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Are Air Plants Toxic to Cats? Growing Pet-safe Plants

November 10, 2023

Are air plants Toxic to Cats? As a pet owner, this is an important question to ask if you’re considering adding Tillandsia genus plants or an air plant to your indoor plant collection.

Cats are usually all over the place, so it’s essential to know the terrible effects the plant might have on your fluff buddies when ingested- if any.

With their lack of soil usage, your pet cats can’t make a mess. However, you might wonder if it has any adverse effects on cats if ingested, as cats are naturally curious and adventurous. Let’s get straight into it.

Are Air Plants Toxic to Cats?

💥No, air plants are not toxic to cats, however, their sharp, pointed leaves, would harm the cat, because they could present a choking hazard, especially to the ones smaller in size. Hence, you must grow them in a safe space and keep your cats away from them.

What Should You Do When the Cat Reaches the Air Plant?

When the cat reaches the air plant, you should first examine the extent of the damage, to the plant and the cat. You must trim off the damages, so it grows, and locate it in a further reach. Don’t forget to give the plant more care to heal it again.

– Examine the Extent of the Damage

Take proper stock of the damage your cat might have caused. Check to see if your plant has leaves connected to the main stem and if the main stem is still whole. Your air plant will still have hope for survival if some of the leaves and the main stem are still present.

Air plants are tough, so you can decide to wait it out if you notice extensive damage to the plant. You never know; the plant might make a comeback.

– Trim the Damaged Areas

As air plants don’t grow in soil, they need their leaves to absorb nutrients and water from the atmosphere. Hence, once the leaves are still attached, with proper plant care, they can survive, all you must do is trim off the parts that were bitten and reshape them, they will still grow as long as the core of the leaf is still healthy.

All you need to do is trim the edges of your plant’s leaves and other damaged areas and watch your plant become as good as new.

– Find a New Space To Place

Get your air plant out of your pets’ reach. To make your air plants safe, you need to find a place your cat can’t get to so your poor plant doesn’t get harassed by it. Raising them to a higher spot will keep your air plant safe from prying paws.

As mentioned earlier, cats are naturally curious and will nibble on or play with almost anything, including your house plants. If they manage to get a hold of your air plant and to place it on a higher shelf, or to hang it from a basket, they won’t come to any harm. However, the same won’t be said for your air plant if your cats keep at it.

– Give Your Air Plant a Little Extra Care

Care for your plant like you usually would, and give it extra water to encourage its growth and healing.

Your air plant will bounce back in no time when you provide it with that extra care.

How To Keep Cat Away from Air Plant?

To keep the cat away from the air plant, you must suspend your air plants, and find it an opportunity to make sure of glass terrarium. In addition, you can hang them instead out of their reach, or even spray repellents from the cat.

– Suspend Your Air Plants

Suspending your air plant is one way to keep your cats away from them. After all, your cat will not suddenly develop wings.

Going this route, you can get creative by using ropes and wires or strings attached to strong hooks to suspend your air Plants from ceilings or window sills around your house. This safety method isn’t just suitable for in-house use but also outdoor use.

You can also practice air plant suspension outdoors on tree branches or decorative poles. The suspension method will even add some aesthetics to your space. Keep in mind that you should suspend your plants at a height your cats can’t reach.

– Make Use of a Glass Terrarium

Like there are aquariums for fish, there are also terrariums for plants. Keeping your cats away from indoor plants takes work, as cats are curious and can jump several feet high. Glass terrariums are usually used for this purpose.

However, using glass terrariums alone will not give the desired effect. You should select an open-glass terrarium for your air plants (because they require sufficient air circulation) and place them in a spot that your cats won’t be likely to knock them over or a place high enough that your cats can’t reach.

– Hang Your Air Plants on a Wall or Door Frame

Hanging your air plants on a wall or door frame is easy. You can go the DIY route, using wires or a wreath, or get cute plant shelves. In addition to keeping your air plants in a secure and definitely out of reach of your cats, hanging the plants on the wall will also improve the aesthetics of your space.

– Use Citrus, Chili, or Cat Sprays

Cats have a powerful sense of smell, which you can use to your advantage. Citrus and Chili smell deter cats. Your cats will give your air plant a wide berth if these smells surround the plant. All you need to do is place orange or lemon peels around your air plant. Also, you can mix some chili with water and spray it on your plants.

Additionally, there are organic cat sprays that you can use to deter cats. Just make sure to get your vet’s recommendations and approval. If you want to get crafty and do it on your own, you can use some white vinegar together with some water in a ratio of 1:3.

What Are Some Toxic Plants To Avoid if You Have Cats?

