Are Lemongrass Plants Safe for Pets? Cymbopogon Garden Herb Guide

Last updated: May 16, 2026

Reassurance First: The Lemongrass Plant Itself Is Generally Safe

If you grow lemongrass in your kitchen herb garden, the live plant (Cymbopogon citratus, also called West Indian lemongrass, and the closely related East Indian lemongrass Cymbopogon flexuosus) is generally considered safe around dogs and cats per ASPCA framing — it does not appear on ASPCA’s toxic-plant list. A pet that nibbled a blade or pulled at a stalk is unlikely to develop more than transient mild GI upset from the act of swallowing fibrous grass, which cats often vomit up regardless of the species.

The important caveat in this article is the same one that applies to many aromatic culinary herbs: the plant is not the same as the concentrated essential oil. Lemongrass essential oil is sold in aromatherapy and “natural pest repellent” products at very high concentrations of citral, geraniol, and related citrus-scented compounds. Concentrated lemongrass oil, like other phenolic and aldehyde-rich essential oils, can be a meaningful concern for cats specifically, who lack the liver enzymes to clear these compounds efficiently. Plant — generally safe. Concentrated oil and “natural” pest sprays — handle with care.

Meet Lemongrass: Cymbopogon Citratus

Lemongrass is a tropical perennial grass in the family Poaceae, the same family as wheat, rice, corn, and the lawn grass under your dog’s paws. Native to South and Southeast Asia, it is a backbone ingredient in Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Sri Lankan cuisine — chopped fresh into curry pastes, simmered into broths, brewed into tea. The plant grows in dense clumps of long, narrow, blade-like leaves that can reach four to six feet in tropical conditions.

In North America, lemongrass is grown as a tender annual or as a container plant brought indoors for winter. The harvested portion for cooking is the swollen white-green base of the stalk, peeled and finely chopped or pounded. The leaves themselves, while less commonly used in cooking, can be steeped into a citrusy herbal tea. Visually, lemongrass looks like a cross between an overgrown lawn-grass clump and a small bamboo stand. Pets sometimes find the upright blades interesting to bat or chew.

The Aromatic Chemistry of Lemongrass

The signature lemon scent of lemongrass comes from citral — a mix of two aldehyde compounds (geranial and neral) — along with smaller amounts of geraniol, limonene, citronellal, and myrcene. These same compounds are present in the live plant at modest concentrations and in lemongrass essential oil at very high concentrations. Citral and citronellal are also the dominant compounds in citronella oil and citronella plant, which is a different Cymbopogon species (Cymbopogon nardus, sometimes Cymbopogon winterianus) used in mosquito-repellent candles and yard sprays.

For most pets that chewed a fresh lemongrass leaf, the citral and related aldehyde load is low enough that no clinical signs follow beyond possible transient GI upset from the act of swallowing tough grass. Concentrated essential oil is a different exposure entirely. The dose-and-form distinction is the recurring theme in pet herb-and-spice safety: the plant is mild, the oil concentrates the chemistry by a factor of hundreds, and the cat’s liver does not catch up.

Why Cats Eat Grass — and Why Lemongrass Is a Common Target

Many cats deliberately eat grass and grass-like plants. The reasons are not fully understood; the leading theories include aiding the regurgitation of hairballs, supplementing trace nutrients, and a general behavioral drive that probably reaches back to wild ancestors. Cats often vomit shortly after grass-eating, and that is usually expected rather than alarming.

Lemongrass is a common target because it looks like the kind of dense upright clump cats find satisfying to chew. Owners sometimes worry when a cat repeatedly noses or bites at a lemongrass pot, but this behavior is generally unremarkable and not a sign of toxicity. If you would rather redirect the chewing, providing a dedicated catnip pot, a small catmint patch, or a tray of cat grass (oat, wheat, or barley sprouts) gives the cat a purpose-grown alternative.

What “Generally Safe” Actually Means in Practice

Calling lemongrass “generally safe” is not the same as saying it has no risks at all. Three practical caveats are worth naming:

• Mechanical irritation. Lemongrass blades are tough and fibrous. A pet that swallows a long unchewed blade can occasionally develop choking, gagging, or — more rarely — gastrointestinal blockage. Small dogs and cats are at higher risk.
• Volume effects. A pet that grazed a few blades is different from a pet that demolished a whole pot. Large-volume ingestions of any plant material can cause meaningful GI upset.
• Cat-specific essential-oil sensitivity. If you sometimes chop or crush lemongrass for cooking, the oil residue on cutting boards, knives, and counters is concentrated relative to the leaf. A cat that grooms aromatic residue off its fur is being dosed orally at the same time it inhaled the volatile compounds.

Most household lemongrass interactions never escalate beyond a pet sniffing the pot or batting a leaf. The above points are the where-it-could-go-wrong list for the small percentage of cases that move beyond that.

Lemongrass Essential Oil: The Real Caution

Concentrated lemongrass essential oil is sold in two main contexts: aromatherapy diffusers and “natural” insect-repellent products. The aldehyde load in the bottle is several hundred times the concentration of fresh leaf material. Diffuser use in a small room with a cat present, topical “natural flea spray” applications, or accidental spills onto fur or paws are all real exposures.

Symptoms after concentrated lemongrass oil exposure can include drooling, vomiting, lethargy, weakness, low body temperature, and difficulty breathing — a similar picture to cinnamon, eucalyptus, tea tree, and other essential-oil exposures in cats. If you have used a lemongrass-based “natural” pest spray on or around your pet and they are showing any of these signs, call your veterinarian, ASPCA APCC at 888-426-4435, or Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 immediately. Remove residue with a mild dish soap and warm water rinse where it is safe to do so.

