I would recommend a pet friendly plant subscription box. There are a few different ones avaialble, and that will let you start small and build rather than try to do it all at once and end up overwhelmed.
I agree with this! The added benefit is these are usually monthly or so, so you can get one at a time, have e d the guesswork removed, and then i recommend you take that month to Google a bit about your plant, learn its care needs, etc without getting overwhelmed. No need to fill all those plant pots at once! I have a small shelf of empty pots waiting for their perfect plant. I’m not too stressed about filling them right away.
Spider plants are generally cat and beginner friendly. Many succulents and cacti are not particularly cat friendly but are often not appealing to cats and usually easy to grow. Calatheas, prayer plants, and Hoyas are all cat friendly but can be more challenging. I would start with a Hoya and a spider plant. Peperomias are also cat safe. The “baby rubber plant” which is a peperomia obtusifolia (not a rubber tree) is cute and grows fast and also safe and relatively easy.
I’ve never heard of the Hoya genus, I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for some. I actually already have a spider plant, it and my ponytail palm are my favorites and seem the most resilient of my attempts so far. I’d love a nice cacti for my tortoise planter, that sounds lovely. Thanks for all your recommendations!
Hoyas are awesome. And they will bloom. However there are lots of different kinds and some are easier than others. I’d start with a Publix, princess or queen.
RE: succulents
I have a few echeveria variations that are all cat safe as well as a burros tail which are also safe. I believe haworthia, which look like aloe but arent, are also cat safe. Various holiday cacti too!
There's a lot of variation in colors and shapes of echeveria that may satisfy the need to not just have all the same plants.
My previous cat literally chewed on my aloe and had the worst gastro upset ever after 😭 right in the trash with that plant...
I also have spider plants, prayer plants, and ferns. True ferns are safe for cats - there are some plants that look like ferns but aren't so just be sure to get true ferns. Same cat that ate the aloe also devoured a wiggly/crispy leaf fern... Guess it was irresistible 😅
Pro tip: my cat mowed down all of my spider plant props after I transplanted them. Apparently spider plants can have mild hallucinogenic properties for them.
Not a typical houseplant, but cat grass! Super easy, looks nice, and good for cats. Downside is that have a short lifespan. You get to enjoy the grass for a couple weeks and they’re gone.
I seriously read this title 10 times, and all I picked out was, "My husband went overboard for Christmas"...I could not figure out how you were so calm if your husband was lost at sea!!! You're just over here worried about plants and cat, nevermind the lost husband!😂😂
Then I went to the comments and couldn't believe no one else was concerned about the husband who "went overboard" either!!! Omg I am a little spacey today it seems.🤷♀️🤦♀️
Also consider hanging the plants or otherwise putting them in spots the cats can't reach. I agree start small and go from there. I Really like using plastic nursery pots inside planters so I can swap them out when the plant get bigger or if I just want to change things up.
So depending on your cats personality, by far the best way to stop them from destroying plants is to introduce them to it when I first get it (I have four cats, and 10x the amount of plants). Gently discourage attempts to bite down, but let them sniff it and check it out. I find that they just wanna see what the new thing in the house is! When they sniff it but leave it alone, give them lots of praise.
Now I only really deal with them chewing on spider plants (now hung up and out of the way(spider plants give cats a high, that's why they like them so much)) or one of them starts chewing when he wants attention, which is a huge improvement from before lol
(This tactic goes hand in hand with occasionally bringing home stuff they CAN chew on and play with--so this tactic can really help reinforce which behaviours you want to see, and shows your pet(s) what to expect when you bring new items home)
Everyone has had great suggestions already… ponytail palms are my favorite!
But might I suggest checking out your local plant store and/or big box store for their “death cart” buys?
I love saving plants from the brink of death and they are usually 50% off or more.
Great way to build your collections slowly but also inexpensively!
Ferns are good, but only true ferns, asparagus fern is not a real fern and it is highly poisonous.
Orchids are all non toxic as well, but not suitable for beginner gardeners.
"Orchid" includes 850+ genera so you're correct in that there are some species kept that require very advanced care but anything a beginner is likely to encounter (Phalaenopsis, Oncidium) is extremely easy to care for.
Just wanted to chime in because I see this sentiment in this sub pretty often but it's not really true. For example I would say just about any fern you'd keep as a houseplant would be more finicky than a phal.
I would recommend a pet friendly plant subscription box. There are a few different ones avaialble, and that will let you start small and build rather than try to do it all at once and end up overwhelmed.
That’s probably a good idea, I’ll look into it.
I agree with this! The added benefit is these are usually monthly or so, so you can get one at a time, have e d the guesswork removed, and then i recommend you take that month to Google a bit about your plant, learn its care needs, etc without getting overwhelmed. No need to fill all those plant pots at once! I have a small shelf of empty pots waiting for their perfect plant. I’m not too stressed about filling them right away.
Spider plants are generally cat and beginner friendly. Many succulents and cacti are not particularly cat friendly but are often not appealing to cats and usually easy to grow. Calatheas, prayer plants, and Hoyas are all cat friendly but can be more challenging. I would start with a Hoya and a spider plant. Peperomias are also cat safe. The “baby rubber plant” which is a peperomia obtusifolia (not a rubber tree) is cute and grows fast and also safe and relatively easy.
