Hi everyone,
In our continued effort to source content on cat health we came across this fantastic infographic by Ally Hirschlag from sheknows.
1. Lilies (all varieties)
Little known fact is that cats don’t even have to ingest this plant. Often it’s enough to brush against the pollen of this plant to poison your feline companion….
2. Any calcium oxalate plants — including philodendrons, Chinese evergreens, Virginia creepers, spinach, agaves, tea leaves, rhubarb and taro
The poisonous part of these indoor and outdoor plants are the microscopic needle-like barbs on their stems and leaves. If bitten, they cause inflammation in the mouth and gums and result in excessive drooling and vomiting. – by Ally Hirschlag
While some of this may be treatable at home it’s advisable to seek assistance from a vet immediately.
3. Dracaena plants
There are about 40 varieties of this popular, leafy houseplant, including the dragon plant. If cats eat the long fronds typical of these plants, they’ll become depressed, lose their appetites and possibly even vomit blood. However, it’s usually not a fatal reaction, and symptoms tend to go away after 12 to 24 hours. Still, you should keep an eye out for worsening symptoms, and take your cat to the vet if it doesn’t start to recover after 24 hours.- by Ally Hirschlag
4. Autumn crocus
This plant is extremely poisonous and if your pet has eaten any of it there is a strong possibility for severe symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and resulting in possible liver or kidney damage and even heart arrhythmia.
If you suspect that your cat digested this plant get them to a vet immediately!
5. Daffodils
It’s little known that these are actually very poisonous! Ingesting any part of this plant can cause vomiting, diarrhoea but also more severe issues such as arrhythmia, convulsion and major drop in blood pressure. Immediate vet attention is necessary!
6. Tulips
While these are not fatal for your cat they are still a big no-no for your cat! Especially the bulb is poisonous but so are other parts of the plant and can cause oral irrtaiton, excessive drooling and nausea.
7. Sago palm
Again this plant is an extremely poisonous one for your cat! While the seeds and pods are the worst any part of the plant can cause bloody vomiting and diarrhoea, bleeding disorders, liver failure and death.
If you suspect your cat got in contact with this plant take immediate action and call your vet!
For details on the remaining plants please check out the post 12 toxic plants that cat owners should not keep in their house by sheknows.
Also there is a very good list of poisonous plants on the ASPCA website.
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Thanks,
Marc
Excellent info. A reminder is great. It is so easy to forget the poisonous plants. I was unaware that tea leaves are poison to cats. I would like a chart that says just how poisonous the plants are. Is it a medical emergency or will they get diaherra or barf. We could then remove the offending plant and move on.
Jean
That’s a good idea! I might have to see if we can get that kind of chart. Btw did you receive your package from 4cats? 🙂
Hi Marc, We didn’t receive anything so far. I was not sure if you had got around to mailing them. Give them enough time to cross the pond by canoe…hehe
Ha yeah these things seem to take forever!
Thank you for this list. I was aware of some of them, but not others. Our cat is a flower lover and tends to embrace and then taste their leaves, so this is a life-saver!
You are welcome. 🙂
Btw did you have any issues logging in / liking / commenting? We’ve upgraded to a business plan and some users have mentioned they struggled since.
Aspirin is deadly to cats, as well as the Pasque flower.
Thanks for the addition. 🙂
It never hurts to have another reminder about dangerous plants! Like Jean, I was unaware that tea leaves are dangerous to cats. I’ll need to be more careful when I fill the tea ball! Anyway, thanks for the reminder, which is all the better for being a graphic representation of the perils instead of just a text list.
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Thanks for this! SO many people have no idea. Every year, my professional clients bring Christmas plants into my house (poinsettia is another horribly irritating plant) and I have to patiently explain that they will not see these plants on display because I will have to donate them to the front desk at my gym, to protect my cats.
Also, never let your cat get at anything with garlic or onion. I had a close call with this recently just through forgetfulness about putting away leftovers. No one got sick, but the Animal Poison Control Center said that the amount they could have eaten was on the borderline of toxicity. It damages their red blood cells and causes liver and spleen damage.
I had to make a cat vomit once and in case you catch your cat eating something “irritating” vs. poison (quick to the vet), a quarter teaspoon at the back of the tongue really worked! He took three steps, put his head down, barfed and looked at me evilly, but he was fine. (He had eaten some azalea blossoms and they are an irritant.)
Great, informative post. I too was unaware that tea leaves were a problem.
When we got our first cats, we knew some plants and flowers were dangerous to them, but weren’t entirely sure which. So we made the decision not to have any at all in the house, other than catnip and cathe grass. That way we know we’re safe.
good to know. never knew about tea leaves.
I liked the graph. Found it interesting. I wanted to reblog it on my site but there was no way to. Am I missing the reblog button?
Ah! We’ve upgraded to a more customisable version of wordpress and apparently the reblog button isn’t supported on it yet. I’ve added a WordPress button that on a PC should show up in a left hand column amongst social icons that does the same. On a mobile app it should appear in the top above posts under the heading sharing is caring. Looks like a W as icon!
I’ve seen it thanks.
Excellent. :). Any problems with it let me know
I’m saving this post! And teaching my cat to read! Thanks, Marc
Thanks 🙂
Thanks for this. I knew about lilies but not the other ones.
Glad it was useful. 🙂
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