Indoor Trees Safe For Cats (Non-Toxic & Cat-Friendly) Guide

Cats are very curious animals, so having indoor plants can be interesting to them, especially if they spend time alone, as well as healthy.

Yet, there are many plants that are toxic and dangerous for your beloved pet. In this article, we bring you indoor trees safe for cats. If you don’t want to have a real tree because your pet might destroy it, you can have an artificial toy and we bring you what materials and designs are safe for your cat. 

Taking Care Of Indoor Tree

The most important condition to have an indoor tree is to take care of it. There are 3 conditions to satisfy.  First, they need to have enough light for green leaves and a healthy posture. Many need direct sunlight, but others prefer shadow, so be sure to check everything before taking one. The other condition is to have quality soil. Old soil or be affected by the disease can make serious damage. Choose the exact type for each plant to ensure growth. The last important thing is watering. If you water too little,  the plant will get dry. Yet, it isn’t good to water too much because there are many plant diseases that can develop.

Why Is Good To Have Indoor Tree For Cat

Having an indoor plant or tree will solve some of your problems. First, a house tree makes your living space comfortable and pretty.  What is more, it refreshes the house during hot days. Plants are well known to produce oxygen and purify the air, which is ideal for an urban environment. Watering it will raise the humidity in the air which helps your cat breathe. It can even reduce or neutralize odors. It will provide an interesting and more natural environment for a cat and can be one solution how to keep cats entertained while on work.

Non Toxic Indoor Tree

It can be very risky to buy a plant without checking which plant and tree are safe for your cat. Since cats will take a chance and bite or chew leaves, it must be completely safe. Toxic indoor trees may have different symptoms and it depends on plant and quantity. The easiest symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting, but severe are kidney problems, coma, and even death. If you still have a toxic plant, keep it somewhere the cat can’t find it. Also,  if you wonder are majestic palms poisonous to cats, among many other plants, and which are safe to use, continue with reading.

There are several toxic indoor trees that you should definitely avoid and those are oleander, sago palm, and philodendron. If you notice your cat eating or chewing it, immediately stop it, and for a larger quantity contact the vet.

Majestic palm is a very decorative indoor tree that loves warm temperature and medium light. It is ideal for decorating thanks to big and feathery leaves. Also, leaves are interesting to cats. Thanks to big and hardwood, you can let your cat play around it without fear of damage. What is more, chewing its leaves may help cats with digestion problems.

The banana tree is also a very decorative tree with enormous light green leaves. It adores high temperatures and humid environments. If you water it well and choose the right type, you may even get delicious fruit!

The money tree is considered to bring wealth in luck into the home, so it is often a tree in households. But, don’t worry because it is completely safe for cats. Even though it has smaller leaves, it was a very decorative trunk. Also, if your cat wants to chew leaves, encourage it to help with digestion problems. It doesn’t need much care, so is ideal for forgetful owners, too.

The iron tree is also an ideal candidate since it looks decorative, but requires minimum maintenance. It has typical glossy dark green leaves with white stripes. The only thing you need to do is keep the soil moist during warm temperatures. Cats usually avoid it, but even if they chew leaves, it grows quickly back.

Japanese Pittosporum is a smaller tree with decorative ovate leaves and scented flowers. It is a perfectly natural way to keep fresh scent indoor. Also, it is very non-toxic and ideal as a natural barrier in the garden.

Cat-Friendly Indoor Tree

What needs to look like a tree to be cat-friendly? There are multiple answers, but it is most important to be nontoxic and to have a stable structure if the cat wants to climb it. Now when you know which are nontoxic indoor trees, we bring you more ideas to decorate your home!

Olive is a great and very decorative tree to grow indoors. It is intended for hot and dry areas, so you need to keep it in a sunny position and ensure water. It will have a firm trunk where the cat can climb on. What is more, leaves are hard and very oily, full of omega fat which is good for their health.

Royal palm is another safe palm that is popular thanks to big, decorative branches. It has a firm trunk that is capable of holding a cat. What is more,it requires minimum maintenance and cannot be easily scratched. It is ideal for hanging toys that will entertain cats while you are out.

Norfolk pine is an ideal choice because it has green leaves all year round and scratching it releases a fresh and pleasant scent. It can grow big enough for the cat to climb and is very easy to maintain. The best part, it can stand low temperatures, so you can keep it on the terrace.

The umbrella tree is actually a plant that looks like a tree. It is easily trimmed and maintained, so you will have more time for your cat. It is usually dwarf type, but you can pick larger species if you want your cat to climb on it. Yet, be sure to secure another climbing element, like ladders, not to ruin leaves.

Yucca Is often called an easy forgiving tree which makes it ideal for cat company. This has two meanings. First, it is easy to maintain and you can literally forget about it. Second, even if your cat chews leaves, they will quickly grow back.

A rubber tree is a statement indoor tree that can grow large and make more space for cats to play on. It only needs indirect sunlight with medium watering to grow up to eight feet. What is more, it has very strong branches that can hold any hanging toy and can be used instead of a cat house.

A smaller version of every fruit is also welcome in the cat home. The most common example is the lemon tree. Lemon is very sensitive to low temperature, so needs to be kept indoors. A strong smell may irritate the cat a bit, but it is safe to keep.

How To Protect Trees From Cats

When you allow your cat to use the indoor tree as a playground, be sure that some damage must be seen. Usually, those are scratches or chewed leaves. Yet, if you want them to remain whole, use these tricks. 

First, put plants and trees on higher levels, like plant holders or shelves. This will discourage them to try to reach them. If you teach it not to climb higher furniture, then you won’t have problems with cats.

Use a scent that irritates your cat slightly, just to keep it far from the plant. It can be any herbal solution, like using onion in the water. Do not use anything that can cause allergies. Cats usually don’t like herbs, so you can plant them around.

A simple way is to limit their space with a child protection fence. Yet, be sure they can climb and check how effective this is. Using a protective fence is rather used for dogs, but you can find gates with a smaller hole.

Sometimes, cats can be confused and use soil for potty needs. Because of that, you need to regularly clean their bed and sand. What is more, build them playground and ensure more toys to keep them active.

Artificial Cat Tree Material

Artificial cat trees are ideal as playgrounds for your pets. Yet, when you choose one, it isn’t just about the general look and how fun it looks to you, but are materials safe for your cats. Cat trees are safe if they are made of materials without using urea. Generally, any type of carpet, cotton, cardboard, wood, and braided ropes combination is safe. Since they tend to spend a lot of time on it, non-toxic material is needed and necessary.