What plants are poisonous to cats?

We love plants. We love cats. Some cats love plants too. Unfortunately, plants and cats aren’t always the best combination. There are many plants that are poisonous to cats, but it might be difficult to figure out which plants you shouldn’t have in your home. And what if your cat accidentally takes a bite of a poisonous plant? Keep reading to find out what toxic plants and flowers you need to look out for.

What are signs of plant poisoning in cats?

Keeping in mind that the following lists are not complete, make sure you’re fully informed before buying a plant or flower. If your cat ends up eating a plant, the first thing you’ll want to do is contact your vet. It’s best to do this even before signs develop, so immediate action can be taken if necessary. Some of the signs of poisoning include but are not limited to:

Vomiting
Salivation
Diarrhoea
Twitching
Breathing difficulties
Collapse
Coma

If you can see remnants of the poisonous plant or flower, take it away from your cat and then contact your vet. In case the vet wants to see you right away, make sure to bring along the remnants or the plant itself. This can help your vet give the right diagnosis.

Now that the warnings are out of the way, let’s continue to the list of which plants and flowers you should avoid.

Poisonous flowers & indoor plants

Fortunately, most cats are very picky eaters – they aren’t very likely to eat poisonous plants. Kittens and curious young cats are a big danger to themselves, as their natural curiosity won’t protect them from eating random plants. That’s why cat owners always need to double-check that their houseplants aren’t dangerous to cats. Also make sure to have enough supplies that could distract your cat, like toys or cat grass.

Toxic flowers & indoor plants

Amaryllis	Ferns
Aphelandra	Holly (also see Ilex)
Azalea	Hypoestes phyllostachya
Castor Oil Plant (also see Ricinus)	Hyacinthus
Christmas Cherry (also see Solanum	Ivy (also see Hedera)
Cheese plant (see also Monstera deliciousa)	Kalanchoe
Chrysanthemum (also see dendranthema)	Mistletoe (also see Viscum)
Codiaeum	Nerium oleander
Croton (also see Codiaeum)	Oleander (also see Nerium oleander)
Cyclamen	Ornithogalum
Devil’s Ivy (also see Epipremnum aureum)	Senecio
Dieffenbachia*	Star of Bethlehem (also see Ornithogalum)
Dumb Cane (also see Dieffenbachia)	Umbellatum
Elephant’s Ear (also see Alocasia, Caladium)	Umbrella Plant (also see Schefflera)
Epipremnum aureum	Zebra Plant (also see Aphelandra)

*Contact with these plants may cause irritation

Poisonous outdoor plants

Garden plants can also be poisonous to your cat, with the fruits and seeds being the most dangerous. Cats who spend a lot of their time outdoors are usually too busy exploring to pay any attention to plants. Just in case, though, make sure you don’t plant any of the following plants in your garden.

