There are hundreds of plants that can be toxic to your pet cat. In fact, there are no plants that are completely safe for them. If you have researched well, you will find that every plant or even parts of plants have the ability to poison your pet in a number of ways.

The toxicity of a plant can range from mild to highly poisonous. Consuming these plants may lead to symptoms such as vomiting, skin rash, excessive scratching, shortness of breath, and diarrhea. Sometimes toxic houseplants for cats can also prove to be fatal.

1. Toxic plants

Some common toxic houseplants for cats include jade, dumb cane, corn plant, chrysanthemum, carnations, daffodil, azalea, oleander, tulip, holly, catnip, etc.

If you notice your cat playing with the plants that have been mentioned above, it is best to rush them to a vet before it is too late. It is also advisable to remove the remnants of the plant from your pet cat’s mouth, fur, and paws to avoid aggravating the situation.

2. Not as toxic, but still toxic

Plants that are not as toxic include areca palm, African violet, Boston fern, etc. However, sometimes these too can cause minor gastrointestinal problems.

When cats consume toxic houseplants, they experience seizures, tremors, fits, vomiting, drooling, and diarrhea. Their condition depends on the age of the pet, underlying medical conditions if any, and the quantity that they have ingested.

3. Treatments

If any of these toxic houseplants for cats have been consumed, it is important to follow some steps:

• Check the weight, sex, age, and breed of the cat
• Try to find out the plant that your cat has eaten or touched
• Note the symptoms that your pet cat is exhibiting
• Avoid inducing vomiting unless it has been recommended by your pet

Vets usually put the cat on IV fluid, provide ventilatory support if they stop breathing, and control the seizures with anesthesia in extreme cases. If it is considered safe, the vet will go for gastric lavage and induce vomiting to get the toxins out.

4. Prevention

Many pet adopters try using sprays to deter the cats from eating plants. However, these can also be irritating and may not necessarily work. It is important to train your pet cat so that it doesn’t loiter around the area where the plant has been kept or consume it.

Prevention is the best course of action. It is prudent to do some research on toxic houseplants for cats and not keep these plants in your home.

It is important that you evaluate the symptoms and a call helpline. Do not give any medications to your pet, and rush your pet to a vet as soon as possible. Treatment is effective when the symptoms are recognized and implemented aggressively.

Cats, when they move outdoors, will be exposed to plants and that is something which is beyond your control. For such instances, it is important that you monitor your pet’s whereabouts.