Some toxic plants that you can avoid if you have a cat would be hydrangeas, snake plants, peace lilies, eucalyptus, hyacinths, daffodil, tulips, and even the morning glory flowers. Some of these would have fatal reactions, whereas others might be less of heavy reactions.

Cats will react to several toxic plants with varying intensity, from mild reactions to fatal situations, depending on the plant’s level of toxicity and the amount your cat consumes. Any plant can potentially upset your cat’s body system and cause you to panic. However, only plants poisonous to cats will cause severe reactions.

It is common practice to grow plants with companion plants. The only thing that can make air plants “poisonous” is growing them with companion plants such as moss and some ferns. These plants might have slightly toxic effects on your pets and not necessarily on the air plants themselves. This is why it is best to grow plants out of the reach of your cats. :

– Hydrangea

All parts of Hydrangeas are poisonous to cats. The plant produces a toxic compound known as cyanogenic glycoside, which is most concentrated in the plant’s buds and leaves.

Your cat may experience vomiting and Diarrhea if this plant is consumed.

– Snake Plant

It’s unfortunate that snake plants are toxic to cats as they’re lovely houseplants. These plants contain This plant is a poison one that is uses to defend itself against dangerous insects, fungi, and bacteria. The more your cat ingests, the more severe the symptoms will be. In this case, you must take your cat to the vet, depending how much it has consumed.

– Peace Lily

The peace lily is mildly toxic to cats, and the symptoms can be managed easily.

Thankfully, when cats ingest this plant, they don’t become severely sick, but it may face some different issues such as difficulty urinating.

– Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus plants are poisonous to cats once consumed, as these pets can’t break down some of the compounds in the plant. The toxic compounds can damage internal organs, and severe symptoms can include; vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, weakness and tremors. These would tire your cat on the long run when it is not treated properly.

– Hyacinth

Almost all parts of Hyacinths are toxic to plants.

These plants can cause Diarrhea, vomiting, and other stomach problems for your cat if ingested, you must, at this phase, take the cat to the vet.

– Daffodil

It’s best to keep your cats away from Daffodils entirely, as the plants have toxic compounds in their leaves, stems, and bulbs. Some of these toxins include oxalate crystals and phenanthridine alkaloids.

These toxic compounds can cause severe pain and irritation in the mouth and stomach when ingested, and even more, severe symptoms can arise if much of it is ingestion.

– Tulip

All parts of the Tulip plant are poisonous to cats, so if you want to have Tulips among your garden plants, keep them well away from the reach of your cats.

– Morning Glory

These plants are toxic to cats and other pets.

They can make your cats throw up and, in severe cases, induce hallucinations.

What Safe Plant To Pair With Air Plants?

Safe plants that you can pair with air plants would be the Boston fern, the spider plants, or some Gerbera daisies of different colors. In addition, you can even pair some moth orchids, and some Dendrobium orchids would work fine as well.

– Boston Fern

Boston ferns are perfect to grow indoors and have the additional benefit of being safe for your cats.

All parts of the plant are non-toxic, which means you don’t have to worry further about your cat’s accidental ingestion of this plant in particular.

– Spider plants

Besides the fact that they’re not toxic to cats, Spider plants have the added benefit of air purification. Planting them with your air plants creates beautiful scenery.

– Gerbera Daisies

These are the perfect non-toxic house plants. Their colorful flowers add a touch of color to your indoor greenery, especially if you pair them with the air plants because they would thrive together, giving the indoors a very thriving and an elevated aesthetics.

An added bonus is that they are safe for cats, if it eats either one of them, it will be fine.

– Moth Orchids

Moth Orchids are beautiful, fragrant flowers that are perfect for indoor decoration. Most importantly, they are not toxic to cats. If the pet accidentally eats it, don’t worry, no harm will come to it.

– Dendrobium Orchids

Like the moth Orchids, Dendrobium orchids are non-toxic to cats as well.

On another note, they are a perfect addition to an indoor garden, as they purity the air and beautify the space, and if the cat eats it, nothing will happen.

Conclusion

Air plants are naturally great for indoor gardens or house decorations. Also, if you have pets like cats, they have the added benefit of being non-toxic to your pets.

Let’s take a look at some important key points that were listed throughout this article:

Air plants are not toxic to plants, but they can be a choking hazard. So it’s important to keep them out of reach of your pets.
Some companion plants can be toxic to cats, so make sure to do a little research anytime you want to introduce a new plant into your home garden.
Toxic plants can cause severe and even fatal reactions in your pet. Hence, the key of thorough plant research cannot be overstated.
Air plants prefer shaded areas, so they will do well with plants like Boston fern and Spider plant, which will shade them from the sun’s heat.

Place your air plants out of reach of your cat is very easy. All you have to do is get your creative hats on!