Which feng shui plants are safe for cats and dogs?
Several plants on feng shui lists are toxic to cats and dogs, among them the jade plant, the snake plant, pothos, the peace lily and lucky bamboo. For the same places in the home, the ASPCA lists these as non-toxic: the money tree, the parlor and areca palms, the Boston fern, the spider plant and the cast iron plant.
Wood in the home, and the animals who share it
Feng shui brings plants indoors as wood, the element of growth: something living to soften a sharp corner, to stand between two doors, to answer the damp of a bathroom, or to keep a wealth corner from sitting empty. Several of the plants most often named in feng shui are toxic to cats and dogs.
Toxicity here follows the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants, for cats and for dogs.
| Plant | Cats | Dogs |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky bamboo (a dracaena) | toxic | toxic |
| Jade plant | toxic | toxic |
| Snake plant | toxic | toxic |
| Pothos | toxic | toxic |
| Peace lily | toxic | toxic |
| Monstera | toxic | toxic |
| Chinese evergreen | toxic | toxic |
| Aloe | toxic | toxic |
| Orange trees | toxic | toxic |
| Chrysanthemums | toxic | toxic |
| Lilies: Easter lily, daylilies | toxic | non-toxic |
Safe plants, and where the rules put them
The rules call for a plant in a handful of places: a tall one to stand between two doors or in front of a sharp edge, a round-leaved one to soften a corner aimed at a seat, a broad-leaved one for the wealth corner, an evergreen for a bright hall, a damp-loving one for the bathroom, and one small plant, no more, on a bedroom sill. Each of these is on the ASPCA’s non-toxic list for both cats and dogs.
| Plant | Where the rules put it |
|---|---|
| Money tree (Pachira) | the wealth corner, diagonally across from the entry; in place of a dead plant |
| Parlor palm | a desk, to its front left; a bedroom sill |
| Areca palm | tall, between two doors or in front of a sharp edge |
| Cast iron plant | a dim entry or hallway, outside a bathroom; broad leaves with no points |
| Boston fern | a bathroom sill, beside the kitchen sink |
| Spider plant | a bathroom counter or shelf |
| Peperomia (baby rubber plant) | round leaves in front of a sharp corner; a small desk plant |
| Calathea | a room in soft light, in place of a dead plant |
What the rules ask of any plant
A plant has to be alive to count as wood: the school reads a dead plant or dried flowers as decline kept on display, and asks that they go today. In the bedroom, one small plant is enough, since a crowd of large ones keeps the room from settling. Near a seat or a bed, round leaves soften where a sharp corner points, and leaves like blades are better kept away.
Questions people ask
No. Lucky bamboo is not a bamboo but a dracaena, and the ASPCA lists the dracaenas as toxic to both. On a desk, a parlor palm can take its place; in the wealth corner, a money tree.
Yes. The money tree, Pachira aquatica, is on the ASPCA’s non-toxic list for cats and dogs, and feng shui already gives it the wealth corner, diagonally across from the entry.
The tradition avoids dead or dying plants and dried flowers, and keeps blade-like leaves away from seats and beds. In a home with animals, add the ones the ASPCA lists as toxic, among them the jade plant, the snake plant, pothos, the peace lily and lucky bamboo.
Popular lists set it by the door, but the school is wary of blade-like leaves close to where people sit, and the ASPCA lists it as toxic to cats and dogs. In a dim entry, a cast iron plant does the same work.
One small plant, not many: the school keeps big plants out of the bedroom, since their growth keeps the room from settling. A parlor palm or a peperomia on the sill suits it.