National Houseplant Appreciation Day 01-10-2025

January 10th is National Houseplant Appreciation Day. Keeping plants indoors can be a challenging, but rewarding hobby, and a great way of bringing natural decoration into your home. Plants provide a space with fragrance, oxygen, filtration, and beauty, but many common houseplants also contain substances known to be toxic to cats. Every cat is different, and while some cats may never show an interest in your interior gardening, other cats may be compelled to bite leaves, rub on trunks, or lick fronds. It is important to note that ingesting plant material of any kind (toxic, potentially toxic, or non-toxic) can result in vomiting and gastrointestinal irregularity in cats, however not all plant-based toxins require ingestion or physical contact to harm your kitty. The level of toxicity and associated effects vary depending on circumstance, so it is safest for all pet owners to check the toxicity of any plants brought in their home.

In addition to GI issues, other results of contact with plant toxins range from excessive drooling, respiratory distress, lethargy, and death. Below is a non-exhaustive list of common plants that can prove harmful to your feline friends.

For a more complete list, along with photos and associated symptoms, please visit the ASPCA website here: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

Mistletoe
Heavenly Blue morning glory
Pearly Gates morning glory
Nightshade (Solanum)
Oak
Oleander
Onion
Philodendron
Poinsettia
Poison hemlock
Ranunculus
Rhododendron
Rosary pea seed (precatory bean)
Sago palm
Snow-on-the-mountain
Stinging nettle
Tobacco
Tulip bulb
Water hemlock
Wisteria

Allium
Amaryllis bulbs
Anemone
Apple seeds
Araceae family ornamentals
Azalea
Baneberry
Beet tops
Black locust
Black walnut hulls
Bleeding heart (Dicentra)
Buttercup
Caladium
Calla lily
Castor bean or castor oil plant seeds
Ceriman (Monstera)
Choke cherry, Bittercherry (cherry pits)
Clematis
Crown-of- thorns (Euphorbia)

Daffodil or Jonquil bulb
Daphne
Delphinium
Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia)
Elephant ears (Alocasia)
English ivy (Hedera helix)
English walnut hull
Foxglove
Holly (Ilex) berry
Hyacinth bulb
Hydrangea
Iris bulb
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Japanese yew
Jerusalem cherry
Jimsonweed
Lantana
Laurel
Lily-of-the-valley
Locoweed
Marsh marigold (Caltha)
Milkweed