Updated April 2, 2011
Here’s a list to take to your local plant nursery.
Many indoor cats love to nibble plants, but what’s a home without plants? My friend Shenandoah had a good idea: Just tell me which plants are safe for cats so I don’t have to worry about this behavior. Most plants can weather some nibbling.
So I did some research at the aspca.org database and ended up with a list of four common houseplants that are safe, and four that are not. I think that many cats show an instinct to avoid poisonous plants, but there is no guarantee of that. (Case in point: Phil and Joel pulled down the Pothos recently, so we had to get rid of it.)
House plants that are safe for cats
You and your cat can enjoy the Feng Shui of this lovely greenery in your home.
1. Spider Ivy or Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is safe:
Spider plant
2. Most types of ferns are safe….Boston Fern, Sword Fern, Button Fern, Cliff break fern, Mother Fern, Carrot Fern and most other ferns.
Fern
With ferns, according to the aspca database, you need only avoid: The very toxic Cycads (not really a fern, but also known as “Fern Palm” and Sago Palm) and the mildly toxic Asparagus Fern (aka Asparagus, Emerald Feather, Emerald Fern, Sprengeri Fern, Plumosa Fern, Lace Fern, Racemose Asparagus, Shatavari, Asparagus densiflorus cv sprengeri).
3. Fish Pole Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) is safe **
This is that tall bamboo you see used as screens indoors and out, as shown here.
4. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is safe:**
Bamboo palm
**IMPORTANT: Do not confuse the above bamboo plants with with the toxic plants “Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)” and “Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)” — neither of which are lucky or heavenly for cats!
Which brings me to the next list…
House plants that are poisonous to cats
There shall be no nibbling on these common plants!
If you think you may have a poison emergency, immediately contact your vet or or the ASPCA 24-hour emergency poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435.
1. Ivy is toxic to cats
Avoid all kinds of ivy.
2. Pothos is toxic to cats (typically not deadly though):
Pothos
3. Philodendron is toxic to cats (typically not deadly though):
Philodendron
4. Kalanchoe is toxic to cats:
Kalanchoe
And what about the Christmasy Poinsettia? Well, it goes on the unsafe list, but turns out it’s not that deadly: “Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity.”
CAT TIP: Sometimes indoor cats just really seem to be obsessed with eating something green. I think they are craving grass. The chlorophyll is cleansing and grass may prevent cancer. When we have cat grass around, our cats don’t seem so interested in the plants.
|
Join the natural cat tribe!
Join the hundreds of folks worldwide who receive exclusive updates, and get a FREE COPY of my eBook, 6 Natural Ways to Help Your Cat Live Longer! Just enter your name and email below:
|
|
Thanks for the pictures!!! I went to so many sites and they just had the names-hundreds of names and I wasn’t going to look up every name to find a picture. So this was very helpful! Thanks!
That’s great to hear Helen! Thank you. Yeah, I felt the same way—when all I could find were long lists of Latin names, it wasn’t that helpful. : )
Yes, the pictures are extremely helpful! I had no idea the Lucky Bamboo was toxic to cats. I’ve taken several of my plants to work after reading your blog, Liz – thanks so much for helping us to keep our fur babies safe…
I also read on your FB page that Essential Oils are toxic to cats. I have been using a combination of Tea Tree Oil, hydrogen peroxide and Biokleen as a general household cleaner, thinking this was safe – YIKES! I want to use something for disinfecting. Do you think it’s OK to just use straight hydrogen peroxide? Or, I wonder if Clorox Anywhere is OK… the active ingredient is Sodium Hypochlorite – 0.00095% and it has chlorine as 0.009%. It doesn’t say what the “other ingredients” are, however… the bottle says it is safe to use around kids, pets and food.
Hi Julie, thanks. Yes, there is a strong consensus that tea tree oil is not safe for cats. I was surprised and had used it a lot before too! Cats are just so special and sensitive because they lack a certain detoxifying enzyme.
I found that the ASPCA says hydrogen peroxide make cats & dogs throw up and is sometimes used on purpose to throw up poison, ironically, BUT they say avoid using it with cats as it may be too much for them: http://www.aspca.org/get-involved/ask-the-experts/transcripts/national-poison-prevention-week-chat-transcript.aspx
SO, what to use to clean? That’s the topic of planned post – I have my info all squirreled away and ready for it, but here are a couple suggestions:
Method Multi-Surface Cleaner – BE SURE to get the one marked “Free of Dyes + Perfumes”…and they changed the name recently to “Go Naked.”
A mixture of vinegar and water is considered safe and cats don’t like the smell of vinegar so will avoid it anyway. It also is antibacterial and cleans just about anything.
If you do use something with an iffy substance like hydrogen peroxide in an area the cats are like to walk, just wipe it down really well with water.
But in general avoid any substances with essential oils in cat areas.
Thank you for the heads up of using vinegar and water, which is more natural and I also use this to deter scratching in places ogher than scratch post. Daisy May soon started using her scratch post. Bless her. Thanks again
I use a tablespoon of dawn with a quarter cup to a half a cup of white vinegar and the rest of a spray bottle of water to clean and disinfect. Good for the furless child variety also;)
Wow, am surprised that chemicals are in the house but hey, which are deadly to a puss cat! You can get a pet antibacterial spay from sainsbury’s called PETFACE Disinfectant Spray which kills 99%.99 bacteria and viruses including kennel cough, canine distemper and parvo virus. 24 hour germ protection. Neutralizes odours and leaves a fresh, clean scent. Suitable for aeras where pets live, sleep and feed. Ideal for cleaning cat litter trays and small animal cages.
This product indredients are as follows: 5% Surfactant, Disinfectant, Perfume, Also contains Polyaminopropyl Biguanide. See http://www.byotrol.co.uk/pet
I use this product on all my floors and where Daisy May goes and would not use anything else. Kitchen floor and bathroom too. And I keep antibacterial hand wash and hand rub in the kitchen and bathroom. The only poisnous chemicals I have in the flat is for the loo which is locked away so puddycat paws cannot reach.
You can also pick this product at Pets At Home, as well as Sainsbury’s main supermarkets. You can add to your online shopping. I think it was £2.99 ish. I hope this helps. Blessinsgs.
Hi Liz,
Thanx for the list of plants – safe and unsafe.
We have a lot of Spider Plants in the house. Our cats love to chew on them.
I’m always bringing grass inside during the non-winter months. The fiber cleans out the hairballs and tones the gut. The minerals and chlorophyll is really good for them too. They love the smell and taste of grass.
Yeah, Ivy is really bad. Didn’t know Pothos was toxic to cats. Glad you tipped me off.
Apparently Aloe is pretty toxic.
Thanx for the list,
=^-^= Hairless Cat Girl =^-^=
My cat was sick, but I went outside, late at night and cut grass to put in her food. Mixed with Salmon and Fresh grass, she better. Grass really works
Blessings Liz Cat for the list of safe plants is so important. We have just adopted a 6 year old Black n Whit Short Hair Daisy May and she loves sunning in the bay window. I grow many herbs and plants in my bay window other from two pots off catgrass, there is a huge Aloe Vera, Money Plant, Esater Cactus, Geranium (which we are taking back down to the allotments), and a Begonia. Are any of the plants poisonous to Daisy May?! Meantime, I have two pots of valerian and catmint growing indoors and have a small trough am setting up for a herb trough with Rosemry, Sage, Oregano and Mint. And Parsley in the kitchen window. Thank you for you important info shared, much appreciated and purrrrs Daisy May (puss cat) and my mummy Rainbow Lizzie