Indoor plants that are both animal- and fool-proof

[LindaKay]

Hi!

As I mentioned in another thread, I am pretty new to gardening, but I really want to get involved in it. One thing that I would love to do is have indoor plants in my living room. I don't have a green thumb at all but I think that indoor plants would be a great way to start learning. Does anyone have any suggestions for easy-care plants that are also safe to have around animals? I have two dogs and a cat and don't want them to get hurt in the event that they choose to start munching on my new plants. :/

 

[themotleyshopper]

I'd be interested in hearing what others have to say as well. I do have a cat who munches my plants, but he leaves my bamboo alone. I think you're very smart to think about the animals. Another consideration when having indoor plants, some animals dig in the soil. My neighbor's dog dug up all her potted plants! Just a thought

 

[LindaKay]

Thanks. I hope my critters don't try to dig up the plants. They're generally pretty well-behaved, but you can't stop animals from being animals. I love ferns, but my mom told me they are poisonous for pets.

 

[themotleyshopper]

Ironically, after I posted I went outside to look at one of my squash plants. ALL the leaves were gone. I checked for bugs, nothing. I could not for the life of me figure out what happened. Later in the day, I let my Golden Retriever out back...and watched her make a beeline for the squash. She ate ALL the leaves off of it! Luckily, they're not poisonous. Darn furry beasts, LOL.

 

[Lilley1]

This is a great topic that some people do not think about. I am still learning a lot about plants but I do have a great deal of knowledge regarding animals. Poinsettias, azaleas, chrysanthemums and lilies were some plants off the top of my head that are poisonous to pets. I attached a link for more plants to help guide you to protecting your furry friends.

I am sure your cat would love it if you planted a patch of catnip! I will also help deter him away from other plants.

http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?title=Prevent_Poisonings

 

[LindaKay]

Thank you so much for that helpful link. Planting catnip is a great idea. He likes the catnip in his catnip toys...I just hope he actually allows the catnip the chance to grow before he attacks it!

 

[Lilley1]

You are welcome! It will be fun watching him with his catnip plant. I am also going to grow one, maybe two so the cats won't fight over it.

 

[RoyalFeather]

If you do decide to grow catnip it is best to keep it in a place the cats can't reach it and give them the occasional leaf or two. They tend to go crazy with it and destroy it unless you ration it.

A good plant for the cats is cat grass or various herbs such as basil, mint, and coriander.

As for fool proof plants, all of the succulents are good choices. Succulents are cactus and the like. They take very little watering and are forgiving as far as lighting and temperature are concerned. There is lots of variety with these and they come in lots of sizes and shapes. I love mine!

I also grow millet and such for my finches and chickens and these are cat safe.

The main concern with cats is them using the dirt as a litter box. Planting smelly plants around the base of your house plants will keep the cats from scratching it up.

 

[LindaKay]

Thanks, RoyalFeather.

I do like succulents and would love to have them around my desk. My boyfriend thinks they are ugly (not so open-minded), so I would like to get some other plants for the other rooms of the house.

I certainly hope that my cat doesn't try to use the dirt as a litter box. That would be disgusting. He's a very big cat though, so the chances of him being able to fit IN the flower pot are slim...I hope!

Thanks for the tip about the smelly plants. What kind of plants do you suggest for that use?

 

[RoyalFeather]

Pretty much anything that has a strong smell like mint and basil. My cat hates the smell of fresh mint.

If he thinks the succulents are ugly just find one he likes the shape and color of. There are lots of different kinds.

Believe it or not a phalaenopsis Orchid is one of the simplest houseplants. Most of the ones found in garden centers are phalaenopsis. Water once a week or when the soil starts to dry out and put in a mostly light area and they do just fine. They also bloom for longer periods of time than other orchids do.

 

[dconklin]

How high can your cats jump? I used to be real limited before my male got older and passed away because he would literally jump from the floor to the top of the fridge without even blinking. Yes that made it hard for me to keep plants in the house! My female cannot jump as high so I keep the lucky bamboo plants at counter level. But now I did some searching and found that it looks like this plant can be poisonous to cats. They don't get real big and I keep mine on my counter but if your cat is a jumper you may not want to have one.

 

[LindaKay]

He can jump pretty high, but he's a big boy who "assesses the situation," so to speak, so I suppose if I put it with other things around it, he might not try to jump up there, if that makes sense.

 

[Djbrat]

I would also like to learn more about gardening and what to plant in my yard and when would be the best time. I am also interested in adding some houseplants to my home and thought about getting a hanging houseplant to start with. This way I figure that the cats won't be able to access it easily and it will be out of reach for my puppy.

 

[LindaKay]

Good idea, Djbrat. Maybe I will try a few hanging plants myself. Not only can I keep the dogs and cat out of it, but I think hanging plants also look really nice.

 

[Djbrat]

I'm glad you liked my suggestion. My mother has a green thumb and she told me the best place to start if you want to learn more about plants and gardening, is to start with simple hanging houseplants in your home. This way you can get used to watering them and taking care of them before moving on to more difficult and bigger plants.