Flower Girl
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Subject: HIDDEN DANGERS OF PLANTS Thu 15 Oct 2009, 17:06 |
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The following is taken from the the Feline Advisory Bureau's information sheet "Hidden dangers of plants". http://www.fabcats.org/owners/poisons/plants.html ______________________________________________
Who is at risk? Most cats are fastidious creatures and are careful what they eat. Poisoning in cats is therefore generally rare. It is the young, inquisitive cat or kitten that is most at risk of eating harmful plants, particularly household ones.
Boredom also has a part to play. When a cat is confined to a run or lives entirely indoors hazardous plants should be removed from its environment. Cats given free access to the outside world tend to have other things to occupy their minds than sampling unfamiliar vegetation. But even free roaming adult cats may accidentally ingest needles or seeds that have become entangled in their coat during grooming.
All plants, even grass, can have an irritating effect on a cat's gastrointestinal system causing them to vomit. But, given the opportunity, cats like to nibble on grass. When not available their attention may turn to often less suitable household plants. Tender plants are generally a favourite. Particularly dangerous is Diffenbachia (dumb cane).
Cats don't eat plants!
All plants, even grass, can have an irritating effect on a cat's gastrointestinal system causing them to vomit. But, given the opportunity, cats like to nibble on grass. When not available their attention may turn to often less suitable household plants. Tender plants are generally a favourite. Particularly dangerous is Diffenbachia (dumb cane).
Preventive Action
Remove all potentially hazardous household plants to prevent unnecessary exposure. This is especially important for kittens or cats kept indoors. A list of plants that are unsuitable to grow in a house with cats is given below.
Has my Cat Been Poisoned?
A veterinary surgeon should be contacted immediately if your cat suddenly collapses, has repeated vomiting or severe diarrhoea or shows signs of excessive irritation (red, swollen, blistering or raw) of skin of the mouth or throat. Cats that are lethargic and off their food for a day or more may also have ingested something unsuitable and professional help should be sought. If you see your cat eat something that you suspect to be poisonous do not attempt to make the cat vomit. Take the cat to the vet with a sample of the plant - or even better a plant label. This will help the vet to find a treatment or antidote to the poison. Make a note of the time of eating and any symptoms. Several days may pass between the ingestion of the undesirable material and the effects.
Skin Reactions
It is more common for plants to cause skin irritation in gardeners than to poison them. Contact with the leaves, stems or sap of certain plants can cause rashes and hypersensitivity to sunlight resulting in sunburn. In cats these plants may cause blistering or itching of the mouth and gums. Occasionally this is misdiagnosed as gingivitis. Sneezing and eye problems can also be caused through contact with these plants. Contact with the leaves of food plants such as tomato, strawberry, rhubarb, parsnips, carrot, celery, marrow and cucumbers may all potentially affect the cat in this way. Geranium and Primula leaves can also cause similar skin irritation. Many plants that are poisonous when eaten may also have the potential to cause skin irritation on contact with leaves or sap. These are indicated in the list below.
Hazardous Plants
The following is a fairly comprehensive list of plants that are potentially poisonous or harmful to your cat when eaten. Contact with some of the plants listed may be sufficient to cause skin irritation (marked *) It is often the fruit or seeds of plants that are potentially harmful. Many of us are already familiar with plants that carry really toxic berries such as Deadly Nightshade. Only a small quantity of these need to be eaten for a fatal result. Other plants in the list may come as a surprise - Daffodils for example. Here, however, it is the bulb that causes harm if ingested.
The fact that the list contains some very common plants should not be cause for concern. Most of these potentially harmful plants taste bad and are unlikely to be eaten in sufficient quantities to cause permanent damage. Woody garden plants are also unlikely to be eaten by your cat - tender household plants pose most risk.
