We are firm believers that you should be able to have your cake and eat it. Or in this case, you should be able to have all of the animals you can dream of, whilst having a beautiful indoor jungle.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to figure out which of your favourite shrubs are pet-friendly house plants. Read through our handy list of some pet-safe plants to help you make your decision. The plants on this list are all safe for both feline and canine companions.
Pet-friendly indoor plants
1. Calathea Plant
The Calathea Plant has exquisite fishbone-style markings on her leaves. She’s the perfect plant for anyone looking for striking pet-friendly house plants.
She’s a looker and well-known for her air-purifying properties. Calatheas, also known as Prayer plants, are excellent pet-safe plants and are a sight to behold. So if your pets accidentally get a mouthful of these plants, you won’t have to rush them to the vets. These plants are low-maintenance but require a few things to help them flourish. Read through our Essential Tips To Care For Your Prayer Plants if you want to delve a little deeper!
2. String of Hearts
These plants get their name from their long trails of gorgeous little heart-shaped leaves.
Although they look pretty delicate, they’re actually quite tough. They don’t require much watering and love bright indirect light. The only thing you need to be wary of is not to overwater, as this one’s a succulent. Make sure to let the soil dry out fully before you water, and they’ll be right as rain!
3. Calathea Medallion
If you want your pet-friendly house plants to add a bit of colour to your home, then the Calathea Medallion is a splendid choice.
The underside of their leaves are dark purple, with the top-side adorned with unique delicate light and green markings. To keep these plants happy, just keep the soil moist and place them in a spot with plenty of indirect light.
4. Pleated Birds Nest Fern
Sometimes the beauty is in the simplicity of our pet-friendly house plants.
That’s definitely the case with the Pleated Birds Nest Ferns. Their gorgeous bright green colour and thin jazzy wavy textured leaves are certainly worth raving about.
These beauties also made it on our Top 5 Air-Purifying Plants list for their air-purifying qualities! They’re the perfect natural addition to add some extra oxygen to your home, especially if you live in the city. Not to mention the lush green foliage can help boost creativity and make us feel happier - perfect for home offices!
5. Chinese Money Plant
Live long and prosper!
Well, we can’t make you rich, but we can help you fill your home with a wealth of stunning pet-safe plants. And the Chinese Money Plant is the perfect example.
These pet-friendly house plants are a staple in many plant lovers’ collections, plus, they’re great beginner plants as they’re super easy to care for. What’s even better is that they produce lots of little babies, so if you’re strapped for gift ideas, this plant is the best solution!
6. Calathea Ornata
Calathea Ornatas are one of the more colourful plant-friendly house plants on this list. With their pink and white pinstriped deep green leaves, these gorgeous plants are the perfect statement pieces.
Want to learn an awesome fact? The best thing about these pet-safe plants is that their leaves curl up at night and unfold in the daytime. Throughout the day, you can spot these beauties wave their leaves as they respond to light differences.
7. Zebra Basket Vine
Beautify your home with the Zebra Basket Vines. With striking patterns on their leaves, these gorgeous trailing plants look perfect cascading out of hanging baskets or down a bookshelf.
The upper side of the Zebra Basket Vines’ leaves are variegated with a light and dark green pattern, whilst the underside is decorated with deep purple-red stripes. They’re certainly unique looking, making them one of the more alternative pet-friendly house plants out there.
8. Pilea 'Greysy'
Sometimes the best things come in the smallest packages. And that’s certainly the case with the Pilea Greysys! In fact, they’re one of the smallest pet-friendly house plants on our list.
These ones are adorable little trailing plants. Perfect when you’re tight on space or if you want a little shelf plant. They can survive pretty much anywhere in your house, they love bright indirect light and can even survive just fine in poorly lit areas.
9. Olive Tree
Olive Trees are gorgeous pet-friendly house plants. You can grow these trees inside or outside, and both are as easy as each other.
When kept outside, they’re used to warm and sunny climates (if only we could relate). Depending on where you live, you may want to keep yours in a greenhouse over the winter months. Also, you’ll likely find that it doesn’t produce any olives.
Olives or no olives, they’re still gorgeous evergreen plants that brings a touch of Mediterranean beauty to your home.
10. Tea Plant
Anyone for a cuppa?
Tea Plants are lovely pet-safe plants. Not only do they brighten up your space, but they’re edible, too! When it gets to Spring, you can harvest their bright green leaves to make delicious cups of tea. Now you can be the hostess with the mostest and offer all your guests a cup of your personally grown tea.
11. Kentia Palm
Kentia Palms are another one of our favourite pet-safe plants. They’re gorgeous, striking, and have excellent air-purifying qualities.
They can tolerate some neglect, so they won’t be too upset if you forget to water them now and then! In fact, they aren’t overly demanding and can survive in most household temperatures. They don’t require lots of light, so they’ll brighten up even your darker-looking spaces.
Their fan-like green leaves add a tropical touch to your home and can even grow up to 10 feet tall when kept them in a large pot!
12. Phalaenopsis 'Popcorn'
Often referred to as the ‘moth orchid’, the Phalaenopsis ‘Popcorn’ orchid is a beautiful graceful plant that’s surprisingly easy to care for.
Their white flowers are known to symbolise peace, purity, and innocence, so are often used to bring calm and serenity to interiors.
It’s important to keep your orchid out of direct sunlight and they need fluctuations in temperature to keep blooming. Once your orchids flower, their blooms will last around 6-8 weeks. After, you’ll need to place them somewhere slightly cooler from the last location in order to rebloom.
13. Pygmy Pineapple 'Amigo'
Who doesn’t want a little tropical touch added to their house?!
The Pygmy Pineapple ‘Amigo’ plant is one of the more unusual-looking pet-friendly houseplants on this list. This is because of the little pineapple that grows at the top. Although the pineapple is safe to consume, it’s much more bitter than the ones we are used to. So, unfortunately, you probably won’t enjoy the taste of it!
These plants commonly grow one pineapple in its lifetime. However, they produce plenty of pups you can grow into more plants, so they’re great if you want to expand your collection of pet-safe plants. These plants are the happiest in a sunny spot in your house. Give them plenty of light and watch them thrive.
14. Parlour Palm
Oh, the magnificent Parlour Palm! When you think of these pet-safe plants, you probably don’t think of the Victorians. However, Parlour Palms get their name from being a staple in the Parlour of wealthy Victorians, as they were considered a status symbol at the time.
The Parlour Palm is a tropical low maintenance pet-friendly houseplant. They love humidity and bright indirect light, just pop them on a shelf and give them a mist every other morning. They’re not very demanding, so they’re a great option if you’re new to plant parenting.
And that’s a wrap!
There are lots of pet-friendly house plants around the world, and it’s certainly something to check before buying a new plant when you have fluffy companions! If you’re ever unsure whether a plant you have is pet safe or not, make sure to keep it up on a high shelf so that your pets can’t chew it or come into contact with its pollen. That way, you can be sure they’ll be out of harm's reach.
It’s also worth noting that it’s not only house plants that can be toxic to pets, but flowers like lilies and chrysanthemums are also toxic to cats. So if you are lucky enough to be bought a bouquet of flowers, then it’s best to check the components won’t harm your furry friends.
So if you’re thinking of furnishing your interiors with some pet-safe plants, hopefully with our list you’ll be fresh with ideas!