Pets and plants can coexist, but some plants can be dangerous to our pets

I love my cats. I love my houseplants. And with a little trial and error, I have found ways for them to coexist fairly happily.

Pets can be bad for houseplants. They chew. They pull. They dig in the soil.

And houseplants definitely can be bad for pets. A number of our favorite houseplants are mildly to severely toxic to cats and dogs, so it’s smart to educate yourself and prevent if not a tragedy, a sick animal in pain.

Protecting plants from pets

Let’s start with the lower-stakes part of the equation: keeping your plants healthy and attractive even when there are cute critters about.

It’s good to remember that each animal is different and each plant is different and a pet will behave differently at different stages of their lives. Older pets have less energy that can drive them to play (and destroy) things. On the other hand, playful kittens and puppies are can topple or destroy nearly anything just out of the sheer joy of it. If your animal is young, you might want to consider simply putting the plant where the pet will have trouble reaching it — a shelf, a mantle, on top of a tall cabinet.

Sometimes just moving a plant to a different spot that would seem just as accessible is enough for a pet to lose interest. My cats will fairly consistently be interested in, say, a flower arrangement on the kitchen table. But if I move that same arrangement to the small table in the living room, they leave it alone.

Novelty also matters. A pet may bother a plant for a week or two, and then get bored and stop.

Different pets have different personalities and therefore interact with plants differently. I have one cat that is obsessed with playing with string, and so is fascinated by batting at trailing ivy. The other cat leaves the ivy alone, but will rub up against and destroy any type of firm, pointy plant, like a succulent.

Pets also like to get into the soil of plants, which can make a mess or damage the plant.

One simple, attractive solution — as long as the pet isn’t too determined — is to top the soil with stones, such as pea gravel or the larger black or gray stones you can buy in bags at craft stores.

Or you can make the soil uncomfortable for digging. You can take bamboo skewers, cut them off from the blunt end, and inserted them about a half inch apart throughout the soil. Put them deeply enough into the soil so that the pointed ends stuck up about a quarter inch above the soil.

In some cases, you might want to use both stones and skewers.

You can, of course, do things like cover a plant with netting or chicken wire, but I’ve avoided that. I figure that one of the main reasons to have plants in the first place is to enjoy them visually, and netting and wire gets in the way of that.

Protecting pets from plants

Nearly any plant, if enough of that plant is ingested or its ingested frequently enough, can be harmful to cats and dogs. Further, a plant might be toxic to a pet, but the type and severity of the reaction can vary widely. Plants can be mildly, moderately, or severely toxic to an animal. Reactions can vary as well. One may cause a skin rash or vomiting. Another can cause drooling or abdominal pain. Another might cause long-term organ damage.

Pets can be exposed to toxins in plants in different. Leaves of some plants may be fine for pets to consume while its berries are highly toxic. Or the sap might cause a rash. Or in the case of lilies, pollen can get on their fur and they might lick it off and become ill. In some cases, as with daffodils, just drinking the water they might be in as cut flowers can be toxic.

Ideally, you won’t put these plants where pets can access them. If you do choose to put them in a place your pet can get to them, monitor your pet carefully to see how they interact with it.

If in doubt, consult a vet. Also, if you’re concerned that your pet may have consumed part of a toxic plant, call your vet immediately.

Common houseplants that are toxic to cats and dogs

Note: This is not an exhaustive list. You can find out more online or from your vet.

Veronica Lorson Fowler is co-publisher of The Iowa Gardener website at theiowagardener.com.