Are Venus Flytraps Poisonous Or Toxic To Cats, Dogs & Pets?

Venus flytraps have a very exotic and aggressive look to them. They are carnivorous plants, which means they consume insects. I get the question all the time... Are venus flytraps poisonous to cats or dogs? Are they toxic to any pets or children?

 According to the ASPCA, venus flytraps are not poisonous to cats or dogs. They are non-toxic to any pets and people. They are safe to consume and at the worst, would only cause a little indigestion. Venus flytraps are completely safe for cats, dogs, other pets and even people if consumed.  

I can personally attest to cats not being impacted by venus flytrap consumption. My cat ate an entire flytrap plant and never even threw up. I never noticed any discomfort to even indicate they caused indigestion. I was worried at first, but it's one of the reasons I decided to write this article. They are a scary looking plant. and my first thought was that they might contain something that could be harmful to pets.

It turned out they are not harmful at all!

Venus flytraps are not toxic or poisonous for pets or children. As a matter of fact, it's quite the other way around. Cats, dogs and small children are very toxic to venus flytraps. I've lost more venus flytraps from my cat chewing on them or my child knocking them over than venus flytraps harming pets or people.

Even though venus flytraps are not toxic to cats or dogs, it's always a good idea to keep an eye on them over the course of the next couple days if they do consume one. Watch for signs that could indicate that ingestion of the plant is causing discomfort or health issues. You can look for the following:

• Swelling, rawness of the skin or mouth, redness, swelling.
• Collapsing suddenly or lethargic behavior.
• Diarrhea or vomiting.

If you notice any of the symptoms above, it might be a good idea to contact your veterinarian immediately!

Now that you know that cats, dogs, and pets are more toxic to a venus flytrap than the plant is to them, you might be wondering if there is a way to keep your plants safe. I wanted to present some ideas that can help you keep your cat and your venus flytrap safe and happy. Cats really like flytraps, it could be the sweet residue they create to help attract insects. Either way, there are options if your kitty is a flytrap killer!

Sometimes understanding why your cat is attracted to your venus flytrap can help you figure out the best way to keep them away.

• Usually, the main reason a cat eats a plant is to aid it in digestion. They may not be attracted to just your venus flytrap but just to plants in general. Cats instinctively know that they need to eat fibrous foods to help aid in vomiting. They eat plants to help them cough up that pesky hairball.
• Beyond coughing up hairballs, it may be that your cat is just curious. Sometimes flytraps will dangle outside of their pot making it an irresistible target for your cat.
• Beyond that, good luck figuring out why your cat is bothering your plant. Cats are crazy animals and there isn't always an explanation to why they do things. This may be the case with your cat and venus flytrap.

Remember the part in The Dark Knight where Alfred told Bruce that "Some men just want to watch the world burn"? Well, replace the word men with cat and that pretty much explains cats. I wanted to bring you some ideas that can help you negate some of the chaos your cat creates. 

You can use the pet guard above to literally put a protective bubble around your venus flytrap. This will also keep other critters and birds from getting to your plant. 

Pop Up Pest Guard

Whether your cat is eating or just chewing on your plant, neither will be good for it. Even just chewing will often kill a venus flytrap. One way to keep your cat away from your flytrap is to deter them. I've seen very mixed results with deterrents. It actually seems to work less often than it does, but it's worth a shot. There are some natural cat repellants you can buy, but most don't get very good reviews and don't seem to work very well. 

One home remedy that has seen some good results is to use some vinegar and dilute it with water. You can spray the vinegar on your plant safely, but the cat will hate it. The problem with this method is you must reapply every few days after the vinegar wears off. If you forget, the cat may come back and eat some flytrap. If you can be consistent long enough, maybe your cat will just stay away!

I know, this one stinks. No one likes to be the bad guy with their cat, but in order to teach good behavior, sometimes you have to be a little mean. This one requires a little patience and timing but may be the best overall option.

I don't condone spanking or "beating" animals so I would avoid doing this if possible. The more tried and true method that doesn't hurt the cat is to use a spray bottle every time they interact with the plant. Make sure they are actually messing with it before you spray them. You want them to associate the water hitting them with touching the plant. After doing this a few times, you might be surprised at how effective it is!

The water bottle below is cheap but effective!

Spray Bottle

Often times the main reason your cat is bothering your plants is simply because they are bored. Maybe you just brought your plant into your home and now it's the new fun thing to play with! If this is the case, you might need to consider grabbing something else that is shiny and new for your cat to play with.

You can grab a simple kitty toy, or you can go big with the cat condo below!

My Cat Loves This Cat Condo!

Another potential solution to help keep your cat away from your venus flytraps is to give them their own plant! One of the most common and probably obvious plants you can get your cat is some catnip. This kit comes with grass and catnip.

Kitty Garden Kit

Maybe a better option is a cat grass growing kit! These are really cool. Not only will your cat love having fresh grass to eat, but your kids will also enjoy watching the grass grow. You can make it fun for the cat and the kids! Check out the cat grass growing kit below!

Cat Grass Kit For Indoors

There is a great video below talking about the benefits of cat grass and other types of plants for cats to eat!

We haven't talked a lot about dogs, mostly because they aren't nearly as much of a problem. They aren't attracted to them quite like cats are and putting them out of reach typically resolves the problem. Cats are more agile and able to reach higher places. I did want to give a few tips if you are having problems with your dog and venus flytraps:

• Keep your venus flytraps fairly high off the ground. Most of the time if a dog takes out your venus flytrap it's simply due to a powerful tail sweep or a clumsy bulldozing. Keep them up on a table out of tail reach!
• If your dog does like to mess with the plant, you may need to give some puppy discipline. It's hard to be mean to our dogs (sometimes it's easy I suppose) but most of the time we don't want to be upset with them. The best way to avoid this is to train them out of bad habits. Use the "dad voice" or in my household at times the "mom voice" with your dog when you see them messing with your plants. They don't want to upset you, often times using a strong tone with will deter them enough.
• You can also try chemical or natural deterrents. I would recommend something natural, although they don't typically work as well, especially with dogs.
• The best thing you can do here is to just keep your venus flytrap separate from your dog. Whether it's higher off the ground, in a different room, or behind a fenced area.

Occasionally your dog will mess with your venus flytraps, but more often than not, it's going to be the cat you have to worry about!

Most of the tips above work for Nepenthes too, if you are interested! You can read more about how to keep your Nepenthes Safe from Dogs & Cats by clicking here!

I looked all over the internet to try and find instances in which cats or dogs were injured from eating a venus flytrap. There was one instance of a couple of cats eventually dying after ingesting a VFT, but it was never conclusive on what their cause of death was.

The ASPCA has disclosed them as being non-toxic and safe for ingestion. They may cause a little stomach discomfort, but that's about the extent. Check out the ASPCA website.