Cats are very sensitive to environmental factors and a variety of items and foods that can be found in people’s homes. But when it comes to indoor or outdoor plants, this species is known to develop some very negative health consequences.
In fact, some cats might even die after eating a tiny part of some of the following flowers, so as a responsible pet parent, you should always try to prevent your feline companion from coming in contact with them. Here are ten of the most dangerous flowers for cats.
10 Flowers Toxic to Cats
Lilies
Lilies are perhaps the most poisonous flowers that cats can become exposed to, whether you keep them in your home or you have them in your garden. Even drinking water from the vase in which you keep lilies can be extremely dangerous for your pet.
Severe toxicity and acute kidney damage are two outcomes that ingesting these flowers can easily lead to. All of the lily varieties are risky, so don’t think that Asiatic, Tiger, Stargazer, or Oriental ones are safer.
Some of the symptoms that this plant can produce in cats range from changes in water consumption to disorientation, lack of or excessive urination, sores in the mouth, arrhythmias, low blood pressure, digestive distress, and tremors or seizures. So, if there is one flower you should always avoid keeping in your cat’s close proximity, it should be the Lily.
Azaleas
Since they are among the most common house garden plants that people have all across the Northern Hemisphere, we thought we’d note that it’s also one of the most poisonous ones to cats and other species, too.
In fact, they are so toxic that they can easily cause heart or kidney failure. It’s not uncommon for cats who’ve ingested a large part of the blooms or stems to lose their lives.
Irises
Irises contain three compounds that are glycosides (iresine, iridin, and irisin). While the highest concentration of these substances is found in the thicker parts of the plant, such as the bulbs and the rhizomes, the stems and the flowers themselves also contain traces of the compounds.
Like some of the other flowers that we’re including in today’s article, the majority of the clinical signs that ingesting irises cause in cats deal with disturbances of the gastrointestinal activity. Consequently, cats can experience vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea, along with general digestive upset and skin irritation, especially in and around the oral cavity.
Hydrangeas
As beautiful and common as they are in people’s gardens, hydrangeas can pose a significant health risk to cats. They have a variety of toxic elements in them, which makes them poisonous for most animals that end up ingesting parts of the plants, including our feline friends.
Cats that ingest hydrangea flowers, leaves, or stems can show some of the following signs:
- Lethargy
- Excessive drooling
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Difficult breathing
- Loss of appetite
Dahlias
Not only is the dahlia flower poisonous to cats, but it is also to dogs and horses. The stems, the leaves, and the flowers themselves are toxic, and they produce a range of symptoms from loss of coordination and nausea to vomiting and local skin irritation.
Compared to some of the other plants we’ve showcased here, dahlias can be considered mildly poisonous, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t lead to death, especially in cases where the cats do not receive veterinary assistance as soon as possible.
Lily of the valley flowers
Weakness, diarrhea, as well as vomiting, are the three main symptoms you can expect in a cat that has ingested a part of the Lily of the Valley flower. The problem with this one is that while it doesn’t cause organ failure in the kidneys or liver, it most definitely has a negative effect on cardiac health.
In this species, it produces arrhythmias, and depending on the cat’s overall health status, it could lead to heart failure.
Some of the clinical signs you can expect if your cat is in this situation range from diarrhea and vomiting to depression, drooling, and an increase in the heart and breathing rate.
Tulips
When it comes to this type of flower, some cats might not show any symptoms of poisoning if they nibble on a tiny portion of the plant. But others might not be as lucky, so they might develop a number of severe clinical signs.
Tulip poisoning almost always leads to severe liver damage. Even if that does not happen, the cat will experience some sort of local discomfort in their oral cavity and the first sections of their digestive tract, which can lead to vomiting, excessive drooling, abdominal pain, and more.
Some cats become depressed after eating tulips, which should be another sign that ought to convince you to take them to the veterinary clinic.
Chrysanthemums
This type of flower is toxic to cats, but the interesting thing about it is that it contains a natural insecticide called pyrethrin. This substance can be found in some products that protect pets against fleas, for example.
Some of the symptoms of eating chrysanthemums range from incoordination to excessive drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as local skin inflammation and irritation.
Hyacinths
Believe it or not, cats can develop symptoms of poisoning even from smelling hyacinths, which makes them one of the most dangerous flowers that people can have in their gardens. The bulbs are the most toxic part of the plant, but that doesn’t mean that nibbling on the leaves or blooms is safe.
Hyacinths contain oxalic acid, a compound that is particularly damaging to the kidneys. In other words, cats that ingest this type of flower can quickly develop kidney failure, which leads to symptoms such as decreased urine production no matter the amount of water that the cat has.
On top of that, coming in direct contact with the blooms can lead to local skin irritation, too, and some cats can also develop blisters or rashes around their eyes, nose, and mouth. In terms of inhalation of the compounds, some pets might also develop respiratory distress.
Daffodils
Excessive salivation, diarrhea, as well as vomiting are the clinical signs you can expect if your pet ingested a part of the daffodil plant, but there could be additional worrying symptoms such as arrhythmias, changes in the animal’s gait, depression, or lethargy – all of which should convince you to take your cat to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
Like hyacinths, daffodils also contain calcium oxalate crystals, which means that they not only irritate the local mucous membrane inside the mouth, but they can also cause severe kidney damage.
