We’ve all seen the videos of cats knocking plants off shelves or tipping over a glass of water. Cats love to wreak havoc! But sometimes it can be downright dangerous for them. (And if it’s one of your rare houseplants, of course, you’ll be mad too!)
Cats love to nibble on plants, however, there are many common houseplants that are toxic to cats. For instance, did you know that the popular Jade Plant can cause depression, vomiting, and incoordination in cats and dogs? Even the awesome Peace Lilies can cause chemical burns in your cat’s mouth and throat… not fun!
However, there are many cat safe plants that are easy to care for and will add beautiful color and texture to your room.
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Cat Safe Plants
Below you will find a list of cat-safe houseplants that are also easy to care for (check out my Hard to Kill Houseplant post for more plant ideas for beginners)! After all, your little furry friend demands your attention, you don’t have time to endlessly care for a plant too!
Some of these non-toxic plants for cats require bright, natural light, and others will do well with little or no sunlight. I’ve included a brief description of how to care for each plant, so double-check the amount of light required before finding a home for your new plant.
Bonus… a lot of these plants have also been rated by NASA as excellent plants to purify the air! So not only will you be keeping your cat safe, but you will also be cleaning the air!
Cast Iron Plant
If you love the deep green leaves of the Peace Lily (which is toxic to cats), then you will love the Cast Iron Plant. This cat friendly indoor plant is a VERY easy plant to care for… hence, the name!
Water: Allow soil to dry completely between waterings.
Light: Indirect sunlight to low light (perfect for north-facing windowsill)
Bird Nest Fern
I have a real soft spot for the Bird Nest Fern. I love the unique wiggly shape of the leaves and you can even just strap the plant to a plank of wood and hang it on the wall! (Ferns are also a great stress-relieving plant too!)
Water: Weekly
Light: Low to medium light
Not sure what houseplant is ight for you?
Take my Houseplant Quiz to find your PERFECT plant!
Spider Plant
Spider plants are amazing! They are a great cat friendly indoor plant for a child to care for as they are so easy to look after (great for plant serial killers too!). Spider plants are beautiful trailing plants that sprout little baby plants that you can cut off and grow more of! A great way to expand your houseplant collection!
Water: Allow soil to dry between waterings (they are tolerant of over and underwatering)
Sun: Low light to indirect sunlight
Calathea Rattlesnake Plant
The Rattlesnake Plant is a really awesome houseplant for sooo many reasons! Yes, it’s a cat-friendly plant, it looks amazing with those cool stripes, it does well in low-light conditions, AND it raises and lowers its leaves between daytime and nighttime.
Water: Weekly
Light: Low light to indirect sunlight
Parlor Palm
Parlor Palms have been popular houseplants since the Victorian Era in the 1840s onwards. Back then rooms were often kept very dark and this was one of the plants that could thrive in those conditions. It’s a great cat safe indoor plant that can grow to over 6′ tall! Gotta love large houseplants!
Water: Allow soil to dry between waterings
Light: Low light to indirect sunlight
Haworthia Zebra
This is a great little succulent plant for any living room or bedroom. Its gorgeous strippy leaves make a wonderful addition to any decor. However, it does need direct sunlight, so find a spot on your south-facing windowsill for this one.
Water: 1 – 2 times a month
Light: Direct sunlight
Money Tree
Money might not grow on trees, but a Money Tree is meant to bring you good fortune! This is a super-easy plant to care for and also pet-friendly. They’ll often find it with interwoven trunks and with proper care, it can grow pretty fast and pretty big!
Water: Allow soil to dry between waterings (recovers well after periods of drought)
Light: Medium light to indirect sunlight
Staghorn Fern
I live in Florida where it’s common to see giant Staghorn Ferns hanging from old oak trees. If you don’t have an old oak tree, you can still grow a Staghorn Fern indoors. Like the Birds Nest Fern, it can be strapped to a piece of wood and wall-mounted – useful to keep it away from your cats (even though it’s a cat-friendly houseplant). They look stunning trailing down on your walls!
Water: Allow to completely dry between waterings, about 1-2 weeks average.
Light: Medium light to indirect sunlight (they are used to growing in the shade of large trees).
Peperomia
This is another great choice for plant serial-killers, as it is almost impossible to kill this plant… I did say ALMOST! There are lots of different types of Peperomia plants and some of them can grow to be quite large.
Water: Allow soil to dry completely between waterings
Light: Medium light to indirect sunlight.
Echeveria
Succulents are taking the houseplant world by storm at the moment, but not all succulents are cat friendly plants. Even grocery stores are selling succulents now! The Echeveria is a pretty succulent that is pretty easy to care for if you give it enough light. They do prefer bright, direct sunlight.
Water: Infrequently, about once every 2-3 weeks.
Light: Bright direct sunlight.
Air Plants
All types of air plants are cat and dog-friendly and there is a massive array of air plants to pick from! The key characteristic of an air plant is the fact that it doesn’t need soil to grow. They are generally found clinging to the branches and trunks of trees in nature. But in your home, you can display them in many different ways.
Water: Mist daily. Soak in water once a week for 15 minutes.
Light: Bright indirect light
Bamboo Palm
Bamboo Palms can grow to be large so they make a wonderful statement piece in any room. As a cat-friendly houseplant, it doesn’t matter if your furry friend chews on the leaves. They don’t need much water but they do like a brighter spot in your home (but not direct sunlight).
Water: 2-3 times a month.
Light: Indirect sunlight.
Prayer Plant
Prayer plants awesome houseplants because they don’t need a lot of light. In fact, they are great to grow in your windowless office! If you do grow them at home, you won’t need to worry about your cat chewing on the leaves as they are totally cat safe plants.
Water: Keep soil moist but not soggy.
Light: Low to medium light.
Boston Fern
Boston Ferns are an iconic houseplant and also non-toxic plant for cats. These are great plants to keep in your bathroom as they love humidity! If you can’t keep them somewhere humid, then give them a little mist every day and they will be happy! (If the tips go yellow or brown, then it needs more humidity.)
Water: Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Don’t let it dry out as the fronds will turn brown.
Light: Medium light to indirect sunlight.
Moth Orchid
Last, but certainly not least, is the Moth Orchid (or Phalaenopsis Orchid). I adore orchids and this is one of the easiest to grow. They prefer low to medium light, high humidity and only need water once every week or 2. In return, they will reward you with big and beautiful flowers for you to enjoy.
Water: When the potting mix begins to dry out, every 7-10 days.
Light: Low to medium light.
The Best Cat Safe Houseplants
So there you have it! The 15 best cat-safe indoor plants that are not only easy to look after but will look amazing in your home too!
Now the only problem is picking which one to buy!
If you want to learn more about houseplants that are toxic to cats or dogs, then check out the complete list compiled by the ASPCA.
Not sure what houseplant is ight for you?
Take my Houseplant Quiz to find your PERFECT plant!