Lemongrass Tea, Soup, and the Stew Pot

Pets that lap up a small amount of lemongrass tea or a few drops of broth from a lemongrass-flavored soup are unlikely to develop more than mild GI upset, if anything. The dilution in tea or soup brings the citral concentration down well below the leaf level. The bigger concern in shared kitchen scenarios is whatever else is in the recipe — onions, garlic, scallions, and certain spices that are independently problematic for pets in larger amounts.

If you regularly cook with lemongrass and worry about counter-licking residue, wipe down preparation surfaces after chopping and store the trimmed bottoms in closed containers. The plant’s typical kitchen waste — outer husks, root nubs, leaf trimmings — is fine to compost where pets cannot dig in.

Symptoms That Would Warrant a Vet Call

For most pets and most lemongrass interactions, no veterinary intervention is needed. Call your vet if you see any of the following:

• Repeated vomiting or persistent diarrhea over 12 to 24 hours
• Choking, gagging, or repeated retching that does not produce anything
• Apparent abdominal pain, hunched posture, or refusal to eat
• Lethargy, weakness, or wobbly gait — particularly in cats after essential-oil exposure
• Drooling that does not resolve within a few hours
• Skin redness or rubbing where lemongrass oil contacted fur
• Any sign that a long blade is stuck in the throat (paws at the mouth, gagging, sneezing, head shaking)

For concentrated essential-oil exposures specifically, do not wait for symptoms to fully develop — call ASPCA APCC at 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 and be ready to give the product name, concentration, route of exposure, and pet weight.

Lemongrass and Citronella: A Common Confusion

Lemongrass and citronella are in the same genus (Cymbopogon) and are commonly confused. They are different species — Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon flexuosus are the culinary lemongrasses, while Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus are the citronellas grown for oil and mosquito repellents. The aromatic chemistries overlap heavily but are not identical.

Citronella products marketed for outdoor use — citronella candles, torch oils, yard sprays — should be kept out of reach of pets. The “citronella plant” sold in some garden centers is sometimes actually a scented geranium (Pelargonium citrosum) that is a different plant entirely with its own toxicity profile (mild GI irritant per ASPCA framing). When in doubt, check the Latin name on the plant tag.

Companion Pet-Safe Herb-Garden Plants

If you are building a kitchen herb garden around dogs and cats, lemongrass fits comfortably alongside other reassurance-tier choices. Within Walk Me Home Rescue’s library, the safe-for-pets companions worth knowing are basil, cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley. Each of these is on the safer end of the herb-spice spectrum and shares the same plant-versus-essential-oil caution.

For the broader pet-safe planting picture, the cat-safe houseplants guide and dog-safe houseplants guide are the right starting points. Lemongrass is one of the easier “Asian-cuisine” plants to incorporate into a pet-friendly herb pot, particularly because it is a clumping grass that does not produce flowers or seed pods most pets find interesting.

Growing Lemongrass with Pets: Practical Tips

Lemongrass is straightforward to grow. It thrives in full sun, rich well-drained soil, and consistent moisture. In Zone 9 or warmer it overwinters in the ground; elsewhere it lives in a large container that comes inside before frost. Propagation is easy from store-bought stalks rooted in water — a fun starter project for households new to herb gardening.

For pet households, a few practical layout notes help. Place lemongrass pots where dogs and cats cannot pull a tall stalk over onto themselves; the plant gets heavy as it matures. Use a heavy ceramic or glazed pot rather than light plastic. Sweep dropped trimmings into a closed compost bin rather than leaving them on the ground. Skip lemongrass-based “natural” pest sprays advertised for direct pet application — the marketing is heavier than the safety data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal for my cat to keep chewing my lemongrass plant?

Yes — many cats deliberately chew on grass-like plants and lemongrass is a frequent target. The plant is generally considered non-toxic. Watch for excessive vomiting, gagging, or repeated retching that does not stop, and provide a dedicated cat-grass tray or catnip pot if you want to redirect the behavior.

Can I cook with lemongrass when my dog is in the kitchen?

Yes. The plant in normal cooking quantities is generally safe around dogs. Wipe down counters after chopping and store trimmings out of reach. The bigger concern in most recipes is what else is in the dish — onions, garlic, and scallions are independently problematic for pets.

Is lemongrass essential oil safe to diffuse around cats?

Skip it. Cats lack the liver enzymes to clear citral and related aldehyde compounds efficiently, and diffuser residue settles on fur the cat then grooms off. If you want to scent a room with cats present, use much milder methods or restrict diffuser use to rooms cats cannot enter.

What about lemongrass-based “natural” flea sprays?

Be cautious. “Natural” does not mean pet-safe in this category. Some lemongrass and citronella-based sprays are too concentrated for direct application to pets, especially cats. Use a vet-recommended flea control product with a known safety profile rather than improvising with essential-oil sprays.

What if my cat ate a long blade and started gagging?

Watch closely for choking. If gagging does not resolve within a minute or two, if breathing seems labored, or if the cat is pawing aggressively at the mouth, call your vet immediately or proceed to an emergency clinic. A blade lodged in the throat or nasal passage occasionally needs veterinary removal. ASPCA APCC at 888-426-4435 and Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 can also help triage urgency.