The safe list
Houseplants that are safe for cats and dogs
49 plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to both cats and dogs, grouped by the look you are actually shopping for, with how often each one needs watering.
What "safe" means here, precisely
A plant only appears on this page when two things are true: the Kounts Care catalogue records no toxicity for it, and the ASPCA's own list independently returns non-toxic for its species or genus. Plants the ASPCA does not cover are left off entirely rather than assumed to be fine.
Non-toxic still does not mean edible. A cat that eats a lot of any plant can be sick from the volume, and a dog that swallows a mouthful of orchid bark can have a physical problem rather than a chemical one. What it does mean is that a chewed leaf is not a reason to phone anyone in a panic.
Trailing and hanging
The swap for pothos and string of pearls, which are the two most common toxic hanging plants.
Spider plant
Chlorophytum comosum
Water about every 6 days · bright, indirect
String of turtles
Peperomia prostrata
Water about every 10 days · bright, indirect
Wax plant
Hoya carnosa
Water about every 10 days · bright, indirect
Sweetheart hoya
Hoya kerrii
Water about every 14 days · bright, indirect
Burro's tail
Sedum morganianum
Water about every 14 days · bright, indirect
Baby's tears
Soleirolia soleirolii
Water about every 4 days · medium light
Big patterned leaves
What to buy instead of a dieffenbachia, an alocasia or another patterned aroid.
Orbifolia prayer plant
Calathea orbifolia
Water about every 4 days · medium light
Calathea medallion
Calathea roseopicta 'Medallion'
Water about every 4 days · medium light
Prayer plant
Maranta leuconeura
Water about every 4 days · medium light
Watermelon peperomia
Peperomia argyreia
Water about every 9 days · medium light
Nerve plant
Fittonia albivenis
Water about every 4 days · medium light
Polka dot plant
Hypoestes phyllostachya
Water about every 4 days · bright, indirect
Ferns and greenery
Almost every true fern is on the non-toxic list. Asparagus fern is the exception, and it is not a fern.
Boston fern
Nephrolepis exaltata
Water about every 3 days · medium light
Bird's nest fern
Asplenium nidus
Water about every 5 days · medium light
Staghorn fern
Platycerium bifurcatum
Water about every 5 days · bright, indirect
Rabbit's foot fern
Davallia fejeensis
Water about every 5 days · medium light
Button fern
Pellaea rotundifolia
Water about every 5 days · medium light
Kimberly Queen fern
Nephrolepis obliterata
Water about every 5 days · medium light
Palms and structure
Floor plants with height, for rooms where a fiddle leaf fig or a dracaena would otherwise go.
Parlor palm
Chamaedorea elegans
Water about every 8 days · medium light
Areca palm
Dypsis lutescens
Water about every 6 days · bright, indirect
Kentia palm
Howea forsteriana
Water about every 9 days · medium light
Majesty palm
Ravenea rivularis
Water about every 5 days · bright, indirect
Ponytail palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Water about every 18 days · bright, indirect
Cast iron plant
Aspidistra elatior
Water about every 10 days · low light tolerant
Succulents and cacti
The safe half of a family where jade, kalanchoe, aloe and the euphorbias are all listed as toxic.
Mexican snowball
Echeveria elegans
Water about every 14 days · full sun
Zebra haworthia
Haworthia fasciata
Water about every 16 days · bright, indirect
Christmas cactus
Schlumbergera buckleyi
Water about every 8 days · bright, indirect
Living stones
Lithops
Water about every 21 days · full sun
Small and forgiving
Desk and shelf plants that survive a missed week, for people who are not sure yet.
Chinese money plant
Pilea peperomioides
Water about every 7 days · bright, indirect
Baby rubber plant
Peperomia obtusifolia
Water about every 9 days · medium light
Ripple peperomia
Peperomia caperata
Water about every 9 days · medium light
Money tree
Pachira aquatica
Water about every 8 days · bright, indirect
Aluminum plant
Pilea cadierei
Water about every 7 days · medium light
Lipstick plant
Aeschynanthus radicans
Water about every 6 days · bright, indirect
Flowering and gifts
What to ask for instead of lilies, amaryllis, azalea or cyclamen.
Moth orchid
Phalaenopsis
Water about every 8 days · bright, indirect
African violet
Saintpaulia ionantha
Water about every 5 days · bright, indirect
Gerbera daisy
Gerbera jamesonii
Water about every 5 days · full sun
Cape primrose
Streptocarpus
Water about every 6 days · bright, indirect
Guzmania bromeliad
Guzmania lingulata
Water about every 7 days · bright, indirect
Venus flytrap
Dionaea muscipula
Water about every 3 days · full sun
Herbs on the windowsill
Basil, rosemary, thyme, sage and cilantro are fine. Chives are not, and nor is anything else in the onion family.
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Water about every 2 days · full sun
Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
Water about every 4 days · full sun
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Water about every 4 days · full sun
Sage
Salvia officinalis
Water about every 4 days · full sun
Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum
Water about every 3 days · full sun
Every confirmed pet-safe plant
All 49 of them, alphabetically.
- African violet
- Aluminum plant
- Areca palm
- Baby rubber plant
- Baby's tears
- Basil
- Bird's nest fern
- Boston fern
- Burro's tail
- Button fern
- Calathea medallion
- Cape primrose
- Cast iron plant
- Cat palm
- Chinese money plant
- Christmas cactus
- Cilantro
- Gerbera daisy
- Guzmania bromeliad
- Kentia palm
- Kimberly Queen fern
- Lady palm
- Lipstick plant
- Living stones
- Majesty palm
- Mexican snowball
- Money tree
- Moth orchid
- Nerve plant
- Orbifolia prayer plant
- Parlor palm
- Polka dot plant
- Ponytail palm
- Prayer plant
- Purple passion plant
- Pygmy date palm
- Rabbit's foot fern
- Ripple peperomia
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Spider plant
- Staghorn fern
- String of turtles
- Sweetheart hoya
- Thyme
- Venus flytrap
- Watermelon peperomia
- Wax plant
- Zebra haworthia
The ones nobody can confirm
14 plants in the catalogue are not covered by the ASPCA list at all, so they appear on neither page. Common examples are string of hearts, maidenhair fern, air plants, aeonium and several of the reclassified calathea relatives such as stromanthe and ctenanthe.
Unknown is not the same as safe, and it is not the same as dangerous. Keep them out of reach of a determined chewer, and mention the plant by name if you ever have to call a vet.
Let the app remember this for you
Kounts Care holds your plants and your pets in one household, so it checks every new plant against the cats and dogs you actually own, names them in the warning, and runs the check again over your existing plants the day a new animal arrives. Toxicity warnings are free at every tier.
In review with Apple · iPhone, iOS 26 · Five profiles free when it lands
Questions, answered
What is the safest houseplant for cats?
Spider plants, calatheas, prayer plants, Boston ferns, parlor palms, peperomias, hoyas and moth orchids are all on the ASPCA non-toxic list for both cats and dogs. Spider plants are the usual first recommendation because they trail, propagate endlessly and survive being chewed.
Does non-toxic mean my cat can eat it?
No. Non-toxic means the plant does not poison, not that a stomach full of leaves is harmless. Any plant eaten in quantity can cause vomiting. Offering cat grass gives a determined chewer something intended for the purpose, and repeated plant eating is worth mentioning to a vet.
Which pet-safe plant is hardest to kill?
A cast iron plant, which is named for the reason. Ponytail palms, haworthias, echeverias and Christmas cacti also tolerate long gaps between waterings. Boston ferns and calatheas are safe but thirsty, and are the pet-safe plants people most often kill.
Are herbs safe to grow indoors with pets?
Basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, cilantro, mint, parsley and lavender are all fine, with mint, parsley and lavender carrying a mild listing rather than a clean one. Chives are the exception that matters: the whole allium family, onion, garlic and leek included, damages red blood cells in cats and dogs and is recorded as severe.