Whether or not the plastic contains toxins that could leach into a dog or cat’s digestive system likely depends on the plastic. For other materials (silk, nylon, etc.), glues that are used in the manufacture may well be toxic to your animals.

Plastic is indigestible and can have sharp edges. It may travel around in your pet’s gut for some time before being expelled. It could even potentially lodge in the animal’s gut, which could lead to internal bleeding, or even rupture.

In any event, ingesting plastic or other materials used in artificial plants would not be good for your pet’s digestive system.

Possible solutions:

• Keep the fake plant(s) out of reach (might not be easy for a cat).
• Spray the fake plants with one of the proprietary chemicals that are intended to stop pets from chewing on real or fake plants—possibly a spray containing capsaicin, which would likely teach the pet to avoid the fake plants after one taste.
• Get rid of the fake plants. You might replace them with actual, living plants. You would want to check any plant you might choose for its toxicity before buying. This can likely be done by googling the plant’s name with “toxicity.”