Is ZZ plant safe for dogs and cats?
Ask your vet about your own pet. This page is general information from the sources below.
ASPCA reports ZZ plant (Zamioculcas spp.): the source says it can harm pets that chew it, but does not name dogs and cats separately. Chewing can cause mouth pain and drooling, retching, nausea, less appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and head shaking or pawing at the mouth. Rarely, a large amount can cause throat swelling that makes breathing hard. Trouble breathing or swallowing needs a vet right away.
Checked October 29, 2026.
Also called: zamioculcas. Zamioculcas spp..
What in it is the problem
Insoluble calcium oxalates (tiny needle-like crystals called raphides).
What it can do
Chewing can cause mouth pain and drooling, retching, nausea, less appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and head shaking or pawing at the mouth. Rarely, a large amount can cause throat swelling that makes breathing hard.
Good to know
An ASPCA article names the ZZ plant as toxic to pets that eat it, but it does not say dogs or cats specifically, and I could not open a ZZ plant page in the ASPCA plant database, so dog and cat are left blank. Trouble breathing or swallowing needs a vet right away.
Did your pet chew it?
Call your vet or a pet poison line, and say what plant, how much and when. If you aren't sure which plant it was, take a photo of it.
Poison emergency? Call now
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435, 24 hours a day, every day. A consultation fee may apply.
Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661, 24/7. $99 per incident, follow-up calls included.
Or call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
For the children
"Some plants can make pets sick, and lilies are very dangerous for cats. Ask a grown-up before you bring a plant or flowers inside."
A job: Be the plant checker. Help a grown-up look up each plant in the house on this site, and write the ones to keep away on a list.
This page is general information from the sources below, not veterinary advice. Common names are shared by different plants, so check the Latin name.
Sources
- ASPCA: These Houseplants Can Cause Trouble for Your Pets (checked October 29, 2026)