Rubber Plant

Also known as Rubber Tree, Rubber Fig, Indian Rubber Tree. One plant, one grade per pet — the verdicts below are transcribed from primary sources and human-reviewed.

FOR CATSS2 · IRRITANT

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) is toxic to cats (S2 Irritant): the irritating sap in its leaves and stems causes oral irritation, drooling, and minor gastrointestinal distress, but ingestion is rarely dangerous — unlike the unrelated baby rubber plant (Peperomia), which is non-toxic.

FULL VERDICT →

Care at a glance

Lightbright indirect

Waterevery 7–10 days

Humiditymedium

Difficulty●○○

What happens if it's eaten

Signs on record for each animal, transcribed from the cited sources.

FOR CATSS2

oral irritation
drooling
retching
vomiting
skin irritation on sap contact

FOR DOGS

No dog record in the index yet.

When to call the vet

FOR CATS

Call your vet if drooling or vomiting persists or worsens, your cat refuses food or water, or skin contact with the sap causes spreading redness.

FULL VERDICT →

FOR DOGS

No dog record in the index yet.

Safe swaps, graded S0

Non-toxic on record for cats — verified against the index at build time.

FAQ

Is a baby rubber plant the same as a rubber plant?

No — they are unrelated plants with opposite verdicts. The classic rubber plant is Ficus elastica, whose irritating sap earns it S2 Irritant. The 'baby rubber plant' (also sold as American rubber plant) is Peperomia obtusifolia, which the ASPCA lists as "Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats" — see our baby rubber plant verdict. The scientific name on the tag tells you which one you have.