Cats love to sleep among the plants, and sometimes they love to play with the plants and even to chew them. Some of the spring plants can be very dangerous for our cats. So we have to be very careful what are the plants that we can keep near our cats and what are those that we should keep far from them.
Here are six spring plants that can be harmful to our cats:
– Lilies. There are many different species of plants called “lily”: Easter lily, day lily, Asiatic lily, tiger lily, peace lily, calla lily, and lily of the valley, and many others. A cat can die of kidney failure if she is eating any part of these toxic species and not receive treatment immediately. As little as two leaves can make the cat sick, and if left untreated, can become fatal in as little as three days.
– Tulips. Tulips are toxic to cats, along with dogs and horses. The risky component of the plants are tulipalin A and tulipalin B, toxins especially common within the bulb. Keep tulips out of your cat’s access at all times! Some signs that a cat is experiencing tulip poisoning are excessive drooling, diarrhea, central nervous system depression, nausea, throwing up, rapid heart rate, labored breathing, seizures and appetite loss.
– Daffodils. Daffodils are toxic to cats, they contain lycorine, an alkaloid with strong emetic properties. Crystals are found in the outer layer of the bulbs, similar to hyacinths, which cause severe tissue irritation and secondary drooling. Ingestion of the bulb, plant or flower can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and even possible cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression.
– Sago Palms. Ingestion of this plant can cause liver failure and death in cats. All parts of the plant are very toxic, especially it’s the seeds that are the most toxic. Even just one seed is enough to cause death to a cat. Vomiting starts within 24 hours, and then cats start to seizure. With a mortality rate of about 50 percent, Sago Palms are by far one of the most toxic plants.
– Buttercups. The plants contain the chemical ranunculin, which, when crushed or chewed, becomes the toxin protoanemonin. Protoanemonin is a bitter-tasting oil that irritates the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, and is poisonous to cats. The flower part contains the highest amount of toxin. When ingested, it can result in redness and swelling of the mouth, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness.
– Begonias are toxic to cats. There are two toxic agents in the tuberous portion of begonias, calcium oxalates and cucurbitacin B. When consumed, these plants cause an intense burning sensation of the mouth, throat, lips and tongue, excessive drooling, choking, gagging and potentially serious swelling of the throat that could cause difficulty or the inability to swallow. Symptoms can occur immediately or up to 2 hours after ingestion and may continue to occur for up to two weeks after ingestion.