If you have a cat or dog that gets into everything, you might be hesitant to grow houseplants. It’s not just messy when your furry friend decides to make a houseplant a chew toy; it can also be dangerous for their health.

If your pet ingests any houseplants, monitor them closely. If they develop symptoms like skin irritation, vomiting, lethargy, excessive drooling, or difficulty breathing and swallowing, contact your vet immediately because this could be a life-threatening situation

Many common houseplants are toxic for pets, but before you disregard these plants, remember that toxic doesn’t necessarily mean life-threatening. Here are a few common houseplants that are toxic, but are not usually life-threatening.

If your pet eats any of these plants, you should closely monitor them to see if your pet develops symptoms and then contact your vet immediately. My sister’s dog has eaten several plants on this list. She, fortunately, had no effects (and she is a 12-pound Shih Tzu!) But every dog is different, and it is best to avoid these plants if you don’t trust your dog to stay away.

Some plant toxicity is overstated. You might be surprised that poinsettia, although toxic, are reportedly not life-threatening to dogs. Poinsettia sap can irritate even humans with a mild rash so it's not exactly a "safe" plant. If your dog eats a poinsettia, it might not be a good day for them, but they'll likely be okay.

Unfortunately, some plants are very dangerous and even a small amount could be life-threatening. A lot of toxic plants are common outdoors like foxglove, spring flowering bulbs, castor bean, azalea, lily of the valley, oleander, and holly berries. Many of these are toxic even for humans and certainly shouldn't be eaten by pets.

Unfortunately, I have heard cases where dogs have died because they ingested a cycad, which is a common house plant that goes by the name "Sago Palm" or because they ingested toxic mushrooms that appeared in the yard after a heavy rain.

Lilies are fatal if untreated for cats, specifically, those in the Lilium genus and Hemerocallis genus. These include spring and summer-blooming perennial lilies, Easter lilies, and daylilies. Lilies are often common in flower bouquets. Even licking the pollen is very dangerous for cats.

Fortunately, many flowering plants are named "lily" but are not true lilies. For example, peace lilies, while toxic for cats, are not life-threatening. They're not true lilies and are related instead to the philodendrons we talked about above. Canna lilies are also not true lilies and are not severely toxic.

You can grow houseplants without worrying about your pet's safety if you grow species that are not toxic. Palms are not toxic. This includes common houseplants like Parlor palms. Keep in mind that dangerous cycads like the Sago Palm are not true palm trees and are very dangerous for pets.

Here's a list of safe plants: