# What did this to my plant in 48 hours?



## TheLorax (Sep 25, 2007)

Check this out, it wasn't like that when I put it there a few days ago. I bought that plant in perfect condition. This happened here at my home. 

Really sorry for such a large image but it doesn't look like insect or arachnid damage and it doesn't look bacterial or fungal and it doesn't look like scorching. I'm scratching my head on this.


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## goldenrose (Sep 25, 2007)

It appears this picture was taken in your sunroom, although if I remember Harold was the bright side of the bathroom or moved to the south exposure? Which means this plant was not exposed to any outdoor varmits. Which leaves us to ... are you sure a cat didn't sneak by? slugs? snails?


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## Hien (Sep 25, 2007)

Look like bruises, heat & sunburn to my non-expert eyes.
I once brought a cattleya to an orchid event, to ask for opinion about the sunburn spots, I left the plant in the car, then when I went out to fetch the plant, most of the leaves turn black from heat. Anyone could have deduct the result from the situation. But the expert thought it is some very serious virus.
I did not have to ask for opinion anymore.


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## Candace (Sep 25, 2007)

It really looks like a cat took some bites of it. I had one cat(no longer alive) that used to nibble on my plants and it looked exactly like this. You can even see the what looks like teeth marks in your photo.


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## NYEric (Sep 25, 2007)

tasty!


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## Hien (Sep 25, 2007)

Whisper to the cat that if he keeps eating the leaves, you won't have to put extra veggies in the stuff cat Stew.:rollhappy:


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## Ron-NY (Sep 25, 2007)

I would agree that it looks like mechanical damage of some sort.


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## cdub (Sep 25, 2007)

Maybe you sleepwalk and snack on paphs.


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## TheLorax (Sep 25, 2007)

I talked to the kids. Classic case of nobody left the door open. My husband said he extracted the matched bookends (Eli and SmallHead) from the room and tossed their happy asses out and shut the door. They were both balanced on that shelf chowing down on the plant simultaneously.

Cat damage.

Editing to add for goldenrose that Harold wasn't in the sunroom. There are no plants in the sunroom other than pinguicula. You put Harold in the exercise room.


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## bwester (Sep 25, 2007)

Satan did that Lauren...... Satan.


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## TheLorax (Sep 25, 2007)

Have you ever seen that Disney flick with the two Siamese singing "We are Siamese if you please" while they destroy everything in the immediate area? That would be Eli and SmallHead over here. I simply don't know how the door got left open.


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## Rick (Sep 25, 2007)

What about the "Not Me Kid".

I swear we had one or two more boys than what the birth certificates said.


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## TheLorax (Sep 25, 2007)

Yaa, I know. Ask them all which one did it and the IQ in the room drops to room temperature on a warm day.


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## Rick (Sep 25, 2007)

TheLorax said:


> Yaa, I know. Ask them all which one did it and the IQ in the room drops to room temperature on a warm day.


 

Yup, It's a brave new world with the last of them moving out into their own places. My pulse and blood pressure has dropped precipitately.:rollhappy::rollhappy:


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## TheLorax (Sep 25, 2007)

> with the last of them moving out into their own places


 I say it's time to uncork the bubbly while changing the locks on the doors. Don't be forgetting to change the codes to any alarms you have or the frequency on the garage doors either. Mustn't leave them any way to get back in.


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## Heather (Sep 25, 2007)

Film = Lady and the Tramp I think? 
You need some Aristocats.  Persians are so cute and not destructive (at least not in Disney films?)

When I started growing Phrags, my cat latched onto anything with Phrag. longifolium in the background. Apparently, longi tastes extra yummy.


oh yeah, I agree it looks like cat damage.


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## practicallyostensible (Sep 25, 2007)

Why oh why do cats want to eat orchids?

Dumb anecdote:
Have you guys ever tried fertilizing plants with fish emulsion? My dog not only managed to eat the plants were fertilized (heirloom veggies, apple tree, begonias) but then ate the bottle. The fish emulsion smell lingered in the yard for weeks, as well as the gas the fish emulsion produced.


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## TheLorax (Sep 26, 2007)

> You need some Aristocats. Persians are so cute and not destructive (at least not in Disney films?)


 Cute- absolutely, but definitely not the brightest crayons in the box. Breeders sacrificed a lot when they went for looks because their heads rattle when you pick them up to cuddle them. I've had Chinchilla Persians (just like the one you see in the lap of Blofield the villain in one of the James Bond movies) a pig face bi-colors, red male, and torti. Beautiful animals however an alley cat you pick up from the local shelter would never confuse a potted plant for a litter box. An alley cat from the local shelter would never continue to eat a plant that was poisonous requiring a stomach pump. At least the cats I have now don't crap in planters. Now the dogs on the other hand, they'd use every plant I had in the house as a dietary supplement if they could get their teeth on them and they'd probably eat the pot too. 



> Why oh why do cats want to eat orchids?


 Because they're cats. Silly you!


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## Heather (Sep 26, 2007)

practicallyostensible said:


> Dumb anecdote:
> Have you guys ever tried fertilizing plants with fish emulsion? My dog not only managed to eat the plants were fertilized (heirloom veggies, apple tree, begonias) but then ate the bottle. The fish emulsion smell lingered in the yard for weeks, as well as the gas the fish emulsion produced.




Yeah, I tried it once but the neighborhood cats came running. 

I made the mistake lately of letting my cat (who likes to watch my fish at their dinner time) try a bit of their food. Now she's hooked! So, it's fish feeding time and cat treat time.


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## goldenrose (Sep 27, 2007)

How about sprouting some grasses in pots so they can nibble on those instead of the orchids & the grasses could be placed away from the orchids, drawing their attention away as well.


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## NYEric (Sep 27, 2007)

I'll take that bet! [No catnip allowed though]


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## Ron-NY (Sep 27, 2007)

I am fortunate....my cat is a very finicky eater. Grass, tuna and milk only unless it is on hoof or wing. She definitely is a huntress/gatherer.


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## NYEric (Sep 27, 2007)

Cans of human tuna or tuna cat food?!


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