The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

8 best pet-friendly plants to liven up your home

These houseplants won’t harm your babies (fur or human) if they take a nibble

Sarah Jones
Tuesday 09 April 2024 16:10 BST
It’s official: Pets and plants can co-exist
It’s official: Pets and plants can co-exist (The Independent)
Our Top Picks

From towering palms to tiny terrariums, houseplants have the ability to enhance any living space. While the flourishing trend for indoor greenery is great news for our interiors (and our physical and mental health), the same can’t necessarily be said for our smaller housemates.

Whether you have young children or pets (or both), it’s important to know certain plants can be toxic when ingested. While some side effects can cause minor reactions, such as skin irritation or upset stomachs, others can be extremely dangerous and, in rare cases, deadly.

It’s possible even the most well-behaved toddlers or cats could let curiosity get the better of them and take a bite out of a houseplant, so, you need to be careful when making your selection of indoor plants.

The good news is there are plenty of pet- and child-friendly options out there, meaning you can still fill your home with greenery while also having peace of mind. Not sure where to start? Keep reading for our guide to the top plants that won’t harm the little ones in your lives.

How we tested the best pet-friendly plants

A selection of the best pet-friendly plants we tested for our review
A selection of the best pet-friendly plants we tested for our review (Sarah Jones)

As the parent of an inquisitive almost two-year-old and an equally mischievous cat, who seems to have made it their life mission to nibble on all our houseplants (the more expensive, the better), finding options that are safe is a must. This is why, above all else, any plant featured on this list is non-toxic to children and pets. Of course, when it comes to choosing an indoor plant, looks matter, so, how stylish the plants looked in our home was also an important factor. We also made sure to take careful consideration of each plant’s benefits and how easy they were to look after – we’ve got enough divas to contend with already, thanks.

The best pet-friendly plants for 2024 are:

  • Best pet-friendly plant overall – Patch Plants Howard aspidistra: £40, Patchplants.com
  • Best budget pet-friendly plant – House of Kojo Venus flytrap: £10.99, Houseofkojo.com
  • Best hanging pet-friendly plant – House of Kojo lipstick plant: £25.99, Houseofkojo.com
  • Best flowering pet-friendly plant – The Little Botanical jungle orchid: £32, Thelittlebotanical.com

Patch Plants Howard aspidistra

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest Patch Plants Howard Aspidistra
  • Best: Pet-friendly plant overall
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Light watering, any light level, humidity
  • Why we love it
    • Almost unkillable
    • Statement plant
    • Available in three sizes

Otherwise known as the “cast iron plant”, aspidistras are almost impossible to kill, making them ideal for any home or level of plant parent. A breeze to look after, this plant will thrive in most environments – while it doesn’t love strong, direct sunshine, it will do well in most light conditions and it’s also very tolerant of irregular watering. So, if you have a busy lifestyle and forget it exists or happen to go on holiday for a week or two, you should return to find it merrily making do on its own.

Characterised by large, paddle-shaped green leaves that group together in small tufts, it makes a real statement in any room and has received many compliments since taking up residence in our home. It gets bonus points for being air-purifying, too, and we loved that it was one of the few plants that our mischievous cat didn’t try and nibble.

Back to top

House of Kojo Venus flytrap

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest House of Kojo Venus flytrap
  • Best: Budget pet-friendly plant
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Bright light, regular watering with rainwater or distilled water
  • Why we love it
    • Keeps small insects at bay
    • Requires minimal care

Famed for its carnivorous appetite, the Venus flytrap is a truly unique plant that features clamshell-like leaves that lure small insects to their demise. The clever plant attracts bugs with its bright leaves and sweet nectar, and, when an insect touches the tiny, sensitive hairs on the surface of the leaves, they snap shut and start digesting the prey. It might not sound like the most pet- or child-friendly plant but, fear not, as the Venus flytrap won’t cause them (or you) any harm if they’re unable to resist the temptation to poke its snap-happy leaves.

