Common Plants That Are Toxic To Your Cat

Whether you are going through a pharmacy course Malaysia or not, you still have the Internet to do sufficient research about anything, such as plants that you won’t keep around your home or garden as they are toxic to your cats. As beautiful as they can look, their properties can endanger your feline friends if they come upon physical contact or chew on them.

Memorize both appearances and names of the following plants. It is better if you also know the details of their toxic properties and side effects so you are more inclined to never buy and place a certain pink flower in your house only to see your cat suffering from illness the next morning.

Lilies

There are a lot of plants with the word “lily” in their names, but some species are fatal to cats. This includes Asiatic lilies, Easter lilies, Japanese show lilies, rubrum lilies, stargazer lilies, red lilies, tiger lilies, Western lilies, wood lilies and daylilies.

Lilies are very dangerous because even a tiny amount of indigestion equates to swallowing enough toxin to kill your cat. The same goes to licking the flower’s pollen or drinking water from its vase. Like other toxic plants, if you have them in your home or garden prior to getting a cat, it is much more preferable to get rid of them so your home is free from flora toxicity.

Contact a veterinarian or poison control immediately the moment you think that your cat came close to a lily plant. Never delay a single second or if your cat does ingest a lily, they may die before help arrives at your home.

Tulips and hyacinths

A popular flower that you would likely have at home, tulips and hyacinths are unfortunately not an option as a home decoration if you have a cat, because they belong to the Liliaceae family, which includes the deadly lily species. Tulipalin A and B are the toxins for tulips, while hyacinths have narcissus-like alkaloids.

The bulbs contain the most concentrated toxins, although the flowers themselves are dangerous as a whole. Drooling, tremors, diarrhea, depression and vomiting are the symptoms your cat will get from the two plants.

Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia, also known by different names such as dumb cane, exotica perfection, and tropic snow, are a common houseplant characterized by giant leaves with white spots. They belong to a family of tropical flowering plants in the Araceae family. Dieffenbachia contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals which can cause oral irritation through symptoms such as drooling, vomiting, burning sensations in the mouth and difficulty swallowing.

Though not fatal, your cat will still feel very uncomfortable and painful from its exposure to this plant.

Sago palm

Another common houseplant that appears as leaves is sago palm, or coontie or cardboard palm. All parts are toxic, but the seeds yield the deadliest toxin, which is cycasin. Cycasin can cause severe liver problems, vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, lethargy, bruising and eventually death. 

Seek treatment immediately if you suspect your cat to come into contact with sago palm. Unfortunately, even with aggressive vet treatment, the chances of survival is around 50% according to the website of Pet Poison Helpline.