Funny you should ask. I did one for my blog last April. The index for the series of posts is here. More specific information about plants (when I could find some) can be found by clicking the links at the end of each line of the index.

If it helps, I wouldn't worry about either of those too much: I think they're both unpleasant enough that a cat that started to eat one would stop before any real damage occurred, though that doesn't mean you shouldn't discourage them from eating the plants anyway.

My cat doesn't bother plants at all, period, ever. I've even sat down and put a plant right in front of him to see what he'd do and he kind of glared at it suspiciously before wandering away... he doesn't trust nature lol.

I just don't want to risk a if he eats it he'll die situation you know?

Hmmm, maybe I can just put them on the high shelf to make sure they're out of the cats way? The cat never goes near the lower shelf since they're full of safe plants and the possible dangerous plants that are foul tasting high up and way out of the way...

I still don't get azalea toxicity. In theory they SHOULD be really toxic but in actuality I've seen a bunch of reports indicating that you'd need to eat a lot of it to get even a meaningful reaction.

Then again, I think I'm the only person here growing an azalea as a house plant and I'm smart enough not to eat it so it's not like it's really that important.

They are in the business to sell plants, they really don't care. Also most stores can't even name and label them properly and now you want them to label if poisonous or toxic...not gonna happen.

In fairness to the stores, most of the lists that are available don't identify plants very specifically (they use common names a lot, some of which could apply to more than one plant, like "zebra plant"), don't indicate anything about severity (Tradescantia zebrina, which gives some people a little skin irritation, is on the same list as Nerium oleander, which will knock you dead), and make no note of which species are actually at risk (so if it's toxic to cats but safe for dogs or people, it might or might not show up as toxic on the lists, depending on who the list was being drawn up for). So even if a retailer really, really wanted to provide good toxicity information, it's not easy to get.

The other factor is that a lot of times, people who are interested in a plant will put it down and walk away if they learn that it's toxic, whether they have pets or not, whether they have small children or not. So a retailer has nothing to gain by telling you that a plant you've decided you want is toxic, because it can only lose them the sale. Some places are more conscientious than others about telling people anyway, but there again, you're only as helpful as the information you have, and information is hard to come by, lather rinse repeat.

I suppose, it's just really vexing. Giving back the peace lily but I'm gonna keep the Cyclamens on a higher shelf away from where the cat is even remotely likely to go and farther away then all the non toxic plants.

Oh, btw subjunctive I checked your blog and I'm afraid that you have another reader now. Very awesome :D

One needs to beware the term 'toxic'. Regarding plants, it can mean causing a stomach ache & worse. Not necessarily to be constructed as fatal, but can vary from mildly irritating to causing severe digestive upset & worse.

yeah I know, it's been driving me crazy because most plant lists only say toxic and don't differentiate between fatal to pets or not >.

While there are many "toxic" plants, there are not many fatal plants. While my cats have sunk their teeth into many of my beloved plants, and while many of those plants are on the "bad plants list", my cats have never done more than vomit. (And my plants have all recovered.)
As a veterinary technician working in emergency/critical care, I can say that the only fatal plants I have ever seen are true lilies (the most common ones are Easter and Asiatic lilies in bouquets & sold as seasonal plants. These will cause kidney failure in cats, and I have seen this caused even from a nibble on a leaf. Medical intervention did prevent death in some of the cases I have seen, but was expensive, involving hospitalization and iv fluids to flush the kidneys. Mistle toe also apparently causes death related to kidney disfunction/failure, although I have never personally witnessed this. Here is a link to aspca's toxic and non-toxic plant lists. They do not detail the degree of toxicity, but they do list common AND scientific name of plants, as well as provide a list for cats, dogs, and horses individually. The printable version is a much quicker skim.

Here is a link that might be useful: aspca poison center

Well, I think it's the grower's responsibility, not the store's. I also don't think this is such a big deal. I've had pets & hadn't even thought of it at the time. I know lots of folks w/ pets & plants & no problem.

I think you may be a bit too worried about this. However, I don't currently own any pets. Since you do, I just saw a GREAT idea on another thread here -- pls check w/ the ASPCA -- they WILL DEFINATELY know which plants are harmful & likely how harmful. Then you can rest easy!

The ASPCA site doesn't even know the difference between polka-dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) and an Anthurium. (See?)

This doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

"Well, I think it's the grower's responsibility, not the store's."

While that is true, I do think that sellers should inform people if the plant they're trying to buy produces ricin or something.

The FDA has a difficult time trying to regulate what we consume and make sure labels properly list allergies etc.
I seriously doubt they or any other agency is going to take this issue on for enforcement since houseplants aren't normally consumed. Anybody that has a serious allergy like nuts would be reading those labels. So therefore the consumer should be proactive in keeping their family and pets healthy and safe. If I had a pet I wouldn't trust very many labels. While it's nice the ASPCA provides the list, it is still the consumer that should be more proactive.

