Barbee–Cat lovers seem to really like writing about their relationships with cats. I’ll have to check that book out.

Kurt–Thanks for all that info, I didn’t realize that moth balls can be harmful. I’ll amend the post with your suggestions about how to use it.

Your idea about putting catnip inside a bird cage is a really good idea! It creates a challenge and stimulation for the cat and prevents them from killing the plant.

It’s interesting that your cat likes mint smells. My cats (all four of them) hate it. If I am chewing mint gum, or brushing my teeth with minty toothpaste they sniff it and recoil in disgust.

Moth balls — Moth balls are generally made of two different types of substances, both of which are toxic, so you should not leave them exposed. Instead, put them in a glass jar with a metal lid. Poke small holes in the lid so that the fumes can escape and the smell will keep the cat away. Better yet, don’t use them at all.

Never let animals or children handle moth balls (you shouldn’t touch them either). Smaller bodies need less exposure for toxicity to occur, and some substances react differently in small animals than they do in humans (Tylenol for example, will kill a cat, and aspirin takes 3 days for a cat’s body to metabolize).

Mint plants — Cats typically do not like citrus, especially lemon, but as for mint, they usually are attracted to it. Catnip is actually a relative of the mint plant (about 80% of cats are affected by catnip and it’s genetic). In fact, it’s also sometimes called “catmint.”

Many cats are attracted to mint smells. With my cat Teddie, if you’re chewing peppermint gum anywhere near her she goes crazy. She probably would stick her nose inside your mouth if you let her (I’ve always stopped short of that).

Cat grass — When you want to keep cats away from something, you should always provide an alternative for them. The cat grass idea is a good one. Another is to grow catnip inside a small bird cage. You’ll have to weight down or anchor the cage, but the idea is to let the cat eat the leaves that poke through, but not destroy the plant.

Put this plant away from the other plants you don’t want your cat to get into. Another thing you should do is rub the catnip (or buy dried catnip for this) on a scratching board or post. This will attract the cat to the post and let her relieve some stress by enjoying the catnip and instinctive scratching behavior.

Keeping cats off window sills — In response to Jen’s question. Cats generally hate sticky surfaces. Double-sided tape on top of cardboard is great for placing on tables, counters, window sills, and so on to keep cats off. Generally, you want to (not scare but) startle the cat a bit with a semi-loud noise and say “no” in a stern voice when the cat jumps. The combination of the noise, the “no” and the double-sided tape should train the cat not to go on the window sill.

Soon, just “no” should work. After a while, you can take the cardboard/tape away, only bringing it back if the training doesn’t stick. There are other longer term training methods, like clicker training, but that won’t work if you’re only with the cat a short time.

I hope that helps!

-Kurt