Chamaedorea Cataractarum | Cat Palm

Meet the palm that grows like a fountain! Chamaedorea cataractarum, better known as the cat palm, is a compact, clumping palm from the riverbanks of southern Mexico and Central America, with arching, glossy green fronds that rise straight from the soil instead of from a trunk. It belongs to the Chamaedorea family, alongside popular cousins like the parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans) and the bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii). Pet-safe, lush and happy indoors, it's a great pick if you want a full, tropical look without a giant tree.

Browse our cat palms or read the parlour palm care guide for its popular cousin.

  • Safe for pets and children
  • Repot once every 2 years
  • Fertilize once a month
  • Bright, indirect light
  • Requires frequent watering

About Cat Palm

Origin

Cat palms grow wild in southern Mexico and parts of Central America, along rivers and streams in humid tropical forests. Their botanical name cataractarum means "of the waterfalls", a nod to how they thrive with their roots close to running water. The nickname "cat palm" is most likely just a short form of that name.

Air Purifying

Its close cousin the bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) was one of the plants in NASA's 1989 clean-air study, which measured how plants remove chemicals like formaldehyde in sealed test chambers. The cat palm itself wasn't tested, so we'll keep it modest: this leafy amigo adds a little moisture and a lot of green to your space.

Toxicity

Despite the name, this amigo is friendly to cats and dogs! The ASPCA lists Chamaedorea palms (like the parlour palm) as non-toxic to cats and dogs, and while the cat palm doesn't have its own entry, it isn't known to be toxic. Chewed fronds can still cause a mild upset tummy, so discourage snacking.

Caring for Cat Palm

Watering

Cat palms are thirsty and like evenly moist soil, so water when the top inch (about 20–25%) of the soil has dried out, often every 5–7 days in summer. Never let the root ball dry out completely, but don't leave it standing in water either. If the frond tips turn brown, switch to filtered water or rain water, since this palm is sensitive to salts and fluoride in tap water.

Light and Placement

Bright, indirect light keeps this amigo full and lush, so a spot near an east- or west-facing window works great. A little gentle morning sun is fine, but strong afternoon sun through glass can scorch the fronds, and in low light it gets thin and leggy. Keep it away from heat vents, which dry out the air (and the fronds).

Nutrition

Feed once a month in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer or a palm fertilizer diluted to half-strength. Pale or yellowing new fronds can mean it's short on magnesium or iron, which palm fertilizers include. Skip the snacks in fall and winter.

Repotting

Repot every 2–3 years in spring, when roots start circling the pot or poking out of the drainage holes. Palms don't love having their roots disturbed, so move the clump in one piece into a pot 1–2 inches larger, using a peat- or coco-based potting mix that holds moisture but still drains well. Plant it at the same depth as before.

Pruning and Flowering

Snip fully brown or yellow fronds off at the base with clean, sharp scissors; the lowest ones fade naturally as new growth comes in. For brown tips, trim only the brown part and leave a thin brown edge so you don't cut into healthy green. Mature cat palms can send up stalks of small yellowish flowers near the base, but male and female flowers grow on separate plants, so a single palm won't set seed.

Cat Palm SOS

Illness

Spider mites are the number one pest, especially in warm, dry winter air: look for fine webbing and speckled fronds, and rinse this amigo in the shower to knock them back. Mealybugs and scale can show up too. Soggy soil leads to root rot, while crispy brown tips usually point to dry air, missed waterings or tap water salts.

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