Pet-safe houseplants — and the toxic ones to avoid
If you live with a cat or a dog, "is this plant toxic?" is the first question that matters. Every plant below is hand-checked against ASPCA toxicity data — and in the Botanicaly app the AI can't override it, so you never get a confident wrong answer about something that could hurt your pet.
Pet-safe (non-toxic) houseplants Safe 25 pet-safe plants
Safe to keep in a home with cats and dogs.
| Plant | Scientific name | |
|---|---|---|
| Spider plant | Chlorophytum comosum | Care guide → |
| Areca palm | Dypsis lutescens | Care guide → |
| Chinese money plant | Pilea peperomioides | Care guide → |
| Pinstripe calathea | Calathea ornata | Care guide → |
| Moth orchid | Phalaenopsis spp. | Care guide → |
| Boston fern | Nephrolepis exaltata | Care guide → |
| Kentia palm | Howea forsteriana | Care guide → |
| Parlor palm | Chamaedorea elegans | Care guide → |
| Money tree | Pachira aquatica | Care guide → |
| Peacock plant | Calathea makoyana | Care guide → |
| Rattlesnake plant | Calathea lancifolia | Care guide → |
| Round-leaf calathea | Calathea orbifolia | Care guide → |
| Prayer plant | Maranta leuconeura | Care guide → |
| Wax plant | Hoya carnosa | Care guide → |
| Sweetheart plant | Hoya kerrii | Care guide → |
| African violet | Saintpaulia ionantha | Care guide → |
| Hibiscus | Hibiscus rosa-sinensis | Care guide → |
| Gerbera daisy | Gerbera jamesonii | Care guide → |
| Christmas cactus | Schlumbergera spp. | Care guide → |
| Echeveria | Echeveria spp. | Care guide → |
| Donkey's tail | Sedum morganianum | Care guide → |
| Ponytail palm | Beaucarnea recurvata | Care guide → |
| String of hearts | Ceropegia woodii | Care guide → |
| Air plant | Tillandsia ionantha | Care guide → |
| Pink quill | Tillandsia cyanea | Care guide → |
Houseplants toxic to cats & dogs Toxic 44 toxic plants
Keep these out of reach of pets, or pick a non-toxic alternative from the list above.
| Plant | Scientific name | Toxic compound | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss cheese plant | Monstera deliciosa | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Snake plant | Sansevieria trifasciata | saponins | Care guide → |
| Golden pothos | Epipremnum aureum | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| ZZ plant | Zamioculcas zamiifolia | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Peace lily | Spathiphyllum wallisii | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| English ivy | Hedera helix | triterpenoid saponins (hederagenin) | Care guide → |
| Fiddle-leaf fig | Ficus lyrata | proteolytic enzyme (ficin) and psoralen | Care guide → |
| Rubber plant | Ficus elastica | proteolytic enzyme (ficin) and psoralen | Care guide → |
| Aloe vera | Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) | anthraquinones (saponins) | Care guide → |
| Dragon tree | Dracaena marginata | saponins | Care guide → |
| Bird of paradise | Strelitzia reginae | hydrocyanic acid (seeds and roots) | Care guide → |
| Heartleaf philodendron | Philodendron hederaceum | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Anthurium | Anthurium andraeanum | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Jade plant | Crassula ovata | bufadienolides (cardiac glycosides) | Care guide → |
| Spineless yucca | Yucca elephantipes | saponins (steroidal glycosides) | Care guide → |
| Dwarf umbrella tree | Schefflera arboricola | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals + triterpenoid saponins | Care guide → |
| Croton | Codiaeum variegatum | diterpene esters | Care guide → |
| Corn plant | Dracaena fragrans | saponins | Care guide → |
| Pleomele | Dracaena reflexa | saponins | Care guide → |
| Lucky bamboo | Dracaena sanderiana | saponins | Care guide → |
| Ming aralia | Polyscias fruticosa | triterpenoid saponins | Care guide → |
| Blushing philodendron | Philodendron erubescens | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Tree philodendron | Philodendron bipinnatifidum | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Philodendron Brasil | Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil' | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Arrowhead plant | Syngonium podophyllum | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Chinese evergreen | Aglaonema commutatum | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals | Care guide → |
| Dumb cane | Dieffenbachia seguine | insoluble calcium oxalate crystals + proteolytic enzymes | Care guide → |
| Weeping fig | Ficus benjamina | proteolytic enzyme (ficin) and psoralen | Care guide → |
| Curtain fig | Ficus microcarpa | proteolytic enzyme (ficin) and psoralen | Care guide → |
| Creeping fig | Ficus pumila | proteolytic enzyme (ficin) and psoralen | Care guide → |
| Inch plant | Tradescantia zebrina | calcium oxalate (mild irritant) | Care guide → |
| Purple heart | Tradescantia pallida | calcium oxalate (mild irritant) | Care guide → |
| Cyclamen | Cyclamen persicum | saponins (concentrated in tubers) | Care guide → |
| Rex begonia | Begonia rex | toxic if ingested | Care guide → |
| Wax begonia | Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum | soluble calcium oxalates | Care guide → |
| Geranium | Pelargonium x hortorum | geraniol + linalool (essential oils) | Care guide → |
| Ivy geranium | Pelargonium peltatum | geraniol + linalool (essential oils) | Care guide → |
| Hortensia | Hydrangea macrophylla | hydrangin (cyanogenic glycoside) | Care guide → |
| Florist chrysanthemum | Chrysanthemum morifolium | sesquiterpene lactones + pyrethrins | Care guide → |
| Flaming Katy | Kalanchoe blossfeldiana | bufadienolides (cardiac glycosides) | Care guide → |
| Cactus assortment | Cactaceae (mixed) | non-toxic (most species; spines are the hazard) | Care guide → |
| String of pearls | Senecio rowleyanus | pyrrolizidine alkaloids | Care guide → |
| Sago palm | Cycas revoluta | cycasin (severe — liver and nervous system damage) | Care guide → |
| Lace fern | Asparagus setaceus | sapogenins | Care guide → |
Check any plant in seconds
Botanicaly's Pet-Safe filter flags toxic plants before they're in your home — and warns you if you try to add one. Free on iOS and Android.
Get BotanicalyCommon questions
What are the safest houseplants for homes with cats and dogs?
Non-toxic favourites include the Spider plant, Calathea, Areca palm, Boston fern, Pilea (Chinese money plant), and Parlor palm. Botanicaly hand-checks every plant in its 641-plant library against ASPCA toxicity data.
Which common houseplants are toxic to cats?
Monstera, Pothos, ZZ plant, Peace lily, Philodendron, and Dieffenbachia (Dumb cane) are all toxic to cats — most contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that cause oral irritation, drooling, and vomiting if chewed.
Is Monstera toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Monstera deliciosa contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and stomach if chewed. Keep it out of reach, or choose a non-toxic plant like a Calathea or Spider plant.
How does Botanicaly know whether a plant is pet-safe?
Each plant's pet-safety is hand-checked against ASPCA data and pinned in the catalog — the AI cannot override it. So a toxic plant is never mislabelled as safe, even when the model is unsure.