Growing plants that are safe for cats can make your garden fun for your furry friend. These plants are also pretty and nice to look at. From easy-to-grow flowers like sunflowers to shrubs and herbs, there are many plants to choose from to keep your cat safe and happy.
It’s important to avoid plants that can make cats sick, but it’s even better to have plants they like to smell or nibble on. Sit back, relax, and enjoy spending time in your backyard with your pet. Here are some good choices:
Catnip
Catnip is the top choice because cats love it. It makes them feel happy and playful. Catnips emit a scent that elicits euphoria among cats. This often causes them to roll around, flip, and rub against the plant. Don’t worry, their playfulness won’t hurt your garden. Plus, catnip keeps mosquitoes away.
Catnips emit a scent that elicits euphoria among cats, which causes them to be hyperactive around the plant, it's like a drug but non-harmful.
Blue Mist
Blue Mist, also called Bluebeard, or Caryopteris, has pretty blue flowers. This sub-shrub is safe for cats and gives them a good place to hide. Its unique blue flowers add a striking visual element to your garden. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it relatively easy to grow.
Blue Mist features extra bold blue flowers that will add interest to your garden and give your felines a shelter.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are easy to grow and look great next to a fence or wall. They are safe for cats, and the big flowers give them shade and something to play with. All parts of sunflowers are safe for cats. The large flowers provide shade, and the sturdy stems give cats something to climb and explore. Sunflowers also attract birds and pollinators to your garden.
With bright blooms that go all summer, sunflowers are heat-tolerant, resistant to pests, and attractive to pollinators. Harvest the seeds in late summer and fall for a healthy snack or for the birds!.
Asters
Asters are great for adding color to your garden, especially in the fall. They come back every year and do well in sunny spots but can also tolerate part-shade.
Asters are gorgeous bright blooms that will bring much color to your garden and are absolutely wildlife and cat-safe.
Rosemary
Not all cats like the smell of rosemary, but it won’t hurt them if they taste it. Rosemary can help cats with stomach issues and is good for dry areas. Thyme and Sage aren’t bad either.
Rosemary is a fragrant herb that grows as a perennial, rounded, evergreen shrub. Clusters of small, light blue to white flowers appear typically in the late spring to early summer.
Cosmos
Cosmos are pretty, colorful flowers that cats usually don’t eat. Cats are unlikely to nibble on Cosmos as they are not very fragrant, but they are safe if they do. Cosmos look great in garden borders and add a splash of color to your garden.
Plant Cosmos flowers as a garden bed border, so your cats will go around them. If your cats nibble on them, they won't be harmed.
Valerian
Valerian makes cats very playful, similar to catnip. It has pretty pink flowers and attracts butterflies. Valerian is a great addition to a wildlife garden.
If you’re looking for a deer-resistant perennial with a graceful form that is attractive to bees and butterflies, Valerian checks those boxes.
Violet
Violets are easy to grow and smell nice. They are safe for cats and grow well in the shade. That makes them excellent ground cover under trees and shrubs.
Violet flowers are an important early-season source of nectar for bees and other insects. They are also edible and can be candied to use for cake decoration or used fresh to scatter on salads.
Zinnias
Zinnias are great for making flower bouquets. They are easy to take care and bloom from summer to frost. Add a cheerful touch to your garden with them.
Zinnias create a massive burst of color in your garden from summer through the first hard frost of fall. Luckily, zinnias are deer-resistant, so they might help keep nearby flowers from being eaten.
Marigolds
Marigolds are known for their pest-repellent properties. They can help keep harmful insects away from your garden. Marigolds prefer full sun and well-drained soil.
Jasmine
True jasmine smells wonderful and is safe for cats. Just make sure it’s not night jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum), which is toxic to cats. Jasmine prefers well-drained soil and sunny locations.
All jasmines have small star-shaped flowers with a distinctive sweet fragrance. Jasmines can be trained up a trellis or tensioned wires fixed vertically or horizontally, or both.
More Safe Plants for Cats
Other safe plants for your garden include stocks, roses, freesias, catmint, calendula, nasturtiums, and snapdragons. These plants are not only safe for cats but also add beauty and variety to your garden.
Freesias have exotic-looking blooms, which are loved for their strong spicy-sweet fragrance. They're immensely popular as a cut flower.
Calendula is often planted as a companion plant around tomatoes and potatoes to help deter insect pests but it won't do any harm to cats.
Nasturtium is a cheerful flower that does it all! This annual adds a pop of color to the garden, fights insect pests, and is even edible. These lovely plants, with their unique greenery and vibrant flowers, grow well in containers or as ground cover around vegetable gardens.
Snapdragons are cheerful annual plants, guaranteed to brighten up borders and containers. They are easy-to-grow, old-fashioned cottage garden plants, beloved by wildlife. They come in a range of different colours and heights, and therefore can be grown in a variety of situations.
More Cat-Frienldy Shrubs
Some good shrubs for cats are bamboo, blue mist, bottlebrush, olive, foxtail, and crape myrtle. Be careful with rose bushes because their thorns can hurt cats. It’s best to avoid any plants with thorns to prevent injury to your cat.
Bamboo is a fast-growing shrub that will give a modern feel to your space being safe for your cats.
Bottlebrush is a spectacular plant with much color that will attract hummingbirds and butterflies and won't do any harm to cats.
Crape myrtles are listed as a safe plant for dogs, cats, and horses and they will add a lot of color to your garden. Besides, they are deer-proof.
Foxtail ferns are used in perennial gardens as borders alongside blooming flowers. You can also place them in outdoor containers along walkways or at home entrances.
Creating a cat-safe garden involves careful planning and regular maintenance. What we also would recommend is to add safe climbing structures like tree stumps, cat towers, or secure trellises for exercise and exploration.