House plants
Amaryllis Aphelandra Castor Oil Plant, see Ricinus Christmas Cherry, see Solanum Chrysanthemum, see Dendranthema Codiaeum Croton, see Codiaeum Cyclamen Dumb cane, see Dieffenbachia Dieffenbachia * Devil's Ivy, see Epipremnum aureum Elephant's Ear, see Alocasia, Caladium Epipremnum aureum Ferns Holly, see Ilex Hypoestes phyllostachya Hyacinthus Ivy, see Hedera Mistletoe, see Viscum Nerium oleander Oleander see Nerium Ornithogalum Poinsettia, see Euphorbia Senecio Star of Bethlehem, see Ornithogalum umbellatum Umbrella Plant, see Schefflera Zebra Plant, see Aphelandra
Garden plants
Abrus precatorius Aconitum * Actaea Aesculus Agrostemma githago Aleurites Allium Alocasia Alstroemeria * Anagallis Anemone Angel's Trumpets, see Brugmansia Angel Wings, see Caladium Apricot, see Prunus armeniaca Aquilegia Arisaema Arum Astragalus Atropa Avocado, see Persea americana Azalea, see Rhododendron Baneberry, see Actaea Bird of Paradise, see Strelitzia Black-eyed Susan, see Thunbergia Bloodroot, see Sanguinaria Box, see Buxus Broom, see Cytisus Brugmansia Bryony Buckthorn, see Rhamnus Burning Bush, see Dictamnus Buttercup, see Ranunculus Buxus Cherry Laurel see Prunus laurocerasus Chincherinchee see Ornithogalum Caesalpinia Caladium Caltha * Catharanthus Celastrus Centaurea cyanus Cestrum Chrysanthemum see Dendranthema Clematis Colchicum Columbine see Aquilegia Conium Convallaria majalis Corncockle, see Agrostemma githago Cornflower, see Centaurea cyanus Cotoneaster Crocus, see Colchicum x Cupressocyparis leylandii * Cyclamen Cytisus Daffodil, see Narcissus Daphne * Datura * Delphinium Delonix Dendranthema * Dicentra Dictamnus Digitalis Echium * Euonymus Euphorbia * Elder, see Sambucus False acacia, see Robinia Fems Ficus Flax see Linum Frangula see Rhamnus Fremontodendron * Foxglove see Digitalis Four o'clock: see Mirabilis jalapa Galanthus Gaultheria Giant Hog Weed, see Heracleum mantegazzianum Gloriosa superba Glory Lily see Gloriosa Hedera * Helleborus * Hemlock, see Conium Henbane, see Hyoscyamus Heracleum mantegazzianum Hippeastrum Holly, see Ilex Horse-chestnut, see Aesculus Hyacinthus Hydrangea Hyoscyamus Impatiens Ipomoea Iris Ivy, see Hedera Ilex Jasminum Juniperus sabina Kalmia Laburnum Lantana Lathyrus Larkspur, see Delphinium Lilium Lily of the Valley, see Convallaria Linum Ligustrum Lobelia (except bedding Lobelia) * Lords and Ladies (Cuckoo pint), see Arum Lupinus Lycopersicon * Lysichiton Madagascar periwinkle, see Catharanthus Marigold, see Tagetes Melia Mirabilis jalapa Monkswood, see Aconitum Morning Glory, see Ipomoea Narcissus Nerium oleander Nicotiana Nightshade, deadly, see Atropa Nightshade, woody, see Solanum Oak, see Quercus Onion, see Allium Oxytropis Paeonia Papaver Parthenocissus Peach, see Prunus persica Peony, see Paeonia Pernettya Persea americana Philodendron Physalis Phytolacca * Pokeweed, see Phytolacca Poppy, see Papaver Polygonatum Primula obconica * Privet see Ligustrum Prunus armeniaca Prunus laurocerasus Prunus persica Quercus Rhamus (including R.frangula) Rhododendron Rhus * Ricinus Robinia Rosary pea, see Abrus precatorius Rubber plant, see Ficus Rudbeckia Rue, see Ruta Ruta Sambucus Sanguinaria Schefflera * Scilla Skunk cabbage, see Lysichiton Snowdrop, see Galanthus Solandra Solanum Solomon's seal, see Polygonatum Spindle Tree, see Euonymus Spurge, see Euphorbia Strelitzia Sumach, see Rhus Sweet pea, see Lathyrus Tagetes Tanacetum Taxus Tetradymia Tobacco, see Nicotiana Tomato, see Lycopersicon Thornapple, see Datura Thuja * Tulipa * Veratrum Viscum Wisteria Yew, see Taxus
* Contact with these plants may be sufficient to cause skin irritation
To read the original source material, click here: http://www.fabcats.org/owners/poisons/plants.html ______________________________________________ The Feline Advisory Bureau is the leading charity dedicated to promoting the health and welfare of cats through improved feline knowledge, to help us all care better for our cats. Currently we are helping almost 4 million cats and their owners a year. If this advice has helped you care better for your cat please enable us to help others by making a donation. To do this you can either click here or send a cheque to the address below (made payable to ‘Feline Advisory Bureau')
FAB, Taeselbury, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, UK, SP3 6LD
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