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The Best Pet Friendly Houseplants

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

Since my plant-filled apartment reveal went live, I have gotten so many questions on Instagram about how the heck I keep Leo away from the plants and which ones are safe for pets.

Leo is my son (cat moms, you know), so just like parents have to child-proof their homes, I had to cat-proof my apartment. I would never want him to get sick or hurt because I was careless with the plants I bought.

This list of the best pet friendly houseplants is a great place to start if you want to expand your plant collection while keeping your furry friends safe.

First things first, Leo does chew on my plants sometimes, but only the stringy, frilly ones. It’s just something I accept (hey, it’s fiber)! If you don’t want your pets to chew on even non-toxic plants, keep them up and away.

The ASPCA has the most comprehensive resource for finding plants that are toxic or non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. As the ASPCA states, any plant (toxic or non-toxic) can be harmful to pets if ingested. Keep an eye on your pet when you bring a new plant into your home and move it away from reach if needed. If an emergency arises, call the emergency poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435.

Let’s get to the plants! Each plant has information on light, soil and water needs. I purposefully picked these eight pet friendly houseplants because they are easy to care for, so they are good starter plants for pet owners and non-pet owners alike.

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.


Spider plants
Chlorophytum comosum

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

These might be the easiest pet-friendly houseplants to care for. They’re durable and adapt well to different levels of light and water. You’ll get tons of baby spider plants that you can propagate. If your pet enjoys playing with stringy plants, keep spider plants in a hanging pot. Or have an extra spider plant just for your pet to play with! 

  • Light: Bright indirect sunlight. Can tolerate lower light.
  • Soil: Well-draining potting soil.
  • Water: Keep soil moist, but not soggy. Let the soil dry out a bit between waterings.

Calatheas
Calathea 

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

My personal favorites, calatheas are low-maintenance houseplants that come in many different varieties. The ones in the picture are calathea medallion (left) and calathea rattlesnake (right).

  • Light: Bright indirect light.
  • Soil: Quick-draining potting soil. African violet soil blend works.
  • Water: Keep soil moist, but not soggy. Allow the top couple inches of soil to dry out between waterings.

Peperomias
Peperomia

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

There are so many different peperomias to choose from! This is great for pet owners because you can have a good variety to showcase in your home. There are watermelon peperomias, variegated peperomias (left), and even some that grow beautiful vines.

  • Light: Bright indirect light. Can tolerate low to moderate indirect light.
  • Soil: Well-draining potting soil.
  • Water: Allow the top half of soil to dry out between waterings.

Majesty palm
Ravenea rivularis

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

This majesty palm is a show stopper! It makes a great centerpiece in your living room. Leo does often chew on the bottom leaves, but the plant grows so fast and has so much going on that you can’t even tell. Not all palms are pet-friendly—sago palm is one example. Check the ASPCA list to double-check.

  • Light: Bright indirect light. 
  • Soil: Well-draining potting soil. 
  • Water: Keep soil moist, but not soggy. Do not let the soil dry out between waterings.

Prayer plant
Maranta leuconeura

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

Prayer plants get their name from the routine of closing their leaves at night, like prayer hands, and reopening the leaves in the morning. Prayer plants have beautiful patterns that can either be all-green or green with pink lines.

  • Light: Medium to high indirect light.
  • Soil: Well-draining potting soil.
  • Water: Keep soil moist, but not soggy. Do not let the soil dry out between waterings.

Money trees
Pachira aquatica

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

The money tree on the right is one of my oldest houseplants! Money trees feature an interesting  braided trunk. Some believe the trees are symbols of good luck and prosperity… it can’t hurt to own a few just in case the legend holds true! Plus, they’re beautiful.

  • Light: Medium to bright indirect light.
  • Soil: Quick-draining potting soil.
  • Water: Allow the top couple inches of soil to dry out between waterings.

Hindu rope plants
Hoya compacta

You can still fill your home with plants even if you have a dog or cat! Start with this list of the best pet friendly houseplants to keep your furry friends safe and to make your home beautiful.

This is an interesting looking plant, with thick, rubbery leaves that curl and form a vine-like rope. Hindu rope plants are succulents, so they need bright light and little water. In the right conditions, these plants produce beautiful star-shaped pink flowers. 

  • Light: Bright light.
  • Soil: Quick-draining potting soil.
  • Water: Allow soil to almost completely dry out between waterings. Avoid soggy soil.

African violets
Saintpaulia

Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of my African violet because it got knocked over by a certain feline creature… oops! African violets are one of the only flowering plants that are non-toxic to pets. Make sure to get a self-watering pot for an African violet as it is better to water them from the bottom—I like this pot. They also require a special soil blend you can find at any gardening center.

  • Light: Bright indirect sunlight.
  • Soil: African violet soil blend.
  • Water: Allow the top couple inches of soil to dry out between waterings. Use a self-watering pot to water from the bottom.