Pet Safe Houseplants: Debunking Myths Around Flora & Fauna

These are questions that our customers ask all the time, and we’re excited to shed some light on myths around pets and plants, as well as share some of our best-selling pet-safe plants!

Pet-Safe Houseplants

Before we get to which indoor plants are safe for pets, it’s important to understand the definition of “unsafe”. Many common houseplants are labeled as toxic to pets and humans, but that can be a bit misleading.

Why? That’s because most indoor plants that are not considered safe for pets will only cause minor irritation if consumed, and in the majority of cases, only if consumed in vast quantities. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center actually classifies houseplants into three groups based on their toxicity levels, which are outlined below.

Mildly toxic plants

Mildly toxic plants may cause minor irritation of the skin or mouth or gastrointestinal distress if consumed. Depending on your situation (i.e. older children, or a pet that seems uninterested in your houseplants), mildly toxic plants are probably just fine to have in the home.

A few plants that are mildly toxic include

• Fiddle Leaf Fig
• Spider Plant
• Pothos
• Silver Evergreen

Moderately toxic plants

Moderately toxic plants can cause more severe gastrointestinal problems or skin irritation. That said, many toxic plants are also often unpleasant to taste, so even if your child or pet does eat or chew on a piece of the plant, they probably won’t consume much of it.

Some plants in this category include:

• Dracaena Compacta
• Dragon Tree
• Jade plant

Highly toxic plants

Some plants can cause liver or kidney failure or even seizures, particularly in cats. There are not many common houseplants in this category, but one we often see is the Sago Palm.

Non-toxic plants

If for whatever reason you are worried about your pets or children consuming large amounts of indoor plants, your safest bet may be to avoid toxic plants all together (or place them out of reach). Below are some of our favorite easy to care for and 100% pet safe houseplants!

This list is far from exhaustive, but we’ve found them to be some of the most popular pet safe houseplants among our customers. Find our full collection of pet friendly plants here.

The main takeaway

Just because a plant is toxic does not necessarily mean it’s dangerous, especially depending on who may or may not be chewing on them! All the same, stay on the safe side and always check first before introducing a new plant variety to your home.

This article was written by the expert plant stylists at Léon & George, a team dedicated to curating greenery that enhances everyday spaces. With years of experience in pairing premium plants with timeless planters, our stylists specialize in creating living pieces that bring beauty, meaning, and joy to any environment.