Regardless of what the label says, I keep ALL my plants out of reach from my cat. I also keep my cat away from the plant room. Him in there is TABOO!

I think all cats a dogs react differently to many plants. Some eat toxic ones, others do not.

My last cat never touched a plant.

The one I own now got sick and threw up on lemon grass I was growing indoors, a palm which he loves to play with, and even a philodendron.....he even chewed my a lemon tree leaves and vomited on that. The plants looked horrible besides..

But who's to say a good vomit is bad? Just because they do, it doesn't mean all are toxic and he has been poisened.
My grandmother has had cats for years and she says they seem to know when to flush their own stomachs, so they are looking for something green, as if they were looking for grass outdoors..She said that she was aware of very toxic plants too, but never took a chance letting hers go near any plant for the lack of info from the very stores you buy from.

If my cat runs out of food for just one day, the next best thing for him is my plants...lol

Atown, and everyone else, great info!

So for the sake of your animals, and the for looks of your plants, the best thing to do would be just to keep them out of reach...Have you ever seen your plants after an animal played with them..?

Better safe than sorry I guess...:-)

P.s....Try buying plant stands, shelves, or keeping plants in a room where your animals can be off limits.. Even squirt your cat with water when he even goes near one..
Since I have done this, everything I had to worry about in regards with my cat are past...It has only been a month, let's see what happens...lol
The palm he loved to play with is now hanging from the ceiling..So are alot of my others..Sort of a safety thing for my nemises...

Oh yeah, of course. My plants are on shelves and my cat isn't even prone to touching them, he hates nature.

I'm just a bit neurotic is all lol

I think it depends on the individual pet. Some are more curious than others, some will 'taste' almost anything, plant or not.
My older cat could care less about my houseplants, but the younger ones get bored and into everything.
I have a couple of small plants that are toxic(philos), but they're on shelves or in wallpockets out of reach. Everything else has been changed out for more 'pet friendly' plants. I gave several to a local thrift store and some to friends w/o pets. I sort of do a plant purge whenever we get a new cat or kitten. I'd rather toss a plant than have to rush one of my buddies to the vet. During the winter I grow wheat grass for them and keep it handy for them to chew on if they want something green.

It would be much easier to post a list of plants that are NOT toxic.
Most of the ones that have a claim to fame would be in a class so small that there is no need to list them.
And, for many, the tales you hear about certain plants being harmful is hogwash. One such is the 'poinsettia'...often at XMAS thought to be dangerous.
It isn't.....just another story told of one sick child who got sick after someone noticed she was around the plant.
And the stories prevail and spread.....

Besides, most of the ones that are toxic to some degree, are listed and or a tag identifies the plant as one not to ingest. Most of those then would have to be eaten at breakdfast, lunch and dinner for a couple weeks to have any adverse affect.
True, some are dangerous.

There are ample numbers of lists of toxic plants all over the internet.

Are we going to live in fear of our favorite plants, or are we going to take precautions to make sure there aren't any problems? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I vote for live in fear. It's more exciting.

I was recently searching for information on a new houseplant, and I found something interesting. It is a list describing the toxicity of several dozen houseplants. I thought I'd post a link to it here:
Toxicity of Common Houseplants

The above-linked University of Nebraska page is a little sketchy:

"Crincum" and "Huemanthus" are misspelled: they mean Crinum and Haemanthus.

Anthurium spp., Adenium obesum (desert rose), Aglaonema cvv. (Chinese evergreen), and Coffea arabica (coffee plant) aren't on the list at all, despite being reasonably popular houseplants. Adenium is even toxic enough to be dangerous, and they still leave it off the list.

Cotyledon spp. are in fact toxic, whatever they tell you.

Poinciana gilliesii is called a bird-of-paradise, but it's not the bird-of-paradise people grow indoors as a houseplant. The houseplant is Strelitzia reginae and/or S. nicolai. Is Poinciana toxic? Is Strelitzia? Which one are they talking about?

Boston ivy is misidentified (Parthenocissus quinquefolia is Virginia creeper; Boston ivy is Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and not ordinarily grown indoors.

Corn plants (Dracaena fragrans) may or may not be toxic to people, but they are to pets, even though they've got them listed as non-toxic.

Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) do not produce "croton oil:" that's a different thing from a different plant (Croton tiglium), which is confusingly also called a croton. Only Codiaeum is used as a houseplant.

And those are just the problems between A and C. They don't seem overly concerned with accurate identification, toxicity to pets, distinguishing between houseplants and outdoor plants, or noting that even among plants which are toxic, some are more dangerous than others.