20 HOUSEPLANTS POISONOUS TO CATS

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

I know there are many very well-informed cat parents here.

I thought I knew all the "bad" plants, and learned something new today.

So, I share so we can all keep our fur babies safe .....

20 Houseplants Poisonous to Cats | Plants That Are Toxic to Cats (rd.com)

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

Any surprises on that list?

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

I'm pretty sure that at some point, every plant in the world has made a list of plants that are poisonous to cats. It's a little bit crazy when you start looking at all of the lists and comparing them. It's amazing that any cat is still alive when you look at all of the lists.

Plants not on the list are all of the nightshade family plants including tomato plants. There are some truly dangerous plants out there that missed the list and many of the plants on that list are only poisonous in vast quantities that a cat is unlikely to consume unless starved.

As a rule, poisonous plants taste bad. Cats tend not to eat things that taste bad. Plants make poison to discourage animals from eating them. It does a plant no good to make itself both tasty and poisonous. Cats aren't stupid. if they take a bite of something and it tastes bad, they walk away.

A bigger issue is plants that have been treated with a systemic insecticide. Those can be great-tasting plants (to a cat anyway) but laced with hidden poison designed to kill insects. Those could be "safe" plants (assuming there are any that have missed the list of poisonous plants) and still make a cat sick or kill it. And systemic insecticides are widely used in greenhouses and commercial plant production.

I've kept "poisonous" plants with my cats for years/decades with no trouble. The cats take a bite, go "Ick!" and walk away from them with no issues, and move to something tastier. If you only have poisonous plants and are starving your cat, yeah, it might eat enough to get truly sick. For most people, it's not going to be an issue. And if you believe all of the lists, there are no "safe" plants. Pretty much every plant in the world has made one list or another.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

WRXtoo · ‎03-22-2010

Thanks for the list--always a good reminder.

Some plants you need to be wary of even if your cat wouldn't be prone to biting them. The pollen from lillies is very poisonous even in small amounts and cats can injest it by licking their fur. Cats regular grooming is one of the reasons they have so many plants listed as dangerous. I surely pay attention to the plants or flowers I bring in the house.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@gardenman @Tinkrbl44 - It's definitely not true that cats (or other animals) won't eat something poisonous or "bad" for them.

My friends nearly lost their beloved cat because of this issue. She is a teacher and one Christmas someone gave her a lily houseplant as a thank you gift.

Neither of them knew anything about it being potentially dangerous for their cat.

Well, the cat (clearly didn't read the hazard warning) ate quite a few of the leaves. They didn't know what was happening, when their cat went into what appeared to be a fit. Then they noticed the eaten plant.

Long story short: they rushed their cat to the vet, where they started treatment immediately. They had to call their son to ask him to try to estimate how many of the leaves she'd eaten.

Their cat nearly died; it was touch and go. She survived but not without fast action and a big vet bill. (And their cat was well-fed, so not starving and willing to eat anything.)

Needless to say, the plant was tossed and they learned a hard lesson. I'd rather err on the side of caution, personally, and so do they now.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

BTW, this a complete aside: but poisonous plants don't always taste "ick"!

Think of the people who eat poisonous mushrooms and die.

(My degree is in biology, emphasis on botany, and I buy my mushrooms in the supermarket!)

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

When my Bogey was a kitten I would sit with him outside on my terrace so he could be in my jungle. He sampled any leaf that was small enough for his tiny mouth. He didn't seem to discriminate, or he hadn't read any warning labels.

These days, he is strictly indoors, and the only plant I dare have in the house are my dishes of the kitty grass that I grow for him.

Shawnie · ‎03-10-2010

@Venezia wrote:
@gardenman @Tinkrbl44 - It's definitely not true that cats (or other animals) won't eat something poisonous or "bad" for them.

My friends nearly lost their beloved cat because of this issue. She is a teacher and one Christmas someone gave her a lily houseplant as a thank you gift.

Neither of them knew anything about it being potentially dangerous for their cat.

Well, the cat (clearly didn't read the hazard warning) ate quite a few of the leaves. They didn't know what was happening, when their cat went into what appeared to be a fit. Then they noticed the eaten plant.

Long story short: they rushed their cat to the vet, where they started treatment immediately. They had to call their son to ask him to try to estimate how many of the leaves she'd eaten.

Their cat nearly died; it was touch and go. She survived but not without fast action and a big vet bill. (And their cat was well-fed, so not starving and willing to eat anything.)

Needless to say, the plant was tossed and they learned a hard lesson. I'd rather err on the side of caution, personally, and so do they now.

I completely agree. And my cat munched on some lillies before i knew how,poisonous they are. I large vet bill but she made it. No more plants while i have a cat.

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@Shawnie

I always buy small bags of kitty grass seeds and grow a small dish for Bogey to chew on. He seems to know that those are "his" plants to chomp on when the mood hits.

Lucky Charm · ‎03-09-2010

The only plant I have on that list is aloe.

The crazy thing is, my cats do not bother with my plants.

They don't even like 'catnip'. Go figure. I think they're afraid of 'letting themselves go'. They were ferals when we brought them in and even though they are great house cats now, they still have that instintt to 'keep it together' just in case.....