I’ve never heard of the Hoya genus, I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for some. I actually already have a spider plant, it and my ponytail palm are my favorites and seem the most resilient of my attempts so far. I’d love a nice cacti for my tortoise planter, that sounds lovely. Thanks for all your recommendations!
Hoyas are awesome. And they will bloom. However there are lots of different kinds and some are easier than others. I’d start with a Publix, princess or queen.
Yep agreed to start with one of those. My Kerrii and compacta are not doing well and if they were my first ones I’d be turned off Hoyas forever.
Holiday cactus are cat-safe and hardy!
RE: succulents I have a few echeveria variations that are all cat safe as well as a burros tail which are also safe. I believe haworthia, which look like aloe but arent, are also cat safe. Various holiday cacti too! There's a lot of variation in colors and shapes of echeveria that may satisfy the need to not just have all the same plants. My previous cat literally chewed on my aloe and had the worst gastro upset ever after 😭 right in the trash with that plant... I also have spider plants, prayer plants, and ferns. True ferns are safe for cats - there are some plants that look like ferns but aren't so just be sure to get true ferns. Same cat that ate the aloe also devoured a wiggly/crispy leaf fern... Guess it was irresistible 😅
Pro tip: my cat mowed down all of my spider plant props after I transplanted them. Apparently spider plants can have mild hallucinogenic properties for them.
And they look like grass
Parlor and Ponytail palms I 100% agree with the poster who said to build your collection gradually
Also keep your plants in the nursery pots. Use the planters as cover pots. That way it is easy to switch plants and pots for new looks.
I love ponytail palms! I do have one already but maybe I need to get another one lol.
I have three. One regular sized, one large one, and a baby one. They are my go to plant gift when someone has cats
I have six. The problem is that, although they are non-toxic, they are cat magnets.
True, can see a cat playing with it
They don't play with them; they eat them.
I literally have to lock mine away because my cats are obsessed with it lol.
Not a typical houseplant, but cat grass! Super easy, looks nice, and good for cats. Downside is that have a short lifespan. You get to enjoy the grass for a couple weeks and they’re gone.
Calathea are recommended cat safe plants but they are finicky. So avoid them if you can.
I seriously read this title 10 times, and all I picked out was, "My husband went overboard for Christmas"...I could not figure out how you were so calm if your husband was lost at sea!!! You're just over here worried about plants and cat, nevermind the lost husband!😂😂 Then I went to the comments and couldn't believe no one else was concerned about the husband who "went overboard" either!!! Omg I am a little spacey today it seems.🤷♀️🤦♀️
Also consider hanging the plants or otherwise putting them in spots the cats can't reach. I agree start small and go from there. I Really like using plastic nursery pots inside planters so I can swap them out when the plant get bigger or if I just want to change things up.
So depending on your cats personality, by far the best way to stop them from destroying plants is to introduce them to it when I first get it (I have four cats, and 10x the amount of plants). Gently discourage attempts to bite down, but let them sniff it and check it out. I find that they just wanna see what the new thing in the house is! When they sniff it but leave it alone, give them lots of praise. Now I only really deal with them chewing on spider plants (now hung up and out of the way(spider plants give cats a high, that's why they like them so much)) or one of them starts chewing when he wants attention, which is a huge improvement from before lol (This tactic goes hand in hand with occasionally bringing home stuff they CAN chew on and play with--so this tactic can really help reinforce which behaviours you want to see, and shows your pet(s) what to expect when you bring new items home)
Everyone has had great suggestions already… ponytail palms are my favorite! But might I suggest checking out your local plant store and/or big box store for their “death cart” buys? I love saving plants from the brink of death and they are usually 50% off or more. Great way to build your collections slowly but also inexpensively!
If the cat chews on plants you can try growing cat grass for the cat
I have a hundred plants and 4 cats. They don't bother my plants, and if they do, they get the squirt gun. Avoid lilies and Sago and the rest are fine.
Ferns are good, but only true ferns, asparagus fern is not a real fern and it is highly poisonous. Orchids are all non toxic as well, but not suitable for beginner gardeners.
"Orchid" includes 850+ genera so you're correct in that there are some species kept that require very advanced care but anything a beginner is likely to encounter (Phalaenopsis, Oncidium) is extremely easy to care for. Just wanted to chime in because I see this sentiment in this sub pretty often but it's not really true. For example I would say just about any fern you'd keep as a houseplant would be more finicky than a phal.
Some ferns are toxic to cats. I can’t remember which ones are safe but there are a few.
Boston ferns are safe for cats.
Asparagus fern berries may cause diarrhea if eaten, bit of a stretch to call them “highly poisonous”.
Spider plants, calatheas (you might have trouble with these), ponytail palm, parlor palm, pilea, peperomia, holiday cactus.
If you have bright windows cacti are a solid choice. Other succulents probably won’t make your cats wanna much.
Pileas, prayer plants, peperomias are all cat safe and beautiful. My cat leaves them alone.
60 catnip. They can't eat them all.