Venus Fly Trap

Because our cats eat anything green, we can't have house plants, so they're currently at my parents' house, where they're slowly dying of dehydration because my mom forgets to water them. I really like greenery and the way plants spruce up interiors. I'm hoping someday the cats get over their penchant for plant-eating and subsequent vomiting so we can once again have plants in the house.

A couple of Christmases ago (well, more like five), my mom managed to find Venus Flytraps and put them in our stockings. The flytraps were miniature and there were four of them in the little plastic container. My sister and I spent Christmas morning putting stuff in their mouths (?) and watching the plants clamp down. It was definitely one of the coolest gifts I've ever received.

Unfortunately, things started to go wrong that very morning: I dangled a ribbon in one of the trap's mouths and it closed. I tried tickling the flytrap to get the ribbon out but it wouldn't budge. In another of the plant's mouths I put some raw hamburger. It closed and didn't open again; I thought it was digesting. I monitored the progress of my precious flytraps and was concerned when their vitality appeared to be dwindling. A few days later, I went to Egypt for two weeks. I asked my family to take good care of my flytraps while I was gone.

When I returned, I was dismayed to find that every one of my traps had died. They were all shriveled and black. The ribbon eater still had the ribbon dangling from its mouth. I don't think the hamburger had been consumed either because it was starting to smell really bad. 

I've never seen flytraps for sale, but if I do, I'd like to try to have them again. I wonder what the cats would do?