Which houseplants are suitable for a home with cats or dogs in the UK?

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Choose plants by their exact botanical name and check safety separately for cats and dogs. A shop's pet-friendly label is a useful starting point rather than proof of identity. Keep an unidentified cutting inaccessible until it has been identified.

Start with verifiable options

ASPCA lists spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum ↗, parlor palm, Chamaedorea elegans ↗, and Boston fern, Nephrolepis exaltata bostoniensis ↗, as non-toxic to cats and dogs. This applies to those plants, not every “palm” or “fern”.

Non-toxic does not mean pet food. Restrict access if your animal persistently chews leaves or soil and discuss the behaviour with a vet.

Buy where the species is identified

Use a garden centre, nursery or retailer supplying labels and clear descriptions. In the UK, spider plants are widely sold in garden centres, supermarkets and florists; RHS provides selection and care advice. RHS: spider plants ↗.

Keep the label, ask about treatments and compare the total including pot and delivery. Before paying for a mixed selection, request every plant's name; a collection photograph does not confirm the contents.

Check placement and other materials

Keep pots stable, put fertilisers and pest treatments away, and prevent access to water containing additives in saucers. Consider whether a cat can reach a plant from nearby furniture. Hanging baskets do not automatically make plants inaccessible.

Check gift bouquets particularly carefully: a hazardous plant can enter the home independently of your own collection.

Call promptly about suspected poisoning

Lilies pose a serious danger to cats, including pollen and other plant parts. After possible exposure, do not wait for symptoms: contact a vet and show the plant or a photograph. PDSA: lily poisoning ↗. Do not induce vomiting or give home remedies without veterinary instructions. Keeping labels helps identify the risk quickly.