Toxic plants for cats

Like dogs, cats are animals that tend to eat plants to purify your body or acquire certain vitamins that your usual diet does not provide. Although it may seem normal and harmless, the truth is that we must be very careful with the plants we buy to decorate our home or garden, as there are many very toxic for them.

These plants can produce dermatological, digestive, neurological, cardiac, renal or even death damages in our cat. To prevent this from happening, we detail what they are the most common toxic plants for cats and what causes your intake in our pet.

What causes plant poisoning in cats?

Depending on the type of toxic plant that our cat has ingested or touched, it will develop a series of symptoms or others. The most common disorders and health problems that occur in the feline are the following:

1. Digestive disorders

They usually produce gastrointestinal problems that cause acute diarrhea, vomiting and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis; liver failure that results in loss of appetite and mood decay (in addition to diarrhea and vomiting); and acute gastritis, mainly.

2. Neurological disorders

Plants that affect the nervous system can cause seizures, spasms, excessive salivation, lack of coordination, hallucinations and even present eye damage or dilation of the pupils.

3. Cardiac disorders

They can increase the heart rate of the animal, produce arrhythmias, breathing difficulties and, in the most severe cases, cardiac arrest.

4. Kidney failure

It usually shows the first symptoms after a few hours after poisoning, the main one being vomiting, so it can be confused with a gastrointestinal disorder. As the days go by and renal failure becomes more extensive, vomiting remits and other signs appear, such as weight loss (anorexia), dehydration and depression.

5. Allergic dermatitis

This type of condition appears by direct contact with the toxic plant and develops irritation in the affected area, inflammation, beak and intense pain, stinging, redness and even hair loss.

Depending on the type of poisoning and the plant, the cat may develop a type of disorder or several. Below we show you the most common toxic plants depending on the type of damage that our cat causes its consumption or friction.

Toxic plants for cats that produce digestive, neurological or cardiac disorders

The most common toxic plants that cause cardiac disorders, damage to the digestive or nervous system of our cat are the following:

• Oleander. It mainly develops gastrointestinal problems, but, depending on the amount ingested, it can also present respiratory distress, arrhythmias and cardiac arrest in the most extreme cases. It can cause fever and drowsiness.
• Azalea. Although it mainly affects the digestive system, producing diarrhea, vomiting and excessive salivation. In small quantities, it can also develop a lack of coordination accompanied by hallucinations. Ingesting higher amounts can cause acute digestive damage, respiratory distress, altered heart rate, seizures, hypertension, coma and even death in the most severe cases.
• Diefenbaquia. All parts of this plant are toxic to cats, so it can suffer damage after ingesting it or, simply, by direct contact. On contact the plant produces dermatological disorders, such as irritation, swelling of the area, redness or blisters. By ingestion, it produces burning mouth instantly, so the most usual is that the cat stop eating it immediately. In addition, it causes inflammation of the throat, pain, swelling of the neck, stomach and esophagus, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation, vomiting, respiratory distress and, in the most severe cases, suffocation.
• Eucalyptus. This is one of the easiest plants to find in forests and public landscaped areas, so if your cat tends to escape or give you total freedom to go for a walk, you must be very careful. Ingesting it produces gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea and vomiting.
• Ivy. All parts of this plant are poisonous, especially its fruits are highly dangerous. Its intake produces both gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea and vomiting, such as spasms and accelerated heart rhythm. In addition, simple contact with the skin develops dermatitis and rashes in our cat. In the most severe cases in which more of this plant is consumed, it can cause death.
• Hydrangea. Both leaves and flowers are toxic, and the most common symptoms of poisoning by this plant are typical of gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain). Depending on the amount ingested, it can affect the nervous system causing motor problems, such as lack of coordination.
• Hyacinth. Although the flowers are toxic, the most dangerous part for cats is the bulb. It causes digestive disorders such as gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea and vomiting.
• Lirio. Ingesting this toxic plant for cats produces mainly digestive disorders, such as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and malaise. In the most severe cases it can cause hypertension and increase the feline’s blood pressure.
• marijuana. Although it is illegal to have this plant in the home, you should know that its intake is highly toxic to the cat. The symptoms that will present will be lack of coordination, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, seizures, increased heart rate and, in the worst cases, coma.
• Mistletoe. The most toxic part of this plant is the fruit and large quantities are required to produce serious poisoning. They produce gastrointestinal damage that will develop vomiting, diarrhea and malaise in the feline. It can also cause dilatation of the pupils and excessive salivation. In cases where a large amount of fruit is ingested, the damage produced will be neurological and cardiovascular, causing respiratory distress, asphyxia, increased heart rate, tachycardia, lack of coordination, seizures, coma, and even cardiac arrest.
• Poinsettia. One of the most common plants in homes during the winter and, at the same time, one of the most toxic for cats. If swallowed, it can cause digestive disorders that will cause diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In case of having direct contact with the sap of the plant, this will produce irritation in the skin and eyes of the feline, itching and rashes.
• Daffodil. All varieties of narcissus are toxic to cats in their entirety. On contact the plant develops irritation on the skin, while ingested it produces severe gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and acute diarrhea, abdominal pain and inflammation, and cardiac disorders that can lead to the death of the animal.
• Tulip. All parts of the tulip are toxic, its intake can cause gastrointestinal irritation accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea in the cat.

In addition to these toxic plants, there are other highly dangerous for cats that also produce digestive, nervous or heart problems: garlic, apple tree and apricot (seeds and fruit bones are toxic), aconite, aligustro, lupine, aloe, anapella , button of gold, horse chestnut, onion, colquico, foxglove, blackthorn, jimmy, yellow jasmine, laurel, hedge plant, rhododendron, elder and yew.

If you have any of these plants at home you should make sure that it stays out of reach of your cat. Also, if you suspect that your cat has been poisoned by the intake or direct contact of any of them, do not hesitate and take it to the vet as soon as possible. Remember that the severity of the symptoms is tied to the amount ingested by the plant and that some of them are even deadly.

Toxic plants for cats that damage kidney function

The most common plants that cause a dysfunction of the renal system in cats are the liliaceae (such as tulips, lilies and lilies) and the hemerocallis (better known as day lilies). All the parts of both plants are highly toxic, such is its toxicity that it is enough to ingest a simple leaf to develop the symptoms.

In case of nibbling or ingesting one of the two plants, the cat will present vomiting, loss of appetite and decay. As the damage to the renal system progresses, the feline will reduce vomiting until it completely disappears, begin to cause anorexia due to lack of food, and may even stop producing urine.

The symptoms are not immediate, the first signs usually appear after two hours after the ingestion of the plant. If we do not notice them, the kidney failure becomes acute after three days after the poisoning. Therefore, it is essential go to the vet, since only medical treatment can save the life of our cat.

Toxic plants for cats that produce allergic dermatitis

In addition to the previous plants that cause dermatological disorders in addition to the gastrointestinal, there are others that mainly cause this type of problem in our cat. The most common are the following:

• Water lily
• Margherita
• Nettle
• Poto
• Primula

Upon direct contact with any of these plants, the cat will develop skin irritation, rashes, redness, swelling, itching, intense pain, itching, blisters and even localized alopecia. If swallowed, it can cause mouthburn and gastrointestinal problems.

In mild cases by contact, we can treat the damage with anti-inflammatory ointments containing cortisone, always prescribed by veterinary experts, and cover the affected area with cold compresses to soothe itching. However, in the most serious cases, indispensable to go to the vet to administer the feline intravenously the most appropriate antiallergic treatment.

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

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