Cats love bamboo
>> Saturday, March 3, 2012 –
cats,
super-whitey,
video
One thing I learned late last summer is that although bamboo is certainly beautiful in the garden...
...cut bamboo canes also look fantastic in a vase indoors!
The problem is that cats love to eat bamboo leaves, as I first learned when trying to overwinter a plant indoors a couple of years ago. It was reinforced this summer:
This was a test of how well cut cane sections would work in a vase. I cut them, left them out of water for a few hours, then put them in the vase. Although they lasted for days and looked amazing, I had to keep the vase on top of the refrigerator so the cats didn't defoliate them. (That's super-whitey and tiny toe in the video, now named "Kumo" and "Tagg".)
Maybe if I brought some fresh stuff inside every couple of days they'd get bored with it, but I doubt it.
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Hey, I caught our dog (black lab) chomping down on bamboo leaves yesterday. Maybe they are tastier than we think!?
Agreed! Bamboo does look good in a vase or part of an arrangement!
Nothing is sacred in my house. The cats have figured out how to get on top of the fridge and just about everywhere else.
I don't think they ever get bored with it ... my cat is 12 years old and is so accustomed to flowers in vases and yet he will still try to eat the leaves, every time! Luckily his appetite for leaves is not quite as ferocious as that of the kitties in your video :)
I think bamboo leaves are good at cleaning their back teeth so you might want to let them have some (for anyone reading...never lucky bamboo though...that's a different species and it's very toxic to cats). It probably feels like a good cleansing massage for their gums and mouth to chew on the rough leaves. Also the chlorophyll plus said to be helpful for them.