The Best & Worst Houseplants For Pet Parents, According To The ASPCA
Some popular houseplants can be toxic to dogs and cats when ingested, according to the ASPCA. While your four-legged friends should be fine smelling these indoor plants, when they get a little too curious and take a bite, it can have serious consequences. Here's a list of plants that are certified pet-safe, and a list of greenery that dog and cat owners should avoid.
Plants that are safe for cats & dogs.
Let's start with the good news. The following houseplant varieties are all ASPCA-approved, and their mood-boosting, air-clearing benefits will be great for you and your furry friend.
- African Violet
- Areca Palm
- Bamboo
- Caeroba
- Calathea
- Friendship plant
- Haworthia
- Most ferns (Bird's Nest Fern, Boston fern, Duffii Fern, Maidenhair fern, Moss fern)
- Orchid
- Prayer plant
- Spider Plant
- Watermelon Begonia
- Watermelon Peperomia
- Venus Fly Trap
Plants that are not safe for cats & dogs.
Sadly, our pets don't love always love indoor greenery as much as we do. One bite of certain varieties can prove dangerous to animals.
"Most common signs include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, and seizures. In severe cases, ingestion of poisonous plants can lead to liver failure, kidney failure, and cardiovascular problems," Laura Stern, of ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center, tells mbg. "For example, for a dog, chewing on sticks from a Japanese yew can be enough to cause heart problems and a cat drinking water from a vase with lilies in it can have kidney failure."
Here are a few more popular houseplant varieties that your pets shouldn't be getting too close to, according to the ASPCA's public database:
- Aloe
- Bird of paradise
- Dracaena
- Fiddle-leaf figs
- Peace lily
- Philodendrons
- Snake plants
Stern adds that Sago Palms, small trees native to Japan, and lilies, a popular bouquet flower, are especially dangerous to animals, so pet owners should definitely consider steering clear of them.
If you have your heart set on any other plants from this list, you can still get them and just place them in areas that are harder to reach (hanging pots, anyone?).
If you do suspect your pet has gotten its paws on a houseplant and is showing signs of illness, contact your veterinarian or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) at 888-426-4435. Here's to a world where pets and plants can grow together.
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