Disclosure: Amazon links on this page are affiliate links, so this site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions don’t decide which products are recommended. See the full affiliate disclosure.

Finding plants safe for cats comes down to one authoritative source — the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants database — and this list pulls 13 non-toxic-to-cats species from it that are worth buying. Cats are more selective chewers than dogs, but they also have one truly dangerous exposure most owners don't know about: true lilies (Lilium spp.) cause acute kidney failure on ingestion. Every plant on this list avoids that.

What "non-toxic to cats" actually means

Before the list: a clarification that most articles skip.

The ASPCA doesn't formally define "non-toxic." Its plant list describes plants "listed as either non-toxic, or potentially toxic with mild GI upset" as ones whose symptoms "are not expected to be life-threatening to your pets." It does not mean:

  • The plant is safe to eat. Any plant material — even "safe" plants — can cause vomiting, diarrhea, or gastrointestinal upset in cats, especially if they eat large quantities.
  • The plant won't cause an allergic reaction. Individual cats have individual sensitivities.
  • All species in the genus are covered. The ASPCA entry for Calathea is filed at genus level (Calathea spp.) without naming which species were assessed.
  • Your cat won't chew it into pieces anyway, regardless of toxicity.

The practical implication: "non-toxic" plants are significantly safer to have around cats than toxic ones. They won't cause the acute kidney failure of lily ingestion or the cardiac arrhythmias of oleander. But "non-toxic" is not a license to let your cat eat the houseplants. Keep all plants out of reach if your cat is a chewer.

For the toxic plants your cat might encounter, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is at (888) 426-4435, 24/7. See also our pet-safe plant directory for the full verified list across all species. If you also have dogs, see our dog-safe plants list.

Cat-specific emergency note: True lilies — Lilium species (Easter lily, tiger lily, Asiatic lily) and day lily (Hemerocallis) — cause acute kidney failure in cats from ingestion of any part of the plant, including pollen or water from the vase. If you suspect lily exposure, treat it as an emergency and call your vet or the ASPCA hotline immediately. Peace lily is a different plant family and poses a lower-severity calcium oxalate irritation risk per the ASPCA, but is still toxic and not on this list.

The 13 picks

  1. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
  2. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
  3. Calathea (Calathea spp.)
  4. Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
  5. African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)
  6. Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
  7. Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
  8. Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadierei)
  9. Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
  10. Nerve Plant (Fittonia verschaffeltii)
  11. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera × buckleyi)
  12. Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia)
  13. Phalaenopsis Orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.)

Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) is not on this list. The ASPCA's Prayer Plant entry lists that plant as non-toxic, but its scientific name is Calathea insignis, a different species, and no ASPCA entry found names Maranta leuconeura. See are prayer plants toxic to cats and dogs?

1. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Light: Medium, 250–1,000 fc; tolerates low (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Very easy

Spider plants are the correct first recommendation for cat households — easy enough for anyone, propagates freely so a chewed plant is easy to replace, and confirmed non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA. One honest note: cats are often drawn to chew spider plants (claims of a hallucinogenic effect are widely repeated but uncited). For dogs, they're just foliage. See spider plant care.

More detail: Are spider plants toxic to cats and dogs?

2. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

Light: Medium, 250–1,000 fc; tolerates low (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Moderate

Boston ferns are beautiful, genuinely striking when well-maintained, and confirmed non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA. The catch is the care demand: they want consistently moist soil and high humidity, so the soil needs regular checks. A cat household bathroom or a humid kitchen is the best placement. See Boston fern care.

3. Calathea (Calathea spp.)

Difficulty: Moderate

Calatheas are the most visually impressive non-toxic plants available for cats. The patterned foliage — deep green with contrasting light green, white, pink, or maroon — is genuinely decorative in a way that most "safe" plants aren't. The ASPCA lists the Calathea genus as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

The care requirements: high humidity (NC State Extension gives "above 60%" for rose-painted calathea; a pebble tray helps), distilled or rain water to prevent brown tips from fluoride, as NC State recommends, and medium indirect light. If you can meet those conditions, the reward is some of the best-looking houseplant foliage available. See Calathea orbifolia care.

