Houseplants listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs
One of the commonest reasons somebody rejects a plant, and an area where the internet is least reliable: 'toxic to cats' is applied indiscriminately to plants ranging from mildly irritant to genuinely dangerous, and 'pet-safe' is applied to anything nobody has got round to assessing. Every plant on this list is named on an animal poison-control centre's non-toxic list for both species. A plant nobody has assessed is not here, however benign it is generally assumed to be — three houseplants in the catalogue are in exactly that position and are listed on the page with the reason.
How this list was built
Generated from the catalogue by the same engine that powers What can I grow? — 11 of the 35 houseplants qualify. It is published because it names a question people ask, returns enough plants to be useful, does not return most of the group it is about, and rests on fields that are actually populated. Lists that fail any of those are on the coverage page instead.
| Plant | Type | Light | Spacing | Min. pot depth | In a container |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston fernNephrolepis exaltata | HouseplantSome care needed | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 18 cm | well suited |
| CalatheaGoeppertia makoyana | HouseplantDemanding | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 15 cm | well suited |
| Christmas cactusSchlumbergera × buckleyi | HouseplantSome care needed | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 12 cm | well suited |
| EcheveriaEcheveria elegans | HouseplantSome care needed | Full sun | — | 8 cm | well suited |
| HoyaHoya carnosa | HouseplantSome care needed | Full sun, Partial shade | — | 12 cm | well suited |
| Kentia palmHowea forsteriana | HouseplantStraightforward | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 30 cm | well suited |
| Moth orchidPhalaenopsis | HouseplantSome care needed | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 12 cm | well suited |
| Parlour palmChamaedorea elegans | HouseplantStraightforward | Partial shade, Dappled shade, Full shade | — | 20 cm | well suited |
| PeperomiaPeperomia | HouseplantStraightforward | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 10 cm | well suited |
| Spider plantChlorophytum comosum | HouseplantStraightforward | Partial shade, Dappled shade | — | 15 cm | well suited |
| String of heartsCeropegia woodii | HouseplantStraightforward | Full sun, Partial shade | — | 12 cm | well suited |