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This guide will provide you with a list of plants that are considered pet friendly, and as such can be grown around your cats, dogs, and other four-legged friends without endangering them. The guide includes both popular houseplants, grown indoor, and outdoor plants, and gives some basic facts about each plant, as well as the reason why is it considered pet friendly.
List of 26 Pet Friendly Plants
African Violets
A popular houseplant, it is easily recognizable by its small size and bright violet flowers. The main appeal of the African violets comes from the fact that they can bloom year-round if kept in stable conditions (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit). While this does mean that the plant requires regular feeding regardless of the season, its pet-friendly status and overall visual appeal are well worth it.
Cloxinia
Native to Brasil, this colorful potted plant is not only safe for cats and dogs but also very beautiful. It isn’t difficult to care for either: all the plant needs is a source of bright light such as a sunny window, and temperatures slightly above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. These traits make it an ideal choice for a bedroom window or a closed balcony.
Polka Dot Plant
Named after its spotted leaves, the polka dot plant remains a very popular choice of a pet-friendly houseplant due to its small size (around 1.5 feet if grown indoors) and tolerance to room temperature.
Finding a spot for this plant isn’t difficult either: what it needs is a spot with bright, but indirect light, meaning that it can easily find a place in most households.
Orchids
Orchids have been long recognized as one of the most elegant flowers there are, often associated with nobility. What few realize, however, is that they can also be quite an attractive houseplant, and not only because of their appearance.
While the plant might be somewhat more difficult to care for than some others on this list, it is completely pet-friendly!
Water it (preferably using distilled water) once or twice a week depending on the season, and enjoy its beautiful flowers for up to three months a year without endangering your furry friend.
Spider Plant
One of the hardiest pet friendly plants, the spider plant doubles up as a natural air purifier. Furthermore, it is incredibly easy to care for, requiring not much other than room temperature and indirect light to grow.
The spider plant will require occasional feeding and watering, though. Still, pet owners can rest assured that their beautiful green and white plant is completely pet safe. All these characteristics make spider plants one of the most popular pet-friendly houseplants.
Parlor Palm
Named for its visual similarity to palm trees, this pet-friendly houseplant originates from South America.
Parlor palms are completely non-toxic, both to you and to your pets, making them one of the best houseplants in an environment full of cats or dogs. Finding a place to put your parlor palm in is also very simple. It is very tolerant to low light conditions, as its natural habitat is the rain forest, and requires no more than a few hours of light a day.
Venus Flytraps
One of the least maintenance demanding pet-safe plants. Its main needs are distilled water (as the fluoride in tap water is toxic to the plant) and direct sunlight. The plant is very self-sustainable, requiring just a few insects a month as food. This makes it a great addition to the outside of your homes, such as a balcony or a porch. One thing to note is that you should keep your Venus flytrap out of your pet’s reach: the plant is very small and can be easily knocked over by cats or dogs.
Related: Carnivorous Plants
Rattlesnake Plant
No, this plant has nothing to do with the venomous snake, other than perhaps the color. In fact, the plant is completely safe to both cats and dogs, as well as one of the most visually appealing, yet easy to care for indoor plants on this list. It prefers average temperature, yet low-light conditions. Direct light can burn the plant’s leaves and is not advisable. Put the plant in loose, well-draining soil, as overwatering can damage its roots.
Blue Echeveria
A very popular, pet-safe houseplant, this succulent can be recognized by its light blue leaves. There are several varieties of this plant, all of them sharing similar appearance and needs. The plant is a fairly fast grower, though, meaning that you will have to fertilize the soil fairly often.
Baby Tears
A member of the nettle family, this cant and dog-loving plant originates from the tropical areas. Its main feature is the mat like appearance and small size (the plant tends to grow in width instead of height).
The plant enjoys low-light conditions, similar to those of its natural habitat, and doesn’t mind sharing its container with other plants, which is a huge bonus when it comes to beginner gardeners.
It is also evergreen, which makes it a beautiful outdoor plant in warmer climates. Baby tears grow really fast, however, and might need regular feeding and repoting.
Friendship Plant
Friendship plant is one of the smaller and more unique pet friendly houseplants. It is completely non-toxic, making it safe to grow around cats and dogs. Furthermore, the plant is surprisingly easy to take care of, needing several hours of light a day (indirect light is the best) and a lot of water.
