Potentially Harmful Plants for Cats

Potentially Harmful Plants for Cats

You love your pet cat and want to do everything you can to keep it healthy and happy. However, apart from feeding it nutritious food, you need to take care of certain other aspects. For instance, you need to know about a few types of decorative plants that are dangerous for cats. By being aware, you can avoid keeping these particular plants in your home. The following are some plants that are considered to be detrimental to the health of pets, especially cats.

Lilies
Lilies tops the list of decorative plants that are dangerous for cats. Several varieties of this plant such as tiger lilies, daylilies, stargazer lilies, and Japanese lilies can trigger kidney damage and kidney failure in cats. The initial symptoms can vary from vomiting to high fever. You cannot possibly keep your cat away from the plant if it is there in your home. So, no matter how beautiful lilies are, the life of your beloved pet is certainly way more valuable.

Oleander
Oleander is another decorative plant that is quite harmful to your cat. The plant has cardiac glycoside toxins that affect the pet’s heart. Also, all the parts of this plant are harmful to both dogs and cats. Just being near the plant or climbing on it can trigger the symptoms of a heart attack in your furry friend.

Castor bean
Castor beans are among the decorative plants that are dangerous for cats. In fact, if your pet ingests even a small amount of the beans, it might lose its life. The seeds and leaves of the plant contain a highly toxic glycoprotein called ricin. So, if you have a cat, then avoid having this dangerous plant in your home.

Rhododendrons
Rhododendrons are lovely decorative plants that can enhance the appearance of your home. But they are extremely harmful to pets, including dogs and cats. Rhododendrons, much like azaleas, contain grayanotoxins. These toxins have a negative effect on the cardiac muscles, skeletal muscles, and nerve function of pets, especially cats. This can lead to serious conditions such as multiple organ failure and even death.

Tulips
Tulips need to be mentioned in a discussion on decorative plants that are dangerous for cats. The toxins in these plants are highly concentrated in their bulbs. If your cat comes into contact with tulips or sniffs it, then it can develop severe symptoms of poisoning such as an increased heart rate and difficulty breathing. As a cat owner, you must be careful to keep a bouquet that includes tulips out of the reach of your pet.

These decorative plants that are dangerous for cats can have serious consequences including death. So be aware of them and keep them away from your cat.