A vet has named some popular flowers that are poisonous to cats.
With spring underway, you might be thinking about planting some new flowers in your garden or getting some new flowers to put in a vase at home. However, if you have a pet cat it’s important you don’t get any flowers that are toxic to felines.
Eoghan, a vet at Blue Cross, has given a list of some to avoid and signs to look out for that indicate your cat might have ingested a type of flower that is dangerous for them. Blue Cross posted a video on TikTok about this topic.
Lilies
Starting off with lilies, Eoghan said: “Lilies are one of the most toxic plants to cats. All parts of this plant are highly poisonous and can cause kidney failure and unfortunately, in severe cases that can be fatal.
“Even a dusting of pollen on a cat’s coat can cause a reaction in many types of lily.” UK vet charity PDSA also agrees that lilies are “extremely poisonous to cats.”
On its website it states: “Lilies are very popular plants due to their beautiful flowers, but unfortunately, they are highly toxic to cats. If your cat eats or licks a lily plant, they are likely to develop kidney damage which, left untreated, can lead to kidney failure and death.
“All parts of a lily plant are dangerous, including the leaves, flowers and pollen (even in very small amounts). A common way for lily poisoning to develop is when a cat brushes past a lily, causing pollen to fall onto their fur (which they later lick off and ingest).”
Tulips
Eoghan added that tulips are part of the ‘lily family’ so are toxic to cats, as well. He mentioned that every part of this flower is toxic but the bulbs are the most toxic.
Possible signs that a cat has ingested tulip include drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, loss of coordination and breathing problems. Purina explains that tulips are poisonous to cats because they contain alkaloid and glycoside compounds as well as allergenic lactones, which are harmful if ingested.
The cat food company echoes Eoghan as it says that the bulb of a tulip is especially harmful as it has a higher density of the toxins. It adds: “Most severe cases of toxicity arise from eating tulip bulbs, but if your cat has ingested any part of a tulip, you should contact your vet as soon as you’re aware of the situation – even nibbling a small amount of tulip leaf or petal can cause irritation to the mouth or gullet (oesophagus).”
Foxgloves
Moving on, Eoghan named foxglove as another flower that is poisonous to cats. He said the reason for this is foxgloves have a “naturally occurring toxin that affects the heart.”
The Blue Cross vet added: “In human medicine, we use this as a medication for heart disease but in a healthy cat, it can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, weakness and it can lead to arrhythmias, abnormal heart rhythms and potentially death.”
Daffodils
Next, Eoghan shared that daffodils are toxic to cats, including the whole plant and the bulb. He noted that reactions to daffodils are “rarely fatal” but any part of the flower can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, low blood pressure and occasionally seizures.”
Cats Protection, the UK’s largest cat welfare charity, explains that daffodil bulbs contain crystals that are “extremely toxic to cats if eaten.” It also mentions that the heads and leaves can make your cat unwell if consumed.
The charity shared that daffodils contain a poisonous substance called lycorine. If ingested, this can cause an upset stomach, vomiting or wider serious illness, according to Cats Protection.
Eoghan ended his TikTok video with an important message: “If you think your cat has a contact with any poisonous plants, even if you didn’t see them eat it or lick it, get in touch with the vet straight away for advice. You could save a life.”