Soil should be humid, but not overly so. Provided that these conditions are met, this velvet colored houseplant will greatly enhance the visual appeal of the space it is in.
Prayer Plant
A completely pet-friendly plant, the prayer plant is easily one of the most visually striking houseplants on this list. Its variegated, multi-color leaves make it very easy to fall for, the yellow stripes on otherwise green leaves (red on the underside) give it a unique look that will stand out from the rest of your houseplants. Furthermore, the prayer plant is completely safe for cats and dogs, as well as relatively easy to care for.
Care instructions are as follows: They need slightly higher than room temperature and bright light (but never direct, as it will burn the delicate leaves of these houseplants), and high humidity (misting the plant is essential here).
Prayer plant is, unfortunately, vulnerable to fluoride in tap water, meaning that you will need either distilled or rainwater condensate for watering it.
Boston Fern
Boston ferns, also known as sword ferns, are easy to care for, non-toxic houseplants that your cats and dogs are sure to like. The plant isn’t difficult to care for, as it can adapt to most light conditions, though it does prefer low light.
Keep your Boston fern well-watered: this plant thrives on humid soil as long as there is ample drainage for the excess water to leave the pot. Air humidity should be high as well, making this plant an ideal resident of a large bathroom where you can use the shower to mist its green leaves.
Cast Iron Plant
This plant is extremely hardy and resilient, making it an excellent choice for a beginner gardener who also owns cats or dogs. The plant can be easily grown outdoors in most areas, as it tolerates neglect and low light conditions better than almost any other pet friendly houseplant.
The main attribute of this plant are its glossy green foliage. They require irregular watering (overwatering the plant can be detrimental to it, and low to mid light exposure).
Finally, it is very resistant to pests and disease, not requiring almost any assistance in this area.
Christmas Cactus
A very holiday sounding houseplant, Christmas cactus is aptly named for its beautiful red and pink flowers (sometimes lilac) . The flowers bloom more than just once a year, too, making the plant very attractive to look at during most seasons.
Combined with the fact that this small plant (usually no more than 2 feet tall) is completely pet friendly and fairly simple to care for, you are looking at one of the best houseplants when it comes to your cats and dogs (and your brown thumb if you have one!).
Keep the plant in filtered light, humid environment, such as a bathroom, and watch it bloom for an entire season with little to no maintenance.
Donkey’s Tail
The perfect plant to keep in hanging baskets, this beautiful trailing succulent, also known as burro’s tail, is usually grown outdoors. The plant is safe for cats, and don’t be surprised if your dog likes it, too.
Lighting conditions aren’t as strict as some other plants, as it thrives in anything from full, bright sun to partial shade. What is more important, however, is the temperature should never reach the freezing point as this plant doesn’t tolerate frost well.
Water the plant deeply, but infrequently: while it does require a certain humidity of the soil, it should be well-drained, as soggy soil can damage the plant’s roots.
Ponytail Palm
Ponytail palms is a small, tree-like, pet-friendly houseplant or outdoor plant that is attractive in looks and relatively simple to grow, making it an excellent choice for beginner gardeners who want an elegant plant in their living space.
To grow your ponytail palm successfully, you should heed the following care instructions: Place it outdoors during the summer, then bring it inside in wintertime as it does not require as much light during this season, but will thank you for keeping it away from cold temperatures.
It also prefers somewhat dry soil, meaning that you should take significant breaks between waterings. This plant isn’t toxic at all, and any creatures that walk on four feet should be safe from it (just don’t let something like a pet goat eat all its leaves!)b
Staghorn Fern
There are few plants that have such an alien appearance as staghorn ferns do. The leaves of this plant come in not one, but two distinct forms, one of which is visually suggestive of a stag’s antlers, giving the plant its name.
These plants are typically grown inside, but they can be grown outdoors as well if the climate conditions are sufficiently warm.
They are safe for cats and dogs alike and require filtered or indirect light and moderately moist, well-fertilized soil. If the top inch of the ground is dry to your finger’s touch, you should water the plants.
Areca Palm
A large, tree-like tropical wonder, this palm has been recovered from its endangered status by its worldwide popularity as a non toxic, visually appealing plant.
While it can be grown as a house plant. its tendency to grow to huge sizes (up to 10 feet in height) makes it much more suitable as an outdoor plant. Both your cats and dogs are going to like this plant, and your neighbors too!
