Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Cats And plants. Part 1.
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.
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.
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.
Here is a short list of toxic plants for cats (and dogs):
- English ivy (basically all ivies)
- Amarylis
- Dieffenbachia
- Coleus
- Cyclamen
- Azalea
- Begonia
- Dracaena
- Rubber plant
- Jade plant
- Kalanchoe
- Marijuana (legal now in Canada)
- Mint, oregano, chives, thyme, tomato
- Shamrock
- Poinsettia
- Snake plant
- 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.
Daily Pics #101.
Good morning on this cold but beautiful Friday! It’s a new day, therefore it’s a beautiful day. The little chipmunks were not out much yesterday, but it was nice that they did come around for a few trips looking for peanuts. Not much bird activity though. Sir George and Lady Pearl, my two main herring gulls were around, plus 2 of their friends from last year, Henry and Herbert. Henry remembers me and comes to the feeder with me out there, but Herbert never was that brave, though I’m sure that will change. And, Rickie showed up yesterday too, which was real nice, though I wasn’t able to get a picture. Rickie is a ring-billed gull, almost a twin to the herring gulls, except they have a black ring around their bill and they are only half the size. Unfortunately he isn’t brave enough to come to the feeder with me outside which is too bad since the crows will chase him away. They have tried to chase the herring gulls too, which didn’t work out too well for them. So they have learned to keep their distance, and keep their feathers.
Since we are on the subject of birds, here are a couple bright and sunny bird pics for us to enjoy today…
To start with, above, we have the male goldfinch. These were around all winter and I shared pics of them before in their winter feathers, certainly quite a difference to their fine and bright summer plumage. 
And above we have the male hairy woodpecker looking for some sunflower seeds on a sunny summer day.
There will be a mix of different pics coming along for the next little while, I hope you will enjoy them all. Stay safe, stay home, have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2020 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 