How To Instantly Recognize Plants Toxic To Pets
UPDATED: Lists of plants toxic to pets are helpful but seeing a photo-based infographic, makes it much easier to instantly recognize the dangerous ones. We’re happy to share this huge, infographic, created from a list of toxic plants from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s most common causes of emergency calls and Texas A&M’s common poisonous plants and plant parts guide. Please bookmark, share or print this guide as a handy reference.
As we’re about to enter National Cat Health Month, I believe nothing is more beneficial than prevention.
Much attention is placed on toxic lilies but did you know lilies are ranked #4 and the pretty houseplant caladium is #2?
For years, researchers have speculated on the reasons why cats eat plants. The truth is, we really don’t know why, except that plant-eating is a common behavior among wild and domestic cats. Some have speculated that it may be because the cat feels nauseous, and uses the grass to induce vomiting. But a recent survey of cat owners revealed that very few cats that consumed plants actually vomited. And it was suspected that many of the cats that did vomit the grass had underlying gastrointestinal problems that were aggravated by the grasses, which led to vomiting. Nutritional deficiencies have also been proposed, although no direct connection has ever been established. Since smell is so important to a cat’s dietary intake, perhaps they just like the attractive smell of odorous plants. Some cats are more curious plant nibblers than others.
We may not know all the reason why cats like to chew on plants, but at least now we know which ones to keep away from their paws.
Is your cat a plant nibbler?
12 Comments
Deziz World
Meow Dat’s a huge list wiff lots of tiny letters. We saved it so mommy can bigify it later. Mommy’s purretty smart ’bout plants and since all her plants died durin’ da flood fiasco we haven’t gotten any new ones. Fanks fur sharin’.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
Flynn
That was very interesting. I had no idea the Castor Oil plant was so lethal. I don’t have one and definitely won’t be getting one.
The Swiss Cats
What a great infographic ! Thank you ! Purrs
Annabelle
Mom has not had a single live plant in the house since 2004 because of us. All plants are only outdoors only which we sadly cannot go out in.
meowmeowmans
That’s a great and very important infographic! Thank you for sharing it, Layla!
Hugs!
Tamago
What a great infographic! Photo-based infographic is really helpful because I don’t recognize names of many plants 🙂
da tabbies o trout towne
guys….thanx for sharin thiz post…..onlee plant we can have round TT iz ….. grazz 🙂
♥♥♥
Kathryn
The boyz have spoken:
Mao here: She doesn’t bring plants in the house anymore. When I was still a kitten, I ate an entire pointsettia. When people send her flowers, she removes all the delicious lillies, and then puts the vase in the sink with dripping wet sponges so I can’t get at the vase unless I want to get my feet wet. Her son gave her a pot of Gerbera daisies for Mother’s Day, but only after he got the OK from her daughter, who was on her iPhone looking it up. Why, oh why, do people have to be so difficult? Can’t she just give me what I want? She knows I’m a troublemaker. The adoption agency tattled on me, and said they found me with thorns in my nose after I started eating the rose bush. The vet was amused, but the agency less so.
Cheddar here: Mao is Mao. I only eat cat food. Sometimes, I try a plant that Mao has been nibbling on, but… I’m strictly a cat food guy.
Mao again: Oh, about those Gerbera Daisies. I not only ate the daisies, but the stems, too, then proceeded to bite my way through several inches of soil in the huge pot. Then they threw the empty pot away. Some dirt chunks ended up on the floor. Well, gee, I had to have fun kicking up some dirt!
Mao and Ched: Sorry if we cats cause trouble. We get bored. But thanks for all the great info. Our humans need it!
easy rider
I’m 100% carnivore but I use the flowerpots as a treasure chest, so we had to give some green things away… thanks for the information :o)
Sue Brandes
Thanks for the informative post. Good to know.
Skeeter and Izzy
Thank you for sharing this very important info graphic!!! A picture is indeed worth a thousand words!!
Luvs
Skeeter and Izzy & the Feral Gang + Twig & Peanut & Romeo & the Angels >^..^^..^<~
Summer
My human finds it safer not to have plants in the house at all – not to mention the fact that she invariably kills them!