Pets and Plants -- PetWeb

Pets and Plants

I was trying to find information on plants that are safe for cats, so my sister and I could make a mini 'jungle' on the patio for Kally and Dizzy. But I couldn't find any books, and only one magazine, that listed safe plants! I did find several lists on the net... but some of them included plants that I've found listed as toxic elsewhere. So, I've decided to make my own list of plants that are poisonous and non-poisonous for cats. I'm only putting down the plants that are well-known as toxic, or that are listed in books on pets. I'll list some of the non-toxic plants that I've found, as well as the source of the info. Hope this is useful to someone!

Plants that are Poisonous to Cats
(many probably apply to dogs as well)
I've found all of these listed in books about cats and cat health. I've listed mostly the common names for these. If it has the same common name, but you're not sure what it is, it's probably best to avoid it anyway. If you need a scientific name for one of them, try searching here:
Time Life Plant Encyclopedia

If you know any symptom info that isn't listed, please let me know.

Plant Indoor/
Outdoor Parts Some Symptoms

Amaryllis² I bulb vomiting

American Yew² O

Angel's Trumpet² O

Apple⁶ I/O seeds

Apple Leaf Croton⁶

Apricot⁴ I seeds

Arrowgrass² O

Autumn Crocus³

Azalea² I/O leaves

Baby's Breath⁶

Balsam Pear³

Belladonna³

Bird of Paradise² I/O

Bittersweet² O berries

Black Locust² O

Branching Ivy⁶

Buddhist Pine⁶

Buttercup² O

Cala Lilly³

Caladium³

Castor Bean² I/O all parts, seeds most of all dehydration, vomiting, convulsions, and coma

Ceriman⁶

Cherry (Jerusalem and ordinary)² I

Cherry Tree² O foliage, bark, cherry pits can cause cyanide poisoning

China Berry² O
convulsions

Chinese Evergreen⁶

Christmas Tree³

Christmas Cherry¹ I berry

Cineraria⁶

Christmas Rose5⁵ O

Clematis⁵ O

Coral Plant³

Cordatum⁶

Coriara² O
convulsions

Corn Plant⁶

Cornstalk Plant⁶

Creeping Charlie² I

Croton⁶

Crown of Thorns² I all parts irritation of mouth, stomach pain, sometimes diarrhea and haemorrhaging.

Cuban Laurel⁶

Cycads⁶

Cyclamen⁶

Daffodil² O
diarrhea

Daphne¹ O

Delphinium² O

Devil's Ivy⁶

Dieffenbachia¹ I leaves vomiting, diarrhea, swelling of the tongue, and suffocation

Dracaena Palm⁶

Dragon Tree⁶

Dried arrangements¹ I seed pods and beans may be highly toxic

Dumb Cane⁶

Easter Lily² I

Elaine⁶

Elderberry² I/O
can cause cyanide poisoning

Elephant Ears² I

Emerald Feather⁶

English Ivy⁶

English Yew² O

English Holly² O

Eucalyptus⁶

Fiddle-leaf Fig⁶

Flordia Beauty⁶

Foxglove² O

Fruit Salad Plant⁶

German Ivy⁶

Glacier Ivy⁶

Glocal Ivy² I

Gold Dust Dracaena⁶

Golden Pothos⁶

Hahn's Self-branching Ivy⁶

Heart Ivy² I

Horse Chestnut (Buckeye)¹ O
abdominal pain, diarrhea, immediate nausea

Hurricane Plant⁶

Indian Rubber Plant⁶

Iris⁴
leaves and roots

Ivy¹ I/O leaves breathing problems and stomach illness

Japanese Show Lily⁶

Japanese Yew² I needles, bark, leaves {less than one tenth of 1% of an animal's bodyweight can be fatal} trembling, incoordination, diarrhea, and collapse.

Jasmine² O

Jerusalem Cherry⁶

Jimsonweed² O all parts diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions, coma

Jonquil⁴

Kalanchoe⁶

Larkspur² O

Laurels¹ O

Lily of the Valley² I/O
pupil dilation, vomiting, diarrhea

Lobelia² O

Locoweed²

Lords and Ladies³

Lupine² O

Madagascar Dragon Tree⁶

Marble Queen⁶

Marijuana³

Mescal Bean² O

Mexican Breadfruit⁶

Mistletoe¹ I/O berries highly toxic. vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions

