MY cat chewed my catt stem leaving perforated marks everywhere

[Joeyg4582]

Them stem is black around the marks. Can I save it

[Joeyg4582]

Actually not just marks but holes.

[RebelCowgirl]

Hi and welcome to the forum, make 5 post then you can post pictures so we can see the extent of the damage.

[syndywindy]

Aaah cats, don't you just love them? I have six and so I know what you are going through. Generally the leaf will be fine if not a bit ugly. If it is really chewed badly, I would just remove the leaf entirely, sprinkle the cut end with cinnamon. If it's only a portion of the leaf, I ahve jut cut away the chewed parts and again sprinkle the cut end with cinnamon. It should not hurt the overall health of the plant unless they chewed the main stem of the plant, then you'll have to watch and see.

[Joeyg4582]

She did get the main stems I'm at church now but I'll post pictures when I get home

[jsehorn]

That's a cat. That's what cats do. They eat stuff they aren't supposed to eat, and then they poop, and often they then proceed to eat their own poop. Want a solution? Get a dog, for god's sake.
Or a sow.

Or a hamster.

Or a ferret.

Or anything that isn't a cat. Hell, get the Jabberwock if you have to. But not a cat.

[bearded orchid]

Originally Posted by jsehorn

That's a cat. That's what cats do. They eat stuff they aren't supposed to eat, and then they poop, and often they then proceed to eat their own poop. Want a solution? Get a dog, for god's sake.
Or a sow.

Or a hamster.

Or a ferret.

Or anything that isn't a cat. Hell, get the Jabberwock if you have to. But not a cat.

I've had far more dogs that chewed everything to Hell than cats. I've had far more dogs take a dump on the floor and run the mentality that that might just be something tasty to eat.

Cats aren't the bane of existence, they just have quirks like all other pets that must be compensated for.

@op, you might try getting some pet grass and placing it somewhere away from your orchids/plants. That may stem your cat's desire to nom on leafy greens

[katrina]

Originally Posted by jsehorn

That's a cat. That's what cats do. They eat stuff they aren't supposed to eat, and then they poop, and often they then proceed to eat their own poop. Want a solution? Get a dog, for god's sake.
Or a sow.

Or a hamster.

Or a ferret.

Or anything that isn't a cat. Hell, get the Jabberwock if you have to. But not a cat.

I have both cats and dogs...I have also had fish, various rodents...even a raccoon so this is not coming from a cat only person. Cats are awesome! They are different than dogs yes, but awesome in their own way. Not better or worse...just different.

I have found that most people who don't like cats simply don't understand them. Or, they are afraid of them.

Like Bearded, I have had far more dogs than cats eat and chew things they shouldn't. I have one cat that likes to eat all things plant...but so does our Newfie.

For the record...you will never see a cat eat it's own feces...or that of another cat or animal. You might find that it will pee in your closet...but never will it eat it's own poo. You will however see many dogs eat the feces of other animals...not to mention roll in it. Oh, and a cat would never roll in anything so dirty as poo.

Jeff you should know that there are a LOT of cat lovers on this forum...so for your sake...we'll take your comments as a joke. Either that or we might have to hunt you down and feed you to our cats.

[Joeyg4582]

Sorry for the bad photos but here is the ugliness








And the flower opening is so pretty too I was so excited to watch it open

[jsehorn]

haha, sorry guys, I didn't mean to start a thing! I was just being silly. Although I prefer dogs, I had a cat when I was a kid, and I loved him dearly. He was a great pet, and I have nothing against cats haha.

Currently, I have an Irish Setter, her name is Saffron, and other than my son, I lover her more than anything other living thing.

She's never torn anything up (and she'll be 9 in march), except a few years back she decided to gnaw on the sleeve of a 500 dollar leather peacoat from the Banana Republic, and I was furious (I got it repaired for about 40 dollars and you can't tell it was ever damaged), but other than that, she's been a good girl. And, I hunt duck with her. I don't think I could train a cat to point and set a flock of ducks haha.

