Herbs and Plants that are toxic to cats

Cats just love to chew and lick on anything they can get their hands on, be it plants and herbs. Who would blame them, after all, cats are known for their curiosity and their need to always try something new. But as a cat owner, you must monitor what plants or herb your cats feed on as they lots of herbs or plants that are poisonous to cats.

Highly poisonous plants to your cats

Generally, lilies are poisonous to cats, with tiger lily being the most poisonous. It is advisable to keep your cats away from lilies in addition to the following; daffodils, azaleas, Lantanas, marigolds, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, irises, and wisteria.

There are several varieties of plants that are detrimental to cats in various ways. Most vet schools warn against letting your cats feed on Aloe Vera, Asparagus fern, jade plants, lilies, anemone, cycads, philodendron, and Chrysanthemum.

Try as much as you can to prevent your cats from feeding on these plants if you have any in your home or garden. You can use cayenne pepper to make them unattractive and unpalatable.

Other high-risk plants

There are lots of highly toxic plants that you still find some cats feeding on. Daphne, meadow death camas, angel’s trumpet, castor bean, foxglove, nicotiana plants, poke weed, jimson weed, yew, oleander.

Keep your kitty far away from these plants.

The ASPCA has a long list of plants and their toxicity to cats. This list is accessible at www.aspca.org, just input the search term “plants toxic to cats” to bring out the lengthy list.

Also, if your cat loves chewing on plants a lot, you can get cat-safe plants around the house for your cats.

Symptoms of cat poisoning

It can be challenging to spot if your cat is sick or if it’s poisoned. Common symptoms to look at for include; depression, lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive salivation. These symptoms often start off mildly and then move to more dangerous levels.

Pay keen attention to your cats and if it looks ill, trace back the steps to see if there was any contact with poisonous plants and herb.

Next step to take

If your cat is showing any weird symptoms and you feel the cat is poisoned, put a quick call to your vet or call an emergency pet poison hotline.

You should know that there are some cats that won’t show any symptoms when they consume poisonous herbs and plants. It is still essential to get in touch as some symptoms like tremors, convulsions, may take several hours before they show up.