5 houseplants that your cat will ignore
The houseplant massacre
A few months ago, I decided our house needed a green touch. I ordered 18 plants, large and small. Today, only four of those plants are still alive, the rest were brutally ripped apart by our two cute sharp-teethed puffballs, pineapple and lemon.
If you’re anything like me, you want your cats and your plants to peacefully co-exist!
The survivors
“In the midst of darkness, light persists.”
Mahatma Gandhi
No massacre is left without survivors, amidst the torn and shredded leaves and stems, one mighty plant shone through. The mighty survivors of the houseplant massacre are the sturdy Dracaena trifasciata, commonly known as snake plants.
Here are 5 carefully picked houseplants that your cat will most likely ignore so you can greenify your home!
The picks
Dracaena trifasciata — Snake plant
The snake plant is a favourite amongst cat owners! While you need to be wary because it is toxic to our little fluff ball friends, the odd texture and fatty, sturdy leaves will be left alone by almost any cat.
The snake plant is a common plant for many good reasons, it’s cheap, it’s almost impossible to kill, and they’re known for their ability to filter the air in your home.
Melissa officinalis — Lemon balm
If lemon balm is native to your environment, you’ve surely been told by someone to rub your hands on the leaves to smell its lemony freshness. Citrusy smells are lovely to humans. And luckily for us, cat owners, most cats detest citrusy smells!
Unfortunately, not all cats are deterred by citrusy smells. If only I hadn’t named my cat lemon…
The good part about this plant that cats usually don’t like the rough texture of the lemon balm’s leaves, making this plant a great candidate to try out in your own home.
Haworthia
Similar to the snake plant, this fatty plant has leaves that don’t really register as “leaves” to most cats. Plants in the Haworthia family are common, cheap and easy to care for. Most cats will simply leave these alone.
Echeveria
I consider the echeveria the colourful counterpart to Haworthia. They’re small, fatty and will almost always be left alone by your hungry cat. Echeveria is a family of plants, which means you’ll have plenty of variation to choose from! From ground-dweller to echeveria-on-a-stick, you can mix-and-match these cuties to your heart’s content!
Cacti
If your cats are of the stubborn adventurous kind, the only remaining option is to go with the last resort; Cacti.
Cacti are fantastic, while they may not supply your home with large and luscious leaves, colourful flowers and dark greens, they stay. Cacti come in all forms and shapes, cheap ones, expensive ones, small ones, large ones, ball-shaped, cucumber-shaped. They require almost no maintenance either, which is always a nice bonus!