Succulents Safe For Cats; 5 Best Non-Toxic Succulents
Why am I only focusing on succulents safe for cats?
Why not including children, dogs and other pets?
I’ve already written an “inclusive” article about the 10 Best Non-Toxic Houseplants That are Safe For Children, Cats & Dogs. However, those are houseplants, not necessarily succulents.
This article focuses on Succulents. And Cats. Here is why;
First; between pets and children, pets are the ones that are less likely to be supervised at all times. Consequently, they have more chances to freely chew on plant leaves than crawling babies and toddlers.
Second; among pets, cats are the ones that are most likely to crawl and climb to impossible places to nibble on plant leaves.
Third; succulents have become extremely popular in the last few years due to their beauty and ease of maintenance. However, the juicy leaves of many succulents can be toxic to children and pets if ingested.
These 5 succulents safe for cats are beautiful, relatively easy to care for, they do not require humidity to thrive, and, (in case you also have a dog and young children), safe for everyone in the family.
Keep in mind that while these plants are not poisonous if ingested, it is still highly recommended to not eat them!! So please, try to arrange these succulents in places that can be harder to reach, such as hanging planters or higher shelves.
Let’s now take a closer look at these succulents safe for cats.
1. holiday cactus, (Schlumbergera)
This is by far my favorite among the succulents safe for cats. I love watching this plant constantly develop.
This lovely succulent is widely available for purchase around Christmas time, (when it generally is in full bloom), but it is harder, if not impossible to find off-season, which is really too bad!
The Holiday Cactus thrives in indirect bright light conditions but will scorch under direct sunlight.
I water my plant a little bit of water once a week by slowly pouring water really close to the main stems so that the soil and plant really absorbs the water rather than draining it out right away leaving a pool of water at the bottom of the pot. Do not over water this plant!
Once you’ve established the right spot and watering schedule for your cactus, you’ll be able to see beautiful blooming even off-season!
This is a summer Holiday Cactus flower! There is nothing that gives me more satisfaction than seeing this plant blooming off-season!
2. ponytail palm, (beaucarnea recurvata)
Ponytail Palms are excellent succulents safe for cats!
Did you even know Ponytail Palms were succulents?
One of the two Ponytail Palms we have in our house, is over 15 years old and has survived the hardest conditions we could have possibly subjected it to;
- it moved several times in different light conditions,
- it moved to our new home 9 years ago,
- it received very little care and water during the crazy busy years of having babies and working full time!
All of this with no sign of distress! I was so impressed with the hardiness of this plant that I chose to buy a second one when I needed to spruce up a pony wall, (no pun intended), between our Living Room and Dining Room. It was the easiest choice to make as this plant, on top of being super hardy, is highly decorative and aesthetically pleasing! This is an absolute no brainer for me!
You just can’t kill this plant, unless you abandon your home!
This plant is a succulent so it needs little water, like every 2-3 weeks and thrives in bright, indirect sun.
This is our Ponytail Palm on the Living Room pony wall.
3. zebra haworthia, (HAWORTHIA attenuata)
This is one of the cutest among the succulents safe for cats.
I call mine the “little green flame”. It gives it a bit of character!
Haworthia’s are extremely easy to care for and extremely hard to kill.
All they need is a very bright, indirect light spot to be displayed and a nice planter with proper drainage. Make sure your little succulent is not exposed to any direct sunlight.
The only possible way to kill this plant is by overwatering it.
Water this succulent generously in spring and summer only once the soil has dried out in between waterings. Reduce water to once a month or bi-monthly in fall and winter.
My “Little Green Flame”
4. burro's tail, (sedum morganianum)
Burro’s Tail is one of your best options for trailing and hanging succulents safe for cats.
This is where you can get creative and find a great container to hang from a wall or ceiling. It will help you enhance the look of your space adding some green to your walls!
They are mainly available in two varieties;
- the grains of rice, (which have pointy leaves) and
- the round pearls, (which have round leaves).
Both types can be grown outdoors and indoors, depending on where you live. (With Burro’s Tail, you have better luck outdoors if you live in warmer climates).
This type of succulent does best when is left alone and (almost) forgotten.
It thrives in bright, indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight will burn the fleshy leaves.
Since the leaves store water, this plant only needs to be watered once a month and nothing more than that.
It is critical that the Burro’s Tail is planted in a draining pot with well draining soil to prevent root rot.
Photo Credit by Calle Macarone
5. echeveria
This one to me is the most beautiful and elegant among the safe succulents for cats.
Echeverias are incredible succulents and they appeal to so many people not only for their ease of maintenance, but for their beauty. Their geometry, colours and flowers are fascinating and hypnotic.
I could spend hours combining Echeverias varieties and colours into compositions!
Echeverias need particular light conditions to grow properly.
Like all succulents, they thrive in bright, light conditions. However, Echeverias, need to be exposed to a certain amount of direct sunlight.
My recommendation is to place your Echeveria in areas that receive direct morning sunlight, (like South facing windows), and avoid those areas with scorching direct sunlight, (such as West facing windows).
Start by watering your succulent once every two weeks. If the plant does well on such schedule, keep going that way, otherwise, use your finger to test the soil.
If the top soil is dry to the touch, it’s time to water your Echeveria. Otherwise, wait.
It is important your Echeveria is planted in a draining pot with well draining cactus and succulent mix.
My gorgeous Echeveria Elegans (Mexican Snowball)
I recommend you refer to the following websites for further research and information:
- Poison Control Centre for a complete list of Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants for humans.
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) website for a comprehensive list of Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants for pets.
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