Cats and Spider Plants: Toxic? Why Cats Chew Them

ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Non-toxic on that list means no poisoning is expected; a pet that eats a lot of any plant can still vomit or have an upset stomach.

The ASPCA page does not provide toxic principle / clinical signs fields for non-toxic plants.

If a pet may have eaten a plant, contact a veterinarian, ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. Note what was eaten, how much and when, and bring a photo or a piece of the plant. Do not induce vomiting or give home remedies unless a professional tells you to.

Non-toxic covers poisoning, not everything. A cat or dog that chews a lot of Spider Plant can vomit or have loose stools from the fibre, and fertiliser, pesticide residue or leaf shine on the plant is a separate risk. If your pet keeps chewing houseplants, the habit itself is worth a word with your vet.

• Aloe Vera
• Azalea
• Chrysanthemum
• Cyclamen

Toxicity lists are by species, and many houseplants look alike. Photograph the whole plant, a leaf close-up and any flower in even light; the app reads the species first, then you can check it here. If the species is uncertain, act as if it were toxic.

Nobody has shown why, and the popular explanation is not backed by the sources we could check. Gardening Know How says cats like spider plants because they are mildly hallucinogenic, with an effect similar to catnip, and also mentions the dangling growth and boredom. It cites no study for the chemical claim. The Wikipedia article on Chlorophytum comosum does not mention any such effect and describes the plant as non-toxic to people and pets, and the ASPCA listing gives no toxic principle at all.

What is easy to see is the shape. NC State Extension and Wisconsin Horticulture both describe a plant grown in hanging containers, with long arching leaves and plantlets that dangle on runners. Leaves that move when touched and hang at paw height are the kind of thing many cats bat at and chew, whatever the chemistry.

It is not unusual, and spider plant is not listed as poisonous. ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists it as non-toxic to cats, and also states that eating any plant material may cause vomiting and gastrointestinal upset in dogs and cats.

Call your veterinarian if the vomiting continues, if your cat stops eating or seems lethargic, or if you are not certain the plant really is a spider plant. Several houseplants with long strap leaves look similar, and some are toxic; check the species before you assume it was harmless. ASPCA Animal Poison Control is on (888) 426-4435.

The plant with a documented effect is catnip, Nepeta cataria, not spider plant. Wikipedia's catnip article names the active compound as nepetalactone and reports that about two-thirds of cats react, that the main response lasts about 5 to 15 minutes before the cat stops responding for a while, and that kittens younger than six months may not react at all. The behaviour is rolling, rubbing, drooling and purring; hallucinogenic is an informal word for it.

Cats that ignore catnip may respond to other plants. Wikipedia lists valerian root and leaves, silver vine (Actinidia polygama) and Tatarian honeysuckle wood. For silver vine, the active compound is nepetalactol, the response lasts roughly 5 to 30 minutes, and a 2021 study by Uenoyama and colleagues in Science Advances found that rubbing on these plants coats cats in a chemical that helps protect them against mosquito bites.

One point people rarely expect: ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists catnip itself as toxic to cats, noting that it can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and makes some cats sedated and others stimulated. A sniff or a toy is one thing; a cat that eats a quantity of the plant can be sick.

• Hang it. NC State and Wisconsin both note that spider plant does well in hanging baskets, where the leaves cascade. Hang it high enough that nothing trails within reach of the sofa or a shelf the cat uses.
• Remove the danglers. The plantlets on their runners are the most tempting part. Patch Plants and Wisconsin both describe rooting them: cut them off, or pin them onto a pot of soil until they root, then separate them. You get new plants and the cat gets nothing to swing on.
• Check what else is in reach. A cat that chews one plant will try others. Our guide is my houseplant safe for cats? shows how to check each one, and lilies are the plant to keep out of the house entirely; see our lily page.
• Watch the pot, not just the plant. Fertiliser on the soil and pesticide on the leaves are separate risks from the plant itself.

The sections on why cats are drawn to spider plants, vomiting after chewing, catnip and other plants cats react to, and keeping cats away were added on 2026-09-25. Research and drafting were done with the help of AI, and every figure was checked line by line against the sources listed on this page.