We believe, there is no need to miss out on joy of growing house plants if we already have pets. The main thing is to create comfortable and safe environment for everybody.
Are Plants Dangerous To Cats?
The most frequent question we hear from pet lovers: сan plants be poisonous to pets? And that's a really important question.
Some popular house plants may contain substances that can cause disorders if swallowed by pets. This list includes Monstera, Zamioculcas, Alocasia, Dieffenbachia, Ficus and nearly 400 plants; watch the complete list here: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/cats-plant-list
Wait just a minute, before grabbing all your plants and getting them out. If your cat is just playing with the Monstera’s leaf, nothing bad will happen. But if it chews the leaves one by one, that could be a problem.
In most cases, cats can feel which plants are poisonous, it’s the natural instinct. And besides, poisonous plants often have a specific smell and taste that makes them unattractive to animals. For example, our cat likes chewing safe Chamaedoreas, but avoid Monsteras and Philodendrons.
If you choose a house plant from the list of potentially dangerous plants, first time watch if your pet has a strong interest. If he does not seek to interact with plant, they can live safely together. If rush to taste it, you better find another place for your plant.
But don’t despair, there are plenty of 100% safe plants, even if your pet decides eat nothing but them. These include, for example Chamaedoreas, all Calathea varieties, orchids, bananas, maranta, Chrysalidocarpus, Pileas, Spider Plant.
Could A Cat Be Dangerous To Plants?
The second most popular question (view from the other side) is how to protect plants from too curious fluffy ones? They can drop pots, eat plants and dig up the soil. In this case, act in several main directions:
1. Think up an entertainment for the cat so she wouldn’t have to find it herself. Play with your cat more often; create more surfaces to jump, to deflect her attention from the window with your favorite green friends.
2. See if you can find a healthy alternative such as oats, wheat (popular cat’s treat) or catnip, they are available in pet stores.
3. If possible, keep windowsill free — this is a favorite place for most cats. They really enjoy basking in the sun and watching what’s going on in the street.
4. Keep your houseplants in less accessible places to protect them from pets. For this purpose you can use special hanging plant baskets, wooden stands, massive floor planters, which are difficult to drop. You can even find a special plant protection netting that won’t let the fluffy dig up the pot soil.
Believe us, you and your pets will both enjoy a tropical garden at home! That is proved by photos on Instagram, use hashtag #petswithplants and look how many happy parents of house plants and pets there are!