Including me, there might be many who love both succulents and pets. It’s common to have questions if these two can coexist in the house or not. Is it possible for a cat to attack the succulent? If so, what are the chances of the cat being safe from a poisonous plant?
I’m here to provide you with a solution in which you don’t need to drop the idea of either having a cactus or a cat. The article lists some non-toxic cacti that are safe to grow being a pet owner So, what are you waiting for? Let’s begin to grow them without harming cats.
You can leave your cat alone in your house with cacti having sharp spines. So I have chosen some cacti that are not harmful to your cats. After that, you can pick the best cactus for your house. As a beginner, you can easily plant them which have different features such as trailing growth that you can grow in hanging baskets having different colors.
Bunny ear cactus (Opuntia microdasys)
Plant name:
Bunny ear cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Small
Other features:
Both the fruit and pads of this cactus are edible. Pads can be grilled or eaten raw on salads.
The bunny ears cactus is the cactus that can be kept on the tabletop.
They are also called angel wing cacti or polka dot cacti.
They are featured as flat and rounded pads having tiny spines.
They are low-maintenance cacti which can grow with minimal watering. After maturing they tend to Bloom in large and frilly pale yellow flowers.
If you can care properly the flower can also turn into purplish red fruit that is edible
Dragon fruit cactus (Selenicereus undatus)
Plant name:
Dragon fruit cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Moderate; prefers higher than average humidity
Spine size:
Usually spineless; some yellow varieties may contain small spines.
Other features:
Long, damaged or tangled stems should be pruned 2 to 3 times a year to prevent issues, like fungus.
You can easily grow Dragon fruit cactus in your home rather than buying them.
This creepy cactus does have long trailing stems containing Dragon fruit which is spineless.
The Dragon fruit cactus a native to Central and South America.
For growing these cacti you need high moisture but avoid over-watering the house plant.
For their proper growth, you can place the plant on a Pebble tray or use a humidifier to maintain their moisture.
In case you are growing the plant by seeding it it will take about 7 years to grow fruit. But if you grow it by stem cutting it will take less time.
Golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii)
Plant name:
Golden barrel cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Large
Other features:
This cactus produces yellow flowers in late spring to summer when mature.
The golden barrel cactus is safe to plant if you have a cat in your house. These cacti are native to Central Mexico.
They have also been awarded prizes for having a cherry-rounded shape with a yellow-tone spine.
This plant used to grow about three inches and 3 inches wide.
With the maturing Stages, they lean towards the south which protects them from the Sun.
They do contain spines so use gloves for reporting the plant. They do prefer to grow in a well-draining potting mix with minimal watering needs.
Old man cactus (Cephalocereus senilis)
Plant name:
Old man cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Medium
Other features:
Native to Mexico, old man cactus is threatened in the wild but is a common sight at plant nurseries.
If you want to have cactus in your plant having a unique look then old man cactus is the best choice for you.
They do have a look that is covered with White hairs that get modified to cactus spines.
They are able to grow up to 15 inches high.
They come under slow-growing plants when you are planting them in a pot.
You need to provide them with a lot of right light to grow quicker.
Avoid over bordering which will cause root rot conditions. Fishbone cactus (Selenicereus anthonyanus)
Fishbone cactus (Selenicereus anthonyanus)
Plant name:
Fishbone cactus
Lighting:
Bright, indirect light
Watering:
Moderate; prefers higher than average humidity
Spine size:
It may look smooth, but fishbone cactus does have small spines which can irritate your skin.
Other features:
Fishbone cactus is great for hanging baskets and is easily propagated in soil or water.
The fishbone cactus is also called the rick rack cactus.
They are native to the rainforest of Southern Mexico.
You plant this cactus on a hanging basket and tabletop display.
They are able to grow about 3 inches long.
Need to poplin the cactus if you want a large flower with a bright pink color on the end of the stem.
The flower is highly fragrant which is used to Bloom only a single day.
These cacti do not need much watering if you find the top few inches of the soil are dry then you can water them.
They prefer to grow in humidity levels of 60% or higher.
Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)
Plant name:
Saguaro cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Large
Other features:
In the wild, saguaros are an important element of desert ecosystems and provide homes for many wildlife species.
Saguaro cactus is another option if you have cats in your house.
It does have large spines with a ridged trunk for water storage.
These cacti are only found in the Sonoran desert of the American southwest.
They are able to grow about 1 inch in a year.
They do develop branching arms which give an architectural shape that grows up to 80 inches tall.
Star cactus (Astrophytum asterias)
Plant name:
Star cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Small
Other features:
Star cacti have been kept as indoor plants since at least the 1840s.
The star cactus is also known as urgent cactus or leaving rocks.
They can be found in Mexico and the South Western United States.
They are able to grow about 1.5 inches in height when kept indoors.
After maturing, Bloom’s large Daisy-like flowers have different color ranges.
Moon cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)
Plant name:
Moon cactus
Lighting:
Bright, indirect light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Small
Other features:
Green-form moon cacti are native to South America and don’t need to be grafted to survive.
The moon cactus is another shape option for house planting if you have a cat in your house.
It is a popular variety if you are a beginner in gardening.
You can easily get it from the plant nurseries.
They were first introduced in Japan in 1948.
They are famous because they are grafted by two different cactus species such as a colorful and globular moon cactus with a Dragon fruit cactus stem at the base of the cactus.
Bishop’s cap cactus (Astrophytum myriostigma)
Plant name:
Bishop’s cap cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Usually spineless
Other features:
These cacti are spring bloomers and may take up to 6 years to flower.
These cacti are star-shaped and globular
They are basically native to the mountain region of Mexico and you can also find them on the Southern border of the United States.
You can plant these Bishop cap cacti in your home having cats as the plants are naturally spine-free.
The flower Bloom in yellow and Daisy-like appearance.
They can be grown in bright light after maturing but you need to protect the young plant from bright light and provide them with bright but indirect light.
Silver ball cactus (Parodia scopa)
Plant name:
Silver ball cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Medium
Other features:
Wild silver ball cacti are threatened, so most storebought plants are grown from seed.
The Silver ball cactus is light in color and small in size, having a silver spine.
They tend to grow in a globular shape.
They are used to cluster together the silver ball.
The cactus is native to South America which you can grow in indoor and outdoor locations.
Make sure not to overwater the Silver ball cactus.
Ladyfinger cactus (Mammillaria elongata)
Plant name:
Ladyfinger cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Small
Other features:
There are over 200 different species of cacti in the Mammillaria family, so if you like this plant, there’s lots more to choose from!
The lady finger cactus is also known as golf lace cactus or golden star cactus.
These cacti are safe to grow if you have cats in your home as they grow in long and slender columns.
They used to be covered in small brownish Yellow spines.
The flower of the cactus is used to bloom from pink to yellow flowers in springtime.
You can grow these cacti by cutting or seeding them.
Blue columnar cactus (Pilosocereus Pachycladus)
Plant name:
Blue columnar cactus
Lighting:
Bright light
Watering:
Low
Spine size:
Medium
Other features:
In its native Brazil, the blue columnar cactus is used as traditional medicine.
The blue columnar cactus is used to grow up to 3 inches tall.
They are famous for their bluish-green flesh.
They used to grow straight lines and dotted attractive large creamy colored flowers.
They do have large spines on them so you need to handle them carefully.
During wintertime, you should decrease watering the cactus.
Conclusion:
Hence you can decide which non-toxic cactus to have if you have cats in your home. From the above 15 varieties of non-toxic cactus, you can choose according to your needs, environment, and look.