When it comes to care, the plant is happiest in a very bright spot, such as a windowsill. It also gets pretty thirsty – ideally, you should water a Venus flytrap every few days, or you can sit it in a tray of water. Make sure you use rainwater or distilled water, as the hard minerals found in normal tap water can be poisonous to carnivorous plants.

A plant with real bite, this small but mighty flytrap has been a real conversation starter in our home, and we think it makes a great, unusual choice.

Back to top

Patch Plants Susie snake plant

best pet-friendly plant 2024 review indybest Patch Plants Susie snake plant.p
  • Best: Plant for improving air quality
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Light watering, bright and indirect light
  • Why we love it
    • Great for beginners
    • Air-purifying powers recognised by NASA
    • Available in different sizes

Looking for a plant that will improve the air quality in your home? This is the one to buy. The snake plant (otherwise known as Sansevieria zeylanica or mother-in-law’s tongue) has been recognised by scientists at NASA as one of the best plants for improving air quality and removing toxins such as formaldehyde, ammonia and carbon monoxide from the air.

Native to tropical West Africa, the snake plant is used to keeping all its pores completely closed during the day, so that it doesn’t lose any water to evaporation in hot temperatures. Then, when the temperature cools at night, its pores open, releasing all the oxygen it’s been holding in. Genius. It also looks the part, with distinctive long upright leaves that have yellow edges.

Plus, it’s a breeze to care for – in fact, it’s one of the few plants we’ve managed to keep alive for months, surviving everything from heatwaves to a house move. While it prefers bright, indirect light, it can handle a little shade, making it a great choice to brighten up dark corners, and it only needs watering around every two weeks.

Back to top

Beards and Daisies string of hearts

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest Beards and Daisies string of hearts
  • Best: Trailing plant
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Light watering, bright and indirect light
  • Why we love it
    • Easy-going
    • Great for decorating shelves

If you’re looking for a plant to brighten up your bookshelves, look no further than the string of hearts, which, as its name suggests, grows pretty, heart-shaped leaves on long vines. Ready to take pride of place in your home office or bedroom, this plant arrives with fairly lengthy vines already (ours measured around 25cm) but, if it’s given conditions it loves, it can grow even longer – up to 2m, in fact. Overall, it’s a fairly low-maintenance plant – just make sure to water sparingly, as it doesn’t like a soggy bottom, and place it somewhere with bright, indirect light. That being said, it will do well in moderate shade, too.

Back to top

Beards and Daisies cowboy cactus

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest Beards and Daisies cowboy cactus
  • Best: Easy to care for plant
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Indirect light, only water when soil is dry
  • Why we love it
    • Ideal for those new to plant parenthood
    • Quirky
    • Requires little care

Yeehaw! Bring a Western touch to your home with this quirky cowboy cactus, which, despite its name, is actually a succulent plant. With the iconic cactus shape, we all know and love, it’s a real statement plant with flat fronds and a bumpy texture that promises to steal the show in any room of your home.

While this one measures between 50-60cm, the spineless cactus can grow up to 20ft tall in the wild, where it grows into a more tree-like structure. Like most succulents, the cowboy cactus is incredibly easy to care for – it enjoys bright sunlight and can even handle a little direct sun if you fancy letting it sunbathe on your windowsill every now and then. It’s important to make sure you don’t overwater it, too, so check the soil is completely dried out before giving it a drink.

Back to top

House of Kojo lipstick plant

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest House of Kojo lipstick plant
  • Best: Hanging plant
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Bright indirect light, moderate watering, warm conditions
  • Why we love it
    • Eye-catching
    • Produces flowers

Otherwise known as an Aeschynanthus radicans ‘Rasta’, the lipstick plant gets its name from the tubular scarlet flowers that sprout from the ends of its leaves. The leaves are equally fascinating – bright green, fleshy, shiny and twisted, they create fronds of compact curls that trail elegantly. Quirky and unusual, it’s a fantastic hanging plant that’s sure to catch people’s attention but you could also display its trailing stems on a shelf. The plant originates from rainforests, so, while it’s relatively easy to care for with bright, indirect light and weekly watering, it does like a humid and warm atmosphere. For this reason, it’s ideal in steamy bathrooms or kitchens, or you can give it a regular misting.