Again, I was only joking. Cats are great, it's just that at this point in my life, I'd rather have my Saffron than a cat hahahahahaha

But if you want a cat, you get you one, and if you you already have a cat, enjoy the company, because despite what my previous remarks my have indicated, cats can be excellent companion animals.

I don't have a cat now, but I love cats, and I am sorry if anybody took my comments in the wrong way. Cats are great, and if you want an animal friend, a cat is a good choice, and if you've already got a cat, you know how great they can be. I was just playing with y'all!

I honestly was just kidding. Please don't feed me to your kitties.....

[Shannara]

Originally Posted by Joeyg4582

Sorry for the bad photos but here is the ugliness

And the flower opening is so pretty too I was so excited to watch it open

If it were my Cattleya orchid I would cut off the one leaf that is full of holes. I would then gently peel the brown bracts off the pseudobulbs and rub the chewed areas of those p-bulbs with hydrogen peroxide and after that rub cinnamon into all the wounds. Keep a close eye on it to see if those p-bulbs start to rot. Worst case scenerio you would cut off the chewed p-bulbs and hope a new lead starts on the older growth.

I am sure other geeks will have some different suggestions though.

Shann~

[Joeyg4582]

Should I just rub the peroxide on with a cottonball? What should I look for in terms of rotting?

[koshki]

Joey, I feel your pain.

I have a third pain, who is not yet pictured in my avatar, who has been puncturing holes in several plants. I have been procrastinating about breaking out the Phooey, but this morning I realized it's past time.

It's no solution for the damage, but hopefully it will prevent some future damage.

Welcome to Orchid Geeks!

[Joeyg4582]

Well I did what was suggested. Here are the pictures. Do you guys think I have hope? How will I know if it's rotting? I am sorry I am so ignorant about orchids. I literally just got one yesterday and started reading about them. Thank you for all your help and for welcoming me.

[Joeyg4582]

Koshki, the phooey spray isn't harmful for the plant?

[katrina]

Jeff -- Chill! I was just giving you a hard time. Or, maybe a kitty lies in wait to eat a teacher as I type.

Ouch! Orchid salad. Joey -- orchids are a lot tougher than most people give them credit so while the damage is ugly chances are the overall plant will recover. It will probably callous/heal over and do just fine for you. Rot usually goes soft and mushy so just watch out for that. Worse case scenario...the damaged tissue will turn yellow/brown and die off. If that happens (or if the tissue goes soft) just cut the pbulbs off and it will likely sprout new growths. What your kitty did isn't any worse than my being clumsy and breaking off growths.

[koshki]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that Phooey is bitter grapefruit spray. I haven't had any adverse reaction from the plants. However, when I get a taste of it myself, well that's a different story!

Oh, and it works to keep the cats away, too.

[jsehorn]

Haha, Katrina, I knew you were just playing, as was I... but please, please don't sent your kitty to eat me!

[Shannara]

Originally Posted by Joeyg4582

Well I did what was suggested. Here are the pictures. Do you guys think I have hope? How will I know if it's rotting? I am sorry I am so ignorant about orchids. I literally just got one yesterday and started reading about them. Thank you for all your help and for welcoming me.

Looks like you covered all the damaged areas. That's about as good as it's going to get for now. Just keep an eye on it...feel it periodically to see if it's getting mushy. Hopefully the wounds will heal over and harden. Plus the cinnamon is not going to taste good to your kitty so thats an added bonus. In the future you could sprinkle some cayenne pepper in your pots so kitty will get a noseful if she sniffs around your chid babies again. If watering washes away the pepper just add a little more afterwards.

HTH and

Shann~

[Joeyg4582]

The stem is a little soft now but I think it is from all the perforations kwim? I am guessing it will feel kind of liquidy mushy if it's rotting? I will watch for it. Thank you for all of your help everyone Now I will just hope for the best I guess.

[plantloverlisa]

I had a cat do that to one of my Catts., looked just like yours. I did what Shannara suggested with the peroxide and cinnamon. Mine healed. You are right it is somewhat soft from the damage just watch if gets softer or darker in color.