Cats and orchids

13 years ago

This is a weird question, and I'm aware that I might not get an answer, but I'll try anyway: I brought 2 of my orchids, a pink Dendrobium cuthbertsoni and a red D. laevifolium, up to the living room to display in the garden window. Very soon, one of our cats showed a real interest, trying to rub on them, paying particular attention to the D. cuthbertsoni. I repositioned them so that there were a couple of other pots in front of the 2 Dens, so that the cat would have a harder time getting its face onto the orchids, but it still tried, and very soon a second cat was acting the same, almost as though there was catnip in the pots. Because it is so small, I removed the D. cuthbertsoni and put it where the cats could not get at it, and they showed no further interest at all in the D. laevifolium. As soon as I put the D. cuthbertsoni back, the cats were right back at it.
I have never seen this sort of behaviour before - the cats have never shown any interest in my orchids, other than perhaps batting at a dangling flower. Has anyone had a similar experience? Are there orchids that attract cats?
Tucker

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Comments (2)

whitecat8
13 years ago
Hi Tucker,

First off, I envy you having cool enough temps to have a Den cuthbertsonii blooming. Congratulations. Got pics?

We have two cats. not "BOB" ignores the orchids but used to scatter pots when he was chasing moths and flies. Now that he's 14, the orchids are safe. If I leave orchids on the kitchen or bathroom sink counter, Kerplunk chomps off spikes and shreds leaves on almost all of them except the Phals. When they were younger, carnivorous plants were some of their favorite toys.

If you're close to the Twin Cities and are interested - Peter Lin of Big Leaf Orchids is speaking at the Orchid Society of MN this Saturday, August 17. Dunno if he's still accepting pre-orders, but he'll have at least a few extra Phals for sale. http://www.bigleaforchids.com/store/

WhiteCat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid Society of Minnesota

This post was edited by whitecat8 on Fri, Aug 16, 13 at 6:22
Darlene (GreenCurls)
13 years ago
That is interesting behavior. I have two cats but they have not shown much interest in my orchids the few times they have gotten close.

Is there anything that makes the laevifolium and the cuthbertsonii different from the other - potting mix, the pots, the nursery?
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