02/09/2025
🐾 🐾 Common Toxic Plants for Cats and Dogs 🐾 🐾
Many common houseplants and garden plants can be toxic to cats and dogs. Here’s a list of some of the most notoriously toxic plants for pets, along with their side effects.
1. Lilies (Lilium spp. & Hemerocallis spp.)
• Toxic to: Cats (very toxic), dogs (mild)
• Effects: Kidney failure in cats, even in small amounts (especially Easter Lily, Tiger Lily, Daylily)
• Symptoms: Vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, kidney failure
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2. Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Liver failure
• Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, jaundice, death
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3. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Heart issues due to cardiac glycosides
• Symptoms: Drooling, abdominal pain, heart arrhythmias, death
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4. Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Oral irritation
• Symptoms: Drooling, difficulty swallowing, vomiting
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5. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum spp.)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Irritation (not a true lily)
• Symptoms: Drooling, pawing at mouth, vomiting
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6. Philodendron
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Calcium oxalate crystals cause irritation
• Symptoms: Mouth and throat irritation, drooling, vomiting
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7. Aloe Vera
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Digestive irritation
• Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy
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8. Tulips and Hyacinths
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Most toxic part: Bulbs
• Symptoms: Drooling, nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate
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9. Azalea / Rhododendron
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Contains grayanotoxins
• Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, cardiac failure
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10. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Symptoms: Abdominal pain, vomiting, drooling, diarrhea
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11. Caladium (Elephant Ear)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Oral irritation
• Symptoms: Swelling, drooling, pain in mouth
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12. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum / Devil’s Ivy)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Oral irritation
• Symptoms: Burning sensation, drooling, vomiting
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13. Autumn Crocus
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Severe gastrointestinal distress, multi-organ failure
• Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, seizures
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14. Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Contains ricin (very toxic)
• Symptoms: Vomiting, bloody diarrhea, tremors, coma, death
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15. Yew (Taxus spp.)
• Toxic to: Cats and dogs
• Effects: Affects central nervous system and heart
• Symptoms: Tremors, difficulty breathing, heart failure
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✅ Pet-Safe Alternatives
If you’re looking for safe plants instead, consider:
• Spider Plant
• Areca Palm
• Boston Fern
• Prayer Plant
• Calathea