Toxic outdoor plants

Abrus precatorius	Dictamnus	Oak (also see Quercus)
Aconitum*	Digitalis	Onion (also see Allium)
Actaea	Echium	Ornithogalum
Aesculus	Elder (also see Sambucus)	Oxytropis
Agrostemma githago	Euonymus	Paeonia
Aleurites	European Pennyroyal	Papaver
Allium	Euphorbia	Parthenocissus
Alocasia	False Acacia (also see Robinia)	Peach (also see Prunus persica)
Alstroemeria*	Ferns	Peony (also see Paeonia)
American False Pennyroyal	Ficus	Pernettya
Anagallis	Flax (also see Linum)	Persea americana
Anemone	Foxglove (also see Digitalis)	Philodendron
Angel’s Trumpets (also see Brugmansia)	Frangula (also see Rhamnus)	Physalis
Angel Wings (also see Caladium)	Fremontodendron*	Phytolacca
Apricot (also see Prunus armeniaca)	Galanthus	Pokeweed (also see Phytolacca)
Aquilegia	Gaultheria	Polygonatum
Arisaema	Giant Hog Weed (also see Heracleum mantegazzianum)	Poppy (also see Papaver)
Arum	Gloriosa superba	Primula obconica*
Astragalus	Glory Lily (also see Gloriosa superba)	Privet (also see Ligustrum)
Atropa	Hedera*	Prunus armeniaca
Avocado (also see Persea americana)	Helleborus*	Prunus laurocerasus
Azalea (also see Rhododendron)	Hemlock (also see Conium)	Prunus persica
Baneberry (also see Actaea)	Henbane (also see Hyoscyamus)	Quercus
Bird of Paradise (also see Strelitzia)	Heracleum mantegazzianum	Ranunculus
Black-eyed Susan (also see Thunbergia)	Hippeastrum	Rhamnus (including R frangula)
Bloodroot (also see Sanguinaria)	Holly (also see Ilex)	Rhododendron
Box (also see Buxus)	Horse Chestnut (also see Aesculus)	Rhus*
Broom (also see Cytisus)	Hyacinthus	Ricinus
Brugmansia	Hydrangea	Robinia
Bryony	Hyoscyamus	Rosary Pea (also see Abrus precatorius)
Buckthorn (also see Rhamnus)	Ilex	Rubber Plant (also see Ficus)
Burning Bush (also see Dictamnus)	Ipomoea	Rudbeckia
Buttercup (also see Ranunculus)	Iris	Rue (also see Ruta)
Buxus	Ivy (also see Hedera)	Ruta
Caesalpinia	Jasminum	Sambucus
Caladium	Juniperus sabina	Sanguinaria
Caltha*	Kalmia	Schefflera*
Catharanthus	Kalanchoe	Scilla
Celastrus	Laburnum	Skunk Cabbage (also see Lysichiton)
Centaurea cyanus	Lantana	Snowdrop (also see Galanthus)
Cestrum	Larkspur (also see Delphinium)	Solandra
Cherry Laurel (also see Prunus laurocerasus)	Lathyrus	Solanum
Chincherinchee (also see Ornithogalum)	Ligustrum	Solomon’s Seal (also see Polygonatum)
Chrysanthemum (also see Dendranthema)	Lilium	Spindle Tree (also see Euonymus)
Clematis	Lily of the Valley	Spurge (also see Euphorbia)
Colchicum	Linum	Strelitzia
Columbine (also see Aquilegia)	Lobelia* (except bedding Lobelia)	Sumach (also see Rhus)
Conium	Lords and Ladies (Cuckoo Pint) (also see Arum)	Sweet Pea (also see Lathyrus)
Convallaria majalis	Lupinus	Tagetes
Corncockle (also see Agrostemma githago)	Lycopersicon*	Tanacetum
Cornflower (also see Centaurea cyanus)	Lysichiton	Taxus
Cotoneaster	Madagascar Periwinkle (also see Catharanthus)	Tetradymia
Crocus (also see Colchicum)	Marigold (also see Tagetes)	Thornapple (also see Datura)
Cyclamen	Melia	Thuja*
Cytisus	Mirabilis jalapa	Thunbergia
Daffodil (also see Narcissus)	Monks Wood (also see Aconitum)	Tobacco (also see Nicotiana)
Daphne*	Morning Glory (also see Ipomoea)	Tomato (also see Lycopersicon)
Datura*	Narcissus	Tulipa*
Delonix	Nerium oleander	Veratrum
Delphinium	Nicotiana	Viscum
Dendranthema*	Nightshade, Deadly (also see Atropa)	Wisteria
Dicentra	Nightshade, Woody (also see Solanum)	Yew (also see Taxus)

Source: Cats.org.uk
*Contact with these plants may cause irritation

The plants with an asterisk (*) can cause irritation to human skin, but cats should be alright as they’re protected by their coat. When cats end up ingesting these plants, however, they can experience skin irritation or ulcers in their mouths. This is very painful and might even cause eating issues.

Which plants are safe for cats?

Are you looking for plants that are safe for cats? The compiled list down below are non-toxic flowers and plants you can use to enhance your home or garden. Having an overview with poisonous plants is very useful. But of course, it’s also nice to know which plants are perfectly safe for your cat.