Plants Poisonous to Cats

Plants poisonous to cats is something that all people, who live with cats, should at least me aware of.

I have compiled two lists from separate sources. The first is from the well known and excellent book, Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook 4th edition pages 18 to 20 and by Drs Carlson and Giffin, while the second (which I compiled some time ago now) is courtesy Bengal-L Yahoo Group, who may have got the list from the internet (source unknown). In the first list I separate out houseplants poisonous to cats from outdoor plants and I also discuss the matter a bit too. First a bit about poisoning from plants.

Difficulties include (a) we often cannot recognise plants from names. I list them by name, which means asking when buying house and outdoor plants (b) there is a wide range of toxicity to cats from plants and symptoms. Some typical signs are: skin rashes, mouth irritation, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hallucinations, coma and death.

Poisonous Houseplants

These may cause a rash on skin and/or mouth:

Chrysanthemum, Creeping fog, Weeping fig and Poinsettia.

The following houseplants cause mouth swelling and sometimes staggering and collapse:

Arrowhead vine, Malanga, Boston ivy, Marble queen, Caladium, Mother-in-law plant or snake plant, Calla or Arum lily, Neththyis, Dumbcane, Parlor ivy, Elephant’s ear, Pothos or Devil’s lily, Emerald duke, Peace lily, Heart leaf, Red princess, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Saddle leaf, Majesty and Split leaf (philodendron).

The next batch of plants poisonous to cats “contain a wide variety of poisons”¹. They may cause: vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, tremors, heart problems, kidney problems, respiratory problems:

Amaryllis, Ivy, Asparagus fern, Jerusalem cherry, Azalea, Needlepoint ivy, Bird of paradise, Pot mum, Creeping charlie, Ripple ivy, Crown of thorns, Spider mum, Elephant ears, Sprangeri fern, Glocal ivy, Umbrella plant and Hear ivy.

Outdoor Plants Poisonous to Cats

The first batch produce vomiting and diarrhea:

Delphinium, Skunk cabbage, Larkspur, Daffodil, Poke week, Indian tobacco, Castor bean, Bittersweet woody, Wisteria, Indian turnip, Ground cherry, Soap berry and Fox glove.

Trees and shrubs that are poisonous to cats and which result in vomiting and abdominal pain are as follows:

Azalea (rhododendron), Western yew, Wild cherry, English holly, Japanese plum, Horse chestnut, Privet, Balsam pear, Buckeye, Mock orange, Black locust, Rain tree, Bird of paradise bush, English yew, Monkey pod, Apricot, almond, American yew and Peach cherry.

The follow are outdoor plants with “varying toxic effects”¹:

Rhubarb, Buttercup, Moonseed, Spinach, Nightshade, May apple, Sunburned potatoes, Poison hemlock, Dutchman’s breeches, Loco weed, Pig weed, Angel’s trumpet, Lupine, Water hemlock, Jasmine, Dologeton, Mushrooms and Matrimony vine.

More plants poisonous to cat that are hallucinogens are as follows:

Marijuana, Nutmeg, Peyote, Morning glory, Periwinkle and Loco weed.

Finally plants poisonous to cats that cause convulsions are:

China berry, Moonweed, Water hemlock, Coriaria and Nux vomica.

Associated pages:

Cat Poison

Will rat poison kill a cat?

Poisoned Cat

Toxic to Cats

Melamine in Cat Food

Outdoor Cat Problems

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Bengal-L Yahoo Group List of plants poisonous to cats

This list is of plants poisonous to cats is probably not exhaustive but it is substantial.

This is stating the obvious for many (but not all) but the best way to see what the plant looks like is to copy the name of the plant from this list into the Google search window when Google is on IMAGE search.

You’ll get a mass of images of that plant to cross check with the one you may have or that is in the vicinity.

Aloe—Amaryllis—Andromeda—Japonica—
Asian–Lily–(Liliaceae)—Asparagus–Fern—
Australian–Nut—Autumn–Crocus—Avocado—
Azalea—

Bird–of–Paradise—American–Bittersweet—
European–Bittersweet—Branching–Ivy—
Buckeye—Buddist–Pine—

Caladium—Calla–Lily—Castor Bean—
Charming–Diffenbachia—Chinaberry–Tree—
Chinese–Evergreen—Christmas Rose—
Clematis—Cordatum—Corn–(or Cornstalk)–Plant—
Cutleaf–Philodendron—Cycads—Cyclamen—

Daffodil—Day Lily—Devil’s Ivy—
Dumb Cane—Deadly Nightshade—

Easter Lily Elephant Ears—
Emerald Feather or Fern—English Ivy—

Fiddle-Leaf Philodendron—Flamingo Plant—
Florida Beauty—Foxglove—Fruit Salad Plant—

Glacier Ivy—Gladiolas—Glory Lily—
Gold Dieffenbachia—Gold Dust Dracaena—
Golden Pothos—Green Gold Nephthysis—

Hahn’s self branching English Ivy—
Heartleaf Philodendron—Heavenly Bamboo—
Holly—Horsehead Philodendron—
Hurricane Plant—Hyacinth—Hydrangea—

Iris—

Japanese Show Lily—Japanese Yew—
Jerusalem Cherry—

Kalanchoe—

Lace Fern—Lacy Tree—Lily of the Valley—

Macadamia Nut—Madagascar Dragon Tree—
Marble Queen—Marijuana—
Mauna Loa Peace Lily—Mexican Breadfruit—
Mistletoe “American”—Morning Glory—Mother-in-Law—

Narcissus—Needlepoint Ivy—Nephthytis—Nightshade—

Oleander—Onion—Orange Day Lily—

Panda—Peace Lily—Philodendron Pertusum—
Plumosa Fern—Precatory Bean—
–
Queensland Nut—

Red Emerald—Red Lily—Red-Margined Dracaena—
Red Princess—Rhododendron—
Ribbon Plant (Dracaena sanderiana)—Rubrum Lily

Saddle Leaf Philodendron—Sago Palm—
Satin Pothos—Schefflera—Spotted Dumb Cane—
Stargazer Lily—Striped Dracaena—Sweetheart Ivy—
Swiss Cheese Plant

Taro Vine—Tiger Lily—Tomato Plant—
Tree Philodendron—Tropic Snow Dumbcane—Tulip

Variable Dieffenbachia—Variegated Philodendron

Warneckei Dracaena—Wood Lily

Yew

Plants Poisonous to Cats — Notes:

1. Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook page 19.

Plants Poisonous to Cats