Conference misery::feline_v1

    One thing I would be careful about is that some plants are poisonous
    to cats.
    

    Tiffany doesn't touch dried and/or silk flower arrangements...she likes
    the real thing.  So I have to go out and buy plants that I know are not
    poisonous to animals.
    
    As for Otis - HA!  He LOVES Baby's Breath.  I have two arrangements
    that he has literally taken out all the stuff.  He doesn't eat it -
    just likes grabbing it in his claws and sees if he can take it out of
    the arrangement without the destroying the effect.  I find he is more
    apt to do it when he is _ticked_ off at me (for God knows whatever the 
    reason is...he's fickle).
    
    Also, I notice Baby's Breath does have a sweet odor to it - who knows.
    They are just like kids and you have to try to stay one step ahead of
    them.
    
    Marilyn, Otis and Tiffany
    
    P.S.  Just my opinion - I wouldn't spray anything on it.  If the spray
          is poisonous...that could do him more harm in the long run.
    

    Mary,
    
    How old is your sister's cat?  The reason I ask is because my
    cat, The Cowboy, used to be exactly the same way.  He would do
    *anything* to chew on dried flowers, but eventually he outgrew
    it.  One thing I did that may have helped, however, was to get
    a big, bird's nest type of basket and put it in the corner of
    a room he frequented (we were living in a different house then)
    and filled it with all kinds of dried stuff (leftovers from other
    arrangements) for him to have as his very own.  I pretended at
    first that I didn't want him to go near it (cat psychology that
    worked for a change) so that he'd think he was pulling something
    over on me when he'd go a-munchin'...  After a while, he lost
    interest in the basket I'd given him and all of my other wreaths
    and arrangements too.
    
    Good luck to your sister...
    
    - Kathryn
    

    I have a cat that would try to eat a dried flower arrangement too.  My
    vet suggested I remove it or put it where the cat cannot reach it.  It
    seems dried flower arrangements can cause illness so rather than take
    the chance, I removed the dried flowers and substituted with silk
    flower arrangement which isn't harmful.  Vet said cats don't seem to
    have the interest in silk as they do dried flowers.
    
    Pat
    

You could try citronella oil to deter cats, but it _does_ smell (not necessarily
unpleasantly, depends whether you like the smell of oranges etc.).
I found that you have to reapply it every few weeks to maintain the deterrence.
Also, you cant use it directly on houseplants etc. because it burns the leaves.
Might be ok on dried flowers.
*DC

    
    
    	I'll se if I can find some citronella oil.  Audrey doesn't
    	eat dried flowers but I've lost track of how many times she's
    	knocked my arrangement off the entertainment center.  Drives
    	me nuts.
    

    I just wanted to clarify my previous note a little...  Of course
    when I gave The Cowboy his own basket of dried things, I made sure
    that the stuff I gave him was not harmful.  You definately have to
    be careful about that.  It's true that many seemingly harmless
    plants and flowers can be quite damaging or even fatal to a cat.
    It's best to stick with dried herbs (catnip especially!) when making
    up a basket for your cat.
    
    - Kathryn
      

    How to keep the cats away from the dried/silk flowers.
    
    Answer:  Remove the flowers!!
    
    That's the only thing that works for me.  All of my flower arrangements
    have grown fur... long, silky strands of Ragdoll fur.  The only thing
    that works to remove it is to turn my vacuum on a low speed and use the
    hose attachment to gently remove it.  Barbara Ives, who is a flower
    expert, told me that the sprays don't work to preserve the flowers or
    keep the cats away.  Am I dreaming Barbara or did you really say that?
    :^)
    

    Yup, I said that.  Any spray will close up the straw flowers 
    and the sprays leave a stickey residue on the arrangement 
    which dust loves to stick to and any smell the spray leaves
    doesn't last long enough so it has to be done over and over.
    
    Barbara

    The only solution in my opinion...is to remove the dried flowers.
    I gave up trying to find a place they couldn't get at...there
    is not such place in my house.  So instead of a nice centerpiece
    on my dining room table...I usually have a cat or two!!
    
