Thursday, July 9, 2009

In Case of Vegetarian Kitty: Check for Toxic Plants

Every cat owner knows that cats tend to have their quirks. Some cats love singing at odd hours, some love swimming, some have a thing for licking the walls. My cat Tigger? She loves eating plants. It's odd because technically cats should be strictly carnivore, but in the 9 years that I've owned her, I've seen her attempt to eat cut roses, daisies, a mint plant, corn husks (her fave), cactus (not her fave) and a whole myriad of other green things. This is the cat that turns up her nose at store brand cat food, but if I bring in anything even remotely plantlike, she will try to eat it. She's even tried to eat the fake plant I have sitting in a corner. Seriously.

For awhile now I've been thinking about bringing in some houseplants to make my apartment look more "alive" but I was worried about potential ill effects on Tigger if she got ahold of it. So on the recommendation of a friend, I looked up the ASPCA's list of Toxic and Non-Toxic plants for pets. Turns out most of the plants I wanted are highly toxic to cats, causing everything from vomiting to seizures if eaten. A big bummer for me, but I'm glad I looked before I bought.

You can check out the ASPCA's list of toxic and non-toxic plants here. Also- I'd love to know if any of you cat and plant owners have any advice for me and my vegetarian kitty. :)
Tigger: vicious plant hunter

Images: Aloe, ASPCA website (see link). Tigger, mine.

3 comments:

  1. Ha ha, my dogs LOVE eating grass! I think it helps sooth their stomachs if they have a tummy ache, but they also just eat it for fun!

    -kaunis.wordpress.com

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  2. Our cats must be long lost triplets- I have two black cats identical to Tigger lol.

    As far as plant eating, both my cats and the dog do it. Try cat grass- Tigger may need to calm his stomach. It helps with furballs apparently. :)

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  3. My kitty adores to eat my moms ivy she's been growing for years...

    You should buy those grow-it-yourself cat grass kits from Wal-mart (or anyplace else you can find) for Tigger. On the bright side, you don't have to waste $15 a week on canned food. :)

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