Cats, Plants, and Tabasco Sauce

This is kind of random, but does anyone know if Tabasco Sauce will kill a plant? It is the only thing that deters my cats that we've found. We put it on the trash and it works like a dream.

Now, I am no green thumb, so generally I have come to terms with the fact that none of my plants are going to survive for long. HOWEVER, my mom decided to give me a plant that is somehow linked to my birth (long story...) and I am DETERMINED not to let it die.

Problem: The cats have decided that they would like to eat it.

Currently, I have it in a closed-off room. A room that I would rather not have closed off. (My rats and sugar gliders live in there, and I hate that they are isolated.)

So my question is this: Will putting a little bit of Tabasco Sauce in the pot kill my plant? Or maybe if I dab some on the leaves. I think it's mostly the smell that discourages my cats now, so it doesn't necesarily need to be someplace chewable.

I know... random...

Why not keep it in the room?

And no, I don't know what tabasco would do to a plant.. but I don't recommend it. Try bitter apple (if it works with your kitties) on the leaves. If it's just the smell now that's bothering them, you can put the tabasco on the outside of the pot.

you could also try to train the cats with redirection. Get some cat grass and make a big thing of it. Every time they go for your plants redirect them to the cat grass. when you can't be watching them then close the door to the room with the plants. Like teaching a puppy not to eat your couch.

I just hate having closed doors in my house. Especially in the upstairs rooms, it makes things look so stuffy. That and it bothers me that the ratties and suggies are closed off from direct human contact because of a plant.

The bitter apple doesn't work on my cats. They will still chew/scratch/knock over anything that is treated with the stuff. Bleh. Neither did the CatBGone (I think that is what it was called..), or any of the other pet deterents that my pet store carries.


Honestly, I am afraid of bringing in "catgrass" products because the packaging can never guarantee me that there is not any catnip involved. Catnip in the house would kill our sugar gliders, so I have been avoiding the catgrass stuff just because I don't want to end up with a fatal mistake. Call me paranoid...

Do you know anywhere I can purchase catgrass products without fear of catnip contamination? Is there something that I can just buy at a garden center and assemble/grow myself without using a pet store product?

I have been able to redirect the cats' scratching on the furniture (mostly...), so if I can find something that I feel safe with I certainly will try that with the plants!


Thank you both for your suggestions!