Poisonous Plants and Your Cat
Are your houseplants a hazard to your cat? Does your garden pose a threat to your pet's health? A brief guide to some common plants which are toxic to cats, along with symptoms of poisoning. Plants which are extremely toxic to cats are marked with an asterisk.
Ingestion of many of these plants is a critical emergency! If you know or suspect your cat has eaten one of these substances, consult with a veterinarian immediately. Or, call the Toll Free Animal Poison Control Center hotline at (888) 426-4435.
1) Plants Causing Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms - irritation of the mouth, throat and esophagus ranging from mild irritation and excessive salivation to ulcerations, swelling and difficulty swallowing or breathing.
- Caladium
- Dieffenbachia
- Jack in the pulpit
- Philodendeon
- Skunk Cabbage
2) Plants affecting the Lower Gastrointestinal tract - symptoms include voimiting, nausea, intestinal irritation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea. Some may also produce nervous system symptoms - excitement, coma, convulsions or death.
- Amaryllis
- Daffodil
- Tulip
- Wisteria
- Bulbs of the above **
- Alfalfa
- Beech
- Bird of Paradise
- Black Locust **
- Boxwood
- Castor Bean **
- Crown of Thorns
- Daphne
- English Ivy
- Euonymus
- Honeysuckle
- Iris
- Jerusalem Cherry **
- Nightshades **
- Potato (green parts and eyes) **
- Precatory Bean (Rosary Pea) **
3) Plants causing Cardiovascular symptoms - Irregular heartbeat, labored breathing, collapse, sometimes accompanied by muscle tics, convulsions and death. These plants contain either digitalis, alkaloids or Cyanogenetic Glycosides (cyanide).
- Apricot, Almond, Apricot, Peach or Cherry pits. Apple seeds. **
- Foxglove ***
- Larkspur ***
- Lily of the Valley ***
- Monkshood ***
- Oleander ***
4) Plants affecting the nervous system - cause trembling, shaking, dilated pupils, staggering, twitching, collapse, convulsions, delerium and changes of behavior, sometimes accompanied by abdominal pain. Toxic agents include alkaloids, nicotine, oxalates and atropine.
- Belladonna **
- Chinaberry *
- Coriarta *
- Datura **
- Golden Chain **
- Henbane **
- Indian Tobacco **
- Jessamine **
- Jimsonweed **
- Mescal Bean **
- Moonseed *
- Morning Glory *
- Periwinkle **
- Poison Hemlock **
- Rhubarb
- Tobacco **
- Yew **