These are the pet-friendly plants to keep at home—plus the toxic ones to avoid

If you’ve got a cat or dog waiting at home or currently sitting beside you, first off, consider yourself #blessed. It’s been proven that having a furry friend can boost your overall health (bonus wellness points if you talk to your pets). So, given that your furry friends can give you a health boost, don’t you want to return the favor? While feeding your animal cleaner pet food is one of 2018’s biggest trends, it’s equally as important to keep in mind what they can’t eat around the house—specifically, plants.

Although anointing your home with greenery has its own set of health benefits (and aesthetic pleasure), turns out many plants can make your cats or dogs sick. According to Tina Wismer, DVM, medical director of Animal Poison Control Center for the APSCA, it’s important to know which ones to keep around and which ones you should leave back at the plant store.

Eating any kind of plant has potential health effects for your cat or dog—and could send them straight to the veterinary ER.

So what are the most toxic plants for your pets? According to Dr. Wismer, “sago palms are toxic to both cats and dogs,” she says, while all lily varietals are toxic specifically to cats. She heeds, however, that eating any kind of plant has potential health effects for your cat or dog—and could send them straight to the veterinary ER.

Your safest bet, adds Dr. Wismer, is to keep potted plants out of reach from your animal and to only decorate your home with plants that are deemed non-toxic. For those with pups, “opt for Areca palm, succulents, peperomia, Norfolk pines and velvet plants,” says Dr. Wismer. If you have a kitty, the safest plants include the Christmas cactus, the spider plant, African violets, bromeliads, orchids, and she says, it’s okay if they occasionally ingest some of their fresh grass-like catnip, too.

Of course, if you believe your pet may have ingested any toxic plant, contact your local veterinarian or call the APCC 24-hour emergency poison hotline at 888-426-4435 ASAP. Because when it comes to your pets—green and furry—creating a happy, copacetic home is always the goal. Now, that’s true #petlove.

Now that you know what’s safe and what’s not for your furry friends, check out the details on Amazon Prime’s new plant delivery service or just scroll through these dreamy bathrooms with shower plants for some serious self-care inspo.