Common Christmas flowers that are poisonous to your cat

Flowers and plants in the home can cause irritation, such as irritation to the mouth or skin of a cat, while others can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. Some plants are so poisonous that they can cause life-threatening poisoning in our cats as damage to internal organs, e.g. the kidneys, can occur, which in the worst case can cause such serious damage that the cat does not survive. Usually only a small amount from a plant or a flower is enough to poison the cat, and even though the poison is produced by theEven though the poison is mainly in the onion, it can also be found in leaves, pollen and pistils and the cat can become ill just by drinking water from a pot with the poisonous flower/plant in it.

A curious cat will be happy to investigate what exciting things his or her master or mistress has chosen to decorate with this time. It may be a good idea to keep a little extra watch on which plants go up for Christmas, as some of our most common Christmas flowers can make your cat sick. If you have cut flowers, even the water they're in can be poisonous.

These Christmas flowers can cause poisoning in cats:

Amaryllis (especially the onion)

Christmas rose

Hyacinth (especially the onion)

Mistletoe

Lilies and lily plants (particularly toxic to cats)

Poinsettia

Christmas cactus

Unfortunately, the symptoms are often diffuse when it comes to poisoning in cats. It is therefore important to go to the vet urgently if you suspect your cat has ingested something that is toxic to them. Symptoms of poisoning can include vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue, salivation and convulsions. In the worst case, the kidneys may be so severely damaged that the cat will not survive. Symptoms may last 6-12 hours after the cat has eaten poisonous plants, but symptoms can also appear sooner than that. If you have a cat at home that likes to eat plants, you can make a habit of keeping catnip on display. This is because catnip is not dangerous for cats to eat.

Christmas can bring more dangers for your cat, read more here!