How to protect cats from toxic plants without getting rid of your garden
Discovering that popular garden flowers are toxic creates a difficult choice between protecting your pets and losing established plants. Because there are too many varieties to easily research or remember, it becomes overwhelming to figure out which plants are safe to keep and which ones need to be removed.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1installing small ground fences rubbed with scented deterrents like citrus zest or banana peelsDid this help you?
- 2covering dangerous areas with chicken wireDid this help you?
- 3Researching each individual plant, keeping questionable plants isolated in closed cabinets or rooms, or building a mini-greenhouse/grow tent.Did this help you?
- 4Keeping plants on sturdy wire shelf unitsDid this help you?
- 5Using hanging potsDid this help you?
- 6Moving plants to an outdoor patio spaceDid this help you?
- 7Growing cat grass or cat-safe plants for enrichmentDid this help you?
- 8Training kittens using a light mist spray bottleDid this help you?
- 9Putting the bouquet outside the front doorDid this help you?
- 10Regifting the flowers to someone without catsDid this help you?
- 11Throwing away or removing the lilies from the bouquetDid this help you?
- 12Sticking them temporarily in a high or closed-off windowsill over the sinkDid this help you?
- 13Changing clothes completely after handling the bouquetDid this help you?
- 14Bagging the whole bouquet directly in a trash bag or taking it straight outside wearing glovesDid this help you?
- 15Calling animal poison control or the vet for guidanceDid this help you?
- 16Planting safe alternatives like kitty grasses, catnip, and spider plantsDid this help you?
- 17Keeping toxic plants out of reach of cats as much as possibleDid this help you?
- 18Adopting an older cat with a known history and temperament regarding plantsDid this help you?
- 19keeping all plants away from catsDid this help you?
- 20bringing only known cat-safe plants into the homeDid this help you?
- 21growing dedicated cat grass so pets leave other plants aloneDid this help you?
- 22verifying plant species or asking online for identificationDid this help you?
- 23keeping a strict no-flowers policy at homeDid this help you?
- 24checking online or looking up flower toxicity before buyingDid this help you?
- 25educating friends, family, and coworkers about plant dangersDid this help you?
- 26Removing the anthers to prevent pollen from droppingDid this help you?
- 27Putting plants in separate rooms where cats do not goDid this help you?
- 28Throwing the plants away or demanding alternative flowers like roses or tulipsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Cats will eat plants. Even poisonous ones. I keep all plants away from my cats because I’m too lazy to look up if it is poisonous or not.”source ↗
“I noticed the bouquet had lilies in them so I quickly put them in a vase and stuck them outside. I wiped down the sink, the counters and switched my clothes in case of pollen.”source ↗
“I did put them outside, they are outside my front door. I worry about opening the door and pollen blowing in though.”source ↗
“Spouse buys flowers every other week and we’ve never heard about the dangers of the lily before.”source ↗
“I didn’t even think about all my plants. I have ALOT, mostly very large ones. They are dracaenas for the most part, big tree like ones. I am so so not willing to live in a space without my plants, but I didn’t realize how toxic these are to kitties until recently.”source ↗
“How risky is it? I know not every cat will want to munch on plants, but many do soo…I’m at a loss at the moment!”source ↗
“i am not sure if i see lillies or not (light pink on the left) but if is lillies then you need to take your cat to the vet asap.”source ↗
“I can’t tell from the picture if this is a true lily or a lookalike species, but even the nontoxic flowers generally come with a hefty coating of pesticides to keep them pretty for harvest”source ↗
“I've had cats my whole life and I didn't know until a couple years ago.”source ↗
“I found out today that lilies are severely toxic to cats, and I’m not sure what I need to do next about this.”source ↗
“I don’t think she’d take the idea of getting rid of her flowers too well, but I’m also worried about the cats possibly getting sick.”source ↗
“If you own a cat, you do not own plants. Especially lilies. They will kill a cat, and all parts of it are toxic.”source ↗
“I’m afraid you’ll have to research/check each plant, there are just too many for anyone to be able to give you comprehensive advice.”source ↗
“I haven’t been able to adopt a cat because of rental rules, and have ended up with a lot of beautiful plants that I love like theyre my pets. Unfortunately this includes a Monstera, Pothos, Snake Plant, and Kalanchoe. Do I need to get rid of them before I take a cat home?”source ↗
“Of course I’ll get rid of them if I need to, but it truly breaks my heart to think about it! Any other solution?”source ↗
“Just ordered in a bouquet of flowers from Costco and didn’t realize lillies were in them… I didn’t see them until I unwrapped the bouquet.”source ↗
“I know lillies can cause intense harm to cats, and have heard even inhaling pollen is dangerous. I know I can’t keep them inside, but how can I remove them safely to minimize shaking off pollen?”source ↗
“I get in my head sometimes, with the pollen especially in this case… sort of like an invisible harm that feels everywhere after seeing the lillies”source ↗
“She didn't believe me when I said they're toxic and said her cats play in them all the time x_x”source ↗
“Cats can't even share air with lilies. Not overreacting one bit.”source ↗
“What are some plants cats would love to have around and some I should get rid of. I gave medicinal, fruits, decorative etc all types of plants so it's confusing what to keep and what not to keep. I'm planning to adopt a cat soon”source ↗
“Lilies are one of the most dangerous things for cats. They are lethal to them and just bit of pollen on fur which then groomed by them will most likely cause kidney failure and death of cat.”source ↗
“It’s not even just that eating lilies is deadly, if they touch the lilies or of any pollen drifts to them it can kill them!!”source ↗