Pet Safe House Plants

If you are a pet owner and a house plant lover, you’ve probably found that keeping both happy can be a balancing act. Cats and dogs often view our plants as playthings, snacks, and sometimes-even toilets! While there are many plants that are poisonous to our furry friends, here is a list of some safe varieties:

· African Violets (Saintpaulia)
· Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
· Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
· Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus australis)
· Zebra Plant (Calathea zebrina)
· Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula)
· Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
· Peperomia
· Jade Plant (Crassula argentea)
. Arrowhead Plant
. Weeping Fig
. Maranta

When shopping for house plants, avoid obvious dangers like cacti. Dogs and cats don’t understand that the spines are sharp! Also avoid any plant that produces berries they are often too tempting for pets to resist. Here are some other plants to avoid or keep far out of your pet’s reach:

Oleander should NEVER be used as a house plant. Although it is beautiful, it is also very poisonous. 1 leaf is enough to kill your pet-and you.
Trailing plants such as Philodendron and Pothos should be kept up high where their trailing stems won’t tempt. While neither is toxic, ingesting Philodendron will give your pet an itchy rash, and Pothos will cause violent vomiting. Dieffenbachia should also be kept away from pets-the sap in its leaves can cause swelling of the throat and literally take your pets voice away. (It does the same thing to humans-this may be why some of its nicknames are “Mother in Law Plant” and “Dumb Cane”!) Ivies will cause a blistering rash, and even Aloe Vera, which is a plant no kitchen should be without (the gel inside is wonderful at healing burns and minor skin irritations), will cause vomiting and intestinal distress if eaten. Pregnant Onion is also quite toxic to pets. Asparagus Fern has spiky stems that can irritate a curious nose.

To be absolutely sure your pets and house plants can coexist safely, know what you’re buying. That way you’ll know which plants you can leave around your pets and which need to be placed out of reach-or not purchased at all!

Submitted by: Sue Walsh

Photo provided by: Dave Vijay