What Makes A Plant Pet-Friendly?

When you have pets in the house, it is necessary to ensure that the plants are non-toxic and pet-friendly. Pets, especially dogs, tend to chew on the leaves of plants. Sometimes they can also chew the blooms on the plants; if the plant is not pet-friendly, the flowers can also be toxic for your pets. Homeowners often place plants and orchids in their homes to beautify the interiors of their houses. But many indoor plants can be toxic to pets, especially cats and dogs. Here are some of the qualities of plants that make these pet-friendly.

1. Toxicity of plants

The first thing that makes a plant pet-friendly if it is non-toxic. But it would be wrong to assume that plants with medicinal properties or ones that humans can consume are suitable for cats and dogs. For example, aloe vera is a plant that many homeowners love. It is a sturdy plant and does not require much care. But aloe vera is toxic for cats and dogs. This is because cats and dogs tend to chew on items within their reach. So, if you place an aloe vera plant on a pot on the floor, there is a high probability that your pet cat or dog will try to chew its leaves. In addition, the gel in the aloe vera plant is toxic for pets, and you might find them suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, and tremors. Thus, plants that are suitable for humans might prove to be toxic for pets. So, while selecting houseplants, you must ensure that these are not toxic for animals. 

2. Growing plants out of the reach of your pets

One of the best ways to make a plant pet-friendly is to grow them in pots and place them in locations that are out of reach of your pets. For example, several houseplants have significant foliage but survive with moderate sunlight. You can put these plants in hanging pots so your pets cannot reach these plants. If you can place the plants in such locations, even if they are toxic, you need not worry about harming your pets. As your pets cannot reach the foliage, you will not have to worry about these plants harming your pets.

3. Choose to have orchids in your home

If you want to enhance your home's interior and do it with floral houseplants, then you should opt for orchids. These plants are non-toxic for your pets, making them ideal to be placed in your home. Some of the other ways that orchids are pet-friendly and suitable for homes are as follows:

• Orchids are non-toxic for most pets, especially cats. So unlike many other houseplants, if you find that your pet cat or dog is chewing on your orchid plants, it should not be a cause for concern. The entire plant, be it the stalk, leaves, or blooms, is non-toxic for your pets. You might find that cats often chew on leaves of plants, and if they find an orchid within their reach, they will chew on it. But with orchids, you need not put the plants out of reach as even if your pets chew on these, it will not cause them any harm.

• If you are thinking about which orchids are suitable for a pet-friendly home, you can be assured that most of these plants available in the market are pet-friendly. You need not look for any specific orchid unless it is a rare species. Orchids are beautiful blooming plants and ideal to be placed in a house with pets.

If you want to ensure that there are beautiful fragrant blooms in your home that will not harm your pets even if they ingest them, then you should purchase orchids.

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4. Select plants that do not require planters

One of the easiest ways to liven the interior of your home with plants and blooms without harming your pets is to select ones that do not need pots or planters to grow. Air planting means selecting plants that can gather nutrients from air and water. You can put these plants in glass pots without any soil to grow. Usually, these plants are unattractive to pets and will avoid chewing the leaves of air plants.

5. Select plants that can decorate your home and are harmless to pets

When choosing houseplants, you intend to decorate your home with plants and blooms. Some of the factors that you should consider while selecting such plants or blooms are as follows:

• You can decorate the interior of your home with beautiful freshly cut blooms. If you order bespoke floral bouquets to be delivered to your home, these can rival any houseplant. You will find that such floral arrangements can brighten the interior of your home and, at the same time, prove to be pet-friendly. Cats or dogs usually avoid chewing flowers; hence, your bouquet will remain unharmed.

• There are many fragrant plants like the Christmas Cactus, which cats and dogs avoid. You will find that although these plants produce beautiful flowers that can brighten your home. But the thorns on the plant act as deterrents, and your pets will avoid chewing these plants.

• Sometimes, it is a good idea to grow indoor herbs known to be harmless to animals. For example, you can choose to plant herbs like parsley, sage, or thyme in your home. These herbs are quite fragrant, and even if your pets chew these plants, they will not be toxic for your pets.

Thus, while selecting decorative and fragrant houseplants for your home, you must consider whether these are toxic for your pets.

When you place houseplants and floral arrangements in your home, it is a good idea to discuss the qualities of the blooms with the seller. In most cases, if the plants and the blooms are harmless to your pets, you do not have to worry about putting these out of reach of your pets. You can place such plants anywhere in the house and be assured that your pet will remain unharmed even if it chews the plant or the blooms. 

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