5 Safe Plants for Pets

March is Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month. This month, we’re talking about five houseplants that are safe if your pet does get into them. Read on to learn more about five plants that won’t harm your cat or dog.

Boston Fern

Boston Ferns are perfectly safe if your dog or cat ingests part of a frond. Also called the sword fern, this plant can grow to be very large (almost five feet!) and might look tempting to a curious animal. Luckily, this type of fern will not harm your pet if consumed. 

African Violet

The African Violet, also called the Cape Marigold, is not toxic to cats or dogs. While many cats enjoy chewing on this colorful and pretty houseplant, no part of the African Violet will harm your pet. Even better, African Violets are fairly easy to care for and grow. Just make sure you don’t use any type of fertilizer that could potentially be toxic. 

Basil

Want to grow some herbs? Stick to basil. While most herbs are toxic to cats and dogs, basil is one of the few plants that are safe⁷. Ingesting basil in any form — fresh, cooked, ground up — should not harm your pet. In fact, cats love the smell of basil, so you might notice your feline sniffing, licking, or rubbing against the plant. 

Banana Plant

You might notice that your dog or cat is interested in your banana plant. Banana plants have a stem that’s full of water. The plant itself is 93% water. So a thirsty dog or cat might find its way to your banana plant and lick all around the stem. The good news, if your pet does this, is it won’t harm your pet. Banana plants are not toxic to animals. 

Parlor Palm

Parlor Palms are a type of indoor palm with long, spiky green leaves. This plant is safe if dogs or cats take a bite. And if you don’t want nibbles on the end of the leaves, it’s easy to protect your Parlor Palm from your pet: Since this plant only grows a maximum of three feet high, it’s a good fit to set on a tabletop or another point of display that’s out of reach.