Carolyn 
Indoor plants and flowers are ideal to place around the home to soften the edges and add a bit of color to our surroundings. Unfortunately, many plants and flowers can be dangerous for curious cats. Some flowers, like lilies, are poisonous. Simply exposing our cats to lily pollen can kill them! Other toxins vary but are more difficult to ingest: daffodils, tulips, clematis, crocuses, and peonies, to name a few.
So if you have a cat and want to add color and vibrancy to your environment with flowers, what should you choose to keep your cat safe? Here are five vibrant, non-toxic flowers you can safely keep at home:
Pink
Everything belonging to the Rosa genus is safe, except the thorns! Other flowers with roses in their names but not actually in the rose family should be avoided, such as Christmas roses (Helleborus Niger), desert roses (Adenium Obesum), etc.
So what is Rose? Think red roses for Valentine’s Day or English roses in the garden. Genus Rosa is your traditional rose, available in a variety of colors and sizes. All of these are security thorns.
You can choose indoor miniature rose bushes that can be grown year-round or garden roses in a bouquet; Either way, you can get indoor color knowing your cat is safe.
african violets
If you like true, vibrant colors and are thinking of potted plants rather than bouquets, then you should consider African violets. This little beauty is safe for your cat, and despite the name, it’s available in a variety of colors: white, red, pink, blue, and purple are common variations.
African violets are a unique flower that is available in a variety of sizes, from miniature (6 to 8 inches in diameter or less) to large (over 16 inches in diameter). They are generally considered fairly easy to maintain, requiring south-facing windows in winter and bright indirect light in summer. Overwatering or underwatering should be avoided: keep it moist, but stop watering once the water drains from the pot.
christmas cacti
Christmas or Easter cacti are tropical cacti with red or white flowers. Although ingesting large amounts of leaves can cause diarrhea, they are not toxic to cats. These plants are a very popular flowering houseplant and are often easy to maintain. As tropical rather than desert cacti, they require indirect light, moisture, and infrequent watering, although they do require regular watering and feeding during the blooming season.
The Christmas or Easter cactus is so named because the typical blooming season begins with lower light and temperature conditions around Christmas and Easter.
phalaenopsis / phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis come in many colors and sizes. These are the orchids that you often see sold in local stores. Colorful, exotic, beautiful and safe for your cat!
Phalaenopsis covers seventy different species that vary in size, shape, and color. They usually have several large waxy leaves and long, bare stems with many flowers at the top of the stems. Roots generally look similar to stems, but will extend down from the pot looking for new areas to develop.
Generally easy to care for and maintain, they are originally tropical plants that grow in tree crevices and therefore require dappled indirect light and infrequent watering most of the year. Usually, if properly maintained, 4-10 flowers can be displayed on the stem at a time, lasting up to 4 months.
sunflower
Every kid at school knows what a sunflower is, and we can confirm that this friendly, sunny giant is indeed safe around cats. While not the first flowers to come to mind as houseplants, these flowers are sometimes used in bouquets during the season and can be displayed indoors on a sunny day.
Usually growing from 50cm to 3m tall, these flowers are characterized by single or double flowers on tall stems. If you want to reproduce indoors from seed, this should not pose any danger to your cat if she chooses to nibble on the seedlings quickly.
Care is simple: full sun and plenty of water in a bright place…
While we’ve focused on five flowering plants that can bring a little extra color to your home and be safe for your cat, there are many more plants that you can safely place in your home without worrying about whether your cat is nibbling. Check out 29 Houseplants That Are Safe For Your Cat for more ideas.
The information presented in this article and the entire website is for informational purposes only. If you need sensitive information regarding your pet, we recommend that you consult a professional.