    Sandy
    
    

    Sandy, funny you mentioned the centerpiece thing!  Kelsey would
    continually get up on the dining room table and sprawl out looking very
    regal.  I finally took the flowers off and frequently tease Kelsey that
    he is now my new centerpiece.  I have been trying to get a picture of
    him posing as one to send to his breeder but the exposure is never
    quite right.
    
    Any ideas on how to permanently adhere him there?  :^) :^).  Somedays I
    really feel like doing it!!
    

re: centerpieces and cats

When Hannah first arrived, Marge (long-suffering roommate) had placed a very
nice silk flower arrangement on my dining room table.  It was on a mirror
so the effect was quite pleasant.  Hannah decided that her preferred napping
spot was RIGHT where that centerpiece was.  She just moved the centerpiece
aside and napped in the center of the table at will....thereby leaving the
centerpiece decidedly off-center.  Marge would move it back.  Well, this
went on between these two for weeks - Hannah shoving the centerpiece over
at will, and Marge patiently moving it back each time she passed the table.
Finally, one day Marge moved it to the center and Hannah jumped up on the
table and gave it a magnificent shove - right off the table!  She then 
proceeded to plop down right in the center of the table and "look adorable" up
at Marge.  I couldn't help but laugh.  That's when Marge finally surrendered.
The centerpiece went away.  Hannah still naps on the table when it isn't
in use....she always takes the very center spot.

Forget the flowers....kittens are much more fun than flowers.

    >>>>>>And they look better too!!<<<<<<<
    
    :*)
    
    Bon (who has two "statue cats" who LOVE to pose!)

    My cat wouldn't move the centerpiece...he would lay right smack
    in the middle of it.  I was so sick of picking all the little pieces
    of baby breath off of the floor...and trying so hard to re-rearrange
    the flowers that looked so flat....I also surrendered!
    
    I do have one picture of 5 of my cats laying on my dining room table...
    the funny part is that you can't tell who is who...all you see are
    many little paws, tails, and bums.  Almost like a cat collage.
    
    Oh well...I gave up trying...they won again!!
    
    Sandy

    I gave up with the arrangements, too.  And candlesticks, and lace
    tableclothes, etc.  Now it's an arrangement of soft, warm, kissable
    cat bodies for my tables!  
    
                     Denise and the gang of 10

    Twas the night before Xmas and my table was all set to go for the next
    day, center piece and all the neat stuff on the table.  Early Xmas a.m.
    I walked into the dinning room to find that Stitch had positioned
    himself in front of my centerpiece which is an Angel dressed in red
    velvet - she was looking down at this little black and white kitten
    with a pink nose all curled up in front of her.  I had gotten him a
    week before as a Xmas gift from my husband.  It's the most touching
    photo I have of him.  Anyway - he refused to relenquish this position
    and we had to move him as the quests were coming and I didn't think
    they would appreciate having a cat for a centerpiece during dinner. 
    The agnel stayed on the table until "little Xmas" was over and that's
    where he slept every day until we took her down with the other
    ornaments.  Every year since he joins her on the table.  The rest of
    the time I have an arrangement with a lot of Eucalyptus in it and they
    don't bother it at all - as a matter of fact they don't bother anything
    with a lot of eucalyptus in it - maybe cats don't like the stuff??
    
    Giudi +3 

    
    
    	re: .16
    
    
    	That's so CUTE!  =)
    

    We got a wicker napkin basket as a wedding present and we keep it
    on the dining area table. We've come home many times to find
    Poppy napping in the basket.
    
    Now, this is a small basket -- about the size of a paper napkin
    and only about 2 inches high.
    
    And Poppy is a good-sized kitty at 11-12 pounds. How she gets 
    her bum in there I'll never know!
    
    Kate
    

    
    My big orange cat San-San loves to visit my grandmother, who lives next 
    door, and when she lets him in the house he eats the dried wreaths, 
    flowers..anything that is dried.  So of course, he is on a limited 
    visit when he goes in the house.   He literally bee-lines it for 
    the antique broom and munches on the bristles....not good.  
    
    Oh well, 
	sara