Calathea Orbifolia
A beautiful potted plant that is also surprisingly low maintenance, Calathea Orbifolia is a perfect addition to less illuminated areas of your home.
This plant isn’t toxic at all and can be easily grown around cats or dogs. Its main requirements are a filtered light environment (the bright sun can burn its foliage) and frequent watering and misting.
Bird’s Nest Fern
Like most other of its family, Bird’s nest fern prefers lower light and higher humidity conditions, making it a plant that you wouldn’t put near a window, but that won’t mind being placed in a corner.
The plant is cat and dog friendly and thrives in regular room temperatures (between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit), making it easy to care for as long as you remember that it needs well-draining soil. To achieve this, the plant should be put in a pot with a big draining hole on the bottom.
Watermelon Peperonia
The majority of the members of the peperomia genus are pet safe, and watermelon peperomia is no exception to that rule.
The reason behind the choice to put it on this list was its very unique and very attractive appearance, with leaves whose pattern resembles the rind of a watermelon.
This completely pet-friendly plant is also quite easy to take care of: keep it away from direct sources of bright light and provide it with medium watering in stable, room temperature conditions and it is going to thrive without much need for intervention.
Bromeliad
A beautiful tropical plant that blooms up to a few months a year, bromeliad is one of those houseplants that are certain to make a difference when it comes to the appearance of your home. They are fairly non-demanding in terms of light and watering.
Though they need bright light to bloom, it doesn’t have to be direct, and watering them can be done on a bi-monthly basis. What they do need, is air humidity, but this can be achieved by regular misting or providing the plant with a humidifier.
Neither cats nor dogs will have any problems with this plant’s presence, as it is not toxic at all.
Date Palm
Another name for a Robellini palm, A date palm is one of the most popular Areca type houseplants (it is much smaller than the huge areca palm, more suitable for growing outdoors).
Indeed, these plants can easily be grown in the sheltered conditions of your home. The plants prefer bright light, but not too direct as it can burn its leaves., and moderate watering. Both cats and dogs will be completely safe around these plants.
Air plant
Air plants may have a usual name, but they are members of the bromeliad family. The name comes from their ability to attach to the branches and trunks of other plants instead of rooting themselves into the soil.
This means that the potting soil is all but unimportant in these plants, as they use their leaves to absorb not just sunlight, but nutrients as well. The plants prefer indirect sunlight or partial light, and a warm area with high humidity
The plants are completely safe for both cats and dogs: in fact, the air plant is one of the most unique nontoxic plants that are a part of this list.
Mosaic Plant
Named after their variegated leaves, mosaic plants are friendly to pets and not at all toxic, making them a good choice of new plants to introduce to your home environment. The plant is a bit tricky to grow successfully, however, as it does not adapt well to natural light or even direct sunlight, which is sure to burn its leaves, and requires higher humidity than usual.
All this makes it one of the more demanding houseplants on the list, but the hoops the gardener has to jump through are well worth the reward of having these beautiful, non-toxic pets plants in your home.
FAQ
Can you have both pets and plants in your household?
You can. There is a large number of different plants that are completely safe for cats or dogs and as such can be easily grown around these pets. More often these plants will be fairly easy to take care of as well, meaning you should have no problem adding some greenery to your home without having to give up on your animal friends. The list entries include some basic care instructions for the plants, so you won’t feel lost when getting one.
What does it mean when a plant is pet-friendly?
Many houseplants, especially more exotic ones, contain toxins that can harm the health of our pets, such as cats and dogs. Because of this, the term pet friendly was coined. This simply means that a certain plant can be kept around your furry friends without harming them. Fortunately, these plants are numerous and easy to find. You should however note that not all pet-friendly plants are indeed friendly to all the different pets you can keep. Before buying a plant you should check if it is truly nontoxic to some of the more unusual pets that you might have.
Which indoor plant is not poisonous?
Houseplants as a rule of thumb are rarely poisonous to humans. However, some of these plants that we use as decoration can be toxic to our pets and as such should not be grown in houses that have them. Knowing that you care about your furry family members, we have created this list of non-toxic, pet-safe plants that while not all-inclusive, will nevertheless give you quite a good starting point in choosing the right plants to add some greenery to your home.
