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Houseplants are a great way to add color and life to your home — they can even help purify the air — but if you have a cat or a dog, you’ll want to make sure any plant you bring home is safe for them, too.
Although it might seem odd, some of the most popular houseplants can be quite dangerous for our pets. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that toxic exposure to plants and fungi was responsible for 8.1% of the calls to its animal poison control center in 2023.
To learn which plants are best for your furry family members, I asked Joe Ferrari, owner of Tend Greenpoint, a plant store and garden shop, for his input. Ferrari has been running his Brooklyn plant shop since 2018 and has experience researching pet-safe plants and marking which ones in his shop are nontoxic.
Here’s everything you need to know about mixing plants with pets.
What are some plants that are nontoxic to cats and dogs?
1. Money Tree
Money trees usually have multiple stems braided together.
Money trees are thought to bring good luck and fortune to their owners, hence the name. According to the New York Botanical Garden, the often braided plants can grow anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall indoors.
2. True ferns
True ferns are nontoxic to cats and dogs.
Many ferns are nontoxic to pets, including Boston ferns, moss ferns and staghorn ferns. Some plants with “fern” in the name are not actually true ferns and can be toxic to cats and dogs, including the asparagus fern, according to the ASPCA.
3. Spider plant
Spider plants have slim and narrow leaves
Spider plants are low-maintenance and fast-growing. They are also one of the best plants for air purification and low-light environments.
4. Bamboo
True bamboo grows best In soil rather than rocks or pebbles.
Like ferns, bamboo is nontoxic to pets if it’s true bamboo. Despite their nicknames, both sacred bamboo and lucky bamboo are not true bamboos and are toxic to cats and dogs.
5. Hoya
The flowers from hoya carnosa houseplants are typically white and pink, as seen in this close-up photo.
There are numerous species of hoya plants, and they are pet-safe. They also are a plant that flowers and are often nicknamed wax plants.
6. African violet
African violets should be watered about once a week.
African violet plants can also grow flowers in numerous colors — commonly purple — on top of their leaves, making them a perfect addition to any home.
7. Haworthia
Haworthias are In the succulent family.
These popular succulents have many varieties. Haworthia fasciata, commonly called a zebra plant, grows in a striped pattern and requires minimum maintenance.
The list doesn’t end there. Ferrari said that a couple of additional and nontoxic plants are the lady palm, which can thrive in indirect sunlight, and the ponytail palm, which is best in direct sunlight.
What makes a houseplant toxic to pets?
“On the whole, the makeup of the plant material determines whether a plant is considered toxic,” Ferrari said. “Things like certain salts, proteins or chemicals can all cause irritation to cats, dogs or even humans.”
Ferrari said that the negative reaction cats and dogs can experience from toxic plants can happen after ingestion, but also that “some plants contain chemicals in their sap that will cause a reaction on contact.”
When in doubt, check the ASPCA’s website, which has an extensive list of plants with details on whether they’re toxic or nontoxic to cats, dogs and even horses.
“If we can’t find a reference to a plant’s toxicity through [ASPCA], we won’t recommend it to our customers,” Ferrari said. “It’s a great resource for anyone researching the plants they already have.”
If you believe your cat or dog may have ingested a toxic plant, call the ASPCA’s 24/7 poison control center at 888-426-4435 or your veterinarian.
What is the easiest pet-friendly houseplant to take care of?
Spider plants are a great option for beginners with pets because they are nontoxic and low-maintenance. Plus, they grow large, and you can easily propagate the spider plant’s “babies,” which grow from the stems.
Ferrari said his personal pet-friendly pick is the hoya genus.
“There are so many leaf forms and growth habits,” he said. “I love the long wispy stems that grow and twine before leaves, and eventually flowers, grow along them. They don’t require much water in general and just love a bright space without fully direct sunlight.”
