Having pets involves a lot of cautions, including the selection of cat safe plants. There are a few plants that are highly poisonous for cats and as you know, cats like to chew on many different things, including green plants.
Safe Plants for Cats
Even if there are a lot of toxic plants that can hurt your cat, you can still opt for some safe plants that can be ingested by them without causing any digestive problems of poisoning. Some of these plants include the geranium plant, miniature roses and cacti.
Geranium Plant
The geranium plant is a safe bet if you want to keep your cat safe. It is also a beautiful plant.
Cacti
Cacti are not toxic and cats may be attracted to the special texture of the plant. However, make sure that the plants you get are real cacti, as there are a lot of plants that have succulent leafs but are not cacti. Be mindful of the thorns; these may injure your cat.
Catnip Plants
Any of the plants from the Nepeta group of plants are safe: the catnip, the true catnip, the catmint or the field balm. Catnip also has a demonstrated soothing effect on cats, so it's recommended to have such a plant.
Begonia Plants and Flowers
Begonias make beautiful flowers and are also safe for cats. There are more than 1,500 species of begonias you can choose from.
Miniature Roses
Miniature roses can be ingested by cats without creating any intestinal uneasiness. You may avoid this plant due to the thorns, which can get stuck in your cat’s paws and can cause a lot of pain. However, cats are typically not attracted to thorny plants.
Other Safe Plants
Other safe plants for felines include:
- Hanging African violet
- Shrimp plant
- True fern
- Goldfish plant
- Prayer plant
- Spider plant
- Swedish ivy
- Wandering jew
- Aluminum plant
Cats are likely to eat plants, as they are driven by curiosity and they also like the taste and texture of plants. To prevent your cat from eating your plants, you can feed him grass in addition to the regular food. You can grow the grass in your home, using a grass growing kit. This will ensure that your cat won’t eat grass from outside, which may be treated with fertilizers and pesticides that are toxic for pets.
Keeping safe plants in your home reduces the risks of your cat getting poisoned. Some of the most poisonous plants for cats include the lilies, figs, bulb plants, azalea or the creeping Charlie. You should get a full list of toxic plants for cats; find out if the plants that you currently have in your home are cat safe plants, and when purchasing a new one, ask if it's toxic for pets.
You must also keep in mind that there are several foods that are toxic for cats: chocolate, alcohol, raisins and onions.