Cats And plants. Part 1.

Posted on April 10, 2020 by

50 Comments

Hi everyone and welcome back!  How are you all today?  I hope everyone is feeling fine and having a good day.  It is a rather cool day here, with cloudy skies.  Today I would like to share a bit about cats and plants.  However, the same would apply if you have a dog for a pet, so read on.  I love to have plants in the house and unfortunately sometimes pets like to nibble on those plants.  Some plants are safe for cats and dogs to eat, others are not.  Some cats, and dogs, won’t really pay any attention to plants, some just won’t leave them alone.  So it’s important to know what is good and what isn’t safe.  I love chives and always grew it indoors to use all winter.IMG_2326

Muffin also liked chives and ate mine so fast I seldom got to use any!  But after awhile Muffin started having problems with her skin and joints.  So off to the vet for a checkup, no easy feat believe me.  She was diagnosed with arthritis and needed medication.  She was on that medication for over 2 years.  The I read that chives can cause skin problems and arthritis like symptoms in cats.  Hmm, so I took away the chives and gave her oat grass to eat instead.  She likes her greens.  Her arthritis cleared up very quickly so I was able to take her off the medication.  She has had no problem since, that’s 4 years ago.IMG_0104

Important note, just because people can eat it, does not mean that animals can eat it.  And it works the other way around too.  So I started to research which plants are good and which are not good for cats.  If you want to grow herbs inside, keep them out of reach of your pet!  Many herbs can cause various allergic reactions for cats.  Many popular plants are highly toxic to pets and kids too.  Philodendron is one of those that are bad to have around, very toxic.  But there are many others, such as the various aloe plants which can cause an allergic reaction in cats and dogs as well.Picture_20202618092642

Here is a short list of toxic plants for cats (and dogs):

  1. English ivy (basically all ivies)
  2. Amarylis
  3. Dieffenbachia
  4. Coleus
  5. Cyclamen
  6. Azalea
  7. Begonia
  8. Dracaena
  9. Rubber plant
  10. Jade plant
  11. Kalanchoe
  12. Marijuana (legal now in Canada)
  13. Mint, oregano, chives, thyme, tomato
  14. Shamrock
  15. Poinsettia
  16. Snake plant
  17. Fig

That is just a short list of some of the more common indoor plants.  Again, not all cats or dogs will go after plants and eat them, but most will.  And even little nibbles can be toxic enough to kill your pet for some of these plants.  Best to keep these plants out of reach for your cat.  However, that can be quite a task for cats, there isn’t much that can be considered “out of reach” for them.  Muffin, for example can manage to get up on any of my various shelf units and cabinets.  She can jump 5 feet straight up (150cm).  And I have seen her do a horizontal jump of 6 feet with ease(180cm).  So I decided it was much safer to just start over and get some plants that are safe for her to be around.  So if she decides to take a nibble, no problem.

In part 2 we will look at some of the many plants available that are safe for your cat, and dog too.  The above pics are my orchids, which are safe for cats, and of course, Muffin.  I hope you have enjoyed this, please stay safe, have a wonderful day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin. (who approves totally of this post)😸😻

© 2020 Steve McLeod.

Category: Advice, Beauty, Cat, Encouragement, Flowers, Fun, Happiness, Help, pets, Plants, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , ,

50 Comments on “Cats And plants. Part 1.”

  1. Interesting info on what is good for animals and what is toxic for them,,,was surprised that aloe was bad as it is good for adults…but like you said there are things which humans can eat , but not animals… your orchids look very healthy…☕️☕️😯😿🙀☕️☕️

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    • Yep, aloe is good for people to eat, I’ve eaten it myself, but can make animals very sick, even deadly for them sometimes. Thanks, so far the orchids are doing well. Let’s see if I can keep them that way!😂😹
      Have a good night!😃😺🌙😴

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      • Very quiet over here Steve. Obeying all the rules to save lives and my own as well. Compelled to stay at home unless it is essential to go out. Borders closed, heavily policed. I go for walks on my treadmill 🙂 or out to the letter box📬 .
        Stay safe and well. Happy Easter to you and Muffin.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Yes, I walk back and forth on the driveway, it’s exactly 100 feet long so it’s easy for me to keep track of the distance. I only go to the store when necessary. Once the snow melts I can go walking down to the river, no one down there so it’s safe, but it’s staying cold so the last of the snow is taking a long time to melt, likely be another 2 weeks yet.
        Happy Easter to you also from Muffin and I!😃😺🌞☕☕💐

