I am surprised to observe a recent trend that people are increasingly inclined to transform their living spaces into lush green landscapes. The desirability of indoor plants is far higher than before. Most amazingly, this trend is not only happening in urban and suburban areas; people living in rural areas are also maintaining an indoor garden beside their outdoor garden.
This context has triggered a worrisome component in my mind, as many indoor plants are not suitable for pets. As a gardener, I am ethically responsible for suggesting safe and cat-friendly house plants to indoor plant lovers.
So, if you are also planning to start indoor gardening and have a pet, this article is for you. Let’s dive deeper.
Understanding of the Risks
By nature, cats are highly curious animals. So, your cat will try to explore the indoor plants by regularly contacting the foliage, plant pot, soil mix or rock in the pot, flower or fruit, etc.
Here, if the plants are not cat-safe, your cat can experience the following issues.
- Chewing on cat-unsafe indoor plant leaves or body parts transmits unfavorable substances to the cat’s digestive, respiratory, and other systems. The associated toxic substances disrupt the proper function of these systems, causing vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, loss of appetite, and so on.
- Some particular toxic substances residing in cat-unsafe indoor plants can affect the pet’s organs. As a result, the pet starts to suffer from kidney, liver, or nervous system problems. In this case, the most common symptoms are lethargy, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, or seizures.
- Depending on plant type, various saps can trigger skin irritation in your cat. Here, the most common symptoms are redness, swelling, itching, and discomfort. In most cases, the cat avoids direct sunlight contact as the sunlight increases the irritation.
10 Cat-friendly House Plants
I have had these plants in my house for a long time, and my cat has never experienced any health issues due to contact with them. So, you can consider the following list of cat-friendly indoor plants as my personalized selection.
Plant #1: Spider Plant
Scientifically, the spider plant is known as Chlorophytum Comosum. Its long and arche-like foliage enhances the interior’s appeal. This indoor plant is a good air purifier.
So, having this indoor plant in your house means you and your pet get a healthy living environment while there is a zero chance of the orientation of health issues to your cat.
Plant #2: Boston Fern
If you are looking for a green indoor plant that does not pose any health risks to your cat, the Boston fern is the perfect one. In my experience, the added advantage of this indoor plant is that it brings an amazing smoothness to the atmosphere.
However, some of my fellow cat lovers said the fuzzy look of this plant sometimes makes the cat annoyed.
Plant #3: Areca Palm
Areca Palm or Dypsis lutescens is another good choice for you. It has no harmful components for cats. But if you decide to go for this plant, you must consider that it requires a bit of large space to grow.
If you can manage the space, this plant will surely elevate the interior’s appeal.
Plant #4: Bamboo Palm
This low-light and low-maintenance indoor plant is certainly cat-safe, and it also favors low space allocation. I strongly recommend Bamboo Palm if you are busy and have a cat in your house.
Plat #5: African Violet
I love African Violets for their compact growth pattern and vibrant flowers. They are highly cat-friendly. But there is an issue I want to notify you about: its look attracts cats, and I have observed my cat chewing its leaves many times. However, even after the chewing, my cat never encounters any health issues.
Plant #6: Parlor Palm
Many people, especially botanists, know parlor palm as Chamaedorea elegans. This cat-safe plant is highly suitable if you have limited space to allocate for indoor plants.
Additionally, it can grow in low light and requires minimal care and maintenance.
Plant #7: Friendship Plant
Friendship Plant is always a good choice for cat owners. It does not contain any toxic substances and grows very fast. Also, its coin-like leaves with a bush-like structure improve the interior’s visual appeal.
Plant #8: Calathea
I know you will say that Calathea has many varieties, and selecting the cat-safe ones is critical. But I want to inform you that I have 5 of the varieties, and I have also collected data from fellow gardeners. The finding is that all varieties are cat-friendly.
Plant #9: Prayer Plant
The prayer Plant is scientifically known as Maranta leuconeura. This cat-friendly indoor plant is very good to enhance the visual appeal of your house.
In addition, it is available in a variety of colors and patterns, making it possible to choose a prayer plant based on the color scheme that matches your furniture, wall paint, etc.
Plant #10: Ponytail Palm
Ponytail Palm, also known as Agave Plan, is my personal favorite as it brings a jungle-like look inside the house. This cat-safe indoor plant has narrow, long leaves sprouting from a bulbous base.
Moreover, this plant also acts as a natural air purifier, offering you and your cat a healthy living environment.
Tips to Create a Cat-friendly Indoor Garden
If you want to keep one or two indoor plants inside your house and you have a cat, the above list is good to find the plant. But, if you literally want to create an indoor garden, you must incorporate the following tips even if you carefully select the cat-safe indoor plants.
Make Special Arrangements to Place the Plants
Cats are undeniably naughty; there are times when they like to mess around with things. So, even if the selected indoor plants don’t create health issues, you must take necessary measures to protect the plants from the cat.
I have observed that while playing with the cat, the most common happenings are chewing leaves, taking out the soil mix from the pot, breaking down the pots, and causing total damage to the plant. You must place the plant pot on raised platforms to restrict such happenings.
You can also use commercial shelvings, hanging facilities, etc. Another lucrative solution is to surround the plants’ location with cat-proof barriers.
Encourage Alternative Behaviors
It is certain that your cat loves playing with the plants, and you must not restrict it from its natural behavior. Here, the solution is encouraging alternative behaviors to play with the plants.
In this case, you can introduce toys, wheatgrass, oat grass, etc., to facilitate the cat playing activities.
Other Protective Measures
If the above solutions are not suitable for you, there is another lucrative solution. You can use citrus-scented sprays or double-sided tape to restrict your cat’s approach toward the indoor plants.
These protectors are not harmful to cats but have the capacity to scare the cats, forcing them to keep a distance from the plants.
Final Words
I am very sure that by incorporating my elaboration on safe and cat-friendly house plants, you will be able to make the indoor green without risking your cat’s health. The listed indoor plants are proved cat-safe and good for enhancing the visual appeal of the indoor.
Still, I suggest you consult with the vet in your area before bringing any indoor plant in your house. Here, the reason is that you cat might have any special issue that only can be detected by an experienced veterinary doctor.
