Home Gardening House Plants 10 Toxic Houseplants Pet Owners Should Avoid and Pet-Friendly Swaps Replace potentially dangerous houseplants with our non-toxic houseplant suggestions. Plus, tips to help your pets and plants peacefully coexist. By Marla Christiansen Marla Christiansen Marla is a freelance home expert for RealSimple.com, where she offers eco-friendly solutions for the home. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines and Lisa Milbrand Lisa Milbrand Lisa Milbrand has more than 20 years of experience as a lifestyle writer and editor, writing thousands of articles on topics that help people live better and healthier lives for Real Simple, Parents, and dozens of other top publications. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 23, 2023 Fact checked by Isaac Winter Fact checked by Isaac Winter Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email If your household boasts pets and houseplants as members, you need to know that not all houseplants are created equal: There are pet-friendly houseplants and toxic houseplants. Many popular houseplants are potentially harmful to cats and dogs if they take a nibble or, in some cases, merely touch the foliage. Consulting ASPCA's list of toxic and non-toxic plants, we honed in on those most likely to serve as houseplants to help you keep your pets safe in a plant-filled home. Read on to see which houseplants pet owners should avoid and our suggestions for what to replace them with, as well as tips to maintain peaceful coexistence between your pets and your houseplants. 10 Houseplants Toxic to Cats and Dogs, and Pet-Friendly Plants to Replace Them With If you're a pet owner and have any plants listed here as toxic, consider swapping them out for pet-safe options. And for those shopping for houseplants, selecting pet-safe ones is a smart precaution to take. 01 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Aloe Vera Emilija Manevska / Getty Images Aloe vera plants may be healing for humans, but if cats and dogs chew on the leaves, they can develop lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the ASPCA. Pet-Safe Replacement: Haworthia A member of the succulent family, haworthia is a small, low-growing plant that has distinctive studded white bands on its leaves. These plants do well in bright light and moist conditions with plenty of soil drainage. Its shape and size resembles aloe, but is safe for cats and dogs. 02 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Clivia Juliette Wade/Getty Images Clivia plants feature bright tropical flowers, but the blooms as well as the rest of the plant contain lycorine, a chemical that can cause nausea and diarrhea in pets. Pet-Safe Replacement: African Violet Getty Saintpaulia, more commonly known as African violet, has fuzzy green leaves and stunning year-round flowers that bloom in lavenders, blues, pinks, reds, and white. Its leaves and flowers are non-toxic to cats and dogs, making them perfect for those looking for a low-maintenance, blooming plant. 03 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Asparagus Fern zhongguo / Getty Images The asparagus fern can cause allergic dermatitis (and plenty of itching) if it's touched, and its berries can cause vomiting and diarrhea if they're eaten. Pet-Safe Replacement: Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) Getty Images Popular for their frilly green leaves, Boston ferns are a classic beauty that add charm to any room. These plants do best in a cool place with high humidity and indirect light. Among the easiest types of ferns to care for, they're also safe for pets. 04 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Monstera Mykeyruna / Getty Images Monstera—also called Swiss cheese plants, for obvious reasons—are popular with plant parents, but these tropical beauties aren't great for pets. They contain calcium oxalates, which can cause intense burning around the lips, tongue, and mouth, and trouble breathing. Pet-Safe Replacement: Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) With fiery blooms in the dead of winter, Christmas cacti are a lovely addition to any home. These plants require little care and readily adapt to low-light conditions. One of several easily propagated succulents, it's non-toxic to animals, so cut and replant until there's one in every room. 05 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Corn Plant PhanuwatNandee/Getty Images Also known as dracaena and dragon tree. corn plants contain saponins, which can cause vomiting, dilated pupils, hypersalivation, and anorexia in pets. Pet-Safe Replacement: Staghorn Fern (Platycerium) Getty Images A type of air plant, staghorn ferns grow best when mounted on a board and hung on a wall to allow for an exchange of air and moisture. Resembling the antlers of a staghorn deer, these pet-safe plants have gained popularity as living works of art. 06 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Sago Palm Kathyn8 | Getty Images Sago palms are definitely among the do-not-have plants if you have pets. They contain cycasin, which can cause vomiting, liver damage or failure, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, and death. Pet-Safe Replacement: Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Getty As its name implies, the parlor palm is the quintessential houseplant because, unlike many types of palms, it can handle low light and lower temperatures. It grows in clusters with its elegantly arching, green leaflets forming a feathery canopy. This attractive plant is non-toxic and an excellent air purifier. 