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      • My daughter and her partner live almost in isolation at their cattle station, they get plenty of exercise. They do have to be careful when they have hired help, vets visit and when they have to go into town for essential items.
        I hope it warms up soon and the snow melts away at your place . 👍🙂

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  5. Thank you Sir Steve for sharing this.
    Sweetie never nibbles plants but some visiting cats used to eat and play in our tomatoe plants. Am not sure if it was plant allergy or any other disease as they couldn’t survive for long. 🙀😿

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  6. Very interesting Steve! Unfortunately currently I can’t have any pets with me but definitely to consider when I’ll have them 😉
    This is the orchid you recently bought? Is so beautiful! It is exactly the same as my first one 😊 My first ever orchid 😉 That lives and flowers also today and has more than 9 years 😉

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    • Yep, this is the orchid, I hope mine will last that long! I never realized the flowers would last so long on orchids. I have a second one now too, smaller and darker color. They are so beautiful, I hope I can get them to bloom again!
      Thanks Ribana, have a great evening!😁😸☕☕

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      • Thanks Ribana! That’s hard in here, I have two large windows, one faces south, the other west which makes both of them very sunny. Right now they are sitting on my table which is still very bright. In winter I can keep them closer to the window for more light. Hope it works anyway.😃😺🌞

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  7. AMAZING steve! Muffin looks so adorable trying to get on whatever she is trying to get on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  9. Interesting Steve 🤓 So animals are not actually veg friendly 😉 I got that point. You must be awake now. Have a beautiful day ✨💐🤗

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    • I’m awake. Good morning Simon!😀 The day starts mild with a temp of 1 and going all the way up to 2 by this afternoon.😁 Then it gets cold until Thursday.😕😲😳 But it’s still a beautiful day!😁😸🌞☕☕

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      • It’s a beautiful day, no matter what ☺️ 🤗 A very Good Noon now.😉 Cold or hot, stay back inside house and keep yourself warm. Hope the weather news go wrong and the corona goes away! 😌 Anything special for Easter ? 🤔

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      • Nothing special for me this Easter. Just Muffin and I.😀😺 I was going to get her some chocolate,😻 of course I would have to eat it for her,😾😾 but decided I probably didn’t need it. Cloudy, cold and very windy,🥶🙀 it’s a great day to be inside, and drink lots of coffee☕☕☕☕ while I do my workout. Finished my morning workout,😁 eating lunch, 😋then walking time.🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️ I have to get busy writing too, Monday is coming fast!😳😳

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  10. Thank you for the list, Steve! Our fur-babies don’t know what plants are not good for them so it’s up to us to protect them. Another item not good for our pets is dryer sheets. They seem to like the scent but can choke on them.

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    • Thanks for reading Eugenia! Yes, sometimes animals know what they shouldn’t eat, especially wild animals, but pets don’t seem to have that same ability so we need to help them out.🙂😻
      I never knew about the dryer sheets,🙀 but I always keep mine in a cabinet where Muffin can’t get at them. Good to know.
      Part 2, the good plants, is out now.😸😻
      Have a wonderful weekend Eugenia and stay safe!😃😺🌞☕☕

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    • Yep, never figured chives to be a problem since people can eat them. It was nice to get Muffin back to normal again though!
      Thanks so much Nina!😃😺🌞☕☕

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  13. Yes, very important to know what herbs and plants are toxic to cats! Another one is garlic. I absolutely love garlic, but it’s highly poisonous to a cat’s stomach!

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    • That’s very true, it is, anything in the onion family, which includes garlic is toxic. I never realized before how many common things that we eat are poisonous to cats. Thanks so much for reading Laura! Have a wonderful day!😃😺🌞☕☕

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  14. Steve, thanks for sharing this informative post. I am pleased Muffin suffers no long-term effects. It is amazing how high a cat can jump. My youngest daughter has three of them . . . oh my! Take care up there in the Great “Sometimes Still White” North.

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    • Yes, it all cleared up quite quickly for her which was good. 3 cats, wow, must be wild! Yeah, not too white now, though there is still a fair bit of snow in the treed areas, but it continues cold, only 27 today and colder weather coming for the next few days. Have a wonderful day!😃😺🌞☕☕

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