You love your cat. You love your plants. That doesn’t mean they’re going to love each other. Plants poisonous to cats can cause anything from mild irritation to death.
It’s not possible to keep tabs on your feline all day long, and even if you could, the odds of getting your cat to stop eating grass are not good. (He’s a cat, after all.) “Cats are curious creatures,” says Sabrina Hansen, president and co-founder of Aslan’s Cats, a New York-based sanctuary for cats with leukemia.
“If you don’t want them to do something, it makes them want to do it even more.” Your best bet is to cat-proof your house by getting rid of plants poisonous to cats and embracing nontoxic alternatives.
All the following plants can cause vomiting, drooling, throat and mouth irritation, diarrhea, loss of appetite and, sometimes, foaming at the mouth. Other symptoms specific to each plant are listed below.
- True Lilies (Easter Lily, Asiatic Lily, Glory Lily, Tiger Lily, etc.)
“If cats eat the petals or leaves, get the pollen on their nose, or even drink the water in the vase, they can get kidney failure and die within about 72 hours,” says Dr. Lynn Rolland Hovda, the director of veterinary services at the Pet Poison Helpline.
- Crocus
Symptoms: organ damage, respiratory failure, seizures, death.
- Yew
Symptoms: difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, seizures, weakness, tremors, coma, death.
- Lily of the Valley
Symptoms: cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, death.
- Oleander
Symptoms: tremors, seizures, abnormal heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, weakness, death.
- Foxglove
Symptoms: significant drops in heart rate, cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, dilated pupils, death.
- Mistletoe
Symptoms: abdominal pain, seizures, drunk walking, abnormal heart rate, low blood pressure, death.
- Daffodil*
Symptoms: bloody diarrhea, cardiac arrhythmia, respiratory depression.
- Sago Palm
Symptoms: jaundice, abdominal pain, lethargy.
- Azalea/Rhododendron
Symptoms: coma, seizures, blindness.
- Rhubarb Leaves
Symptoms: lethargy, tremors, weakness.
- Narcissus
*Symptoms: abdominal pain, cardiac arrhythmia, respiratory depression.
- Shamrock
Symptoms: bloody urine, tremors, weakness.
- Tulip*
Symptoms: irritation of the mouth and throat, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- Amaryllis*
Symptoms: drop in blood pressure, respiratory depression.
- Calla Lily
Symptoms: swelling of the lips, tongue, mouth and upper airways.
- Chinese Evergreen
Symptoms: difficulty breathing.
- Dieffenbachia Plant
Symptoms: swelling of the mouth, lips, tongue, and airways.
- Dracaena
Symptoms: trouble walking, dilated pupils, weakness.
- Golden Pothos
Symptoms: pawing at the mouth and nose area, difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- Holly
Symptoms: head shaking, lip smacking.
- Hyacinth
*Symptoms: range from irritation of the mouth and throat to increased heart rate and difficulty breathing.
- Peace Lily
Symptoms: oral pain, swelling of the mouth, lips, tongue and airways.
- Philodendron
Symptoms: oral pain, difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- Schefflera
Symptoms: difficulty breathing or swallowing.
*The bulbs of these plants are highly toxic.
If you have any of these plants in or outside of your home, you may want to consider getting rid of them. They pose a very real and potentially deadly threat to your cat. Alternatively, you can place these plants in hard-to-reach places — on top of tall bookcases or high shelves — or hang them from the ceiling, and remind your pet sitter to do the same. This is not a fail-safe plan, however. “It’s better just not to have any of those plants,” Hansen advises. “Not worth the risk.” Hovda also advises keeping any bouquets you receive out of reach of your cat until you’ve had a chance to inspect them.
Consider these 25 safe plant suggestions instead:
- African Violet
- Aluminum Plant
- Bamboo
- Boston Fern
- Calathea
- Cast Iron Plant
- Christmas Cactus
- Donkey’s Tail
- Golden Butterfly Palm
- Grape Ivy
- Haworthia
- Hens and Chickens
- Jacob’s Ladder
- Jasmine
- Marigold
- Orchid
- Pearl Plant
- Peperomia
- Petunia
- Ponytail Palm
- Rose
- Spider Plant
- Swedish Ivy
- Wax Plant
- Zinnia
Plant-noshing in general is something you want to discourage. Even nontoxic or “safe” plants can give a greenery-chewing kitty a nasty tummy ache. If you suspect your cat has ingested a toxic plant, rush him to the vet. Symptoms can appear in just a matter of hours, and immediate veterinary attention could be the difference between life and death.
Trading in plants known to be toxic for more feline-friendly ones is a huge step towards creating a safe environment for your cat.
And check out these 12 Toxic Plants for Dogs.
Tiffany R. Jansen is a freelance writer who isn’t really much of a cat person, but her dog definitely is.
*This article is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be providing medical advice and is not a substitute for such advice. The reader should always consult a health care provider concerning any medical condition or treatment plan. Neither Care.com nor the author assumes any responsibility or liability with respect to use of any information contained herein
