Cat owners beware: these 8 plants and flowers should not be kept

Cats love to chew on plants and flowers, and they are especially fond of plants with slender, flexible stems and leaves (like a cat teaser wand) that are tough to chew (like a rubber toy). Some cats will even dig plants out of the soil to see what their roots look like.

Many plants, including houseplants and garden plants, are harmful or even toxic to cats and must never be within their reach. Unexpectedly, all plants in several genera and families are toxic to cats, and some plants used in medicine are even toxic in their entirety.

Among the more toxic ones are: castor bean, rehmannia, lily of the valley, Japanese yew, oleander, rhododendron, and hydrangea. A single castor bean can kill a cat outright, and mistletoe is also fatal.

People usually do not list plants of the lily family among common toxic plants, but plants of the lily family can make cats very ill. Some veterinarians and toxicologists believe that lily family plants are a major cause of acute kidney failure in cats.

For cats, morning glory, narcissus, iris, hyacinth, honeysuckle and other plants are also toxic. Christmas trees (such as fir and spruce), pine needles, and even the water around the base of a Christmas tree can cause inflammation of a cat's mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, trembling, and weakness in the hind legs. Poinsettia is not very toxic, but it may cause gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting.

Below, let us get to know some common flowers that are toxic to cats.

1. Lily

Often kept in vases as cut flowers, but lilies are actually nephrotoxic plants, and a cat that bites them may suffer severe kidney damage (such as renal tubular necrosis). If treated within 6 hours, recovery is usually possible, but once treatment is delayed, it can easily lead to kidney failure and death.

2. Rhododendron

It irritates a cat's gastrointestinal tract, and its toxicity can severely affect the central nervous system, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, a drop in blood pressure, and rapid breathing; in severe cases it can lead to cardiovascular collapse, coma and death.

3. Poinsettia

Its sap strongly irritates a cat's lips and eyes. If a cat bites the stem, leaves or flower center, symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea can occur.

4. Narcissus

The entire narcissus plant is toxic, mainly concentrated in the bulb. The white sticky sap contains narcissin and lycorine, and the sap in the flowers and leaves contains them as well. Narcissus irritates a cat's gastrointestinal tract, causing vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, lethargy and other symptoms, along with irregular heartbeat; in severe cases it can lead to convulsions, paralysis and death.

5. Cyclamen

Its toxicity is mainly concentrated in the roots. If ingested, it not only causes skin allergies on a cat's lips but also irritates the intestines, causing severe vomiting and, in serious cases, death.

6. Tulip

Tulips contain a small amount of toxic alkaloids (such as colchicine), concentrated in the bulb, and they irritate a cat's gastrointestinal tract, causing vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, lethargy, irregular heartbeat and other symptoms. If a cat digs a tulip out of its pot and chews on its roots, it can easily be poisoned!

7. Dumb cane

Also called taro, no part of the plant should be within a cat's reach. The white sap in the stem is the most toxic, and the water that drips from it is also toxic. If the white sap touches a cat's eyes, it can cause blindness; contact with the lips causes itching and discomfort; ingesting the sap causes discomfort in the throat and mouth and a burning sensation in the stomach; in severe cases it can also cause a cat to suffocate from a swollen throat, and even lead to death from cardiac paralysis.

8. Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia has been listed as a toxic plant in the "Chinese Plant Species Database", and the entire plant is toxic. After its sap is swallowed by a cat, the toxic components in it cause severe irritation of the mouth and throat, and also damage blood vessels and cause bleeding. Symptoms include drooling, vomiting, throat paralysis, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and more seriously it can even lead to kidney failure and gradual death from coma.