Pet-Safe Plants
Cats chew leaves. Some dogs do too. Several of the most popular houseplants, including a few of our own best sellers, are toxic to pets, so if you share your home with animals it is worth choosing carefully. The three plants in this collection are listed as non-toxic to both cats and dogs.
Non-toxic does not mean a plant is good to eat. A cat that chews a lot of any leaf may still bring some of it back up, and a plant that gets chewed every day will not look good for long. Place even these plants where pets are not tempted to graze, and if a pet seems unwell after eating a plant, call your vet.
The plants
Calathea has some of the most striking leaves of any houseplant, striped and patterned in green, cream and silver, with purple undersides on many types. The leaves fold upward in the evening and open again in the morning. It wants bright, indirect light and soil that stays lightly moist, and it is happiest in a room with some humidity. It is the most demanding plant here, but rewarding once it settles.
Parlor palm is the easiest of the three. It grows slowly into a soft clump of feathery fronds and has been kept indoors for well over a century. It copes with less light than most palms, which also earns it a place in our low-light collection, and it only needs water once the top inch of soil has dried.
Boston fern is all arching, ruffled fronds, and it looks best in a hanging planter or on a pedestal where they can spill over. It likes bright, indirect light, evenly moist soil and humid air, which makes a bright bathroom or kitchen ideal. In a dry, heated room it will shed small leaflets, so mist it or group it with other plants.
Choosing between them
- For the least work, choose the parlor palm.
- For color and pattern, choose a calathea, and plan to water it a little and often.
- For a lush, trailing look in a humid room, choose the Boston fern.
We have written more about this in our journal post on houseplants that are safe for cats and dogs, including which common plants to keep well out of reach.