The month of March is around the corner and many people want to buy spring flowers for the home, but as a cat owner you cannot buy just any flower. The cat can be fatally poisoned by your favorite flower. News24 have talked to Lotta Mollerchief veterinarian at Agria, to find out which plants are concerned.
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Most poisonous flower for the cat
Among all the popular spring flowers, there are some that are especially dangerous for the cat. Chief veterinarian Lotta Möller believes that the most dangerous flower genus is lilies. The flower is available both as an indoor and outdoor variety, but the most poisonous lilies are the genera Lilium and Hemerocallis.
– If you suspect that the cat has ingested any part of the lily, it is important to contact a veterinarian as soon as possible. This applies to both flowers and leaves because the whole plant is poisonous. The cat is also not allowed to drink the water in which the cut plant was placed or the “meal” that comes from the flower, says Möller to Nyheter24.
A cat that tastes the lily can, in the worst case, get fatal poisoning.
The most poisonous genus Hemerocallis (left) & a bucket of cut lilies (right) Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT Claudio Bresciani / TT
Vital signs to look for
How the cat reacts to the poison depends on what the cat ate, in what quantity and how long it has been since the cat ate the plant. However, there are some clear reactions to watch out for. Möller believes that poisoning is characterized by increased salivation and irritation in the oral cavity, but also vomiting or diarrhoea.
– Other symptoms can be increased thirst, lack of urine production or, in a serious case, fatal poisoning, says Möller.
The cat must also avoid Easter-Pentecost daffodils, which in milder cases lead to stomach and intestinal problems, but in more serious cases cause the cat to have a low heart rate and drop in blood pressure.
– Just contact with liquid from the plant can cause itching and redness. The whole plant is considered poisonous, but it is mainly the onion where toxic substances are concentrated, says Möller and continues:
– To be on the safe side, it is best to choose other types of plants.
There are also plants that the cat can feel bad about, but which do not pose the same risk factor as the lilies. Möller believes that the tulip bulb, pearl hyacinth and primrose species belong to that group.
– These are plants that carry a low risk of serious poisoning, but they can suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms.
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