What plants should cat owners avoid?
September 2, 2010 | 0 Responses
If you are a cat owner and in the process of redesigning your garden or planning what to plant for next spring/summer, then make sure you consider your feline friend. Cats are inquisitive creatures and enjoy chewing grass and maybe other plants and flowers which may be poisonous to them. Lilies are well known for not being ‘cat friendly’ plants and any part of lilies is dangerous: one lily leaf or a flower can kill a cat if eaten as well as pollen if your cat brushes by them, then grooming the pollen off can also prove lethal.
The species of lilies to especially avoid are: the Easter Lily, the Tiger Lily, the Rubrum Lily, the Stargazer Lily, the Japanese Show Lily, Asiatic Lilies and some species of the Day Lily. The symptoms that some part of a lily may have been digested are depression, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration. It is important to seek veterinary treatment if your cat shows any of these signs. There are other plants to be wary of also such as cyclamen, poinsettia, amaryllis, holly, ivy, mistletoe, daffodils, foxgloves, azalea, oleander and laburnum. If you are in doubt, the Veterinary Poisons Information Service can also be contacted. However, we all know that cats like to wander around exploring other people’s gardens also, which we have no power over. Most cats know instinctively which plants should not be eaten, but to be on the safe side, if you are purchasing new plants, make them cat friendly.
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