Why do cats eat plants, and should I be worried? | Dr. Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC, DABT, Board-Certified Veterinary Specailist

Posted by justinelee in Animal Safety, Blog, Pet Health, Uncategorized

I’m really passionate about educating pet owners about the dangers of houseplants to pets. That’s because my own sister’s cat (that I gave her) died of acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to getting into dangerous Asiatic lilies from a bouquet several years ago.

While I want you to know what plants to be wary of, I’ll admit that I have at least 10 houseplants in my house! You just need to know which are potentially dangerous to cats, as some are very safe. In fact, the majority of plants just cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhea when ingested by cats.

Now, there’s a lot of scaring looking information about poisonous plants on the Internet, when only a few are truly deadly to cats. It’s important to separate the wheat from the chaff. Thankfully, most houseplants just result in minor signs to cats. That said, read on to learn more!

First, why do cats like to eat plants? Personally, I feel like they are craving a different texture or feel of fiber in their mouth. Keep in mind that cats are true carnivores – they only really need meat-sourced food (they should never be made into vegetarians, as it can cause life-threatening amino acid deficiencies). If your cat likes to chew on plants, I recommend purposely growing cat grass for them (often found in pet stores)  – this are very safe, but can result in vomiting when ingested.

The biggest danger?  True lilies of the Lilium or Hemerocallis species. Examples of some of these dangerous lilies include the following:

• Tiger lilies
• Day lilies
• Asiatic hybrid lilies
• Japanese show lilies
• Easter lilies
• Rubrum lilies
• Stargazer lilies
• Red lilies
• Western lilies
• Wood lilies

Other dangerous types of plants? Cardiac glycosides like foxglove, lily of the valley, kalanchoe, Japanese yew, etc. Most of these grow outside, but when in doubt, I’d keep these out of reach. This type does not cause kidney failure, but can cause life-threatening heart arrhythmias and death when ingested by dogs or cats.

Another common houseplant that cats seen to chew on are Dieffenbachia or philodendron. These plants contain insoluble calcium oxalate (not soluble calcium oxalate, like so many websites erroneously mention!), which cause oral pain when chewed on. This isn’t life-threatening however, and typically just results in foaming and frothing at the mouth. My advice? Keep these plants elevated out of reach, and if your cat does get into it, just offer something tasty to flush out the mouth – a small amount of chicken broth, canned tuna water (not oil!), or even chicken noodle soup. If your cat continues to vomit, a veterinary visit is a must.

My hint? I keep one spider plant in my house to act as a “sacrifice” to my cats – my two cats love to chew on the long fronds of this plant, and it’s very safe. My cats typically leave my other plants alone as they prefer the spider plant! That said, like the majority of plants out there, the spider plant can cause some vomiting when ingested, but is pretty safe otherwise. That said, for the rare cat that devours large amounts of plant material, there’s a small chance that the long fronds of the spider plant can tie together and get stuck in the stomach. But a few bites? No biggie.

Here, my simple, cat-friendly plant friendly rules:

• No fresh cut flowers or bouquets of flowers into the house. If you can’t confidentially identify Lilium or Hemerocallis spp. – or what we call “true lilies,” then it’s a big no-no.

• When in doubt, take pictures of your plants and write down the genus name if possible. You can call an animal poison control to be safe.
  
  
• If you do have plants, consider these 5 safe ones, as they are in a veterinarian’s house:
  • Spider plant
  • Wandering Jew
  • Jade plant
  • Christmas cactus
  • Bromeliads

Keep in mind that the majority of plants are relatively safe, and just cause vomiting and diarrhea. That said, if your cat is seen consuming any part of a plant, when in doubt, call your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for life-saving information.

As previously posted on www.pethealthnetwork.com