More detail: Is calathea toxic to cats and dogs?

4. Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)

Light: Low, 50–250 fc (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Very easy

The cast iron plant is the best option for genuinely dim spaces where you have cats and want something that tolerates real low-light conditions. Non-toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA, slow-growing, and forgiving of neglect. It's not exciting, but if the need is "something alive in a dark corner of a cat household," this is the answer.

5. African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)

Light: 500–1,000 fc for flowering (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Moderate

African violets are small, flowering, and non-toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA. The deep green fuzzy leaves and purple, pink, or white flowers are a cheerful presence on a windowsill. The key care rule: never get water on the leaves (it causes spots). Bottom-watering — placing the pot in a saucer of water and letting it drink from below — prevents this. African violets want bright indirect light.

6. Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)

Light: Tolerates low, 50–250 fc (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Easy

Parlor palms are non-toxic, low-light tolerant, and provide the structural element (height, architectural form) that many of the smaller plants on this list don't. A parlor palm on the floor in a corner, or on a plant stand, fills space in a cat household where taller toxic plants like dracaena, snake plant, or fiddle leaf fig would be off-limits. See parlor palm care.

The ASPCA's "Bamboo Palm" and "Reed Palm" entries are also Chamaedorea elegans. It has no entry for Chamaedorea seifrizii, another palm sold as bamboo palm, so that species is not on this list.

7. Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)

Light: Medium, 250–1,000 fc (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Easy

The areca palm (also called golden butterfly palm) is larger than the parlor palm and non-toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA. It needs more light than the parlor palm — NC State Extension says it prefers a bright location indoors — but rewards that placement with fast, full, feathery growth. An areca palm in a bright cat-household living room fills the "large statement plant" role without the toxicity risk of fiddle leaf figs or dracaenas.

8. Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadierei)

Light: Tolerates low, 50–250 fc (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Easy

Aluminum plants have striking silver-and-green patterned leaves that look good enough to be mistaken for something more demanding. They're confirmed non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA, grow at a satisfying pace, and stay compact enough for windowsills or shelves. The main care need: pinch back the growing tips occasionally to keep the plant bushy rather than leggy. See aluminum plant care.

9. Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)

Light: Sunny window (NC State Extension) | Difficulty: Very easy

The ponytail palm looks like it belongs in a Frank Lloyd Wright house — the swollen base, the fountain of thin leaves at the top, the sculptural form. It's drought-tolerant (that swollen base stores water) and non-toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA.

The one requirement it can't compromise on: bright light. NC State Extension says to "provide a sunny window." A dim corner kills it slowly.

10. Nerve Plant (Fittonia verschaffeltii)

Difficulty: Moderate

Nerve plants have the most decorative foliage per dollar of any plant in this category — the fine veining pattern in white, red, or pink against deep green is genuinely beautiful, and they're small enough to sit on any surface. Non-toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA. The challenge: they wilt dramatically if the soil dries out, and they need humidity. In a bathroom with cats or a kitchen with a pebble tray, they're manageable.

11. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera × buckleyi)

Difficulty: Easy

Christmas cacti are non-toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA (which files them under Schlumbergera bridgesii) and one of the only flowering cactus-family plants that genuinely thrives indoors. They bloom in winter, producing tubular flowers in red, pink, white, or purple, and they're one of the more forgiving plants in this category. Short days and cool nights trigger blooming; University of Minnesota Extension notes that plants kept at night temperatures of 55°F will bloom, sometimes regardless of day length.

12. Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia)

Light: Medium, 250–1,000 fc (Missouri Extension) | Difficulty: Easy

The watermelon peperomia has striped leaves that genuinely look like a watermelon rind — silver-green stripes on dark green, with a red stem. It's compact, growing up to 8 inches tall per NC State Extension, and is confirmed non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA. Peperomias are also drought-tolerant (their succulent leaves store water) and handle indirect light well. An excellent, low-effort small plant for windowsills in cat households.

