Cat Friendly Plants in a Happy Cat Garden
Last Updated on May 19, 2022 by Holly Anne Dustin
The third week in September is Indoor Plant Week. We also celebrate Happy Cat Month in September.
Cat friendly plants can be a source of enrichment – and micronutrients – for your happy, healthy kitty. Fall is a good time to consider what an indoor cat garden can offer our cats during the season when they spend more time snoozing by the fire than exploring the back forty. If you bring plants inside for the cold seasons be sure that they are non toxic.
Toxic Plants to Cats
Cats are very sensitive to poisoning because they lack a liver enzyme that breaks down poisons and toxins. One theory is that the enzyme has mutated out of their system over time. Cats are obligate carnivores and wouldn’t have a need for enzymes that process vegetable based poisons. (PLOS ONE journal article.)
If you keep plants in the home, it is likely kitty will nibble on a houseplant or cut flowers. Plants range from mildly toxic to extremely dangerous. Lilies, for example, are so toxic that even a dusting of pollen can be deadly. Plants in the onion family, including garlic, chives, and leeks, can cause a kind of anemia that can be fatal.
Some common house plants are toxic to your kitty. You want to avoid growing Aloe Vera, Poinsettia, or Pothos where Kitty can ingest them. If you use marijuana, take care that your kitty doesn’t share with you. Marijuana toxicity is serious.
Some plants are dangerous in one form and not in others. For example, apple seeds and most fruit pits are dangerous while the rest is not. Honeysuckle seeds and berries are toxic but 30% of cats react to the plant the same way they do to catnip. The wood part of the plant is safe for toys.
The ASPCA has a list of toxic plants here for researching the safety of plants before bringing them home to your kitty.
Related Post: Click to read more about Lily Poisoning in Cats
Cat Friendly Plants for Outdoor Cat Gardens
Luckily there are plenty of safe plants to choose from. Set up a “catio” to give Kitty safe access to the outdoors. Provide a variety of safe plants for cats to add interest and excitement to her new playground. Strategically planted, tall grasses, ferns, bamboo, and palms give her an area to explore. Consider areca, parlor or ponytail palms. Sago palms are toxic.
Patches of cat grass in sunny spots are nice for a nap. Catnip and valerian are stimulating. Kitty will enjoy nibbling on herbs that will pep up salads and cooking for you too. Parsley, lemon thyme, basil, cilantro/coriander, dill, and mints are safe should Kitty take a snack.
Licorice, chamomile, and echinacea have healing properties. You can grow them in your cat friendly garden and dry them to use in tinctures.
Flowers add color and scent to your cat’s garden. They attract butterflies giving your kitty another source of fun. Good choices include roses, cornflower, marigolds and petunias.
Grow hanging plants in pots and let them drape in a curtain. Cats love spider plants and it is safe for them to eat. Spiderwort, or Wandering Jew, is another great, cat friendly, hanging plant. You can bring the plant in for the winter and kitty can enjoy it all year.
You can DIY shelves, shelters and cat trees out of scrap wood or pallets. Add benches to sleep on and logs to scratch. They discourage koi ponds in my state but if you can add a water feature, with or without fish, it will let Kitty get a drink on a hot day and give her another source of amusement.
Indoor Cat Gardens
If you live in an area where growing a cat friendly garden outdoors isn’t a year round occupation, you can bring the outside in for your kitty.
You can improvise a DIY cat garden with containers so your cat can still enjoy cat friendly plants inside. Bring in your spider plant or a fern in a pot. Put a pot of palms or bamboo in a corner.
Get a table top water fountain and spice up the area with some African violets or a wax plant. Air plants are another interesting, safe plant for cats.
The indoor version of a cat grass bed can be as simple as filling a decent-sized litter box with dirt and planting mixed grasses or growing out a few handfuls of bird seed mix. If you don’t want to go that big at least grow Kitty some greens in a container. Wheat grass, oat grass, orchard grass, rye or barley make a nice mix.
Our friends at ChirpyCats tell all about using catnip for enrichment here. My cats love their nip indoors or outdoors.
Spread a few containers of catnip or catmint, lemon thyme or peppermint around your home. Move your cat friendly herbs to an indoor window box. A celery stalk or sweet potato vine sprouted in a vase can be an interesting experiment. Celery seems to be a favorite with many cats.
With a bit of ingenuity, it is possible to allow your indoor cats to enjoy the natural world. The enrichment of cat friendly plants will help Kitty stay happy and healthy.
