Make An Indoor Cat Garden For Your Pet Kitty With This Purrfect Guide

Perhaps you’re a cat lover looking to upgrade your kitty’s environment, or maybe you want to provide more outdoor exploration for your cat without them leaving the house. Whatever the reason, building an indoor cat garden is definitely something all cat parents should try!

Having a garden for your cat provides them with an interesting and engaging place to explore, play, or maybe even rest in. Plus, it’s not even that hard. You can quickly make an indoor oasis for your feline queen with just a few simple steps.

We’ll provide you with this information and more in this article. We’ll also include some of the essential items you need to get started. So let’s get started in making the purrfect kitty garden!

Benefits of Indoor Cat Gardens For Pet

Many owners make their cats fully indoors in order to keep them safe as well as to protect the small wildlife in their area, which often falls prey to our feline friends. However, while well-intentioned, this often makes your cat feel isolated in her environment.

One way to combat this feeling is to create an indoor garden for your kitty. Aside from being a perfectly safe environment for your cats to explore, it also provides some good mental stimulation and physical exercise.

Having some indoor plants in your house can encourage your kitties to exercise and enjoy nature more. As all cat lovers know, felines are big fans of platforms and other places they can climb.

Some nice shrubs and other potted plants will do the trick and provide your friend a new source of interaction. They will also be able to connect with nature more in their own special way.

This is also a good way to prevent some mental enrichment for your pets. We all know how our feline friends can get easily bored with their scratching boards and toys.

By providing a new area for them to explore, you help keep their mind more active and encourage them to discover things on their own.

The last but not the least benefit of an indoor cat garden is that it potentially protects your home from unwanted damage. As we all know, cats are very attracted to scratching objects and climbing around furniture.

This is a designated spot for them to raise whatever mayhem they feel like doing.

Bring The Outdoors Fun By Creating the Purrfect DIY Cat Garden

While the concept may sound too daunting a task for a beginner, fret not. The most important part of building an indoor garden is having the space for it and some gardening supplies.

Start the job by picking an area in your house that you would want to use for your cat’s garden. It should be large enough for your kitten to move around in and provide some storage for all the gardening stuff you want to display.

Once you’ve settled on the spot that you like, you should then make sure that there is enough lighting in the area. It doesn’t have to be natural, although keep in mind that you might need to get some special plants that can thrive in the dark.

You should also go looking for the soil you’re going to use as well. Look for a mix that’s suitable for growing plants indoors. Most houseplant mixed will get the job done.

Some accessories will also be needed in the beginning, like scratching posts or other toys. This is to keep your cat entertained as he tries to explore the new space you’ve provided him.

Lastly, you’ll have to pick the plants that you’d want to grow in the space. We’d explore more about this in the next section.

With these key elements in their place, it’s time for you to start creating the perfect garden paradise for your furry friend!

Make It Safe For Cats: Avoiding Toxic Plants And Other Considerations

There are certain considerations that you should keep in mind when choosing what houseplants to keep in your indoor cat garden. Here are some tips for selecting the perfect plants for your kitten:

Non-toxic

Your cat's safety should go first without saying, and this includes choosing safe houseplants for your pets. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has provided a lengthy list of both toxic and non-toxic plants for cats.

You should also avoid using herbicide or pesticide that have toxic materials to cats like permethrin.

Low maintenance

You might not be the gardener of the century or have enough time on your hands. If these are the cases, then you should try opting for some low-maintenance houseplants.

These choices require less care than usual. Some examples include the American rubber plant, areca palm, and lemon balm.

Design considerations

You should also consider the shape and size that you’re choosing. Normally, those with long leaves or stems will make it easier for your kitties to climb around and cause some potential chaos (and hurt themselves in the process). We all know how much our kitties love jumping off high places.

Moreover, try going for aromatic choices such as herbs, or textured plants like wheatgrass. Your pet will be more interested in these shrubs than others. 

Once you’ve decided on the ones you want to go for, make sure you have enough of them so that your cat will have plenty of places to play around in!

Tools You Need To Start A Cat-Friendly Garden

You’re almost there on getting started with your own indoor cat garden. Before doing so, however, there’s some tools you’ll have to assemble first.

Aside from helping you create a beautiful indoor space for your pet, the right tools can make your job a lot easier.

Gardening tools

There’s not a lot of tools you need for an indoor garden. Just be sure to have the basic ones, such as shovels, rakes, and trowels. These things will help you prepare the soil and plant your chosen seeds.

Containers for plants

Choose containers that will fit the space you’ve allotted and ones that will suit the plants you want to grow. Ceramic or terracotta are ideal since they’re pretty lightweight and portable, making them easy to move around as needed.

Larger plants like trees and shrubs will need bigger containers, such as a large plastic planter, which can also be quite mobile.

Other supplies

You might also have to invest in potting soil, fertilizers, plant food, stakes, and soil testers to keep the well-being of your plants. Organic pesticides might also prove handy for the occasional pest that might come to visit.

You should also wear some comfortable clothes while you're at it, like one of our cute shirts for cat lovers. We also ensure that a fourth of the proceeds are donated to no-kill animal shelters.

FAQ

Do cats eat plants?

Yes, cats may eat plants occasionally.

Why do kittens eat plants?

No one knows for sure, but one theory is that it is an inherited instinct from their wild ancestors.

Is it safe to have an indoor cat garden?

Yes, as long as you ensure that all the plants are non-toxic for your pet.