13. Phalaenopsis Orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.)

Light: Low, indirect (Clemson HGIC) | Difficulty: Moderate

Phalaenopsis orchids are the most elegant flowering plants available for homes with cats. The ASPCA lists Phalaenopsis (moth) orchids as non-toxic to dogs and cats. Their flowers can last a month or longer, per UMD Extension; they come in a wide range of colors and have a minimalist form that suits modern homes. The care protocol is simple once you know it: watering about once a week by letting water run through the potting medium, and indirect light, preferably from an east-facing window, per Clemson HGIC; and fertilizer every third or fourth watering while the plant is growing or flowering, per UMD Extension.

More detail: Are orchids toxic to cats and dogs?

Common plants that look safe but aren't

True Lilies (Lilium spp. and Hemerocallis spp.) — The most dangerous houseplant exposure for cats. Easter lily, Asiatic lily, tiger lily, and day lily ingestion (any part, including pollen or vase water) causes acute kidney failure in cats per the ASPCA. This is a veterinary emergency. Cut-flower bouquets containing lilies are equally dangerous. Do not keep them in a cat household, period.

Peace Lily — Despite the name, peace lily is not a true lily. It's toxic to cats per the ASPCA via insoluble calcium oxalates that cause oral irritation, drooling, and difficulty swallowing — but it does NOT cause the acute renal failure of true lilies. Keep out of reach.

Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) — Severely toxic to cats per the ASPCA — can cause liver failure. Often sold as a houseplant despite this. Avoid entirely.

Pothos — The most popular trailing houseplant. Toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA. If you want a trailing plant in a cat household, stick to a spider plant instead.

Snake Plant — Frequently listed as a low-maintenance "safe" plant. Toxic to cats and dogs (saponins) per the ASPCA. The classic "just ignore it" plant recommendation belongs on a high shelf out of chewing range.

Jade Plant — Toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA. Keep it elevated.

Aloe Vera — Often kept in homes as a first-aid plant. Toxic to cats and dogs per the ASPCA.

Quick comparison table

PlantLightDifficulty
Spider PlantMediumVery easy
Boston FernLow–medModerate
Cast Iron PlantVery lowVery easy
CalatheaMediumModerate
Parlor PalmLow–medEasy
Areca PalmMediumEasy
Ponytail PalmHighVery easy

How to choose between these picks

If light is limited (north-facing window or dim apartment), your best choices are: Cast Iron Plant (truly dim conditions), Parlor Palm (medium-low), Spider Plant (medium-low), or Calathea.

If easy care is the priority, go Spider Plant, Cast Iron Plant, Ponytail Palm, Christmas Cactus, or Areca Palm. All five tolerate occasional neglect.

If you want the best-looking plant for a cat household, Calathea and Phalaenopsis Orchid are the aesthetic standouts. Both require more attention but reward it with genuinely decorative foliage or flowers.

If you want a large floor plant in a cat household, Areca Palm fills that role without the toxicity risks of dracaenas, fiddle leaf figs, or snake plants.

FAQ

Is the ASPCA database complete? Should I trust it as the only source?

The ASPCA database is the most comprehensive publicly available English-language resource for pet plant toxicity. It's based on reported cases and published veterinary literature. It has gaps — plants without entries haven't necessarily been tested, and absence of a listing is not confirmation of safety. This list uses it as the primary source and flags when a plant has no ASPCA entry, using NC State, University of Illinois Vet Med, and Missouri Botanical Garden as fallbacks. Where no primary source confirms safety, the list says so.

My Cat Chewed a Non-Toxic Plant. Should I Call Poison Control?

If your cat chewed a plant and is showing symptoms — vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, lethargy, tremors — call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 regardless of what the plant was. "Non-toxic" means the plant hasn't been associated with serious systemic toxicity, not that it causes zero reaction in every cat.

What if I don't know what plant I have?

Don't assume it's safe. If you have an unidentified plant and a cat that chews things, either identify the plant first (a combination of PlantNet app and confirming against the ASPCA database) or keep it out of the cat's reach until you do.

Sources