Plants

mrw5641

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Has anyone had any experience with plants and there kitties?

I know there are toxic plants but I wanted to see what people here have bought (non toxic obviously) and where did you buy it from and does your kitty chew on the leaves?
 

Sensitivemuse

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I have a palm parlor plant which is the sacrificial ones they use as garden chewables Spider plants are also good sacrificial ones
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I don't keep any live plants in my house, just in case. Also, if anyone ever gives me flowers, I politely give them back and explain that they might be dangerous to the cats. They understand and enjoy them themselves. (or if I received them as a delivery, then I re-gift them to a neighbor or someone deserving. I just don't want to take any chances, especially with anything that might drop on the tabletop or floor that might become a kitty "toy".
 

LTS3

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I have some air plants, a Pilea peperomioides, a pilea aquamarine, a Peperomia verticillata, and some succulents. All are pet-safe. All were bought either from the garden center, the supermarket, or a flower shop. One of my cats has chewed on one of the succulent leaves but he was fine.

Cat grass and catnip are two obvious cat safe plants you can have.
 

vince

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I don't keep houseplants any more. I got some maidenhair ferns, but the half-life of those were about two hours! Maidenhair fern is safe for cats, but seems much too appetizing for mine.
 

coneja

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Mine don't really seem interested in my plants unless the leaves/"blades" are long and thin like grass (for example, in spider plants) but they are older cats... I would say take a look at the ASPCA list of toxic and non-toxic plants that Fionasmom linked, that's where I go to find out what I can have and not have! (And if I can't find it on the safe list, I err on the side of caution and don't get it.) You can find a lot of the common ones at supermarkets and local nurseries, although at a lot of supermarkets they won't always label them beyond something like '4" Assorted Greenery' or something. I keep mostly orchids and African violets because they just work best for me, but there are a lot of cat safe plants out there and my best friend for checking has been that ASPCA list!

You could start with catnip and cat grass like LTS3 said and see how your kitty reacts to them but it may be a bit of trial and error when you bring new (obviously safe) plants home.
 

kittenmittens84

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I have a pothos and a few succulents that lives outside on the patio, a scindaptus pictus in a hanging pot inside completely out of reach, a dwarf lime tree that only comes inside sometimes but my cat doesn’t seem to care about at all, and some small cacti that are sharp and don’t get messed with.

He would definitely munch on the pothos given the chance, if I take him out on the patio he’s always interested in it and I have to put it up high. The other ones he really doesn’t pay attention to, it’s only plants with trailing leafy or vine-y bits that he seems to want to mess with.
 

DillandAnnie

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I have a bunch of house plants and a cat that will eat anything resembling grass. I try to steer clear of anything that's tempting to my cat because I'm such an anxious person. ☺

I've had good luck with calathea and prayer plants. They're listed as non-toxic on the ASPCA website and there's so many different varieties to choose from. We also have stromanthe, which aren't on the ASPCA list at all (either toxic or non-toxic), but I've read from several other sources that they are safe. I believe they are related to calathea. They're a bit harder to care for, but as long as you don't overwater them, they'll grow nicely and are easily divided.

I usually get them from a local garden store that has a decent variety of houseplants, so they may be a little harder to come by. I believe I've seen them at other stores like Home Depot, though.
 

MissClouseau

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I use ASPCA's website too.

For indoor plants I could suggest coconut palm and areca palm. Just because something is non-toxic doesn't necessarily mean it's safe though. Roses are not toxic for example but my cat actually bit a branch and cut her tongue once during the zoomies. This happened 1,5 years after she lived with that rose and never did anything like that before.
 

LTS3

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Fake plants are a good alternative and don't need light or water :) Some are pretty realistic. I have some paper plants. Needle felted plants / flowers are pretty popular. Plastic plants might cause issues if a chunk is ingested. I'd stay away from fake plants that contain wire stems and such.
 
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