Firstly, you know from your reading this plant requires high light, and a fast draining potting medium. That is half the battle won, if you can take care of those issues. Secondly, no plant will survive well constant attacks from a cat. How about another photo of the entire plant?

Christopher

Re: the cat, I spray my pots with bitter apple to keep the dogs from eating the soil (I don't understand it either). Is there such a thing for cats?

Sanfran - there is a product for cats that actually is supposed to keep them from scratching. I never had much success with it with my one cat, but I would think some cats would respond to it.

John - if you are going to look into that product, I would just make sure it is plant-friendly. I think it's original intent was for it to be used on furniture, but I'm not 100% positive

Good luck!

As much light as possible, and a fast-draining soil once the weather warms. Without light, it will continue to die back, branch by branch.

Those "crystalized" leaves are simply dried leaves....typical on any Jade that is shedding winter leaves.

Josh

I doubt that I am any good, but here in California a jade plant stays outside in the sun. Would it be possible for your plant to go outside maybe in a shaded area till it gets used to the weather? Here, you do nothing to them and they grow. Water, no water, they grow..............just a thought.

Neysa in California

John - find someone that's been around awhile and has established credibility, like Josh, and pay attention. I'm not dissing the other posters, it's just that I know Josh knows what he's doing from seeing him on a number of other forums (I don't come here all that often).

About your thumbs: Fortunately, the speed with which you arrive at green thumb status depends much more on how much you know about the plant sciences than how much experience you have. Experience is most valuable when it's used to validate something you've already learned; in most other cases it's what you get after you've just did something wrong and you're at the point where you have to do it all over again. If you're hoping to move ahead by guesswork - well, you can see how long THAT's going to take. Try to avoid guesswork as much as possible.

Learn all you can, and try to look at things from the plant's point of view. You'll soon discover it's very often a whole lot different than yours and that of most growers. If you're still around and at all curious about what I said, I'll link you to a couple hrs worth of reading that should eliminate most of the pitfalls likely to be in your immediate path.

Al

Thanks for the replies, everybody!

I've been trying to do as much internet research as possible. I think maybe the tree needs more light, less heat, and more water. I'm going to keep trying to find the right balance, even though I seem to be really bad at it.

Sanfran and Hermie - I actually have that product, it's a cat pheromone that encourages calming behavior. It works well for car trips and introduction to new environments, but doesn't do what it promises with furniture-scratching or other unwanted behaviors. :/

Josh - thanks for the comment. I have been stressing over these crystallizing leaves for a year. I didn't realize they were normal! That makes me feel a LOT better.

Thanks, Al. I appreciate it.

Neysa, I'm in California, too, but in the foothills where the Winter nights are simply too cold. Even down in zone 9 Sacramento, the exposed outdoor Jades take a lot of frost/freeze damage, and smaller specimens die outright.

John, is it possible for you take your Jade outdoors during the day?

Josh