Mock Orange² O

Monkshood (aconite, wolfsbane)¹ O leaves, roots

Moonweed² O
convulsions

Morning Glory³

Mother-in-law's Tongue⁶

Narcissus⁴ bulb

Needlepoint Ivy² I

Nephthytis⁶

Nettle³

Nightshade¹ O leaves and green berries vomiting, diarrhea, numbness, paralysis, coma

Nutmeg³

Oak⁴ O acorns, shoots, and leaves

Oleander³

Onions⁶

Oriental Lily⁶

Peace Lily⁶

Peach Tree² O leaves, bark, and seeds can cause cyanide poisoning

Pencil Cactus⁶

Philodendron² I

Plumosa Fern⁶

Poinsettia² I berries low toxicity

Poison Hemlock¹ O all parts muscular incoordination, stomach pain, respiratory paralysis

Poke (pokeweed, pokeberry)² O
vomiting, spasms, diarrhea, convulsions

Pot Chrysanthemum² I

Potatoes⁴
uncooked tubers

Pothos⁶

Precatory Bean⁶

Primrose⁶

Privit² O

Red Emerald⁶

Red Princess⁶

Rhododendron² O all parts, leaves most of all vomiting, depression, incoordination, paralysis, and coma

Rhubarb² I/O
convulsions

Ribbon Plant⁶

Ripple Ivy² I

Rosary Pea⁴
seeds and pods

Sago Palm⁶

Schefflera⁶

Skunk Cabbage² O

Soapberry² O

Spider Chrysanthemum² I

Spinach² O

Sprangeri Fern² I

Star of Bethlehem⁴ bulb

String of Pearls⁶

Sumac⁴

Sweet Pea⁴
seeds and pods

Sweetheart Ivy⁶

Swiss Cheese Plant⁶

Taro Vine⁶

Tiger Lily⁶

Tomato Vine² O green fruit, leaves, and stem

Various mushrooms and toadstools² O

Water Hemlock¹ O roots Frothing at the mouth, jerking muscles, vomiting, convulsions

Weeping Fig⁶

Wisteria² O
salivation

Yew¹ O needles, bark, leaves cardiovascular toxin, vomiting

The symptom information for a few of the plants applies more to livestock than cats, but it's probably similar. This isn't intended to really help in self-diagnoses, but to give an idea of what kinds of plants are dangerous. If your worried about your pet's behavior, CALL YOUR VET!

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Unsure

Plant Indoor/
Outdoor

Aloe Vera (aloe vera) This was listed as safe on a web page* and unsafe in a magazine⁶. In any case, a cat would probably ignore an aloe vera plant, but you never know.

Asparagus Fern (asparagus) Another case of being listed as safe on a web page* and unsafe in a book². I say go with the book.

Grape Ivy (cissus) I don't know if all the ivies are from the same family or not. A lot of plants with the name ivy aren't safe for cats. If you have this, or are planning to get it, please make sure it's safe, and that you get the right one!

Geranium Again, listed as safe on a web page* and unsafe in a magazine⁶.

Spider Plant (airplane plant) (chlorophytum) Some sources list these as safe, others as unsafe. I had two cats that regularly munched on my Spider plants, so I don't think there's a problem, at least not with the leaves.

Swedish Ivy (plectranthus) Another ivy. Make sure it's safe first, and don't confuse it with Creeping Charlie, a poisonous plant.

Tulip (tulipa) I think the bulb might be poisonous. Don't know about the rest of it.

Umbrella Plant (cyperus) I've seen this listed as safe on a web page, and as unsafe in a book on cat health² and a different web page. I wouldn't risk it.

Wax Begonia (begonia semperflorens) Most begonias I've seen have been listed as slightly poisonous... this one might not be, but I don't want to find out the hard way.

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Safe
These are all plants that I've only seen listed as safe. I'd be more inclined to trust listings from books then those from web pages, simply because it can be hard to know exactly where the info on a web page came from.

Plant Scientific Name Source

African Violet saintpaulia web page* and magazine⁶

Alyssum
magazine⁶

Aster aster magazine⁶

Basil basilicum magazine⁶

Bean Sprouts
magazine⁶. But remember, Castor beans are toxic!

Boston Fern nephrolepis web page*

Butterfly Bush buddleia magazine⁶

Calendula calendula magazine⁶

Catmint nepeta faassenii magazine⁶

Catnip nepeta cataria web pages, books, and pretty much everywhere. :-) Still, I doubt very large quantities are particularly healthy.

