so far, no issues whatsoever, although I do have an agave that Ginger likes to put her cheek scent on.
The only plants in my house that have been in danger of kitty are the leafy ones in large pots (she liked to lay in the dirt in the pots until I used cat scat spike mats bought through a garden catalog) and my poor ponytail palm bonsai (now living safely at work.)
The only plants in my house that have been in danger of kitty are the leafy ones in large pots (she liked to lay in the dirt in the pots until I used cat scat spike mats bought through a garden catalog) and my poor ponytail palm bonsai (now living safely at work.)
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That's scary about the cat that was covered with cactus needles. I have 5 in the window and only one of them is a bigger one with lots of needles. I'll for sure move that one or give it to someone who doesn't have cats. There's no way to build shelves in the bay window cuz it's all windows. Maybe putting a shelf on the wall across the room from the bay window and putting them up on there would be good.
