Houseplants poisonous to cats: how to check yours and what to do

Sara is bringing home Pip, a ten-week-old grey tabby kitten, on Saturday. Her flat is full of plants. Follow her as she checks every one before Pip arrives, and what she'd do if Pip ever chewed the wrong leaf.

Check each plant

1. Gather every plant and find its Latin name.

   

   Sara carries all her plants to the kitchen table and pulls out each little label to read the Latin name.

   Common names mix things up: "peace lily" and "snake plant" each cover more than one plant. The Latin name (for example Chlorophytum comosum for spider plant) is what the lists use. If a label is missing, take a clear photo of the leaves and ask a garden centre. Write each name in your notebook.

2. Look each name up on the ASPCA cat list.

   

   She looks each one up on her phone. Next to each name in her notebook she writes a tick or a cross.

   The ASPCA keeps two lists for cats: toxic and non-toxic. Search by the Latin name. If a plant isn't on either list, treat it as unsafe until your vet or a garden centre tells you otherwise; that's our general advice.

   Common houseplant	ASPCA list for cats
   Aloe vera	Toxic
   Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)	Toxic
   Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)	Toxic
   Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)	Toxic
   Monstera (Monstera deliciosa)	Toxic
   Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia)	Toxic
   Jade plant (Crassula)	Toxic
   Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)	Toxic
   Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)	Non-toxic
   Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)	Non-toxic
   Calathea	Non-toxic
   Parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans)	Non-toxic
   Moth orchid (Phalaenopsis)	Non-toxic

   From the ASPCA's Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List for cats, read 30 October 2026.

3. Take lilies out of the house completely.

   

   A friend gave Sara a bunch of white lilies last week. She carries the whole vase out of the flat, water and all, and wipes the table where pollen fell.

   All true lilies (Lilium) and day lilies (Hemerocallis) are poisonous to cats, including the pollen and the vase water. "Pollen-free" lilies aren't safe either (International Cat Care). Don't keep them in the house or garden at all.

Sort the plants

1. Give the toxic plants away before your cat arrives.

   

   The aloe, the pothos and the peace lily got a cross. Sara packs them into a box for her neighbour, who has no pets.

   International Cat Care advises never keeping hazardous plants in the house, especially with a kitten or an indoor cat. High shelves don't stop a cat that climbs, and leaves fall.

2. Keep the safe plants, and sweep up any fallen leaves.

   

   The spider plant, the Boston fern and the calathea stay. Sara puts them back on the shelf and sweeps up the old leaves under where the aloe stood.

   Even a safe plant can upset a cat's stomach if a lot is eaten; any plant, even grass, can cause vomiting (International Cat Care). That's normal tummy upset, not poisoning, but tell your vet if it keeps happening.

3. Check the balcony or garden too.

   

   Pip will sit on the balcony too, so Sara checks the pots out there the same way.

   Look up outdoor pots and beds as well. Bulbs and roots can be the most dangerous parts of some plants, so don't leave dug-up bulbs or clippings lying around (International Cat Care).

Keep it safe

1. Check the name before you buy a new plant or flowers.

   

   A month later, Sara wants a new plant. At the garden centre she reads the label and checks the name on her phone before she pays.

   In the UK, many garden centres label harmful plants using the Horticultural Trades Association's categories; category B plants ("toxic if eaten") should be avoided (International Cat Care). Bouquets are the easy one to forget: ask the florist to leave out lilies.

2. Save your vet's number and keep the labels.

   

   Sara keeps every plant label in an envelope on the fridge, with her vet's number on the front.

   If your cat ever eats something, your vet will want the plant's name. Having the label to hand saves time (International Cat Care).

If your cat eats a plant

1. Know the signs.

   

   One evening Sara finds Pip drooling next to a chewed lily leaf from a visitor's bouquet. She scoops him up.

   Signs can include drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, redness or swelling of the mouth, not eating, tiredness and collapse (International Cat Care). With lilies, signs start within 1 to 6 hours, but don't wait for them.

2. Call your vet straight away. Don't make your cat sick.

   

   Sara phones her vet at once. She wraps the chewed leaf in a paper towel to take with her, notes the time, and puts Pip in his carrier.

   Don't try to make your cat vomit. Phone your vet, take the plant or its label with you, and tell them what time it happened and what you've noticed (International Cat Care). Out of hours, call your vet's emergency number or the nearest emergency clinic.

Who to call

If something goes wrong