Celosia celosia argentea magazine⁶

Cleome cleome magazine⁶

Chamomile anthemis magazine⁶

Chervil anthriscus cerefolium magazine⁶

Chives allium schoenoprasum magazine⁶

Columbine aquilegia magazine⁶

Coneflower echinacea magazine⁶

Coriander coriandrum magazine⁶

Cosmos cosmos magazine⁶

Crab Grass
General knowledge. Watch out for pesticides and weed killers.

Cress
magazine⁶

Cyclamen cyclamen web page*

Dahlia dahlia magazine⁶

Dianthus (Pinks) dianthus magazine⁶

Dill anethum magazine⁶

Dorotheanthus (Ice Plant)
magazine⁶

False Aralia dizygotheca elegantissima web page

Forget-Me-Not
magazine⁶

Garden Pea pisum sativum magazine⁶

Hollyhock alcea rosea magazine⁶

Hyssop hyssopus magazine⁶

Impatiens impatiens web page* and magazine⁶

Japanese Matatabi (Silvervine)
magazine⁶

Lavender lavandula magazine⁶

Lemon Balm melissa officinalis magazine⁶

Lemon Verbena aloysia triphylla magazine⁶

Lettuce lactuca sativa magazine⁶

Lipstick Vine aeschynanthus web page*

Lovage Levisticum officinale magazine⁶

Maidenhair Fern adaiantum web page*

Marum (Cat Thyme)
magazine⁶

Miniature Rose
web page* and magazine⁶

Mint mentha magazine⁶

Bee Balm monarda magazine⁶

Nasturtium
magazine⁶

Oats
Books,web pages, and general knowledge. Cats love to nibble on oat grass, and it may help keep them away from other plants.

Orchid
magazine⁶

Oregano origanum magazine⁶

Pansy viola magazine⁶

Parsley petroselinum crispum web page and magazine⁶

Peppermint mentha xpiperita magazine⁶

Petunia petunia magazine⁶

Phlox phlox magazine⁶

Pincushion Flower scabiosa magazine⁶

Portulaca portulaca magazine⁶

Prayer Plant maranta leuconeura web page*

Rose
magazine⁶

Rosemary rosmarinus officinalis magazine⁶

Sage salvia magazine⁶

Shasta Daisy
magazine⁶

Shrimp Plant beleperone guttata web page*

Snapdragon antirrhinum majus magazine⁶

Spearmint mentha spicata magazine⁶

Spinach spinacia oleracea magazine⁶

Strawflower helichrysum magazine⁶

Sunflower helianthus magazine⁶

Sweet Potato
{make sure it really is a sweet potato... the plant can look like a philodendron, and they're poisonous.} ipomoea web page*

Tarragon rtemisia dracunculus magazine⁶

Thyme thymus magazine⁶

Verbascum verbascum magazine⁶

Violet
magazine⁶

Wandering Jew tradescantia zebrina web page*

Wheat
Books, web pages, and general knowledge once again. Wheat grass can be used in place of oats for cat munchies.

Wishbone Flower torenia magazine⁶

Yarrow achillea magazine⁶

Zinnia zinnia magazine⁶

*from the rec.pets.cats FAQ: http://www.netmeg.net/faq/animals/pets/cats/health-care/

¹ "The Cat Care Book" Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld, V.M.D.

² "The American Animal Hospital Association Encyclopedia of Cat Health and Care" Les Sussman.

³ "Cat Love" Pam Johnson.

⁴ "The New Natural Cat" Anitra Frazier and Norma Eckroate.

⁵ "ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual" Andrew Edny, B.V.M.

⁶ "Cat Fancy Magazine" June 1998. The Cat in the Garden Wendy Christensen

General Info

If your pet does get poisoned, call the Poison Control Center and/or your vet immediately. It's good to know the scientific name of any potentially harmful plants that grow in your yard, because they'll want to know exactly what kind of plant your pet has eaten.
Be careful if you use moth balls as a repellent to keep cats out of your garden. Some of them contain naphthalene, which can cause hemolytic anemia if an animal swallows it.
Don't forget that a lot of plants are fertilized and sprayed with chemicals, many of which are bad for your pets.
Providing grass, oats, or wheat may satisfy a cat's craving for greens, but you should still make sure that your cat doesn't have access to any plants that aren't edible.
Most important... DON'T PANIC! :-) It may seem like the world is completely full of hazards, but a lot of the dangerous plants aren't even appealing to cats. I used to have two cats that went outside regularly, and they completely ignored our garden plants (which included tomatoes, rhubarb, morning glory, and lobelia) in favor of the crab grass growing in the back alley.

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Last modified: July 8, 1998