Toxic plants for cats

Content

• What Plant Poisoning Causes in Cats
• Plants that cause digestive, neurological or cardiac disorders
• Toxic plants for cats that impair kidney function
• Toxic plants for cats that cause allergic dermatitis

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

These plants can cause dermatological, digestive, neurological, cardiac, renal damage or even death in the feline. To prevent this from happening, at PeritoAnimal we explain what the toxic plants for cats most common and what causes their ingestion in your pet.

What Plant Poisoning Causes in Cats

Depending on the type of toxic plant that our cat has ingested or touched, it will develop different symptoms. The most common disorders and health problems they cause in the feline are as follows:

• Digestive Disorders

They usually cause gastrointestinal problems that cause acute diarrhea, vomiting and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, liver failure that causes loss of appetite and low spirits (in addition to diarrhea and vomiting), and especially acute gastritis.

• neurological disorders

Plants that affect the nervous system can cause convulsions, spasms, excessive salivation, lack of coordination, hallucinations and even have eye damage or pupil dilation.

• heart disorders

They can increase the animal's heart rate, produce arrhythmias, breathing difficulties and, in the most serious cases, cardiac arrest.

• Renal insufficiency

It usually presents the first symptoms a few hours after intoxication, the main one being vomiting, which can be confused with a gastrointestinal disorder. As the days progress and kidney failure becomes more extensive, vomiting stops and other signs such as weight loss (anorexia), dehydration, and depression appear.

• allergic dermatitis

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

Depending on the type of poisoning and the plant, the cat can develop one type of disorder or several. Below, we show you the most common toxic plants depending on the type of damage that their consumption or touch causes to the cat.

Plants that cause digestive, neurological or cardiac disorders

The most common toxic plants that cause heart disorders, damage to the cat's digestive or nervous system are as follows:

• Oleander. It mainly develops gastrointestinal problems, but depending on the amount ingested, it can also cause breathing difficulties, arrhythmias and cardiac arrest in the most extreme cases. It can also cause fever and drowsiness.
• azalea. Although it mainly affects the digestive system, causing diarrhea, vomiting and excessive salivation. In small amounts, it can also develop a lack of coordination accompanied by hallucinations. Ingesting larger amounts can cause acute digestive damage, difficulty breathing, altered heart rate, seizures, hypertension, coma and even death in severe cases.
• Dieffenbachia. All parts of this plant are toxic to cats, so it can be damaged after ingesting it or simply by direct contact. Upon contact, the plant causes dermatological disorders, such as irritation, inflammation of the area, redness or blisters. If swallowed, it causes burning in the mouth at the time, so it is common for the cat to stop eating it immediately. In addition, it causes inflammation of the throat, pain, swelling of the neck, stomach and esophagus, difficulty in swallowing, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty breathing and, in the most severe cases, suffocation.
• Eucalyptus. This is one of the easiest plants to find in forests and public areas with gardens, so if your cat tends to run away from home or if you give it total freedom to go out, you should be very careful. Ingesting this plant causes gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea and vomiting.
• Ivy. All parts of this plant are poisonous, especially its fruits which are highly dangerous. Its ingestion causes both gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea and vomiting, as well as spasms and an accelerated heart rate. Furthermore, simple contact with the skin develops in our cat dermatitis and rashes. In the most severe cases in which a larger amount of this plant is consumed, it can cause death.
• Hydrangea. Both the leaves and the flowers are toxic, and the most common symptoms of intoxication by this plant are typical of gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain). Depending on the amount ingested, it can affect the nervous system, causing problems with motor skills, such as lack of coordination.
• Hyacinth. Although flowers are toxic, the most dangerous part for cats is the bulb. It causes digestive disorders such as gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea and vomiting.
• Lily. Ingesting this toxic plant for cats mainly causes digestive disorders such as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and general malaise. In more serious cases, it can cause hypertension and increased blood pressure in the feline.
• Marihuana. Although it is illegal to have this plant at home, you should know that ingesting it is highly toxic to the cat. It causes symptoms such as lack of coordination, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, seizures, increased heart rate and, in worse cases, coma.
• mistletoe. The most toxic part of this plant is the fruit, and it takes very large amounts to cause severe poisoning. They cause gastrointestinal damage that develops vomiting, diarrhea and general malaise in the feline. It can also cause dilation of the pupils and excessive salivation. In cases where a large amount of fruit is ingested, the damage will be neurological and cardiovascular, causing breathing difficulty, asphyxia, increased heart rate, tachycardia, lack of coordination, seizures, coma and even cardiac arrest.
• poinsettia. One of the most common plants in the home during winter and, in turn, one of the most toxic to cats. If you ingest it, it can cause digestive disorders that will cause diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In case you have direct contact with the plant sap, it will cause irritation to the feline's skin and eyes, itching and rashes.
• Narcissus. All narcissus varieties are toxic to cats in their entirety. By contact, the plant develops skin irritation, while if ingested it causes serious gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and acute diarrhea, inflammation and abdominal pain, and heart disorders that can lead to the animal's death.
• Tulip. All parts of the tulip are toxic, ingesting it can cause gastrointestinal irritation in the cat accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.

In addition to these toxic plants, there are others that are highly dangerous for felines that also cause digestive, nervous or heart problems: garlic, apricot and apple (fruit seeds and seeds are toxic), aconitum, privet, lupine, ranunculus, chestnut India, onion, autumn crocus, foxglove, datura, yellow jasmine, bay leaf, rhododendron, sambucus and yew.

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

Toxic plants for cats that impair kidney function

The most common plants that cause kidney system dysfunction in cats are the lilies (like tulips and lilies) and daylily. All parts of both plants are highly toxic, their toxicity is such that it only takes a single leaf to develop symptoms.

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

Symptoms are not immediate, the first signs usually appear two hours after ingestion of the plant. If you are not aware of this, kidney failure becomes acute within three days of intoxication. Therefore, it is essential consult the veterinarian, as only medical treatment can save your cat's life.

Toxic plants for cats that cause allergic dermatitis

In addition to the above plants that cause dermatological and gastrointestinal disorders, there are other plants that can cause this type of problem in our cat. The most common are as follows:

• Water lily
• Daisy
• Nettle
• Primula
• boa constrictor

Once your cat has direct contact with any of these plants, it will develop skin irritation, rashes, redness, inflammation, itching, intense pain, burning, blisters and even localized alopecia. If you ingest them, they can cause burning in the mouth and gastrointestinal problems.

In mild cases by contact, we can treat the damage with anti-inflammatory ointments containing cortisone, always prescribed by veterinary specialists, and cover the affected area with cold compresses to soothe the burning sensation. However, in the most serious cases it is essential consult the veterinarian so that he administers the most appropriate anti-allergic treatment to the feline intravenously.

Also read our article on: how to keep cats away from plants.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.