Wow! Thats odd. I guess you could mix up something with hot pepper and spray on it. That might discourage your cat. Animals can be just as strange as people. Oh, I tried a google search & couldn't find anything like this about penstemon. I'm about to plant one in my back yard. Will report on its effect on Jack Russell Terriers.

Very wierd. I have to move some of my huskers red due to tree growth and I would be happy to bring you more.

My cats don't bother it. They do like nepeta...sometimes. They are all cat potheads and love the nip.

Never heard of this! I did have a cat that loved to eat my peace lily. Had a husker red for a few years & never noticed any cats near it.
Maybe you could try planting a few nepetas (catmint) nearby just for him? It doesn't make mine as excited as catnip would, but they do like to lay beside it--as do a few other cats from the neighborhood.
Most pet stores sell repellant spray, if the hot pepper mix doesn't work. Good luck!

Cayenne pepper broke my cat from her fascination with the boys pacifiers. It should work for your husker. There are lots of plants out there with mood altering properties for all species so who knows? Let us know how this turns out.

See ya Saturday!

~~Mimi

The funny thing is there's another penstemon right next to it that he has no interest in. It's just this one.

He's splayed it all out so it looks like the center is dead, but the branches trail out. This morning when he came back in all "juiced up" he threw himself down on the carpet and sprawled out. The other cat came over and began sniffing him. Normally a very shy little girl, she was really fascinated by the scent of the sap. She even tried to lick his throat for him!

I think I need to taste this plant and see what I'm missing....

my neighbors cat used to like to lay all over my nepeta too.
it was his, all his!!! and he hissed as people went by. my cats chew it a bit, but don't go crazy for it.
last week i got a really nice clump of catnip at a sale-- 6"pot for $2.oo. Set it in my whiskey barrel to await planting. next day my cat was nesting on top of that catnip-- it was his, all his. he was so stupit for the rest of the day. Now he sits in that whiskey barrel like a hen on a nest.
alison you really need to get him his own catnip plant.

I've got some catnip in a hanging basket in the backyard, that I cut and give to Frankie and Chloe on occassion. (I've only recently gotten to the point where the neighborhood cats don't come to are yard and mark, so I don't want to put catnip in the ground. Attractive nuisance for cats!)

The thing is that he is not as interested in catnip. He likes it, and it makes him mellow. But he's wild for the penstemon, and it makes him hyper.

To each his own stimulant, I guess. Gin makes me throw up, but my best friend has to carefully ration herself, or she'd drink the whole bottle in one evening.