How can I stop my cat from eating my houseplants?

Dear Feline Agony Aunts Daphne and Lizzie,

Help how can I stop my cat from eating my newly acquired house plants?

Regards
G

Dear G,

We cats like to eat plants, some of them taste good and some of them do us good. We're carnivores so we don't want plants for dinner but we do like to have a little munch on them now and then and if they're in our house, well obviously, we think they're for us.

First you need to make sure that the plants you have in the house are not poisonous to cats, lots are. Here's a list of some (but not all) of the common  plants toxic to cats:

• Amaryllis (Amaryllis sp.)
• Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale)
• Azaleas and Rhododendrons (Rhododendron sp.)
• Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
• Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum sp.)
• Cyclamen (Cyclamen sp.)
• English Ivy (Hedera helix)
• Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe sp.)
• Lilies (Lilium sp.)
• Marijuana (Cannabis sativa)
• Oleander (Nerium oleander)
• Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
• Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
• Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta)
• Spanish thyme (Coleus ampoinicus)
• Tulip and Narcissus bulbs (Tulipa and Narcissus sp.)
• Yew (Taxus sp.)

If you have any of these it's best to get rid of them, give them to someone who doesn't have a cat, as the risk of having a poisonous plant in your home just isn't worth your cat's life. 

One way of stopping us felines from eating your favourite house plants is to give us some plants of our own, plants that we find particularly attractive.

We do rather like the herbs parsley and thyme, both readily available from supermarkets, and of course we're very fond of catnip and valerian. Though if we eat too much valerian it might make us sleepy. And we like to nibble on grass, lot's of pet shops sell special  mix of grass seeds, often packaged with attractive planters, for cat owners to grown their own grass indoors for their feline friends.