Discover 12 cat-friendly house plants that are safe for your feline friends. Enhance your home with beautiful, non-toxic greenery that keeps your pets happy and healthy.
12 Cat-Friendly House Plants:
House plants add greenery and flowers to any room of the home, adding impactful touches of nature. With such an extensive variety of cat-friendly house plants to choose from – bright flowers, height, dramatic foliage – choosing cat-friendly ones may seem intimidating at first. But we have your solution: our guide highlighting some of the top cat-friendly house plants to buy can make making safer choices easier!
Cats Protection maintains a list of indoor plants safe for cats, so if there’s an unusual plant you like but isn’t on our list, their website could be useful in finding it. Filters on many houseplant websites like Patch Plants and Beards & Daisies allow customers to search through all their pet-friendly offerings for sale.
If you’re in search of large cat-friendly house plants, why not give a Kentia palm or parlor palm a try? Or add hanging plants like a string of hearts for shelf decoration? There are also plenty of easy-to-grow houseplants that are cat-friendly such as spider plants, Chinese money plants, and pineapple plants; all have plenty of choices that will suit you and your feline friend perfectly! Whatever kind of plants suit you both best, we’re confident there is something suitable here.
1. Pineapple Plant (Ananas Comosus):
While not harmful to cats, you cannot consume the pineapple as ornamental foliage is used around it for decoration. The fruit sits atop a stem in the center of this lush houseplant surrounded by sword like leaves, creating a striking centerpiece to any room in your home – making this South American native thrive best under sunny and warm conditions.
2. Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra Elatior):
For novice gardeners looking for easy-care plants to start their indoor garden journeys, cast iron plants make an excellent option. Simply keep it out of direct sun and it won’t require much in terms of water. With large oval leaves that bloom beautifully indoors in partial shade conditions, these blooms make a striking display and add color and life to a dull spot indoors.
3. Boston Ferns:
NASA has named Boston Ferns among their list of 10 air-purifying plants, making this an excellent addition to your home. Native to tropical regions in South America, these house plants require an area that receives indirect sun. Keep the compost moist by misting regularly to maintain high humidity levels.
4. Kentia Palm:
Kentia palm was once popular with Victorian gardeners and remains an elegant option today, perfect for adding height and texture to corners of any room. Ideally placed away from direct sunlight or drafty spots, make sure the compost remains moist while never overwatering it and mist periodically to promote optimal conditions.
5. Maidenhair Fern:
Whilst suitable for humid bathrooms, Maidenhair Fern has graceful leaves on delicate arched stems that make an eye-catching display in any light setting. Misting regularly is advised to ensure its compost stays moist, and place it somewhere bright but out of direct sunlight for maximum performance.
6. Pachira Aquatica:
Money Tree needs a bright location out of direct sun to thrive and it stores water in its trunk, so take caution not to overwater. According to legend, this plant brings good luck! Maintenance should not be difficult as long as only two inches of compost has dried out at any one time before watering and misting occur on an ongoing basis.
7. Musa Acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish:
This plant offers an exotic touch in indoor displays. Reaching only 2-3m, give this compact variety plenty of sunlight and keep its soil moist for best results.
Delight in the exotic blooms of moth orchids, which bloom up to three times annually when healthy. For optimal orchid health and happiness, place in an environment with high humidity such as your bathroom or kitchen where temperatures won’t fall below 15oC Moth orchids are easy to care for so make sure the temperature doesn’t drop below this threshold when growing them.
8. Delosperma Echinatum:
This delicate succulent is more commonly known as the prickle plant due to the white hairs along its leaves. Care for this easy plant is straightforward – simply position it in an indirect sunlight location, water only when necessary (when the compost has dried completely out), and rarely flowers indoors although when they do occur they’ll likely be small yellow ones.
9. Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia Argyreia):
This attractive foliage plant can bring life and vibrancy to any table or shelf in a warm room. Make sure that it receives bright, indirect light rather than direct sunlight and mist regularly during summer. It takes its name from its striking leaf markings which resemble watermelon’s rind pattern.
10. Zebra Plant (Haworthia Fasciata):
Although similar in appearance, this attractive succulent is completely safe for cats. Commonly sold as Alba, ensure that you purchase this specific variety rather than one that looks similar and provides plenty of light but avoid direct sunlight for optimal care.
11. Grape Ivy (Cissus Discolor):
Add color to your home with this climbing vine that boasts vines up to two meters long, sporting dark green leaves variegated with silver markings and purple undersides. Grow it as an upright climber in a pot or place its trailing stems on shelves where they can hang down; bright indirect lighting with regular misting is optimal.
12. Golden Polypody:
This tender fern makes an attractive houseplant with its evergreen, blue-green leaves that thrive all year. A humid bathroom environment is best, however, if not possible, mist regularly to keep its compost moist – don’t overwater though.
FAQs
Q1. Which home plant is safe for cats?
Spider plants are usually safe for cats.
Q2. What plant makes cats happy?
Catnip makes cats happy and playful.
Q3. Are banana plants safe for cats?
Yes, banana plants are safe for cats.
Q4. Are all plants safe for cats?
No, not all plants are safe for cats. Some can be toxic, so be careful.