07 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Peace Lily Getty Images Peace lilies are one of the most infamous plants for pet owners. Like many on this list, it contains calcium oxalates, which can cause difficulty swallowing, as well as burning and irritation in the mouth and tongue. Pet-Safe Replacement: Hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus) Adding tropical flair to your home is a breeze with the simple addition of a hibiscus plant, which thrives in direct light and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees F. Though tricky to care for when grown outside temperate climates, once you get the hang of it, you'll be rewarded with spectacularly brilliant, pet-friendly blooms. 08 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Pothos Brendan Maher / Getty Images The popular pothos plant is a great easy-care option for plant parents, but you'll want to keep your pets—especially cats—clear of it. It's poisonous due to calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth and cause drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Pet-Safe Replacement: Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) Lucian Alexe on Unsplash With gracefully trailing grass-like leaves, spider plants are markedly hardy plants that can grow in a wide range of conditions. This plant is perfect for hanging, as it sprouts smaller spiderettes—which drape down from the mother plant as if on a web—that are safe for a curious cat or dog. 09 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Jade Plant Jessica Lia / Getty Images This popular succulent can cause vomiting and tremors in pets, and drunkenness in cats in particular. Pet-Safe Replacement: Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) Well-known for its carnivorous nature, the Venus fly trap is a strangely beautiful plant lined with eyelash-like teeth that lace together when triggered by prey. Native to swamplands of the Carolinas, the Venus fly trap does well in bright light and humid conditions. While lethal to gnats and small insects, this captivating plant is completely safe for pets. 10 of 10 Plant to Avoid: Amaryllis Photo © Kerry Michaels These holiday favorites contain lycorine and other harmful chemicals, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors in pets. Pet-Safe Replacement: Wax Plant (Hoya carnosa) Getty Grown for their distinctive glossy green leaves and wonderfully fragrant flowers, wax plants can tolerate very dry conditions, making them perfect for growing indoors. Their star-shaped flowers grow in waxy-looking clusters ranging from pink to white. With blooms that produce sweet-smelling nectar, it's a good thing these plants are non-toxic. How to Keep Pets and Plants Safe Convincing your pets and houseplants to live in harmony can be a challenge. As well-behaved as Fluffy may be, turn your head and you're likely to find her taking a bite or scratching the soil of your beloved houseplant. Even "safe" plants can make your pets sick if they eat too much of them. Of course, that's not too great for the plant, either. To help your plants and pets successfully cohabitate, try these tips: Keep unsafe plants in off-limits spaces. If you're keeping toxic plants, put them in areas closed off from your pets or make them unreachable, such as on high shelves on a bookshelf, or in a bathroom or spare bedroom that's kept shut.Ensure pets are safe when they're unsupervised. Crating or blocking your pets from areas with plants can help ensure they can't eat them when you're not around.Cover the soil. If your pets are diggers, keep them from tearing up the soil by covering the soil with shells, pebbles, tin foil, or other materials that won't feel good under their paws.Offer alternatives to dig or chew. Make plants less enticing by offering pets alternative spots where they can scratch or chew, like chew toys, scratching posts, or even a "digging spot" in the garden.Use spray deterrents. Applying a no-chew spray—like bitter apple or diluted lemon juice—helps to deter pets from chomping on delicate leaves. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit