Expert: Brandy - 1/27/2007

Question
Hi! I want to try spraying my plants with bitter apple, but I have never heard of it, and was wondering where I could get some (I live in a city in Canada)
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi! My cat is 1.5yrs old, and in the past few months he has been attacking my plants a lot.  Any tips to get him to stop?
Thanks, Karina
-----Answer-----
First please make sure that the plants you have are not dangerous to your cat (I used to think nothing of having a few poinsettias around for Christmas until our youngest cat (EvilcatChild) was born and now I keep a precious few in hanging planters outside on our patio during the holidays. There are several good websites (e.g. http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html, http://amby.com/cat_site/plants.html - this site links to several other sites).

Now onto the plant-munching cat (Garfield is famous for it, but it still leaves a mess). Where we live in TX, it's hot most of the year, so my rose bushes are on overtime all year round; EvilCatChild loves to munch on the petals, and so far the only thing that seems to work is spritzing some Bitter Apple on the leaves. Other than the fact that husbands think that a cat tasting Bitter Apple for the first time is something that needs to be memorialized on video, it might 'spook' your cat to avoid if not all plants, at least the one you're trying to keep alive.

Another thing you might consider is getting your cat his own plant; several types of grasses are marketed for that very reason (I would try catnip only if you plant the thing in a hanging planter far far away from anyplace he can jump from).

These are just some things I've tried; I hope it helps a bit.

Answer
Sorry for the delay in replying (we went away for the weekend leaving behind the computer).
Bitter apple is usually found in the 'training area' of the big-brand pet supply stores like PetCo and PetSmart, and most groomers and/or vet clinics might either carry that or something similar.