ZZ is a member of the Aracaeae family, most of which contain varying amounts of calcium oxalate, a toxin. If you do a five second search on the toxicity of this plant, you'd change your mind about bringing one into your home with a plant nibbling cat. Be specific in your search, as Zamioculus is not yet on the typical house plant lists of toxic plants, which tend to cite only the most common.

Personally, I have never hesitated growing any plant for fear of overly curious cats. Don't get me wrong, I love my cats. But I have never had a cat get sick on any supposedly toxic plant. I have Zamioculus, and many more toxic plants (e.g., orleader). I really think the fear is overly exagerated. Zamioculus is a great houseplant, and as long as you feed your cat, don't see why a feline would touch it. I have lots of plants around though, and mine are content with a occasional nibble on some palms.

It probably is toxic, because of the Araceae / calcium oxalate thing rhizo_1 mentioned, though chewing plants in that family is supposed to be pretty painful, so I'd be surprised if a cat could manage to get enough oxalate to do any serious damage. Especially since the leaves are pretty stiff and thick.

Peace lilies are in the Araceae too, for what it's worth.

My bet is that it would be fine, but if it were me, I would also hedge my bets and try to put the plant somewhere relatively inaccessible to the cats. Since ZZs are tolerant of just about any growing conditions, basically any spot big enough for it to fit should work for the plant.

njoasis, that's some pretty bad advice you've given. I'm hoping that all those who are wondering about their pets and the possible dangers of houseplants will recognize it for that (terrible advice), and ignore it completely.

Look, there is no such thing as living in a RISK FREE world. All I am saying is that I have never had a problem with my cats overdosing on calcium oxalate (which is a compound found in quite a few common houseplants). My animals (of which I have had many over the years), tend to die of old age. I don't recall giving any advise--just my personal experience (there is a difference). Sorry, but I am not about to start to jump at the sight of the nearest Philodendron or Zamiocalus (and neither are the cats).

Yes, upon re-reading your comments, I see that you did not intend to suggest that anyone follow your footsteps. I hope that you never end up with one of the millions of cats out there that delight in munching on houseplants, much to the frustration of their owners. ;-)

A cat's attraction to house plants has absolutely nothing to do with hunger, by the way. Felines are simply predisposed to eating course vegetable matter of some sort. Wild cats or indoor/outdoor cats will always have plenty of 'roughage' in their bellies.

To tell you the truth, I don't get annoyed at the cats when they do slight damage to the occasional plant. Usually, they pick the palms, bamboo, water cyperus, or spider plants, because they love the rustling sounds that the leaves make. I guess I have enough of a variety around here that they get their fix without going near anything too toxic. Here IS a piece of advice to people who love both their animals and their plants. Include some plants in your interior decor for your pet. I've seen pet shops sell both alfalfa and wheat grass and cat nip. Hopefully, that will satiate Fluffy enough and keep him/her away potential botanical irritants and prized houseplants. Have a great weekend!

Sorry, I was typing fast and "irrigate" should have been irritate.

Steve

I bought a zz plant to take to work, and was considering buying one for my home as well. One of our cats likes to chew on plants (so I don't have any in the house right now) and the zz was no exception. In the 2 days I had it in the house, she chewed a bunch of the leaves, and I'm sure she did ingest some of them. She never showed any distress, and I got that plant out of there. So much for a pretty zz in my home....

Thanks, Steve, for that info on aroids. I just bought a big ZZ and my cat will occasionally rub her head against the leaves (but not eat them). I was concerned but she doesn't appear to be affected at all. Once again the rumor train threatens to run over facts. Thanks for the reality check.

I too have many supposedly poisonous plants in my house with 2 cats that regularly interact with them, not usually eating them but frequently knocking them over lol, My cats usually only chew plants that look like fun, or grass, like spider plants, dracena and my ponytail palm. I do try to keep some cat grass on hand for them but it doesn't last long and I'm lazy so not a perfect system..... I would love to have some sort of reliable resource that actually rates the toxicity levels of indoor and tropical plants, I work in a greenhouse and this is probably the most frequently asked question, funny how nobody ever asks if the plant is poisonous for toddlers, and probably 80% of the plants in most tropical greenhouses are rated toxic by someone.

btw exoticrainforest Steve, thanks for the link and the informative article!

My cats must be smart because they only choose to chew on plants that are safe, namely the Majesty palm, ponytail palm, and spider plants. I have had a ZZ plant for many years and they have never bothered it.