Back to top

The Little Botanical jungle orchid

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest The Little Botanical jungle orchid
  • Best: Flowering plant
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Medium light, infrequent watering
  • Why we love it
    • Two plants in one
    • Comes with a pot
    • Long-lasting flowers

A striking houseplant, the jungle orchid is actually made up of two different plants – a colourful orchid and a chamaedorea (otherwise known as a parlour palm) – that come housed in one sleek concrete grey pot. The combination of the two makes for an extra lush plant that’s brightly coloured and, with the right care, will bloom favourably in your home for many months.

While it arrived with just a few flowers open, there are plenty more buds waiting to blossom and we loved how the additional greenery of the palm added to the plant’s exotic feel.

Orchids can get a pretty bad rap for being high-maintenance divas but, while they do have specific needs, they’re actually not that difficult. For a happy orchid, all you need to do is ensure it receives plenty of bright, indirect light, spritz its leaves every few days and avoid overwatering – this is one of the most common ways to kill one so, to avoid accidental drenching, aim to water yours lightly every 10 to 14 days.

Back to top

The Little Botanical calathea

best pet-friendly plants 2024 review indybest The Little Botanical calathea
  • Best: For low light rooms
  • Air purifying: Yes
  • Care instructions: Medium to low light, warm and humid conditions, regular watering
  • Why we love it
    • Ideal for shady rooms
    • Interesting leaf patterns

Scientifically known as a calathea, this one is part of a family also known as prayer plants, of which there are more than 30 varieties, all with differing patterns on their leaves. They get their unusual name because their leaves tend to fold up at night, like praying hands, and then unfurl again in the morning to catch the day’s sun. We’ve owned a few different types of calathea before but this one is perhaps the most striking, with its thick glossy leaves that are decorated with pinstripe veins and a deep red underside that makes it a real showstopper in terms of looks.

It’s a fairly easy plant to look after but it does have some specific requirements. In the wild, it would grow in the shade of the tree canopy, so be sure to give it a spot somewhere out of direct sunlight and it will be happy. Similarly, give it lots of humidity or misting and regular watering every seven to 10 days.

A word of warning, though – this was the plant our mischievous cat loved to nibble on most, causing us to have to trim a fair few damaged leaves.

Back to top

The verdict: Pet- and child-friendly houseplants

There’s a wealth of pet-friendly houseplants to choose from – proving our furry and green friends can co-exist – but, if we had to choose just one from this list it would be the aspidistra. Not only was it one of the few plants our cat resisted munching, it’s become a real statement in our home and is incredibly easy to care for.

We also love the snake plant, which is ideal for beginners or lazy plant parents, and has fantastic air-purifying qualities, making it a particularly great choice for decorating bedrooms. Special mention has to go to the cowboy cactus, too, simply just for looking so damn cool.

Feeling inspired to grow your collection? Read our guide to indoor and garden plant shops

Voucher Codes

TUI Discount Code
TUI Discount Code
£50 per booking off selected package holidays using your unique TUI voucher code
ASOS Discount Code
ASOS Discount Code
10% off first orders £20+ using this ASOS promo code
Travelodge Discount Code
Travelodge Discount Code
Save 5% on bookings - Travelodge voucher code
The Body Shop Discount Code
The Body Shop Discount Code
Save 20% on orders with The Body Shop discount code
The Perfume Shop Discount Code
The Perfume Shop Discount Code
Save 15% on everything with birthday orders at The Perfume Shop - Member exclusive
Cult Beauty Discount Code
Cult Beauty Discount Code
Get 15% off + Extra 5% on select products with this Cult Beauty voucher code

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in