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Choose indoor plants that your pets can freely enjoy while keeping your home vibrant and safe.
Sharing your home with plants and pets comes with a challenge many discover too late. Many popular houseplants are toxic to cats and dogs, but there are beautiful, easy-to-care-for options that are completely safe.
Table of contents
Introduction
Not all greenery is safe for curious noses and wandering paws. Some of the most common houseplants contain compounds that can cause drooling, vomiting, or more serious reactions in cats and dogs.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is the most reliable resource for checking plant toxicity, and the results are often unexpected. Pet-safe options, however, do not mean dull greenery.
All five plants below are confirmed to be non-toxic to cats and dogs, but even safe plants can cause mild stomach upset if eaten in large quantities, so it is worth discouraging your pets from chewing on them.
Often called Spider Plant, Chlorophytum comosum produces arching, ribbon-like leaves and small plantlets that dangle from the mother plant. It is one of the most reliable pet-friendly houseplants available.
It adapts well to a range of light conditions, from bright indirect light to partial shade, while also being easy to propagate from its offshoots, so one plant can quickly become many.
Commonly known as Parlor Palm, Chamaedorea elegans is native to the rainforests of southern Mexico and Guatemala. It brings an elegant, tropical feel to any room with its soft, arching fronds and compact size.
It thrives in low to medium indirect light and prefers to be watered when the top of soil feels dry. It grows slowly, which keeps maintenance low, and it tolerates shadier corners that many other plants would struggle in.
Calathea is a genus known for its dramatically patterned foliage, with leaves that display rich combinations of green, cream, and purple. It is completely safe for pets and adds strong visual interest to any space.
It prefers medium indirect light and consistently moist soil, but not waterlogged. It also likes higher humidity, and if your home tends to be dry, our article on boosting humidity for houseplants is worth checking.
Better known as African Violet, Streptocarpus ionanthus is the easiest way to add a burst of color to a pet-safe home. Its compact rosette of leaves produces clusters of small blooms in shades of purple, pink, and white.
It does best in bright, indirect light and prefers to be watered from below, by placing the pot in a shallow tray of water for about 30 minutes. This prevents water from sitting on the leaves, which can cause rot.
The Boston Fern, Nephrolepis exaltata, is a lush, arching fern and one of the few confirmed as safe for cats and dogs. Not all plants with "fern" in their name are actual ferns. Asparagus Fern, for example, is toxic to pets.
It thrives in high humidity and indirect light, making bathrooms and kitchens good choices. Keep the soil evenly moist and mist the foliage occasionally. They reward consistent care with dense, vibrant growth.
Plants to avoid
Some of the most popular houseplants are unfortunately toxic to pets, including Epipremnum aureum (Pothos), Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily), Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ZZ Plant), and Dracaena trifasciata (Snake Plant).
Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm), while visually appealing, is particularly dangerous and can cause serious liver damage.
Building a pet-friendly plant collection is entirely possible without compromising on beauty or variety. These five plants offer safe, reliable choices that bring life into your home while keeping your pets safe.
When in doubt about any plant you already own or are considering, the ASPCA's Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants database is the most reliable reference available, and a quick search before you buy is always worth it.
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