Help! Flower spikes have "snapped" off overnight!

[moosetea]

{Question from England] I have a pair of cymbidiums that are well established over 6 years in my care and one has been flowering with a single spike for the past 2. The other hasn't flowered for 3 years and has just recently pushed up two strong spikes followed by another two which are still at the "wrapped in leaves" stage. Hooray - I thought!

This morning we discovered that the two larger spikes which were in the process of unfurling the buds and about 9" have "snapped" off overnight, halfway up the stems. The break is clean and there is a bead of moisture sitting on the top of both open stems.

These were both given identical treatment and spent the entire summer outdoors and about a 6 weeks ago were brought into an indoor room which is not particularly warm. They are by a window and receive a few hours of dappled sunlight each morning and ordinary daylight for the rest.

The other cymbidium has remained in full magnificent flower for a month!

I gave them a small amount of "orchid fertiliser" 3 weeks ago and they appear slightly moist but definitely not wet.

Can anyone help, please? Any advice will be gratefully appreciated!

[pstevenson]

That's what it sounds like to me too. I have three cats. Though they have never damaged an orchid, they have managed to wreak havoc on a couple of cacti.

They enjoy rubbing themselves on the spines, for some perverse feline reason. In doing so they have knocked new pads off opuntia and tephrocacti.

I lecture them about it, but they ignore me.

[spaceantelope81]

Considsering you dont have pets or wayward children, I'll selectively bring a WAG and suggest a mouse, or some similar creature, chiefly climbing the stalk to munch a bud.