Woman Tries Hack to Keep Kitten Out of Plant Pot-Is Immediately Outsmarted
A family trying to train their kitten not to use a potted plant as a toilet thought they had come up with the perfect hack, only to be outsmarted right away.
Beth Thompson, 48, lives in Michigan and is the first-time owner of a kitten, Butters, after only having dogs. She told Newsweek she "had no idea this is what kittens were like."
"He has been entertaining us since the day we rescued him," she said. "He is the sweetest kitten and so very smart."
When they first got Butters as a rescue, Thompson explained, he was "very sick" and spent most of his time sleeping.
"Now that he is healthy he is full of energy," she said—and causing chaos the way only kittens can.
A video shared to Thompson's TikTok account, @grandma.lives.in, on December 21, has racked up over 53,000 likes, as Thompson showed the desperate measures they were taking to train Butters not to use their potted fig tree as a toilet.
In the clip, Thompson places plastic forks in the soil, making it impossible for Butters to stand on it. But seconds later, she captures tiny Butters jumping up, noticing the forks, and instantly pulling one out of the soil with his mouth.
"Butters wins again," Thompson wrote in the caption.
TikTok users loved it, with one commenter sharing her own story: "My husband didn't know much about cats when we first started dating so seeing him TRY to outsmart them over the years is always hilarious!"
Another commenter wrote: "I love how he only chooses to remove the one, meaning he didn't intend to fully go through with it, he just wanted to show that forks aren't enough to stop him if he wanted to!"
Others suggested other potential deterrents, from citrus and coffee grounds to covering the soil with tin foil.
But as Thompson told Newsweek: "He insists on using that pot as his litter box. We already tried foil over the pot, and he just pulled the foil off and ran away with it. Foil did not slow him down at all!"
And since the plan with the forks also failed, "the battle will continue," Thompson said, adding that they will continue to document the battle on social media.
Cat advocacy organization Alley Cat Allies recommends natural deterrents to keep cats away from specific areas in your property by scattering fragrant items that do not appeal to a cat's sense of smell, such as fresh orange and lemon peels, citrus-scented sprays, vinegar, oil of lavender, lemongrass, citronella and eucalyptus.
Thompson's TikTok and Instagram, @grandmalivesinthebasement, usually documents life as a multigenerational household after her mother moved in with them. And as she explained, her mother also has skin in the game with Butters.
"This fig tree pot is grandma's, and it is her mission to keep Butters out of the pot!"
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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This story was originally published January 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM